<p>I'm finishing up my junior year at a private university. I started college on a full scholarship (runs out after four years) with the intent of majoring in a science or math. I got a little sidetracked; I have numerous interests and coming from a cloistered high school background where all I did was science and math to a big university, I was very excited about taking lots of courses in various areas, but I didn't plan it out well.</p>
<p>I was very depressed at the end of my freshman year and was thinking of either transferring or taking a year off as I didn't like my college outside of the good academics and also didn't know what I was going to major in anyways. My parents freaked out at both options, and so the only option to get away was to go abroad. I didn't plan it out well; I thought originally I would be able to study any subject but later found that I would only receive credit for language courses and a limited amount of general requirements. It was a great learning experience which I still cherish, but unfortunately I did not get the credits I needed.</p>
<p>At the start of junior year, I thought with my strong math and science background from high school I would be able to jump right back in, but found myself struggling in a quantum physics course while a junior (I hadn't taken physics for 2.5 years) which I ended up dropping. It was somewhat of a tough blow to realize I'm not actually an academic prodigy and realistically would not be able to complete a physics major in two years.</p>
<p>So, at the end of that semester I switched my major to that language as it was the only realistic option I had to complete my degree in four years. I'm finishing the first upper-level courses I've taken in that discipline, and I've hated them (I don't get literature on anything but the most superficial level). I've looked briefly into the after-college options for my major, and they don't interest me.</p>
<p>Now, I'm considering whether it would be worthwhile to finish my degree at my current school. I'm frustrated to the extreme by the position I'm in now as I really don't care about my major and I'm also worried that I will be shut out of what I really want to do in the long run (working in physics or with computers). I was thinking I could transfer to my flagship state university and complete my degree there, but that would cost a good deal more than completing my degree in four years at my current university, not to mention that many (read: parents) would think I was crazy for transferring from an elite private to a state university. If I transferred, I was thinking it would be possible to get a job part-time to help pay for college tuition. I also wouldn't miss my current uni in any case as my friends (few as they are here) are graduating.</p>
<p>So, what should I do? Stick with completing the major I hate out of financial necessity, or try to transfer out? Will I be shut out of technical fields if I complete my degree at my current university? Any general suggestions? Have you ever heard of a similar situation?</p>
<p>You’re getting a free ride where you are now. You don’t seem to have any direction or specific interest in any field right now. Why pay to go to a flagship state school where you will most likely continue on this unfocused path? Stay where you are and figure out a plan. </p>
<p>Have you discussed any of this with your academic advisor? If you were currently paying for college and still did not have any direction by junior year, I would suggest leaving college, joining the workforce, and figuring out what you want to do with your future. Because you’re attending college on a full ride, why not stay there and start putting in some real effort to try to figure out some things. Go to the Career and Student Development Center and sit in on some workshops. Talk with your academic advisor. Talk with professors. Talk with people in your Career Center. You need to take start taking charge and responsibility for your future.</p>
<p>The school isn’t your problem. Go ask for help from the people who can actually give you sound advise based on what you’ve taken and what your particular school has to offer. </p>
<p>I actually plan to do physics (which I wanted to do when I got to college but got sidetracked) and/or computer science. I can’t do that at my current university because I have to graduate in four years; the last year I have is already planned out finishing requirements and my major so there will be no room for getting classes in there.</p>
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<p>The professors in my department all are overbusy to want to sit down and talk to me (academic advisor is getting tenure, head of department is… head of department, etc). I have spoken to one of them kind enough to spend some time with me about potential job options; his only suggestion was to get a job translating with a company in my hometown. I have already e-mailed with a professor of computer science, who I’m going to go see in person tomorrow. I have also set up an appointment with another visiting professor about potential job options in the country (also to ask: why do you study this??? because I don’t quite get it). I can report back… and go from there.</p>
<p>I’m been to a few career workshops and the like at my college, but I’ve been consistently surprised how little information they can give me to speak to my situation. In general, the advising in my college has been bad throughout, so I’m hesitant to spend any more time seeking out the general fairs, but I will keep at it nevertheless so I don’t miss anything. </p>
<p>I appreciate you guys’ advice. I will probably just stick it out to get my magical piece of paper, no matter how much of a waste of time it might feel like now. Thanks again, and thanks for the luck (I’ll need it to get my life back on track ).</p>
<p>My husband’s story is a little different from yours, but he was very unhappy as an education major and dropped out of college as a senior! His parents were a little upset, to put it mildly. He ended up living on one farm in Mississippi for 2 years and another in Alaska for 4 years. He did a little teaching, but also a lot of other things such as lumberjacking (is that a verb??), carpentry, and cabinetmaking. He discovered that he was very interested in how buildings were put together, so he took an engineering correspondence course. He got an A in it, and went back to the University of Wisconsin to get his BS in structural engineering. Then he came down to Texas to get his MS, and that’s where we met. We joke that his little “detour” was necessary so that I could grow up enough that he could legally date me (I am almost 9 years younger than he is).</p>
<p>Anyway, I guess the point is that he had never even heard of structural engineering in college, and his seemingly aimless wanderings were what led him to a career that he loves. You could always get your diploma, and then take a break to figure out what you want to do. You have your entire life in front of you!</p>
<p>I understand that the scholarship expires after 4 years, but does this mean you must graduate at that time? If physics is what truly interests you, can’t you focus your remaining scholarship time on meeting as many requirements towards that degree as possible and then either: a) pay for one final year at elite private to complete degree in 5 years or b)transfer to more affordable state school for 5th year?</p>
<p>It seems to me that it is more important to study what you love and will use rather than just whatever you can get the quickest degree in. After all, an undergrad in language x is not going to be a great door opener for a masters in physics, is it?</p>
<p>^ I agree with the above. You need to speak with advisors in the CS and Physics departments. You will probably need an additional year for a degree either at your school or elsewhere.</p>
<p>One plan may be to finish your major fitting in as many physics or CS classes as you can and when you graduate you can do a certiificate program, while working, in the area you eventually hope to work in or get a masters in.</p>
<p>If you would otherwise need/qualify for financial aid, you should be aware that finishing the first degree will make you ineligible for many gov’t grants. Just a consideration if you’re thinking you’ll then need to go get a second degree. If you’re sure you don’t want to work in your “major” field and have no aptitude for it, I would not waste my time finishing there. It’s not really “free” as your time and effort, and time spent out of the workforce, is worth something!</p>
<p>S2 dropped out as a junior when he was not happy with major and did not know what he wanted to do. 5 years later after working various maintenance jobs, he has figured out that he needs the degree to get any kind of job that would support him and his soon to be bride. He returned to community college to get associates degree and then plans to transfer to the state university to finish up the 4 year degree. </p>
<p>He found out that only 1 semester of credits transferred when he went to register. But he qualifies for grants on his own now since he did not have a degree so he is getting support for the process. It is just going to take longer than he thought. </p>
<p>Things to consider. If you decide to finish at this point, getting as many credits in your hoped for major as you can, get your grades as high as possible so you can position yourself for advanced degrees and the GMATs. If you need to take additional classes for post graduate work , discuss these with a school you would be interested in attending next. They might give you more insight.</p>
<p>I know two guys who dropped out with about a year remaining one for sure did not want to pursue his major any longer, the other for several reasons. One is nearly 60 and he never got his degree, it has limited him to some degree in is field, though not horribly.</p>
<p>The other is mid-30s and has wandered aimlessly since, he would have been better off getting any old degree so his job applications would not be screened out due to the lack of a degree. He is intellectually brilliant, full scholarship Regents at a top UC, but no exciting interesting life pursuing a passion, no career, living with his mom :(</p>
<p>Well, you have two options. 1. Complete the degree at your university. If you hate it, go back to your state uni for 3 yrs (I’m assuming you can transfer over some general and some math/science requirements and get out early) for a second degree. Remember that it might be hard to fund this option since you have already completed a degree. Therefore finaid might be out, scholarship money might be out. Call your state uni and ask about the situation. 2. Halt progress in your degree at your university. Call up your state uni. Ask what courses are necessary to complete the degree of your choice, and how you can prepare to transfer into that degree ex. what CORE requirements are necessary, both for the university as a whole and for your major, what courses can count towards your major that you already have, what courses you need, etc. Do some good research. Spend your free 4th yr at your elite institution taking NEEDED courses that can transfer. Then transfer to your state uni for a 5th yr or 5th and 6th yr to finish up. I think you can easily afford two years at a state school. Get a payment plan, work, take out loans, commute.</p>
<p>However, the 2nd option is scary. What if you transfer and you hate your state school too? Then you are in the hole one degree and out tons of money. That’s why if it’s possible to still retain your scholarship to your elite school, I would take a kind of leave of absence to work and possibly take one or two classes part time at your state uni and feel it out. Then you can really decide what you want, if state uni and engineering/science/math is for you, or if you should finish your language degree.</p>
<p>Sorry this has gotten so complicated and frustrating for you. </p>
<p>I’m somewhat inclined to go with the poster who suggested you bite the bullet and pay for a fifth year at your current school. You can take courses this summer and next somewhere cheaper and closer to home to lighten the load, and possibly finish up after only one additional semester. Here’s the thing though…If you decide to take summer school courses elsewhere, be sure to get those courses approved for transfer in advance. You definitely don’t want to take anything else that won’t move you closer to your goals. Also, whether you stay or transfer to another school, be aware of the residence requirements; for example, some schools want you to take the last 8-10 courses there. </p>
<p>I started college as a science major, but ended up with a liberal arts degree. After working for two years, I enrolled at my home-state-U as a “senior transfer” in agriculture. I worked part-time and studied part-time for 12 months, and then up-graded myself to “non-degree graduate student” for a semester. Then, I took a year off to work and apply to grad school. Bingo. Got into my first choice with full support.</p>
<p>Fortunately, I had a bunch of science credits that covered pre-requisites for the upper-level courses and the grad-level courses, so I didn’t complete a full second bachelor’s degree. I have friends who made this kind of career transition who did complete a second bachelor’s degree, mostly because they needed to take all the basic courses at home-state-U.</p>
<p>If you’re already finished with your junior year you may have a lot of trouble transferring. You probably should finish out your degree, take whatever courses you can during that time, and then in the future take courses to supplement your skills and move into the direction you want. You can also look into the possibility of getting a master’s degree in the field you want, some schools offer master’s degrees where they let you fill in missing prerequisites as part of the program…</p>
<ol>
<li><p>An object lesson for us parents: The OP’s parents made things far worse by “freaking out” over the OP’s desire to step back after his freshman year.</p></li>
<li><p>OP: It’s ridiculous to major in a foreign language if you “don’t get” literature, since that’s what a language major generally entails. It’s hard to believe you are really as clueless as you present yourself, but the proof seems to be right there. You have problems that go way beyond what major to complete. When was the last time you made an intelligent choice after gathering the relevant information and thinking about it? Have you done that yet?</p></li>
<li><p>In general, I would lean to the figure-out-what-it-takes-to-major-in-physics crowd. The only problem with that is that there is no evidence that you can actually complete a physics major at your college, no matter how much time you have. You really have to look at yourself in the mirror and figure out what you want, and then spend REAL time and REAL attention (attention to the DETAILS) plotting the course from here to there. </p></li>
<li><p>My sister’s career actually supports (sort of) your plan, which I hate. After dropping her geology major because she couldn’t pass physics, she went to Spain for a semester and became a (lackluster) Spanish major. It still took her an extra semester to graduate, since she didn’t pay attention to the requirements and missed a couple. During that semester, she went to college part time and got a job at a stock brokerage. 25+ years later, she is an extremely successful investment manager. Her major has never mattered one whit (and I don’t think she remembers more Spanish than she needs to order a taco, although at one point she thought for a day or so about taking a job that would have had her concentrating on investments in South America).</p></li>
</ol>
<p>What is the bare minimum that you have left to do to get a degree in your current major field? Is there a culture or communication or business or teaching option for the major that is less literature-based? (In the 21st century, it is more likely that you would use that language to discuss a marketing project than it is likely that you would need to dissect a 19th century novel. Unfortunately, many language faculties are still in 19th century mode.) Does your school allow for independent majors? If so, can you find an advisor who will help you cook one up?</p>
<p>I wanted time off after my junior year because I didn’t know where I was going. I stayed because I wasn’t guaranteed financial aid if I would leave and then return. Also, I didn’t like the folks in the class behind mine, and would have wanted two full years off. Looking back, I don’t know if it was a mistake or not. I graduated with the lowest GPA of the people in my department, and my major, while nice to chat about at cocktail parties, indeed was relatively useless in the job market. However, I get invited to really cool alum association events where I get to chat with some interesting folks. Not to mention that my small group of college pals remains solid all these years later. I am in my current career because one of my pals (not some other random member of the alum association) encouraged me to take it up.</p>
<p>Be patient with yourself. You will figure this out. You are going to be just fine.</p>
<p>Is there any way you can pick up the physics courses and/or other courses you would need for the major you prefer in a summer school program? IF you can manage that, probably with summer school after junior and senior year, it makes more sense to me to do the major you want than to waste any more time in a lang/lit configuration. If you are truly stuck with your current course of study, I would encourage you strongly to take as much of it pass/fail as possible and build up as many courses in your preferred major as you can, aiming towards a double major. You’ll need to work harder to do this, but if it is really want you want, you can manage it. I would even suggest that, depending on how much of that physics class you completed, you might be able to work out an arrangement with the professor and the university administration to complete the course in independent study. And finally, your best friend is your dean of students or college counselor at this point. Or your faculty advisor. Get yourself some good advisors and allies in the university. If someone doesn’t respond to you, talk to someone else. Go for what you want.</p>
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