Nontraditional Student wants to study Cognitive Science, unsure about local Universities

College Search & Selection
1

I’m 28, and I’ve been in at a Community College in NC for the past 3.5 years bouncing around between different degree programs. I started out taking classes intending on majoring in Biochem and then Nursing, but while taking my last Nursing pre-req, I took an Ethics class and found Cognitive Science.

When I was 15, I remember learning about Cognitive Science on the internet and falling in love with it. However, I was sent to a series of boarding schools and my life changed drastically. I forgot about CogSci altogether. I’ve already been accepted to UNC Chapel Hill and NC State, and through the articulation agreement with state schools, I can easily transfer my courses. That being said, UNC and NCSU only offer a minor in Cognitive Science while other schools offer a major, and it’s hard for me to connect with people so much younger than I am and I feel so out of place on a larger campus.

I didn’t always get the best grades in CC when I was taking courses I wasn’t really interested in, and my GPA is now just above a 3.5. I’m not sure I can get into any schools out of state that offer the major that I want, but I’d be able to take related subjects at UNC and NCSU and hope that I do well enough to go to a good grad school that really fits me. Is it worth it to just finish out undergrad locally and hope for good graduate opportunities or try for a smaller, out of state and/or private school that offers a major in Cognitive Science that I actually might enjoy attending?

2

U of Delaware offers cogsci major. See how many credits you might be able to transfer. I would transfer and study what you are interested in. My dd is a cogsci major (not at UDel) and she loves her course.

3

Have you looked at Guilford College? They have a large population of older students, and programs specifically aimed at meeting the needs of adult learners. They don’t have a CogSci major, but they have both Psychology and an interesting “Experience Design” major/minor that could prepare you well for a CogSci grad program, particularly if the Design aspects of the field interest you.