<p>My child is a senior in college. She hates her major and doesn't know what to do. She has tried school counseling but the first thing they ask is what do you want to do. She doesn't know. She likes her creative writing but English is the major. She can't seem to make herself do the work for English. She feels she can't go to the English counselor. She is depressed and I'm very worried. Can I help her?</p>
<p>No you cannot help her stop hating her major. But you can encourage/prod/insist that she go see her academic advisor, and then follow up with a visit to health services re: depression.</p>
<p>Blossom, this is almost exactly our conversation. I’m glad to know this is the way to go. Thank you so much for responding. I will keep at it. I know she is in pain and I feel so bad. Thank you!</p>
<p>As she is a senior, she should just suck it up, meet the requirements for her major and finish it up. her potential employers will not care what her major is. Just get it done - graduate, and all will be cool. Best of luck.</p>
<p>Has she been to the career center on her campus? Believe me, they have helped others with this issue before.</p>
<p>If she can’t face them, she should pay a visit to the state employment office closest to her. The job counselors there also have evaluationtools thatshe can use to help identify possible careers.</p>
<p>Lastly, give her your full permission to take a leave of absence so she has time to work through everything that she needs to work through. Finishing up that degree can wait.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Deal with the mental health first. The other stuff will work itself out once she’s able to function.</p>
<p>If she is a college senior, she has only ONE more term after this one ends. I would suggest she meet the graduation requirements in her current major. Just get it done. It’s only one more term. </p>
<p>She should go to the career center and start looking for jobs that are interesting to her. As noted, her major might not matter at all. She could graduate and then land a job that she absolutely loves.</p>
<p>I usually agree with Happymom, but since this kid is one term away from graduating, I’m not sure I would suggest a leave of absence. The kid just doesn’t have far to go to get a degree…her future job could end up being wonderful.</p>
<p>I would tell her to look at the carrot at the end of the string…not the string.</p>
<p>Agree with finishing the major at this stage. She should also visit her college’s career advising/counseling center. They should have aptitude and interest tests available to help her. Advisors in the major won’t know this aspect of life. She may be depressed because of her situation and not be struggling primarily because of depression. You don’t need to like all courses required for your major and by senior year it is usually best to just make yourself get through the few required courses. Finding out where she fits on the career advising tests may help relieve her stress and allow her to manage finishing her major. Knowing she isn’t stuck with her major as her career may help. She should plan some fun electives- even pass/fail- for next semester. Her reward for sticking with school and the required “evils” of her major.</p>
<p>If it is likely that she would make a big change in her major, a leave while she develops those plans can make sense.</p>
<p>Transferring as a junior plus credit-wise, would mean that she retains eligibility for Pell, Perkins, and Federal Work-Study money. Graduating and then re-enrolling for a second bachelors (or just for the missing credits for a different major) means that she would only be eligible for federal student loans.</p>
<p>This can make a big difference for some families.</p>
<p>I agree with happymom</p>
<p>Also, once you graduate, you lose undergraduate financial aid eligibility. If you change majors at the last second, I think you can still continue to get financial aid.</p>
<p>None of which is the point. </p>
<p>This girl needs to get her mental health in order before trying to make life decisions.</p>
<p>We were in this same position with my son 5 years ago. He was a business major and hated it! He was also depressed, but I believe it was mostly related to the prospect of having to get a job doing something that bored him to tears. After much deliberation, he decided to switch to engineering second semester of his senior year. He basically had to start from scratch as he had none of the prerequisites for engineering coursework. And because he did NOT finish his business degree, he was able to get financial aid once he became an independent. Once his prepaid plan was used up, he was on his own dime, so the financial aid was a welcome relief.</p>
<p>With regards to the depression, once the decision was made to switch majors, it was like the clouds lifted and the sun came out! He threw himself into his studies and worked his butt off, taking classes year round while working 30+ hours a week up until the last year or so. It took him 7.5 years total, but he graduated 2 years ago with a degree in Electrical Engineering. And he had a job waiting for him with a great company and an enviable benefits package. He has never regretted his decision and is looking forward to starting an MBA next fall!</p>
<p>Another question the OPs daughter needs to ask herself…does she WANT to be an undergrad for several more years? That is likely how long it would take her to finish college IF she switches majors. There is a 12 term limit on the Pell, I believe…and there is an aggregate limit on the Direct Loan. If she is receiving merit aid from her current school, there is very likely a four year limit on that.</p>
<p>Can the family support college undergrad payments for an additional several years?</p>
<p>If she doesn’t WANT to be in college for several more years, then finishing now would be better. If she doesn’t mind the thought of being in undergrad school for a few more years, then a major switch could be considered.</p>
<p>You’ll probably have a better sense of this, but it is very possible that she just hates her major… because well, most students hate their major at some point during college. I hated my major my senior year, not because I should have switched majors or it wasn’t write for me, but just because I was taking classes that I didn’t like and weren’t relevant to what I wanted to do. Most of my friends and relatives hated their majors at some point. She may be tired of studying and school, or she may be taking classes that aren’t particularly exciting or interesting. It’s possible that this is a passing feeling, or that you’re just getting all of the complaining and none of the good stuff. Of course, this all assumes that there isn’t a bigger issue at hand, and you’d be a better judge of that.</p>
<p>I’d recommend that she graduate with her major since she’s almost there, and perhaps, talk to a counselor/therapist if she’s clinically depressed–not necessarily just going through the “quarter-like crisis” or the “about to graduate panic,” which is pretty standard in my opinion. Unless she wants to radically switch to engineering or something, you can qualify for a wide range of jobs with pretty much any major, presuming she has some work experience.</p>
<p>As far as how you can help her, she may just need someone to listen to her worries. I know you want to do more, but all you can do is provide suggestions (which is sounds like you already have) and a listening ear.</p>
<p>Mental health first, and second, and third.</p>
<p>(Full disclosure: I was an English major, and have had a wonderful life, never at a loss for fun, interesting, remunerative employment, and a good time all around.)</p>
<p>I would strongly urge your daughter to finish up her major.</p>
<p>Get her to understand that the name on the degree has very little impact on the careers available to her. At this point, a change in major could add two years to her undergrad, and for what purpose?</p>
<p>I worked with a girl in senior year, who had missed part of last year with health reasons. She did not wish to finish up in her science major. She decided to shift to teaching. In our state, there is a Master’s degree for teaching with a non-education background. She applied for this program, and then it was easier to finish senior year.</p>