Totally lost and lacking all forms of direction...

Graduate School
1

<p>Hey there, everyone. Preliminarily, my apologies if this ends up being really long. I just need help.</p>

<p>I'm currently an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota. I'll be entiring my third year of college, however it'll also be my last year of undergrad due to AP Credit and college credit earned during my high school career..</p>

<p>I'm currently studying a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology, and am slowly becoming aware of how utterly useless such degree is. My own advisor described a Psych BA as a "super high school diploma." </p>

<p>I've always had an interest in working directly with troubled or at risk individuals. As a member of the GLBT community and someone who didn't get treated amazingly by my peers in middle/high school, I want to engage in a career that'll help people who feel different or unappreciated see some light and move forward. </p>

<p>Until the last few months, my plan had been to enter Grad School in the Fall of 2013 to pursue a Masters in Social Work (MSW). I'd wanted to hopefully pursue licensure after grad school and begin a private practice. </p>

<p>The problem:</p>

<p>I transferred from Indiana University to the University of Minnesota last Fall. At Indiana, I maintained a 3.0ish GPA. However, after transferring to Minnesota, where the workload is a lot more intense, things took a downward spiral. Fall semester, I took two courses (Intro to the study of Lavosier, Darwinism, and Newton" and "Investigation of Pre-1800's Italian Furniture") , both of which fulfilled basic distribution requirements. To my dismay, I failed the history of science course and earned a D in the Furniture class.</p>

<p>My first semester GPA at Minnesota was a 1.7, and I was placed on academic probation. Spring semester, I took a combination of courses that were in my major and pertinent to my area of study. I earned a solid 3.0 GPA that semester, hereby raising my cumulative GPA to 2.5and removing myself from academic probation. I'm currently enrolled in three summer Psychology courses, trying to do as well as I can.</p>

<p>Additionally, I'm pretty hateful of the psychology program at Minnesota. The courses all approach the topic from a theoretical perspective and I'm second guessing whether or not the social sciences are really where I'm supposed to be. So, about that MSW? Maybe not my thing. </p>

<p>I'm an intern at a Troubled Youth center in the Twin Cities and work one-on-one with their noncustodial parents and mediate them through parenting lessons and I find the experience to be depressing and draining, yet rewarding. I'm passionate and excited about going into the center every time I work, but I leave every day drained and stressed about other peoples' problems. Sometimes the 12-hour shifts are so dramatic and i get so suckered into people's lives that I just want to go home and punch a wall. I wonder if that's a signal that counseling and/or social work are not my match.</p>

<p>So my dilemma starts here. </p>

<p>If I decide to attempt to go to grad school (Which i probably won't even get into? Will I?) I need to begin the application process within the next few months. Should I go for the MSW even though I'm not sure that's what I want to do? I'm sure that with an MSW I'll find a career I love but it's just hazy at the moment. The most appealing MSW Programs to me are at UW-Madison and Saint Cloud State University, both of which are a significant distance from home and I don't care to jeopardize my living situations or my committed relationship at this time by moving away again.</p>

<p>OR... Should I not apply for graduate school and try to get into the workfield for a while? I considered gaining some life experience and saving up some money to attend grad school later. Will my "worthless" Psychology BA even get me a job? I'm not by any means feeling like I have to work in the Psychology fiend right now. I'll work for direct care/insurance/etc. as long as it's a decent paying job. Also I wonder what reputable company is going to hire a 21 year old. I have a very extensive resume with various employment, volunteer, and internship listings but the age is worrisome. Also, I fear losing the motivation to go back to school after taking time off.</p>

<p>OR... Should I enter the workfield and work on an MSW part-time or online? </p>

<p>I'm ridiculously confused about the next year of my life. My advisor is not helping me the way I'd like and I'd really appreciate any advice.</p>

<p>Thank you so much.</p>

2

<ol>
<li><p>If you have student debt, I would just get a job (related or unrelated to your field) and focus on paying it off before you go back to school. You want to avoid having a gap in your resume.</p></li>
<li><p>If you don’t have student debt and your parents or you are somehow paying for the masters program, then I would suggest looking into an MPH.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>[School</a> of Public Health | University of Minnesota](<a href=“http://www.sph.umn.edu/]School”>http://www.sph.umn.edu/)</p>

<p>An MSW won’t really make you that much more employable and getting an MPH is a great way for you to switch fields into a more stable career path.</p>

3

<p>Thanks for the link!</p>

<p>I’ve heard a lot of good things in the past regarding the MPH Program. Particulary the MHA (Healthcare Administration) which yields a slight interest for me. Unfortuately the entire Public Health Masters program at Minnesota is really competitive and as I stated in my original post, I feel the grades I received in my sophomore year will prevent me from getting admitted to such program. Also, as lazy as it sounds, I’m seeking programs that don’t require the GRE because frankly with going to school full time, working full time, and interning… I don’t have time for that. I’m definitely keeping the MHA in mind however. Additionally it appears the MPH focuses more on the administrative side of healthcare rather than actual providing. I’d rather be a direct provider, which is why I feel the MSW better suits me. Not to mention, MSW programs are generally less-selective, and being male gives you much preference; similar to nursing.</p>

<p>Financially… my parents payed for my entire undergraduate education however I’m 100% responsible for graduate school. If I don’t enter the workforce first, I intend to take out loans. So I don’t have any direct debt under my name at this moment, but it’s coming. I feel like joining the workforce (in or outside of psychology) directly after graduation will help me save up and avoid taking out thousands of dollars in loans when I start my Masters but at the same time I’m not a fan of the educational gap. I’m the type of person who’d work two years at a “mediocre” company, not using my degree, and say “Well, this isn’t so bad. I’ll just keep working here and not pursue my masters.” </p>

<p>But with the GPA below 3.0, i’m worried about not getting into an MSW program period.</p>

<p>Any other input?</p>

4

<p>Psychology is a flexible undergraduate degree. You may find your interests changing, and your undergraduate studies will help more than you think. I have a BA in psychology and obtained a job as a human resources manager, which is at least somewhat related when dealing with employee/employer relations. My intentions had been to pursue a PhD in social psychology or marketing/consumer behavior, but HR seems like a strong field to be in and is expected only to get better over the next few years. And I still get to help people and advocate for the employees which fulfills that personal need of mine.</p>

<p>My point is, you can get a job with a degree in psychology if you make good use of your internship, start looking EARLY for jobs and start networking, and stop thinking of it as “worthless.” Start getting creative. Some options include residential counselor, drug abuse counselor, admissions counselor, human resources, recruiting, administrative assistant, marketing and/or sales, entry-level management, probation officer, child care services, etc. But that’s if you decide to take time off after college.</p>

<p>Are you able to find someone in the community with an MSW who you could contact and try to interview or job shadow? Look less at the programs and more at what you actually do with an MSW before deciding if that’s the path you want to take. Chances are, you will feel drained at most jobs you obtain with an MSW, even if they are highly rewarding. However, with most people making career changes at least once, if not multiple times throughout their lives, it is possible to pursue other interests later after focusing on some of your current interests.</p>

<p>With your current GPA, I would highly suggest attempting to prepare for the GREs. High scores might help to offset your GPA a bit if the rest of your application is strong. </p>

<p>I do agree that an MSW won’t offer a much higher starting salary than your BA in psychology will. It is something to pursue if you are sure that’s what you want to do. If you’re unsure, I would consider other options.</p>

5

<p>I came to say much the same thing NovaLynnx said. Although I chose to go straight into a PhD program after completing my BA in psychology, I explored other options and there are many fields where a psychology degree is very useful. Business, in particular, is founded upon a study of psychology because it usually involves organizations of people working together. You also know how, at least in part, to do research and use statistics, which is useful for advertising, market research and standardized testing companies.</p>

<p>I would not necessarily advise you to get an MPH, for the reasons you already listed. Public health is macro-level health, and getting an MPH will not qualify you to be a health care provider. If you want to do individual counseling, the MSW is the best bet at the master’s level.</p>

<p>I don’t think that you should only look at programs that don’t require the GRE. It’s a 4-hour test. Don’t let a 4-hour test dictate your future, unless you scored so abysmally on the SAT that you can’t expect to do well.</p>

<p>I find it interesting that you hate Minnesota’s psychology program, as it has one of the best psych programs in the country. Psychology is a field that is built on theory, so I’m not surprised that it’s very theoretical. (I do, however, wish that more undergraduate programs integrated more of the applied focus of psychology into their programs. Might get our graduates to stop believing they have worthless degrees.)</p>

<p>If you don’t know what you want to do yet, don’t go to graduate school. Take a few years off and figure it out. If you do get so comfortable in your job that you decide you don’t need a master’s, there’s nothing wrong with that. The majority of people work at “mediocre” (or average) firms. There’s no point in spending thousands of dollars on an MSW when you aren’t even sure that’s what you want to do.</p>

6

<p>Excellent advice has been given above. The MSW seems like a degree that will lead to a good career for you, but I would not start a degree unless you are certain that it is what you want. </p>

<p>Have you considered spending a year or two in a program like Americorps City Year? I think this would be a good opportuntity for you, given your background and desires.</p>

<p>And your BA in Psychology is <em>not</em> “utterly useless”.</p>