Hi everyone I am not sure if this is the right forum but I am starting my first year of college and I need advice,
I have always planned on studying Political Science and I am now majoring in it but I have always heard growing up to study something practical, something that leads directly to a career. I didn’t let that affect my decision until I realized I don’t have an answer to what i want to be, just to what I want to study. After orientation I decided to add a pre-pharmacy track in addition to my major and I am no so sure if i made the right decision. I don’t enjoy science and math but I have never struggled in my advanced science or math classes. I didn’t want to do the typical Bio or Chem major for a pre-pharmacy track, I really like my major and I want to stay a political science major. The problem with this decision is there are no overlapping courses since the two are unrelated fields. This semester I am taking 18 credits and I am only a freshman.
I just want to know if I am making the right decision or is it best to stick to what I enjoy and if yes, how do I make sure I am successful after graduating as a political science major? what is a possible career path and what can i be doing while in school to make sure I am successful? I also know grad school is a thing and loans too when making the decision to study pharmacy.
Graduating in 4 years is also really important to me.
As a pharmacist I’m telling you that if you don’t really enjoy math or science then you are totally in the wrong field and need to re-think.
There are a ton of chemistry, organic chem, bio, biochem, physics classes ahead of you. And that’s just the start.
Not to mention it’s a six year program.
Here’s my concern: you are taking 18 hours first semester freshman year. I think that’s too much of a load for 98% of first semester college freshmen. It takes a little time to adjust. That heavy a load is setting yourself up for failure, IMO.
18 credits is not a problem IF the courses are ones you like and you are in that top 2%. Definitely drop the thought of becoming a pharmacist since you do not like the material required and therefore you will not enjoy it. Being good at something does not mean you do it. Easy choice. Pharmacy is not just some science courses to get through, it is a lifetime of it.
I was an undergrad chemistry major even though my HS econ teacher suggested economics. I just didn’t enjoy it although I took a couple of econ courses as the most palatable social science courses to meet breadth reqs in college. btw- even I could if I had to I prefer to let my H handle the financial angles.
You should look at your current fall semester course list and adjust it to reflect your interests. Drop courses required for prepharmacy and substitute with other science courses that interest you more if you want. No need to take hard core chemistry if you would rather do a course in one of numerous other sciences.
Once you are in college you will discover so much and will fine tune your path. You may/may not keep your currently proposed major. But, if you are not into science you should not waste your time with classes you do not want. There are so many useful careers, including those with a poly sci major background, out there.
Do not try to set yourself up in a field just because you believe it has job security. You certainly do not want to set yourself up for a life of misery because you did what was supposed to be a secure path. Not all jobs require a science degree!
Review your course list for this fall. Keep those for a poly sci major. Change those for a pharmacy degree. Choose math/science that interest you the most.
Pharmacy doesn’t sound like a good fit. I understand there are a lot of pharmacy grads out there looking for work right now, so even the full 6 years may not be the shoo-in to a job you seem to think. And I think pharm programs are generally filled with kids who LIKE bio and chem and math and want to do something practical with it.
You can find a career using the skills you acquire as you earn your political science major. Starting to think about what careers appeal to you and why or why not can be helpful. The obvious stuff is government, politics, analysis, consulting, etc but there’s a lot more you can do.
IMO employers look for employment experience - regular jobs, internships in the area, research, etc.
I confess that my only knowledge of pharmacists is those folks behind the counter at CVS. It seems like the most boring job imaginable to me. Now I know they need to look for interactions, and answer questions and so on, but counting pills for a living sounds dreadful.
My grandfather was a pharmacist and I recently got one of his old prescription notebooks…all handwritten recipes for things, with lots of “new age” (so…actually old) ingredients. Fascinating
