I am currently an art college student- almost done with freshman year. (I am working on my finals right now )
So what I’m concerned about is, whether should I drop out from this school or not.
I am a pretty good student; I receive good amount of scholarship, about 60-70% of tuition (it is just for merit scholarship- I receive this by my portfolio). My grade is pretty good, and I work hard on all of my classes. I also love to draw & paint.
However, I do NOT think this school & all the courses worth tons of $$$; (even though I receive scholarship, my school is private art school, so it still costs a LOT. + all the materials & programs are super expensive) I basically work & learn by myself. I feel like education in here is just waste of money.
Also, since in high school, I’ve always wanted to study broadly. I am interested in various liberal art courses. But it is impossible in my school, because most of the courses are art-related and there are lots of limitations.
Next problem is, which is my main concern, I am not sure about my future. Usually, it is hard to find job & make money in art industry (just to make sure- I did not choose art major to make tons of money. I came here bc I like art), but it costs a lot to get education & degree in college. Which is really… ironic.
So, I want to drop out from this college and restart in community college(to earn some transfer credit; I am pretty sure none of my classes in my school will transfer) and then transfer to public school.
If I attend community college, the major that I want to pursue is Business, not only there is high employment rate in that field (I mean compare to Art & Design industry it is much much higher), but also it has always been my second choice other than art. And I’ve already researched about a lot of things, such as TAG, IGETC, prerequisite courses, etc.
So this is my current situation, and I want to hear anything from parents’ perspective (I already posted a similar thread last time, but I just want to get more advice ). Will you let your kid to do this? Or will you encourage your kid to just stay in current college?
I would hope that you would finish this semester sincd you said you are doing well, and tuition is already paid.
I personally would let my child change majors.
Try to talk to your parents, tell them the reasons why you want to change to business, and detail your plan about going to CC to save money and hopefully have a better paying career.
@ahffktlqkf I am a parent and I truly believe asking a high school senior to decide what they want to do for the rest of their life as they apply to college is crazy. It’s so unrealistic. And to answer your question, I would let you change schools. After a year you are probably beginning to figure things out. But, I would make absolutely sure that is what you really want to do. I don’t think I would be ok with any more than one change of schools. A broader education will make you more marketable but if your passion is art than follow your passion and stay where you are. Ask yourself the tough questions. Good luck to you!
As a parent I would let my kids do this because I tell them to follow their passions. My S18’is an art student too and early on only wanted art colleges then last year had an awakening and thought that he also wanted to be with students in other majors and take classes in other subjects. So we are focusing on liberal arts colleges with strong art programs. For you I think you may look at a transfer option in the fall into LACs with art departments that may take your coursework. What would you be looking for in a college so we can make suggestions? Location? Arts discipline? Any other specific items you are looking for now that you have a year of perspective.
@pkchamp89 Thanks for your comment. I like art; I love to draw. However, I am actually interested in studying Business and what I am thinking is that I can still draw and paint as a hobby. I am not sure if my parents will agree with my idea, but, yeah… Thanks anyway!
@magnetnh Thanks for your comment! I actually really, really want to attend UC/CSU, in terms of tuition, and the variety of courses and majors they offer (also the campuses are really nice, too. ), and keep Art as my hobby.
Since UCs and CSUs take junior level transfers and want transfer students to have a significant amount of major preparation and general education done, you would likely have to go to a community college for a year or two to complete the needed course work (see http://www.assist.org ).
UCs and CSUs do offer courses and majors in art as well. Majoring in business should not be seen as an automatic job at graduation, since students from many other majors (probably including art) will be competing for “general business” jobs. Some knowledge of business topics like finance, economics, accounting, organizational behavior / sociology of work can be helpful, whether or not you major in business.
@ucbalumnus yes, I’ve researched about those preparation & GE stuff, and I have already planned out my specific two-year plan. (I just need to talk with my parents #:-S
I don’t think I will be major in Art in UC/CSU, because when I was researching about all the colleges and getting advice from other people in high school, most of UC/CSU do not have major that I want to pursue (animation - and it is my current major), or do not have good programs. But I think I can still take some courses, maybe
Anyway, thank you!
@ucbalumnus Oh yes, definitely. CC+UC/CSU is less than a half of the tuition of my current school, without calculating any scholarships. (My current school is just… super expensive ) And SJSU, I’ve heard of that school- I took some figure drawing classes when I was in high school maybe I can consider. Thanks!
Are your grades at your current school at an acceptable level? If you take the route you’re proposing (which makes sense to me) your “final” school will look at 2 separate sets of grades and GPA - current school and CC. Both will need to be decent to be admitted as a transfer. Also look to see if business is an impacted major at your destination school. That could throw a bit of a monkey wrench into your plans.
as a parent - you are an adult so,there isn’t much ‘letting’ to be done. As long as your plan made sense, i would support the move. Saving money would be nice too
Good luck. Community college for a year or two is a good idea. Just target which college you plan to transfer to and talk with the CC guidance and the intended college admissions to make sure all credits transfer. Get a degree plan from the intended college to know what courses are required and start completing those courses. Look to see if transferring in one year or two year makes since. You might have too many courses left to complete to finish in two years if you do two years at CC, so you might want to transfer sooner. Just work with the advising groups of both CC and planned college.
Frankly, I think that most parents who are paying for their kid to attend a very expensive art school would be on their knees praising the deity of their choice if the kid came home and said that they wanted to switch to a business-oriented major, had a well-thought out 4 year plan to do so, and it would cost a fraction of what they were paying at the expensive art school.
I would definitely support that transfer. As one who transferred schools back in the day, I understand that a 17 or 18 year old can make a college decision that isn’t optimal. Best to cut one’s losses and move on, provided the transfer is well considered and there’s a carefully thought out plan.
@Consolation Thank you! Your comment just made me feel really confident XD & I have one question: shouldn’t I drop out first and than apply to community college? will that still be considered as “transfer”?? or did you mean literally transferring from my current college to CC?
Ultimately, as a parent, you want your child to be happy. And while a parent wants their kids to be happy, I hope money isn’t the only motivating factor to switch directions. As the saying goes, “money doesn’t buy happiness.” You’re making a very pragmatic decision and that should be applauded. Good luck.
@sushiritto Thanks! Well money is one of the reasons that I am considering transfer- my parents pay the tuition and I have two more siblings(=cost more for education), but also I am so unsure about my future since I am learning almost nothing. Anyway, thank you!
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). Will you let your kid to do this? Or will you encourage your kid to just stay in current college?