What Should I Do? (Deciding my major)

College Life
1

<p>Hello everyone. First of all I apologize if I may sound like a whiner here, but hear me out.</p>

<p>BACKGROUND:
No doubt, I have always been an over-achiever and was among the top 2% of my class during high-school and loved computer science, programming, and all that. However, due to financial reasons, I chose to attend a community college because I felt that I didn't want to be a liability to my parents (who are US immigrants) and over burden them with the expensive costs of a university. They highly suggested (and were quite forceful) and insisted me to get a degree in nursing. Luckily, I got a full ride at this community college because of my grades.</p>

<p>NURSING:
So, my freshman year consisted of mostly nursing focused courses (social behavior courses, anatomy, etc), with one to go for the fall, for the nursing program at the community college. I've done clinicals for a nursing assistant course and unfortunately I have to admit that this field is not for me. I've thought this over and over again, and maybe, just maybe, I could force myself to persevere, but I simply can't. I am a shy guy and introverted and the type of personality that requires nursing is the complete opposite of me. Should I persevere even though I have a feeling of discontent?</p>

<p>COMPUTER SCIENCE:
On the other hand, I've been thinking about pursuing Computer Science at UIUC engineering, but I'm a bit worried. If I were to apply on January 2015 for the Fall semester next year as a transfer student, I would only have about 2/3 of the prerequisites listed for the CS program upon sending my application. The following link lists the prerequisites for CS at UIUC <a href="http://www.admissions.illinois.edu/pdf/transfer/handbook/engr.pdf"&gt;http://www.admissions.illinois.edu/pdf/transfer/handbook/engr.pdf&lt;/a>
Since UIUC is definitely one of the best nationwide for a CS degree, I'm not sure if I will get admitted, even if my GPA is 3.9. I do have a strong passion in this field, but I also feel that this degree would be a waste because I can pretty much teach myself algorithms and programming in my spare time.</p>

<p>PRE-MED/PRE-PHARMACY
Lastly, as an overachiever, there had always been an expectation of success. Overall, I would consider myself book smart. I can study anything and get an A, but lack social skills and shy around people :(. I was thinking perhaps majoring in Mathematics and doing my pre-med/pre-pharm along side.</p>

<p>So what should I do? Maybe I should just be a hobo.......</p>

2

<p>It sounds like your parents want you to study something that is likely to lead directly to a job. Nursing can do that…but so can computer science. I don’t think the degree would be a waste…companies that want to hire computer programmers want to see a degree. </p>

<p>You are doing the right thing in examining if nursing is right for you at this point.
But don’t necessarilly limit yourself to UIUC. Talk to a admissions counselor to see what you should be doing. Can you take some prerequisites at your CC?</p>

3

<p>The CC offers 96% of what I need for the CS Engineering Program prerequisites at UIUC, with the exception of the CS courses: CS 125 and CS 225. In terms of Calculus, Physics, and Engineering prereqs, they offer them and are transferable. </p>

4

<p>If you’re not comfortable with nursing, don’t do pharmacy. One of my kids is having second thoughts now,
3 weeks before he has to return for his second year of 0-6 PharmD. He’s an introvert also, and from the beginning, I felt it wasn’t a good fit for him. He insisted he could handle the demands of being a pharmacist. He went away, which was a huge step for him, and did well, but he was exhausted from dealing with people day in and day out. </p>

<p>I’m surprised your parents aren’t more supportive of Comp Sci or even Engineering. Both are good choices and a good fit for introverts. And you obviously have the brains for it. My kid’s other choice was ChemE, but after a year of AP Physics C in high school, he swore off engineering. He’s now looking into CompSci and commuting, possibly in the spring.</p>

5

<p>Thank you everyone for the responses! I’ve decided to pursue Computer Science above all else :slight_smile:
I will apply for transfer at both UIUC and UIC</p>