being in college, stuck at a crossroad...

Bellelovely

Bellelovely

Member
Aug 4, 2008
120
0
#1
hey TPF family,

I just wanna share my life situation right now and get some opinions on what I should do next.
it's not really a huge deal, but I don't want to continue to give money to this institution being so....confused.

well, in the summer of 06 after I graduated, I was accepted into a summer transition program that helped me to get accepted to UMCP in the fall of 06.

I was doing well taking CORE classes and deciding on a major...well for some reason now that I'm a junior..I still don't have one.

I was led in so many directions by my smart-ass counselor from STP that this and this is the direction I should take, and it was so hard deciding on what I want for myself.

I'm minoring in Japanese and that's been going well..but anyway..

I came to UMCP wanting to do International Business , but because of the elite position of the business school and the extremely choosy acception rate, I decided to do Communication, but that program is a Limited Enrollment which means that they have pre-requisites and a credit limit...but by the time I decided on Comm, I was very close to the credit limit.

I also took a math class this summer only to find that the credits didn't transfer.

pretty much I feel like I'm at a crossroad, cause I"m a junior and I still don't have a major.

I know I want to do Sociology because it's been an interest of mine besides Communication and it was my back-up plan. what I'm trying to ask is, do any of you know of anyone that had to make a very hard decision in order to complete their education? I worked so hard to get into UMCP and to leave just because of a math class will really crush me.

what do you ladies and gents think I should do?
 
#2
The end is in site. Take the math class again. You just said you want to do Sociology, so what is holding you back? Have you decided where these 2 majors, if you pick one of them will lead you in the future, job wise? Or will you go to gradate school? You must be happy with what you choose.
 
#3
Hey Bellelovely, it's really not too late to decide on what you want. Please please don't listen to counselors to tell you what's best for you! You can look to them for advices if you're confused about your classes and don't know what to take in order to graduate. BUT you have to find what you want to do after you graduate and no counselor can tell you that. Major in something you enjoy learning. I'm not saying counselors are not helpful but they did screw me up once and I've never had my trust in them again. My counselor asked me to take two classes that I thought I had already fulfilled by another class but they insist I have to take it. Then I revisit the same counselor and she asked me why I took the 2 courses when I don't need to, assuming she didn't recognize me. Thankfully I passed with good grades, but she did waste a lot of my time.

Some of my friends have changed majors multiple times. It's okay to be a junior and still not know what to do. They didn't until they were juniors and are doing fine now. Think long and hard what you really want to do, set a goal, work hard, and go for it. You can do it!
 
#4
You do what you want to do! Don't ever let anything hold you back. In the wise words of Confucius, "It doesn't matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop". Take this time when you are young to explore and find the career path of your dreams. Look back on all the classes you have took and see which ones really interested you, perhaps a pattern will develop.

I can't say I understand the whole communication credit limit thing. But why not add in a sociology minor or double major in sociology and comunication. As for the math credit, i suppose you have to take it again, but also, get another opinion on that...talk to someone else and who knows...maybe it can be transferred after all.

The options are limitless, boundless!!! Take advantage of everything you can...listen to your own heart...and if you don't like your counselor, request another one

I'm an international business major and I heard my counselor tell one of my friends that the Int'l biz major was crap! Excuse me?? Not only am I learning the cores of business admin, this is also being applied and broadened to an international context...hello...ever heard of a little thing called globalization?? what rock is she hiding under??? So the point of that is do not listen to your counselors, they don't always know what is right FOR YOU and can hold prejudices that will only hold you back.
 
#5
Don't leave UMCP!!!! As an alumni (class of '07) I can't say enough about the school and how much I loved it. Don't let a math class make you want to leave! I know the LEP's are a pain but if you really want to get in one try and sit down with a counselor and see if you can get an exception or something. Just do whatever you are passionate about and you can generaly take whatever. Maryland doesn't kick you out until about 6 yrs (I think that's the limit) so explore and do whatever you'd like. I'm sorry about the business school though, my bf also wanted to get in but didn't, he ended up graduation with Criminology and Crim justice, I graduated w/ Gov't and Politics, just fyi.
 
#6
Are you still set on majoring in International Business? My undergrad school was very selective with their business program too, so a lot of the kids who were rejected ended up majoring in Economics because it's the most similar to business. You could think about that route... and also look to see if UMD offers some sorta concentraion in International Economics (I don't even know if that exists, but it sounds like it could?)

The math class that you took did not transfer for which major? Communications? Sociology? Definitely talk to other students and even the front office for your school to double check about this. Unless your major is math, science, or engineering, I would think most credits from a summer math class would transfer.
 
#7
Are you sure that the Math credits don't trasnfer? I don't believe anything an advisor tells me because they are always wrong, in my experience. All the information you need is on your school's website or catalog. Ask around to see. Don't just take an advisor's word for it.

And why would you have to leave over a Math class? It's not too late to complete a major. Think about what career you would like to do once you graduate and find the major that will help take you there.
 
#8
ANd along with the transfer issue...my school requires that if you plan on taking any transfer credits you get them approved first...if you do not get them approved, even if they do transfer, the credits will not be accepted...did your school do this? if they did, and they said it would transfer, they need to honor this...
 
#9
Honestly, as a recent graduate - just pick something and graduate.

Hear me out on this one, because I know idealistic, pie-in-the-sky college advice is always popular, but I've gotten a good dose of reality myself recently, and it would have saved a lot of my friends a lot of time had they already known what I know now.

Unless there's something incredibly specific that requires a specific educational course that you know you want to do with your life (you want to be a surgeon, you want to be a lawyer, etc), or you want to do something incredibly competitive and getting a specific degree from a specific place would greatly help (want to be a high-powered lawyer in DC? You probably want to go to an Ivy or Georgetown Law), just get a degree and get on with your life.

It doesn't have to be a great moral quest, and a lot of people never use their degree anyway. Get something kind of general - communications, business, marketing, etc. The skills you learn in those degree programs will be widely attractive to a lot of different employers and qualify you for a wide variety of internships.

You've got enough credits that leaving Maryland would be a complete waste of time and effort, and definitely not something you should do as a result of one class. The odds that your credits would transfer to another college in their entirety are very low, so you'd probably be losing a lot more than just that math class. In my opinion, unless you fall into one of the two categories I laid out first, transferring is often pretty useless. Most of my friends that transferred anywhere regret it now.

Take me as an example - I was unsure of my major (magazine journalism) over the years, and I considered changing, but I eventually decided to put my nose to the grindstone and just finish, and I got out in 4 years. Although my major sounds specific, most employers just looked at it as a degree in communications, which got me my current job in a luxury resort's marketing department. I design wine labels. Seriously.

So don't stress about your degree - just GET it. Enjoy your college career, and don't give up over 1 class. The best piece of advice I ever got about this subject was from a guest speaker in one of my early journalism classes - a student asked him if going to UGA gave us an advantage (UGA's journalism school is top 3, private OR public, in the country) in the marketplace, and the speaker said that he couldn't ever remember anyone ever asking where he went to school or what he majored in - exclusive of a few industries, there are a lot of other things that matter more.
 
#10
I agree with amanda. It may seem super important right now to pick the right classes and have the right major, but in the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't end up as important as you would think.

The more important question to ask yourself right now is what you want to accomplish, what you want to do in 5 years, in 10 years. Most of the time, these goals require a general or related major, not a spot-on match of classes and degrees. Have fun and don't stress over the minutiae -- you'll get much more out of your college experience that way.
 
#13
my advice is to follow your gut. i can't say which career path is the one for you, but just do what your gut tells you..it sounds silly but i think it works. i just switched majors on monday..i have been a fashion merchandising major for 2 years (i also graduated in 06!) but i just did not feel this was the right path for me. i love/live for fashion, but getting stuck working in retail is not something i want to happen to me and is what happens often w/ that major. i switched to Communication with a concentration in public relations and a minor in design (concentration in fashion merch)....it took me a good 6 months to decide to leave my old major behind, but i feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. good luck deciding!
 
#14
wow * sniff sniff* thank u ladies sooooo much for all of your wonderful advice, it's so good to hear from people who've been there and done that..and GO TERPS!!

well, I"ve decided to not transfer as I realize it would be a complete waste of all my time and effort here at UMCP.
I've decided to declare a double major in Sociology and Japanese, get those degrees and go to Graduate School for Communications...I would love to get a Doctrine in Communications at this point...so if that's possible, it's my plan.

thank u ladies sooo much!!!
 
#15
this may not be what you want to hear right now, but i honestly wouldn't worry about getting the masters or doctorate in communications unless you want to study communications. if you merely want a career in that field, an advanced degree is probably completely unnecessary (and many in the field have actively encouraged me AGAINST pursuing an advanced degree of that kind). you've got a lot of time to decide, though.
 
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