Should I remain where I am or transfer?

College Search & Selection
1

I am technically a junior in college (21 years old) but I have followed a very untraditional path so far…I have not taken a full course load every semester because I’ve been working and have had other responsibilities in my life. Along with those things, I have been very indecisive on a major.

I attend a commuter branch campus of Penn State University and still live at home. I began college intending to major in Physics. I quickly struggled with the math and changed my major to Political Science. I stayed the Political Science route for about a year but my campus only had one Political Science teacher and she was so horrible that it made me hate the subject. I reevaluated everything and decided to change my major back to Physics with a minor in Political Science. I convinced myself I would push through the struggle with mathematics for the Physics major.

But now, through one semester of being back on that route, I am upset because I realize that I just don’t have the math skills. It’s simply not where my talents are. I love astronomy as a “hobby,” but I understand now that that is where it will have to end. Could I teach myself to become better with math over time? Maybe, but it makes me miserable and I don’t enjoy it, and I don’t want to spend my life doing something that makes me miserable.

So my other longtime interest, Political Science, is going to be my career. I am looking into majoring specifically in International Politics with a concentration in either International Relations or National Security. I really want to work for some sort of government department or political agency.

But now I’m beginning to question whether or not Penn State is the right place for me. Back when I chose Penn State, I chose it simply because it was the most affordable option and a respected public school. However, I have not received much aid and have had to take out loans every semester. I’m going to owe around $100,000 in loans by the time I graduate. I have not yet moved to the main campus at University Park. I’ve been there, and it looks enjoyable, but it’s also very big, and I honestly do not know how respected and strong the Political Science department at Penn State is. In addition, part of majoring in Political Science involves internships, and I’m worried that doing an internship might be difficult if it is located far away from my campus.

I know someone who attends George Washington University in Washington, D.C. I really don’t know anything about the school except that since it’s in D.C., it provides many valuable internship and work opportunities relevant to a career in this field.

I’m just getting to the point where I feel like I want to move away from home. I’m tired of living in a rural area where nothing happens. I like to be where more action is, and at age 21 I want to really start accelerating my career, which I really haven’t done yet.

So, I’m basically looking for a little guidance.

  1. Is the Political Science department at Penn State University strong and respected? Will University Park be a place I can focus strongly on my career and enjoy my studies?
  2. How does the tuition costs of PSU compare to a place like George Washington University? Would I receive more aid at GWU?
  3. Does Penn State provide as many Political Science internship opportunities as George Washington University?
2

Can you explain what you mean by this? Hard to get one or hard to move for one?

If you’re in the market for internships, apply to EVERYTHING. I (Penn State student) am helping my PoliSci boyfriend search through listings. Just finding paid ones is hard enough.

3

@bodangles I meant hard to move for one with that statement. I mean, I’m sure getting one will be hard enough, but I meant that if it is located far away from my campus, then I wouldn’t be able to complete it while attending classes (I guess I would have to do it during the summer and not take any classes plus move to the location of the internship).

I honestly do not know much about the whole internship thing, which is why I need help. I’m the first person to ever go to college in my immediate family and I’m an only child and a big introvert, and all these things mean I’ve been on my own forever and I have not put myself out there to really learn about all of these things yet. I know I’m a really intelligent and dedicated person…my teachers and bosses can tell you that…but for too long I haven’t put my full attention on academics. I need to get more involved and learn more about specifically internships…and I need to settle my mind on a college.

I’ve only become interested in GWU recently, because I’m sick of living in a rural area and with the recent events of politics, I am interested in being part of those events and what better place than Washington, D.C., right? But for me tuition costs are also important, and if Penn State’s Political Science department is respectable then I might just have to stay here.

4

Many internships take place in the summer, you don’t take classes alongside them, they’re like a full-time job.
Your friend at GWU does internships in the way some urban colleges offer them, ie., as a 3-credit 5th class you take each semester. American does it too (in DC), Baruch in NYC. Basically it means once a week you have your internship while you take classes 4 days a week. However this is not the most common form of internships.
What’s your job? Is it a company you could have a career with? Woud you continue with it at State College?
If you can still drop physics, drop it since it’s not what you’re going to be doing, no need to waste time and money on it (as long as the period to drop and get reimbursed hasn’t passed).
If you attend Penn State which, yes, has a respectable Poli Sci department, you’ll be doing internships in the summer. It has a strong major called SODA that combines political science and data work, so if you have some math skills (just not at the level a physics major requires but it sounds like you can handle some math) it’d be a good major for you.
You’ll need to work on your language skills, especially if you can learn a “critical” languages (Portuguese, Urdu…) and take at least one elementary statistics class.
What’s your GPA?
What classes have you taken so far?
What’s your budget (not including loans)?

5

I think it’s normal to feel this way. Remember, though, that 21 is still very young and you have a lot of time to move somewhere things are happening, and to accelerate your career. Right now you need to focus on earning a degree you can afford.

Penn State has an excellent political science department. And yes, it’s a place you can focus on career development and enjoy your studies, although that’s going to depend on what you’re looking for in an experience. State College is a small college town 3 hours away from the nearest large city, so if you are looking for big city happenings you won’t find them there.

First of all, even Penn State may not be a good place for you to choose if you will owe $100K in loans by the time you graduate. That is a crushing amount of debt, especially if you want to work in international politics and development or some related career where you probably won’t make a whole lot of money to begin with.

But GWU is one of the most expensive universities in the country. Penn State estimates the total cost of attendance to be around $30-33K per year for a PA resident. GWU, on the other hand, estimates the total cost of attendance a whopping $69K. As a transfer student, you are unlikely to be offered much if any financial aid.

I wouldn’t choose a university solely on the basis of it being in DC. First of all, I know that DC is often the mecca for political science students, but there are tons of cities across the U.S. in which you can get political science-related internship experience. Not all federal agencies are headquartered in DC, and even the ones that are often have branch campuses or satellite offices located in other cities. Every state also has a capital, and with lowered competition it might actually be easier to get a meaningful internship in (say) Salem, OR or Albany, NY or Montgomery, AL than in DC. As someone else pointed out, many students end up doing summer internships in DC later.

If you want to move away and be in an urban area, have you considered one of PA’s other public universities? Temple is located right in Philadelphia and would cost around $32K for a PA resident. On the other side of the state also in a big urban area is University of Pittsburgh, which would cost about $33K a year for a PA resident. Pittsburgh has a strong focus on international studies - they are one of the country’s leading producers of Fulbright scholars and Peace Corps volunteers, and they have a lot of great area studies programs and some resources on campus for learning more about international studies.

West Chester University is in the Philadelphia metro area; it’s also 35 minutes to Wilmington, the capital of Delaware. It’s affordable for a PA resident, being a PASSHE school - the cost of attendance is estimated about $26K a year.

6

@MYOS1634 My job is not at all related to my career…I’m a shift manager at a local small business (food industry). I’ve been working there since I was 17, but it’s just a job to have income; that’s it. If I move out to University Park to continue at Penn State main campus, I will have to leave it, which worries me because then I will have no immediate source of income.


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I have taken up to level 3 of Spanish (high school + college), but I’ve recently developed an interest in Arabic…which I’ve heard is a good qualification if I want to work for a government or international agency that does work in the Middle East, which is a hot area of world events as we all know. But I wouldn’t be able to start learning Arabic until I get out to University Park because that is the only place at which it is offered in Penn State.

My GPA is about a 3.2 right now (I have done extremely well in most classes but poorly in a couple that I basically gave up on). The good news is that, through 2 and a half years of college, I have already completed all of my gen eds.

I have also already taken statistics and got an A in that.

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I only need to take core classes from here on out. So if I major in Political Science or a field of that, I will only have to take the core classes for the major…which is kind of weird because I have been told not to believe that I can take 5 core classes per semester because it’s far more difficult than taking say, 3 core classes and 2 gen eds.

My budget is that I have no money. (Well, I do…let’s just say somewhere between $10,000 and $20,000 of my own money…but I’m not using it to pay for school because then I would have nothing at all, and I have to drive 30 minutes to school every day and buy my own foods and necessities, etc. Plus I’m saving that money to use for things in the future.

So I’m taking out loans for the entirety of my tuition. Tuition is about $7,000/semester right now, and federal student loans are only covering about $2,000 of it, so I have to take out private loans as well. It sucks. The entire thing is a mess.

7

At what age are students independent? Couldn’t you work on finding a school that would help more financially? Maybe apply for more scholarships? I can’t believe you’re spending that much on your schooling, all in loans. I’m sorry. Hang in there, though.

8

Is there a way for you to transfer jobs through that small business, like if they have a branch in State College or elsewhere (and then you could look for a nearby university)? Or use your resume to get a shift manager job at a company or store in State College? Investigate that before you decide where you’d go to school. Since you’re on your own you need to look for ways to continue your source of income, and ajust college plans to that.

9

@jesse’sgirl Penn State is the cheapest 4-year college within 200 miles of me, I’m pretty sure. Community college is much cheaper, yeah, but I’m beyond that. I COULD be wrong but I do not believe so…if there’s something I’m missing, please help me, because I would really prefer NOT to have $100,000 in loans owed…but I don’t see any other options. I’ve already attended for 6 semesters which equals close to $50,000 ALREADY.

10

@MYOS1634 No, this is a small business with one location only and only about 25 employees. When I have to move away from home, I will be forced to quit this job.

I’m confident I will find a part time job wherever I move to while I am in school. I’m very intelligent and dependable and have good management skills and interviewers will see that I’m sure.

I am pretty much set on staying at Penn State but I am going to have to transfer out to University Park soon because I’m sick of feeling like I’m at a standstill with my academic career. I believe I am eligible to transfer as of now (I have completed the necessary number of credits at my branch campus), but moving out there means securing room and board and all that stuff which I haven’t looked into yet.

And as I said in the above post, I picked Penn State because it was basically the cheapest option for me. $7,000 a semester is on the low end…but my parents had no money for me, so that means I’ve still had to take out loans for everything. I haven’t received any scholarships, but I’ve only applied to a couple in my whole life.

How would I win a scholarship when I don’t have any outstanding achievements on my record yet?

11

Look in the financial aid/scholarship section here on CC. There are some link to some websites to use to search for scholarships. You can also post your situation in terms of your need there and see if you get more ideas. Also talk to someone in the financial aid office at your school.

12

^ There are very few scholarships available to students already in college and those will mostly be available through the school. Talk to your Poly Sci department about what may be available.

13

These are the requirements for the SODA major (political science + data analytics, a major with good employment possibilities)
http://soda.la.psu.edu/major-requirements
Which classes have you already taken?

There’s also a degree in Political Science, International Relations & National security.
Can’t find the link to the Recommended Academic Plan.

Rather than taking everything as loans, can you use part of your savings to take only federal loans, not private loans - this amount in loans is not sustainable.
If they agree to fill out FAFSA, do you qualify for Pell?

14

If OP is only getting the $2k federal loan, @MYOS1634, doesn’t that indicate the parents make too much to qualify for the $3500 (freshman), $4500 (soph), and $5500 (jr/sr) subsidized part?

15

All students should get the $5,500 loans, except the amount they get subsidized would be different.
I’m concerned the student handled it all himself and may have filled out something wrong. Of course it could well be that the family makes too much but just dotting i’s here since he seems to be on his own.

16

As @juillet has commented, Penn State has a superb and highly ranked political science department.

Do look into the financial questions that @MYOS1634 asked. What is the breakdown of your 50K in debt thus far - how much is federal student loan (subsidized/unsubsidized)? Do you qualify for Pell? Did your parents cosign for loans and if so, how much? It might be helpful to speak to a financial aid officer at your current/future campus to determine if there is a better way to do things.

If you transfer and live off campus at Penn State in a shared apartment, there will be some savings over dorm/meal plan.

Good luck!

17

I actually did not fill out the FAFSA last year by the deadline, therefore I did not receive any Pell or State grants or anything. Hopefully this year I will. My parents definitely do not make much…$20,000/year for one and $50,000/year the other.

I actually started out college by taking out solely private loans (the advisor we met with recommended this; at the time we had no idea how to pay for college or how the process worked). I don’t know what kind of advisor she was because now that I’m older I know that I should always get as much federal aid as possible followed by taking out federal student loans, rather than private loans.

But most of my debt so far is owed on private loans through Citizens Bank parent plus…yes, my Mom is a cosigner on all the loans. She will have to pay the money back ONLY if I cannot. I believe they are on 10 or 15 year repayment plans, meaning I have that long to repay them after I graduate college.

18

I will schedule an appointment with a financial advisor at my campus and talk to them about how to formulate a better plan. I appreciate all the advice so far…thank you!

19

Yeah, Citizen’s bank sold you their loans. :s And gave you VERY bad advice.
(They don’t get paid for giving you good advice. They get paid for what they sell you from the bank that will make them the most profit. That’s how it was also for retirement investments until a law in the previous administration made it illegal to give advice just to make money off the person and now requires bank advisers to give advice actually in the person’s best interest as far as their retirement funds go, but not for the other types of financial products.)

FILL OUT FAFSA NOW, deadlines have changed, you could do it back in October!
And you’ll use 2015 income for your mother only.
Apply to Pennsylvania Grants, too (through FAFSA).
DO IT TODAY.
It means you’ll likely get a $5,700 grant, a Pennsylvania State grant for about that much, and can stop taking those private loans!

https://www.pheaa.org/funding-opportunities/state-grant-program/

20

@MYOS1634 I will. I hope you’re right. Grants are not paid back, correct? Only federal loans.