What to do when you're having a meltdown about your major?!

College Majors
1

Hi guys, please bear with me on this rant but if you have anything to advise me on, please do tell.
So if you have guys guessed from my previous posts, I am a college freshman and I obv need help deciding my major.
But I would really like some advice on my specific case because there were some details that I did not mention in the previous posts.

For background, I am a DACA student, which puts a big limit on my options for college. I love the life sciences specifically human biology and the sort, so in high school, I intended to go to medical or dental school. I applied to several BS/MD programs only to find out that they only accept citizens or perm. residents, so I was disqualified. Then, I figured I would go the normal premed route but the same problem arose with medical and dental schools only admitting citizens and perm. residents, and getting into med school as an international student is near impossible, (plus idk if I would even fit into the international category.) besides that, I cannot pay for it, since DACA students are ineligible for loans.

So in the end, I enrolled in a four-year college in NY where I pay in-state tuition, and gave up on premed/prehealth majors in general. Since I can no longer follow the “do what you’re passionate about” route to picking a major, hence I am this frazzled when deciding for a major. I dont know what I would do if I were to go to a counselor, because if I discuss my interests with her, we would end up with pre-med or pre-dental, which is no longer an option.

As of right now I am in between engineering(mostly those tied to science related fields) like biomedical,chemical or environmental- and doing my bba in something business related, like accounting. With engineering, even though its more geared towards the sciences, I find that I struggle with topics in engineering like physics, complex math, even sometimes general chemistry. Even though I would encounter those in premed, I feel that I excel in the life sciences more than the technical sciences. I’m afraid of engineering overall.

Accounting, or another BBA related field would definitely be easier, by workload, but since I consider myself a more reserved, or introverted person, I don’t know how I would feel in that type of environment.

Lately the more I think about this, the more distraught I become. I just paid my spring semester fees yesterday and I’m really starting to worry about wasting my money and going nowhere. I have to come to a conclusion by the end of this month before spring semester.

Please, if anybody has any experience with any of the points above, please let me know if you have any advice. If you or anyone you know has experienced something similar, please share, and once again, thank you for reading and your time.

2

Bump plz

3

If I were in your situation (DACA), I would look carefully at the requirements for skilled worker fast track to gain a Canadian permanent residency or EU permanent residency. Pick something meaningful to you that you can complete as soon as possible.

There is a shortage of nurses both in the US and Canada but you have to do some homework to see if a 4 year nursing degree from the US qualifies. Perhaps start down that road, and if DACA is revoked try to finish in Canada or wherever country you are from.

Can you afford to go to school in Canada? I believe that it is very inexpensive to go to school in South Africa.

There is a lot to look at, and of course participate in the Dream Act Forum where there are knowledgeable people to help you with specifics.

I’m sorry that you are in this situation. Good luck.

4

I appreciate your advice, but I believe that I need to find an option that I would be able to finish here.
thanks

5

You misunderstand me. You should plan to finish an option here. I certainly hope that you can.

A nursing degree is a 4 year degree that provides skills that in high demand and aligns with your interests.

Neither you nor I know if DACA will be continued and you could find yourself in a pickle if you were intent on post-graduate work such as an MD or DDS but are unable to finish.

There is a chance that you would not be able to finish even the nursing degree here. You should be aware of low-cost options that would allow you to finish your education in an English speaking country, and options where you are likely to be able to practice your chosen profession in a culture that you are accustomed to should that not be possible in the United States.

6

^Seconding nursing. Do you need to be a U.S. citizen to get a nursing license? I’m not sure about that, so you’d have to do some investigation. But if you are really interested in the health fields, a nursing degree would be a great alternative. You could get a bachelor’s of science in nursing (BSN), and you could then do an MSN and/or a DNP part-time after you finish your BSN while you work. Or full-time, if you can afford it. Nurse practitioners - which are nurses with graduate degrees - practice primary care and do a lot of the same tasks and care provision that a primary care physician would.

If you are kind of-sort of interested in engineering but you really like the medical sciences better, check out medical physics. The pathway there is getting a BA in physics and then a master’s in a medical physics program. Medical physicists consult with physicians, NPs and PAs, and other care providers on nuclear medicine - often radiation oncology. Check out an info page here: https://www.aapm.org/medical_physicist/

There are also lots of other health fields besides physician or dentist: physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, optometry, dietetics/nutrition, counseling/psychology, environmental health scientist, epidemiologist, clinical laboratory scientist, on and on.