Major switch. (university)

[seizer]

Its my first year in university as a biochemistry honours major...but im finding that I just dont care for science anymore. I mean, chemistry, physics and bio are all interesting...but not enough so that i should persue a career in which there is a heavy emphasis on those skills. Initally, I choose biochem because i wanted to pursue medicine as every parent across the god damn world wants their child to. I thought, "Yeah, it might not be so bad. I want lots of money when I'm older. Why not?" Well, now I dont really even care if I become wealthy after I finish school and start my career...I mean, it'll be a hard tranisition to live with a little less than what I've got now. My dad's done well for himself in these last 19 years, he never spoke a word of english, never got any post highschool education and lived in the middle east his entire life, and now he's shopping for lamborghini's. Aside from all this, I have shown a great interest in psychology. Reading and studying it doesnt seem like a chore to me, its like i show the same interest in studying it as i do watching movies. Actually, lots have people have told me I should be clincal or counseling psychologist because of my ways to connect and read people, my ability to understand them. Whether this is of any use to any professions in psychology, i dont know. Ultimately, what I am wondering is, do you think a switch to a psychology major would be good? I have seen some of the career choices, but was hoping maybe any of you would have any ideas or thoughts of pursuing a career in pyschology based on experience or whatever. All i know is, im headed in a downward spiral right now with my current major. I need out. It's really starting to make me feel worthless.

 

[CFZB]

Follow Your Heart.

seriously.

 

[awittyusername]

Take all your pre-requ's first. Then, concentrate on your major. I would guess 90% of the guys I went to school with who majored in psych neve got a job in the field. The only ones that did got atleast their masters. If you go w/psych, it looks like you should get your doctorate

 

[samoth]

Psych degrees are worth very little. You will need AT LEAST a MS in psych if you want to be in that field... more likely a PhD. Psych degrees are one of the easier degrees out there, but once you graduate and need to pay of all that debt you'll likely find yourself thinking twice about your choice.

BTW, psych is considered a science. What's causing this downward spiral? Is the material too hard? If so, then STUDY MORE. Whether now, or when you're in grad school -- you will have to display an ability to excell, sooner or later.

 

[CFZB]

ahhhhh devil bunny!!!!

 

[BrothaBill]

Dont do psych and you wont get into a PhD program as the slots are very limited as I dated a PhD psych girl, its far far easier to get into med school trust me and grad psych work is much much harder than undergrad. and the pay is shit really when you get out based on how much effort you put in. There are PsyD programs out there but thats like buying a degree.
Look if you like psych go psych/premed or minor in psych. Do NOT choose that as your major unless you just wanted to do sales or something which you dont need a degree for. Its like having a degree in English Lit. You get nothing for career opportunities with it.
Now if you dont care about a career or you are just in it for personal enrichment and developing your interests then by all means. But dont do with any expectation of a career in that field. Do you actually know how many psych majors graduate each year, seriously

 

[Mr. dB]

How about this for a compromise -- stay with med school, but aim to specialize in psychiatry.

 

[seizer]

Psych degrees are worth very little. You will need AT LEAST a MS in psych if you want to be in that field... more likely a PhD. Psych degrees are one of the easier degrees out there, but once you graduate and need to pay of all that debt you'll likely find yourself thinking twice about your choice.

BTW, psych is considered a science. What's causing this downward spiral? Is the material too hard? If so, then STUDY MORE. Whether now, or when you're in grad school -- you will have to display an ability to excell, sooner or later.

Right now, my grades are going to shit. I can admit to not studying as hard as I normally do simply because of my lack of interest in what I'm doing. I mean, I guess for this year, I'll just finish it up and hope that it gets better next year. And what i meant by the downwards spiral was that if feel so stupid with how i am handling the situation. I say this because for one, I am extremely lucky in that, my dad is funding all of my university, my residences, i dont need to get any jobs, just fuckin study. But even still, im too damn stupid to get this through my head and work. I feel like I'm working without a goal, like I have no vision of where im headed. I mean, i had like a 92 or 93 average last year, but that means shit all now. I just cant quite figure out if I should just stay in my current program or not....I've thought of pretty much everything that i might like to do, and i found that I actually do like biology a lot, simply because there is no bullshit math that i hate. Are their any good careers in that? Since grade 11 in HS, i wanted to get into genetic engineering as well, another reason why i chose biochem...but do you think a bio major might suffice for something like that?

 

[BrothaBill]

Right now, my grades are going to shit. I can admit to not studying as hard as I normally do simply because of my lack of interest in what I'm doing. I mean, I guess for this year, I'll just finish it up and hope that it gets better next year. And what i meant by the downwards spiral was that if feel so stupid with how i am handling the situation. I say this because for one, I am extremely lucky in that, my dad is funding all of my university, my residences, i dont need to get any jobs, just fuckin study. But even still, im too damn stupid to get this through my head and work. I feel like I'm working without a goal, like I have no vision of where im headed. I mean, i had like a 92 or 93 average last year, but that means shit all now. I just cant quite figure out if I should just stay in my current program or not....I've thought of pretty much everything that i might like to do, and i found that I actually do like biology a lot, simply because there is no bullshit math that i hate. Are their any good careers in that? Since grade 11 in HS, i wanted to get into genetic engineering as well, another reason why i chose biochem...but do you think a bio major might suffice for something like that?

My sister is just finishing up her phd in I think molecular biology or genetic engineering I cant remember the exact thing. But from my understanding that the field is research and its a decent living, youre not going to get rich, just comfortable. THe thing is that if you love what you do, then its a good career.
Here's the thing though, if you think undergrad work is hard and youre not getting good grades, then you'll hate grad school unless by that time youre in love with the subject. Much more work and indepth study, undergrad is a cakewalk, except for all the uninteresting boring classes that you also have to take. THats if you can get into the grad. school in the area you like in a college that you like. If you have family resources to fund higher education(higher education used to me college, but nowadays it means grad school) then thats half the battle.
Look, you have to decide what you want to do, if you want to be a doctor then find a major that you like, say psych and then also complete the sciences of the premed curriculum thats how it was at my university so that you dont have to major in chem, physics, or biology which was the way everyone went about it. Sure, you'll do better on the MCAT entrance exam possibly, but med schools nowadays look also for other candidates outside of those three, in fact, theyve been shifting away from those.
If you think that you like psychology b/c you are connecting and listening to people, dont change to a psychology degree for that, guaranteed if you become a physician you will talk and help far more people in more critical and difficult times in their and their families' lives than a psychologist listening to a depressed housewife an hour at a time. Everyone patient you see will be a use of counseling, listening and psychological skills. You will have to use those skills to pry out the patients history and symptoms in supersonic speed b/c you have a shiteload of patients stacked up and you have to comfort them and heal them.
Stick with the sciences so that you have options, but you need to talk to a premed advisor at your university asap about a better way to go about it. If you dont like the science major, its not an either/or thing to get into med. school, there are better alternative routes if you talk to someone in the know who is current on the situation of med school acceptance. My university had premed programs although they werent majors, it didnt matter what your major was as long as you completed those curriculum then thats all that was needed to fulfill the requirements to get in and will prepare you for the MCAT the admittance exam. hope that helps ceasar, I wouldnt have written that much but you took one for the team the other night

 

[slickdadd]

Nothing wrong with changing your major. Almost everyone does it. I did it 3 times I would say don't change it to Psychology. That is a waste of your money and time. If you find it interesting, read it on your own time. You aren't going to benefit in choosing it as your career most likely. It's a pretty worthless undergraduate degree. Find something a little more beneficial to your career that you don't hate.

 

[casualbb]

I'm psychology. Here's my thoughts about the psychology major.

-it IS interesting
-however it is not challenging at all
-you don't make a lot of mental connections, you just learn facts, theories, phenomena, and experiments

for a career -- you will need to take more school.
Med school is an option, you will become a doctor
Grad school is an option, you will become some kind of therapist (not necessarily requiring a PhD)

Understanding people is never a bad thing. However, you can't make a living out of it without extended education.

 

[john937]

My nephew graduated with a psych degree two years ago.
Now he's waiting tables.

 

[seizer]

Yeah, i agree with what you guys are saying about getting masters and phd's and what not. But that almost goes without saying imo. Because even regular science student have to get atleast a Masters just to get somewhere decent. The best the 4 year degree will do in almost anything is highschool teaching. And if that's what you want, cool....but even then you need teachers college. Only students that can really get away with 4 years of work are engineers, or atleast at my school anyways where the eng program is decent. But, almost regardless of anything i choose, i am going to go the distance, thats why i want to make sure i choose it right. I mean, i got the funding taken care of...why not?

 

[samoth]

Right now, my grades are going to shit. I can admit to not studying as hard as I normally do simply because of my lack of interest in what I'm doing. I mean, I guess for this year, I'll just finish it up and hope that it gets better next year. And what i meant by the downwards spiral was that if feel so stupid with how i am handling the situation. I say this because for one, I am extremely lucky in that, my dad is funding all of my university, my residences, i dont need to get any jobs, just fuckin study. But even still, im too damn stupid to get this through my head and work. I feel like I'm working without a goal, like I have no vision of where im headed. I mean, i had like a 92 or 93 average last year, but that means shit all now. I just cant quite figure out if I should just stay in my current program or not....I've thought of pretty much everything that i might like to do, and i found that I actually do like biology a lot, simply because there is no bullshit math that i hate. Are their any good careers in that? Since grade 11 in HS, i wanted to get into genetic engineering as well, another reason why i chose biochem...but do you think a bio major might suffice for something like that?

I guess I'm not getting a clear understanding of what your problem exactly is. Are you just not studying enough? Or do you feel that the material is too hard? Do you think that changing your major will solve all your problems, or is your lack of effort perhaps rooted elsewhere?

I would suggest talking to your guidance department if you haven't already. Sometimes they're a big help, other times much less so...

 

[samoth]

Yeah, i agree with what you guys are saying about getting masters and phd's and what not. But that almost goes without saying imo. Because even regular science student have to get atleast a Masters just to get somewhere decent. The best the 4 year degree will do in almost anything is highschool teaching. And if that's what you want, cool....but even then you need teachers college. Only students that can really get away with 4 years of work are engineers, or atleast at my school anyways where the eng program is decent. But, almost regardless of anything i choose, i am going to go the distance, thats why i want to make sure i choose it right. I mean, i got the funding taken care of...why not?

If you can't hang now, you will wash out from grad school, regardless of whether it's psych or biochem.

Grad schools have nothing to do with having your funding taken care of, either. It takes a lot of hard work and effort to even get into a grad program, and even more to get through it... money is immaterial at that point, as you will pay your way through by teaching.

Since it's your freshman year, you're probably taking mostly general courses. Is there a specific disinterest in your curriculum, or is it general? Frosh year is not the best predicator of what a given field of study will lead to post-undergrad.

 

[seizer]

I guess I'm not getting a clear understanding of what your problem exactly is. Are you just not studying enough? Or do you feel that the material is too hard? Do you think that changing your major will solve all your problems, or is your lack of effort perhaps rooted elsewhere?

I would suggest talking to your guidance department if you haven't already. Sometimes they're a big help, other times much less so...

Naw, the material isnt hard at all. My problem is me not studying enough. I like to think its because of my lack of interest in what I'm doing, but i dunno. I guess the problem is that i have no real desire to do course which involve mathematical reasoning and calculations like calc, physics and chem. Not that chem or calc is hard (physics is because i never took it in HS), i just dont have enough interest in it to study it. Some would say that's lazyiness, but i accel in courses like psych and bio. I accel in chem in calc usually as they're hard, i just have a hard time pulling myself to do the work. It just isnt that interesting. My dad was suggesting that maybe i was having too much fun, but i told him that I wasnt being consumed by the whole partying thing as i dont drink or smoke or go out to clubs and shit...I just think that my problem is that I am not interested in what I'm doing, plain and simple. Maybe i'll give my major a chance, give a year and hopefully the course will become more interesting, because right now their just pissing me off.

 

[samoth]

Naw, the material isnt hard at all. My problem is me not studying enough. I like to think its because of my lack of interest in what I'm doing, but i dunno. I guess the problem is that i have no real desire to do course which involve mathematical reasoning and calculations like calc, physics and chem. Not that chem or calc is hard (physics is because i never took it in HS), i just dont have enough interest in it to study it. Some would say that's lazyiness, but i accel in courses like psych and bio. I accel in chem in calc usually as they're hard, i just have a hard time pulling myself to do the work. It just isnt that interesting. My dad was suggesting that maybe i was having too much fun, but i told him that I wasnt being consumed by the whole partying thing as i dont drink or smoke or go out to clubs and shit...I just think that my problem is that I am not interested in what I'm doing, plain and simple. Maybe i'll give my major a chance, give a year and hopefully the course will become more interesting, because right now their just pissing me off.

Hmm... yeah, that's really not all that uncommon. Do you have a minor? Maybe you could stick in the area of chem/bio/psych until your sophmore or junior year, then decide what you want your major and minors in. As long as you're not drifting off into a totally unrelated field or something, you shouldn't have too many difficulties.

 

[MattTheSkywalker]

I went through the same thing, bor. I started as a Physics major and lost the enthusiasm for the science end of things. I was also taking chemistry and the math that goes with Physics.

I didn't have any energy for it either. I changed my major to Math, because I just "got" Math and I knew it would be easy for me. And it was. I stopped buying textbooks, I just went to class and "got it".

But I lost a lot of the enthusiasm for the work. And, worse, I lost a sense of the connection between present and future. It was like the degree didn't matter. I wasn't worried about cost of school either - I had scholarships NOT tied to academic performance.

It's a dangerous place to be. You're sort of caught between (1) follow your heart, though you are deciding that when you are so young, it is tough, and (2) get a degree in something more "valuable".

Life is long, bor. Things change. I would stick with the sciences, the tough classes, etc. Psych is bullshit, it's invented out of thin air and is often completely invalid. it might be fun, but finger painting is fun too...both alck any substance.

If you're young you're planning for the future. I got some lucky breaks, otherwise who knows what I'd be doing? You'll have more options with a stronger science education than you will with psych. Just my .02, being 29 and looking back.

 

[seizer]

thanks for the help samoth. I think what im gonna do with this year is just finish up, re-evalutate the situation over the summer and choose some better course next year. Im definitely gonna go and have a talk with the guidance counsellor as you recommended too.