<p>Hi
My D is considering taking year off from college (Cal) and it is bothering me.
She is in her second year and intending to do a major in Public Health (PH) which is a capped major at Cal. She just learned that the list for PH is first come first serve basis and they are taking only 150 kids and her position is in high 200's. So there is a no chance that should she could get in for next year.<br>
There is rule at cal that one can not declare a major if your unit count is over 80. So she can't stay in college third year without selecting a major. Since she has been doing all the pre-req for PH major, it difficult for her select another major. She is only 5 units away from completing her major if they let her declare it.<br>
Therefore, she is considering taking a year off and waiting to get higher in the list for the following year. Is this a mistake? </p>
<p>She has very high GPA, and already has 100+ units, but she is going to drop all her Ap's credits and other to stay below 80 unit requirement.
Has anyone gone through anything like this. I am at lost on this one.</p>
<p>Has she talked to counselors - both in the college of letters & science AND in the major? Suggest she be a bit assertive and persistent and see what can be done. </p>
<p>My S1 graduated from CAL in a double major in 4.5 years and I know he kept his eye on his units.</p>
<p>It looks very much like the OP’s daughter (a) made a serious mistake in waiting too long to declare the major (although perhaps not, see below), but (b) has figured out that taking a year off is the only chance for her to get into the major. The question I would ask if I were her parent is what happens if she takes the year off? Is she guaranteed to be allowed into the major, because she will be in the next 150 after this year’s 150 are let in? (I.e., does she keep her place on the list, even though she is not currently enrolled?) Or does she have to do something at just the right time to get back on the list, with or without a realistic shot at being in the first 150? </p>
<p>Is the way things work that everyone in the major takes a year off, and that the top 150 getting in this year are the people who completed the requirements and put in their names last year, just like the OP’s daughter is doing this year, and then took this year off waiting to get into the major? If that’s the case, then she is doing exactly the right thing, if she really wants a Public Health major.</p>
<p>Of course, the other thing to do is to figure out whether she can get into a non-capped major, and just have a bunch of Public Health courses on her resume (or maybe even a Public Health minor), and be eligible for anything that a Public Health major could have done. It’s hard to imagine anyone who would hire a Public Health major throwing out the resume of a Biology major with 40 Public Health credits.</p>
<p>Let’s all take a moment, too, to appreciate how awful things must be sometimes for “undergraduate advisor Tony Soyka”, whose job must primarily consist of meeting with hundreds of smart, enthusiastic students who have spent a couple years completing Public Health prerequisites, and explaining to them that they are totally screwed. I am sure Mr. Soyka is no stranger to tears and raised voices.</p>
<p>Avoidingwork
She has been taking to the counselor since from day one. She hasn’t talked to the counselor in L&S. She had been persistent, but there is only one counselor and was all negative.
Thanks</p>
<p>JHS,
I am sure undergraduate advisor is in a tough position, but I am feeling the pain of my daughter more. At least I am glad that they have put that on the website for new students to know. As I understand, this was not the case before.
I somehow assumed that getting into a capped major is based on your GPA. Anyways, my opening post is NOT to complain about advisors- it is only to see what I can do to help my daughter to rectify the situation for better. I am sure advisors are tested to the limit under tough environments they are in.</p>
<p>My daughter had been in contact with the counselor last year, and she entered with the Cal with PH major in mind and had been checking the department site making sure that she was taking the require pre- courses. But. there was mention of the requirement of the first come first serve list until recently.
Believe me both My H and I were grilling our daughter why she hadn’t put her name on the list. Her reply was that, she didn’t have any questions or problems… so her name didn’t get to the list on time.</p>
<p>I wasn’t suggesting that your daughter didn’t have pain or deserve sympathy. I assumed everyone felt that. I was just thinking that the “negative” advisor had a very, very difficult job. I know people who have had similar jobs, and it is hard on them.</p>
<p>Anyway, I can’t tell enough from the website, but it’s entirely possible that your daughter didn’t wait too long at all. Or maybe she did, but taking a year off will fix things.</p>
<p>The question to focus on is does taking the year off guarantee her the major she wants? If so, then she should probably do that. She can do something in the public health field that will burnish her public health credentials later, and give her some practical experience to bring to her studies. </p>
<p>However, if taking the year off does not effectively put her near the top of the list, and there is a risk she will not get into the major next year, then it’s probably time to be looking at what her other options are. She CANNOT graduate without a major, and once she goes over 80 units (not counting APs and dual-enrollment courses) she will be frozen out of the public health major forever. She may need to find another major. That isn’t necessarily a tragedy. No undergraduate major is magic, and if she eventually wants to pursue a master’s or PhD in public health or a related field, she does not need a public health BA to do that. (Nor will a public health BA substitute for an MPH or similar degree.)</p>
<p>A third possibility is transferring to a college where she can major in public health, and that will accept all or most of her credits. It’s late to be starting a transfer application now, but maybe not too late. Or, if she would prefer to stay at Cal, but isn’t guaranteed a spot in public health, she could take next year off and do transfer applications then. Then, next spring, if she gets into the Cal major, fine, but if she doesn’t she can transfer to another college.</p>
<p>I will ask my DD if any of her Cal buddies have suggestions, but if taking a year off does not put your DD at the top of the list, could she possibly take an IB (Integrative Biology) major with a focus on PH? IB is one of the more flexible science majors.</p>
<p>One comment on advisors at Cal, they may be great for average normal students, BUT if your kid is not a cookie cutter kid, they have to reach outside advisors at Cal. My Dd had an advisor (prof) one term who told her to do XYZ, the next term, the new prof advisor asked why the heck she did XYZ and told her she could not graduate on time. At that moment, we stopped relying on any advisors, did it all ourselves (I helped her via CC etc) and she was fine, but you have to find a path and research it enough that if it is other than 'normal" you have the confidence to pursue it despite nay sayers.</p>
<p>I have spoken to an IB & a PH recent grad from Cal, both say, “DO NOT take a year off” instead both say it is time to work the system, be polite, be kind, be gracious, be persistent and “make it so” </p>
<p>It was suggested she think through all the reasons why PH is so important to her, what she plans to do with it (grad school etc?) and go in and make a concise but well-reasons presentation to Tony and see if there is some leeway in how the list is priortised. Sometimes mistakes happen and those in power have a tiny bit of ability to be flexible despite the big school feeling that is Cal. Also, if she has taken any PH classes or prereqs wherein a prof might speak for her, if she knows them well, that could help too.</p>
<p>Just out of interest, why exactly do they say “DO NOT take a year off”? Because, frankly, trying to work the system graciously and persistently at this point seems like a low-chance- of-success strategy to me.</p>
<p>"Momentum-- its a law of physics. once you’re goin’ its easier to keep goin’. it takes a lot more energy to slow down then start back up again. "</p>
<p>(I am in a public health related field.) If she wants to do work in public health that requires a degree in public health, I think she should get an undergrad degree in an area that interests her - integrative biology sounds good - and take as many public health courses as possible - and then get an MPH. This is a field where you need a master’s degree. </p>
<p>If there are other aspects of taking a year off that excite her, then that’s fine, but I wouldn’t take a year off primarily for the sake of an undergrad PH degree.</p>
<p>Thanks Midwestmom,
I am trying to convince her not to take the year off. She is still trying options in PH. The probelm is that they don’t let you sign up for PH upper division clasees unless you are PH major.
She really wants to do work in PH area. Doing a IB and then a MPH woild be a good option.</p>
<p>Thanks somemom
As I see now, IB is a another she could consider. I guess she has to go talk to this advisor more. I am thinking perhaps she may need to wrtie a letter to the advisor to make her case. </p>
<p>BTW, She also has a faculty advisor. But I am not how helful he is.</p>
<p>The idea of taking a year off (and thus remaining a sophomore with less than 80 credits taken at Cal) may very well have been the Departmental Advisor’s way of helping her, doing her a favor. You really have to find that out. It could be a perfectly legitimate solution to her problem, or at least a serious option to consider. It does NOT sound like she is the kind of kid who is going to lose momentum if she takes a year off. It may not even have to be a whole year, maybe just a semester . . . </p>
<p>On the other hand, of course an undergraduate degree in public health is not a requirement for a career in public health. I know several people with great careers in public health, and none of them had that as their undergraduate degree. Most of them don’t even have MPHs – they have JDs or MDs – although an MPH is the basic degree in the field. If the student plans on getting an MPH eventually, having a different undergraduate major – say Integrative Biology, with a Public Policy minor (that UC offers) – would be a plus, not a minus.</p>
<p>She already has another minor selected and had completed most of her requirements Public Policy minor is very attractive. But, I am not sure she would have enough time to complete all the requirements. A very good suggestion, I would let her know.</p>
<p>I agree with JHS that in the long run, it would be a little bit better to have an undergrad major in something else and an MPH. You have a bit more depth; you are a bit more appealing to an employer.</p>