PSA transfer, needs now to switch to major originally accepted under

Colleges and Universities A-Z Texas A&M University
1

Last year, my daughter applied and got accepted into TAMU via their PSA admittance program for a major in the college of agriculture that the system schools did not offer. Since she was required to choose a major anyway, we studied the prerequisite basics so that when she met the requirements to choose a major (within the same college as the one offering her intended major) they did offer at the system school she chose, she’d still be taking the classes needed to go back to the original major she’d chosen TAMU to get. Yet, even though TAMU knew of and accepted her for her intended major, they made her register for classes this fall that are for the declared major she was required to declare for the system school she attended per PSA, but aren’t needed for her ultimate degree. So frustrating! It doesn’t make sense. And since transfer students apparently registered last, no in-person classes were left! A new campus and no classes to go to campus to attend. They emailed later and said they want everyone to get at least one in person class, but by then she’d resigned herself into staying home to keep her job to make money for future semesters. She’s actually beginning to consider dropping the courses the counselor told her she has to take for her “2nd choice” major to instead take classes she does need at a community college at the same time that she takes a couple of TAMU classes online. ANY WISDOM OR ADVICE FROM OTHER PSA FAMILIES? We don’t understand how it is that we’re following TAMU guidelines and yet seem to have them working against us. Why does it seem she’s going to have to beg and be at the mercy of maybe and maybe not being allowed to go for her intended major, when it’s what TAMU accepted her under to begin with?

Is there a chance someone can help her get into the right classes, even when her counselor didn’t?

Thanks in advance for any guidance, insight and advice.

2

I am confused by your statement. My daughter went through PSA (TAMU-CC) and the classes taken were more standard pre-requisite type of classes and the Major at the system school for all PSA students was just Liberal Arts. The PSA contract should have explicitly stated the major and during the transfer process, it should have accepted her into that major.

If your daughter is starting at TAMU in the Fall '20, she should already have her major selected from the PSA acceptance. Any major at the system school should have no impact on her TAMU major. Have your daughter reach out to the Academic Advisor, if she feels that something is not right. Many departments have more than one Academic Advisor, so try someone else if she has already started with one and she is not getting answers that align with her goals.

3

@triciarico

I can only share from our experience & fully realise that it may not give you the answers you wish/need right now to sort out your predicament but perhaps it may shed a wee bit more light & familiarity.

My son also followed the PSA prog for admittance to TAMU. He spent his freshman year at TAMU -CC and during his new student orientation (summer '19) I sat in a student/parent session led by their PSA co-ordinator. He reinforced several times during his presentation that as a PSA student at CC your major was Undeclared & during your time there you were part of their University College. He emphasized the importance of following your PSA Degree Plan and not the degree plan/classes you would’ve been following had you been a freshman in that major at CStat. This ensures you are taking the required classes/coursework to fulfill your PSA contract.

I know from reading on this forum that some students can’t accept a PSA offer as their desired major/dept doesn’t participate in the program. They either have to select another closely aligned major (which sounds like what y’all tried to do?) or look at alternate routes for future transfer admission…guaranteed or not. BUT I have also read that PSA shouldn’t be looked upon as a way to be admitted with the desire to change one’s major once accepted.

Can you go back to your original PSA offer and review what major(s) it was awarded for? This is taken from the PSA page of TAMU website…

“Students admitted to Texas A&M through PSA will be required to follow the curriculum for the major to which they are admitted. Change of major requests are not guaranteed.”

As @WWOODS1 suggests reaching out to another Academic Advisor could give more insight & clarity to her situation.

Best of luck & keep us posted on your progress.

4

I too am confused by what you are saying. What is the major that she wants?

What she applied for at TAMU does not matter. My daughter was offered PSA - even though her major of choice does not participate. So she opted to go to a different school and not take part in PSA.

Is the major she wants on this list for the 2019-2020 school year?

https://admissions.tamu.edu/PSA

5

I agree with above posters. You can’t change major if accept psa. I believe they are really clear on this. That doesn’t mean she can’t do it after a semester or two at Tamu but for now, absolutely not. If she doesn’t take a course on her current accepted degree plan then she can be dropped from Tamu as a student for not making progress towards her listed degree.

I’m so sorry you guys didn’t realize all of this but it can be corrected eventually. Tell her to work hard.

6

@triciarico

“my daughter applied and got accepted into TAMU via their PSA admittance program for a major in the college of agriculture that the system schools did not offer.”

  • Your daughter was not accepted into A&M. She was offered guaranteed transfer admittance to A&M thought the PSA program via a participating major, if completed successfully, which it appears she completed and was admitted. Congratulations to her!

Most of the system schools do not offer the major that PSA participant desires. However, PSA participants MUST select an A&M major that participates in the PSA program.

“Since she was required to choose a major anyway, we studied the prerequisite basics so that when she met the requirements to choose a major (within the same college as the one offering her intended major) they did offer at the system school she chose, she’d still be taking the classes needed to go back to the original major she’d chosen TAMU to get.”

*The PSA contract requires the applicants to choose a major from the list of participating A&M majors. (not all majors participate). Being a PSA student at a system school, she would not need to declare a major at that institution.

The only classes she should have taken at the system school are the one that were required on the course sheet for the A&M major she selected and contracted for. All of those can be found here http://admissions.tamu.edu/PSA/

She had to have taken the classes on the required course sheet for the major she contracted with A&M for, otherwise, she would not have completed the programs as per the terms and therefore, not been accepted to transfer.

What it sounds like is that she applied to A&M to X major and was not accepted. Instead, she was offered PSA and the major that she put on her Apply Texas application, doesn’t participate in PSA. Since X major doesn’t participate in PSA, she was required to chose major in the College of Agriculture and Life Science that did participate in PSA. Then, once she completed the PSA requirements and was accepted as a transfer to A&M, she had the the intention of trying to change into X major that she originally applied for.

Unfortunately, that is not how the program works. Whatever major she is currently in, is the one she chose and contracted with, in order to do PSA. That is the one A&M said they would admit her for and that is the one she is required to register classes for this next semester. She must complete one full term In order to apply for a change of curriculum. Here is that process https://student-rules.tamu.edu/rule05/