<p>Our S is getting a significant 4 year Dean’s Scholarship from the college of engineering. If he switches to a major in Letters and Science , the money goes away. That would be a financial problem for us.</p>
<p>Hopefully your son enjoys engineering. Is the scholarship worth being miserable and missing out in his desired profession , affecting the rest of his life, if he discovers engineering is not for him? Do be sure he doesn’t end up decades later relating how he would have rather majored in X.</p>
<p>Sorry I’ve been gone for so long. I am trouble logging into CC. Is anyone else having this problem? </p>
<p>I am now batting 2 for 2. Both kids had/have announced a change of direction during first semester freshman year. For one, it meant summer school to get in sequence and avoid a 5th year. For the other the change will have little effect. She discovered a new love when she took the intro class first semester, so she is right on track. </p>
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<p>That one changed to a major with an eight semester long prerequisite sequence (or a seven semester long one that can only be started in the fall)?</p>
<p>@wis75- I am not saying we would not support S decision to change out of engineering if he was unhappy. However, it would not be a decision to make without serious thought. His choice would mean acquiring debt to pursue an alternate major. That may be a choice that makes him happier and I would support that, but I couldn’t subsidize that choice. Also many people with engineering degrees
go on in life to pursue varied career paths. I believe more CEO’s have engineering degrees than business degrees. </p>
<p>30% CEOs have engineering undergraduate degrees. I think taking a minor is a good way to compromise. </p>
<p>Yes, @ucbalumnus it’s a BSN. The sequence starts fall freshman year, includes some mandatory J-terms, has more than the typical 124 hrs for the degree, and no electives. Choices would be limited to which course a student wants to take to fill gen eds that aren’t required of the major. Not taking the right courses in the fall means beginning the sequence the following fall or hoping they’re offered summer. </p>
<p>@shawbridge Wow…Reapply? That’s interesting. I will have to consider other nursing schools because my GPA isn’t the best (I have time and such to bring it up), which poses a problem because I’d like to not have to leave a school after 3 years to finish up assuming I don’t get into my current program. I was told also that unlike Biology, where, even if I don’t use it directly, I’d be more versitile, Nursing is pretty much a lock in degree, which is fine with me. Means I’ll have less room to chicken out of doing what I want for something simpler. I’m so happy to hear about your daughter doing so well! I’m still trying to find my niche.</p>
<p>@confusedSoul94, at her Canadian school, she would have had to reapply. That may not be the same everywhere.</p>
<p>In nursing you are choosing a vocation/occupation @confusedSoul94, though there are lots of ways to go with it (bedside care, ICU or OR, education, management and as an NP many specialties as well as primary care). Many nursing schools have Direct Entry programs that take people with a BA or BS in fields like Biology and in a three year program (including summers), they pass the RN licensure exam and get an MSN. There are shorter programs to become RNs. </p>
<p>"ex from Biology to pre-med) "
- I never heard about pre-med major. Where does it exist? Pre-meds can have any major whatsoever, they can attend Conservatory of Music if they wish, Medical School does not care about UG major, they need to see high college GPA, decent MCAT, few medical ECs. </p>
<p>We had very simple rules for our two kids: You can major in anything; just graduate in 4 years. We understood that many students started college without a declared major, or they changed their major at some point. We did offer advice about majors but it was entirely their choice.</p>
<p>Our son was interested in political science initially, and I suggested to him that if by chance he wanted a career in that field (i.e., PhD) he would do better by having an undergrad major in economics. I had in mind also his strong math skills. In the end his concentration (major) for his baccalaureate degree was economics but he took plenty of polisci courses. The combination has worked very well for his career, even though he didn’t go on to earn another degree.</p>
<p>Our daughter initially considered a major in illustration but was persuaded by a faculty member that she “got” illustration but should perhaps try a “harder” major, which she did by earning her BFA in industrial design. Ultimately, after a few years in the economy she earned an advanced degree – an MBA – which we subsidized. This has allowed her to advance her career in sustainable product development.</p>
<p>^One thing to keep in mind in regard to MBA - many companies are paying for an MBA, both my H. and I got MBAs this way, and we absolutley do not need our MBAs for our jobs, not at all. However, my MBA allowed me to find several jobs in very economically depressed city because (I was told at several interviews), potential employers were impressed by that and the fact that earned it while working full time and having a family. </p>