What major in college?
December 6, 2008 4:26 PM Subscribe
I'm a senior in high school. I have many disparate interests, most of which are conflicting. I have no idea what to major in at college, or which one to go to. Help me pick a major!
I am very interested in far too many things, such as: psychology, history, writing, computers, programming, architecture, and engineering. My primary loves, if I had to pick, would be computers and writing. Normally, I would go into computers (probably programming), but for one major roadblock. I absolutely cannot stand higher level math. I've done decently in it so far, I haven't failed a math class, but I hate doing it. And, of course, most technology related majors I've researched involve a lot of math.
So, what am I to do? Is there a calculus-free computer major, or one that combines it with writing? Or, failing that, do psychology or history open up any good career opportunities?
I am very interested in far too many things, such as: psychology, history, writing, computers, programming, architecture, and engineering. My primary loves, if I had to pick, would be computers and writing. Normally, I would go into computers (probably programming), but for one major roadblock. I absolutely cannot stand higher level math. I've done decently in it so far, I haven't failed a math class, but I hate doing it. And, of course, most technology related majors I've researched involve a lot of math.
So, what am I to do? Is there a calculus-free computer major, or one that combines it with writing? Or, failing that, do psychology or history open up any good career opportunities?
It sounds like you have a lot of possible interests to pick from, and I think most people are in the exact same situation when they go off to college. The good news is that you don't need to declare a major right away in most instances. Declare no major, or declare computers if you think there might be some weird requirements that need to be done right away. Take your required freshman courses, and be sure to schedule a course in one of your other interests as soon as possible. You'll most likely know what does and doesn't interest you pretty quickly. Most people get "bitten by the bug" at some point or another in college.
posted by theantikitty at 4:36 PM on December 6, 2008
posted by theantikitty at 4:36 PM on December 6, 2008
I'm in college now and my advice is to not worry about what you want to major in (for now). Discovering what you want to major in (or at least narrowing down choices) is basically what freshman year is all about. Very few people go into college knowing exactly what they want to do. And even if you do pick something out now, you're probably very likely to want to change in down the road (I went in with a wide variety of interests, declaring economics as my major on my application, and now, as a sophomore, I have no idea why I ever chose that in the first place. Now I'm majoring in brain science).
posted by god particle at 4:44 PM on December 6, 2008
posted by god particle at 4:44 PM on December 6, 2008
Some schools want you to declare a major as soon as possible - others actually won't let you until you've taken some low-level courses in that topic. I'd suggest looking toward the latter type. It's not a basic property of the school, just something to inquire about as you make your decision.
Most people, as I'm sure you'll hear, go into college either not knowing what they want to major in, not having a really good idea but maybe having some leanings, or having what they think is a very firm idea but changing it at some point along the way.
Echoing missjenny; pick a place you want to spend 4+ years living and learning, and then later worry about majors and areas of study and hypothetical careers.
I will note that I can't imagine a CS program that didn't require a couple of semesters of Calculus, but - at least for me, a math-disliker too - Calc felt very different from everything else I'd done; it actually made sense while my "precalc" class' content seemed arbitrary and annoying.
posted by Tomorrowful at 4:46 PM on December 6, 2008
Most people, as I'm sure you'll hear, go into college either not knowing what they want to major in, not having a really good idea but maybe having some leanings, or having what they think is a very firm idea but changing it at some point along the way.
Echoing missjenny; pick a place you want to spend 4+ years living and learning, and then later worry about majors and areas of study and hypothetical careers.
I will note that I can't imagine a CS program that didn't require a couple of semesters of Calculus, but - at least for me, a math-disliker too - Calc felt very different from everything else I'd done; it actually made sense while my "precalc" class' content seemed arbitrary and annoying.
posted by Tomorrowful at 4:46 PM on December 6, 2008
Best answer: "I have many disparate interests, most of which are conflicting."
I hope you include this sentence in your personal essay, wherever you apply. It bespeaks exactly that curiosity and self-examination all too often missing in those who construe so called "higher education" as merely a means to an end.
Figure out where you want to go first. Geography, size, public, private, etc. Your intended major on your application this year may change more than once before you graduate. (I declared math and ended up history and literature.)
As far as writing, computers and architecture go, please look at A Pattern Language, by architect Christopher Alexander. If I were more computer savvy I would provide a link. Alexander was an early mentor of sorts to the nascent networking community (before you were born?) in the way he organized information.
You might also like to try some anthropology along with the psych. All the best to you.
P.S. College is a really good opportunity to see another part of the country. My daughter went from CA to D.C. (your neighborhood), and has remained after graduation. Don't underestimate the importance of climate, topography, population concentration, and opportunities from within the school itself for exchange programs abroad in your senior years. Cliches aside, it's a big world out there and you seem poised at the edge. Good luck.
posted by emhutchinson at 4:47 PM on December 6, 2008
I hope you include this sentence in your personal essay, wherever you apply. It bespeaks exactly that curiosity and self-examination all too often missing in those who construe so called "higher education" as merely a means to an end.
Figure out where you want to go first. Geography, size, public, private, etc. Your intended major on your application this year may change more than once before you graduate. (I declared math and ended up history and literature.)
As far as writing, computers and architecture go, please look at A Pattern Language, by architect Christopher Alexander. If I were more computer savvy I would provide a link. Alexander was an early mentor of sorts to the nascent networking community (before you were born?) in the way he organized information.
You might also like to try some anthropology along with the psych. All the best to you.
P.S. College is a really good opportunity to see another part of the country. My daughter went from CA to D.C. (your neighborhood), and has remained after graduation. Don't underestimate the importance of climate, topography, population concentration, and opportunities from within the school itself for exchange programs abroad in your senior years. Cliches aside, it's a big world out there and you seem poised at the edge. Good luck.
posted by emhutchinson at 4:47 PM on December 6, 2008
Have you considered delaying a year and getting a job? I did, and it was the best thing I could have done. At the end of that year I knew myself a lot better.
posted by Class Goat at 4:50 PM on December 6, 2008
posted by Class Goat at 4:50 PM on December 6, 2008
Computer science will definitely involve a lot of math, but don't let that deter you. Math gets more interesting the farther you go along in it, so you might find you like it in college. If you can, take some math electives when you start college, preferably ones that aren't full of non-math people just trying to fill a graduation requirement.
Don't worry too much about deciding what to major in right now. I'm a sophomore in college and I still haven't figured it out so you have at least two more years. Also keep in mind that your undergraduate major is not going to absolutely determine the rest of your life. You can change your mind in grad school, or even just find jobs not related to your major.
Good luck!
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 4:51 PM on December 6, 2008
Don't worry too much about deciding what to major in right now. I'm a sophomore in college and I still haven't figured it out so you have at least two more years. Also keep in mind that your undergraduate major is not going to absolutely determine the rest of your life. You can change your mind in grad school, or even just find jobs not related to your major.
Good luck!
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 4:51 PM on December 6, 2008
One thing that I wish I was told:
Disciplines are not what you think they are. They change across levels of intensity or depth.
You say that you can't stand higher level math, but you might be okay with lower level math; the same applies to everything else. You may think that history or writing are about what they sound like -- reading and writing about history, but often times, history (or humanities in general) on an advanced level can involve a meta-disciplinary approach that involves a look at meta-methodology. Are you okay with not just reading and writing about history but reading how to read and write about history? Of course, you might. But very often, enjoying a discipline on a lower level and on an advanced level are two different things. This goes for a change from high school to college, and college to graduate school, as well.
The same goes for engineering and computer science -- often times, yeah, higher-level comp-sci courses can and do involve higher-level math. It's impossible to take a graphics course without involving linear algebra in there, somewhere. Or maybe you might be completely happy doing high-level comp-sci theory and algorithms while absolutely hating mundane programming and worrying about gui stuff. Who knows?
Architecture is another great example of a discipline that I didn't really know too much about -- when I did, I desperately wanted to switch over, but it was too late. It's not just about building things -- near the higher levels of architecture, there's a great deal of theory and philosophy involved, all the way from Vitruvius to Derrida-inspired approaches to architecture.
There's a sciencey-saying that goes something like "psychology is really biology, biology is really chemistry, chemistry is really physics, and physics is really math". The same goes for anything else. Sometimes, the differences within a discipline are more pronounced on an undergraduate/graduate level. Maybe you don't like philosophy because you go to US schools and have only been exposed to analytic philosophy, as opposed to continental philosophy.
So, my point is, when you take courses and shop around, survey courses are nice, but they're what they are -- general overviews -- and often are very unrepresentative of a discipline. Take some high-level courses, maybe for pass/fail and see if you're interested, even if you don't understand them. That's the only way you'll get to know what you like.
posted by suedehead at 4:53 PM on December 6, 2008 [4 favorites]
Disciplines are not what you think they are. They change across levels of intensity or depth.
You say that you can't stand higher level math, but you might be okay with lower level math; the same applies to everything else. You may think that history or writing are about what they sound like -- reading and writing about history, but often times, history (or humanities in general) on an advanced level can involve a meta-disciplinary approach that involves a look at meta-methodology. Are you okay with not just reading and writing about history but reading how to read and write about history? Of course, you might. But very often, enjoying a discipline on a lower level and on an advanced level are two different things. This goes for a change from high school to college, and college to graduate school, as well.
The same goes for engineering and computer science -- often times, yeah, higher-level comp-sci courses can and do involve higher-level math. It's impossible to take a graphics course without involving linear algebra in there, somewhere. Or maybe you might be completely happy doing high-level comp-sci theory and algorithms while absolutely hating mundane programming and worrying about gui stuff. Who knows?
Architecture is another great example of a discipline that I didn't really know too much about -- when I did, I desperately wanted to switch over, but it was too late. It's not just about building things -- near the higher levels of architecture, there's a great deal of theory and philosophy involved, all the way from Vitruvius to Derrida-inspired approaches to architecture.
There's a sciencey-saying that goes something like "psychology is really biology, biology is really chemistry, chemistry is really physics, and physics is really math". The same goes for anything else. Sometimes, the differences within a discipline are more pronounced on an undergraduate/graduate level. Maybe you don't like philosophy because you go to US schools and have only been exposed to analytic philosophy, as opposed to continental philosophy.
So, my point is, when you take courses and shop around, survey courses are nice, but they're what they are -- general overviews -- and often are very unrepresentative of a discipline. Take some high-level courses, maybe for pass/fail and see if you're interested, even if you don't understand them. That's the only way you'll get to know what you like.
posted by suedehead at 4:53 PM on December 6, 2008 [4 favorites]
I am very interested in far too many things, such as: psychology, history, writing, computers, programming, architecture, and engineering.
Take classes in as many of these areas ASAP (preferably freshman year). Based on that experience and looking through the course descriptions for every major you might conceivably pick, decide which majors have the courses you'd want to spend most of your time dealing with. Strongly consider majoring in one of those.
Don't worry about not picking before you get to college. Tell everyone you meet that you have no idea what you're going to major in -- you'll meet lots of people who are either in the same boat or remember being in the same boat.
posted by Jaltcoh at 4:54 PM on December 6, 2008
Take classes in as many of these areas ASAP (preferably freshman year). Based on that experience and looking through the course descriptions for every major you might conceivably pick, decide which majors have the courses you'd want to spend most of your time dealing with. Strongly consider majoring in one of those.
Don't worry about not picking before you get to college. Tell everyone you meet that you have no idea what you're going to major in -- you'll meet lots of people who are either in the same boat or remember being in the same boat.
posted by Jaltcoh at 4:54 PM on December 6, 2008
Best answer: You could study cognitive science!
Cognitive science is an interdisciplinary study that involves knowledge of many different disciplines, including psychology/neuroscience and computer science. There are lots of subfields that you could apply your skills to, such as:
* computer vision
* artificial intelligence
* natural language processing
* computational neuroscience
* neuroimaging
* information visualization/visual analytics
* human-computer interaction/human factors
And I'm just listing a few off the top of my head. In my experience, there is a demand for people that know a bit about psychology and can program a little.
I've recently graduated from the cogsci-equivalent program at my university, where I had a fantastic time working with people from different fields of psychology and computer science. I'm happy to talk more about it, so feel free to memail me if you would like more information.
posted by tickingclock at 4:54 PM on December 6, 2008 [3 favorites]
Cognitive science is an interdisciplinary study that involves knowledge of many different disciplines, including psychology/neuroscience and computer science. There are lots of subfields that you could apply your skills to, such as:
* computer vision
* artificial intelligence
* natural language processing
* computational neuroscience
* neuroimaging
* information visualization/visual analytics
* human-computer interaction/human factors
And I'm just listing a few off the top of my head. In my experience, there is a demand for people that know a bit about psychology and can program a little.
I've recently graduated from the cogsci-equivalent program at my university, where I had a fantastic time working with people from different fields of psychology and computer science. I'm happy to talk more about it, so feel free to memail me if you would like more information.
posted by tickingclock at 4:54 PM on December 6, 2008 [3 favorites]
Psychology and History do not offer up strong career opportunities with an undergraduate degree alone. To be a professional psychologist, or historian, requires more than an undergrad degree, as opposed to say mechanical engineering. They're awesome subjects, but that has little bearing on jobs.
Computer Science programs were all born from Math programs, thus the heavy emphasis on higher math. I hated calculus and most of the math stuff, but saw it is a reasonable trade-off for entry into the profession I wanted: software. A year and a half isn't a bad slog for a decades long career. I took 3d calc twice - it sucked, and it was my worst grade, but so what. I don't regret it all now. Price of admission.
Other options:
1. Take a year to decide. There is no law that says you must start college right after high school. Look for an internship or near-full time job at a software shop, or some other field you think might be good for you. After 3 months actually seeing what work in that field is like you'll be able to flip the bit on it: either you'll know 100% you want to work in that field, or you'll know 100% that you don't. When you decide to go back to school, you'll be much more focused and clear on what you want.
2. Pick a college with late major selection. I went to Carnegie Mellon University, and basically you had to know your major before you even applied to the school. Transferring between colleges within the university was very tough, with very different admission standards. Many state schools are on the opposite end of the spectrum, making it possible to deffer deciding until late sophomore year.
3. I bet you can find associates degree programs that skip the math stuff, and focus on programming and software development. How this changes job prospects I have no idea, but it is an option.
4. If you have diverse interests and are good at school, pursue a minor. Make sure the school you go to supports cross-department, or even self-directed, minors. It's possible to be a CS major and creative writing minor at some universities, but not others.
(Disclosure: I'm 36 which makes me old for this discussion. YMMV and things may have changed since last I did this dance).
posted by Berkun at 4:54 PM on December 6, 2008
Computer Science programs were all born from Math programs, thus the heavy emphasis on higher math. I hated calculus and most of the math stuff, but saw it is a reasonable trade-off for entry into the profession I wanted: software. A year and a half isn't a bad slog for a decades long career. I took 3d calc twice - it sucked, and it was my worst grade, but so what. I don't regret it all now. Price of admission.
Other options:
1. Take a year to decide. There is no law that says you must start college right after high school. Look for an internship or near-full time job at a software shop, or some other field you think might be good for you. After 3 months actually seeing what work in that field is like you'll be able to flip the bit on it: either you'll know 100% you want to work in that field, or you'll know 100% that you don't. When you decide to go back to school, you'll be much more focused and clear on what you want.
2. Pick a college with late major selection. I went to Carnegie Mellon University, and basically you had to know your major before you even applied to the school. Transferring between colleges within the university was very tough, with very different admission standards. Many state schools are on the opposite end of the spectrum, making it possible to deffer deciding until late sophomore year.
3. I bet you can find associates degree programs that skip the math stuff, and focus on programming and software development. How this changes job prospects I have no idea, but it is an option.
4. If you have diverse interests and are good at school, pursue a minor. Make sure the school you go to supports cross-department, or even self-directed, minors. It's possible to be a CS major and creative writing minor at some universities, but not others.
(Disclosure: I'm 36 which makes me old for this discussion. YMMV and things may have changed since last I did this dance).
posted by Berkun at 4:54 PM on December 6, 2008
Response by poster: Just to add another dimension to this discussion: I'm seriously considering getting a minor as well, but I'd also really like to go to a larger university (VA Tech stands out) for the community and atmosphere. However, most of them have segregated colleges which would prohibit me from learning, say, psychology and programming at the same time.
posted by Hargrimm at 5:05 PM on December 6, 2008
posted by Hargrimm at 5:05 PM on December 6, 2008
Best answer: HOW TO PICK OUT YOUR MAJOR:
1. Find out your dream college.
2. Buy 2 course catalogs. Put one aside.
3. Clear a large space on your floor.
4. Grab one course catalog and tear out all the pages/sections of the majors that you are even remotely interested in. Read brief descriptions of the major at the section heads if you've never heard of that field before. If you think, "heh, that's neat," then tear it out.
5. Now lay the sections on the floor in a big grid.
6. Look at the first two. Read the major descriptions and ask yourself, "Which one would I rather?" If you can't decide, leave 'em both on the floor and move onto the next two.
7. For all the rejected halves of the comparisons: remove from grid and place in a pile.
8. Repeat until you are down to the ones you can't decide between. You should have about 2-10 sections on the floor.
9. Repeat the 1 x 1 comparison process again, but this time read the course descriptions. ESPECIALLY the core courses (they'll be marked somehow most likely). If there's a class on one of them that you would rather eat razorblades than take, remove that major and add it to the dump stack.
10. Narrow it down to two. Are they similar? If not, you'll need to do further research to figure out which general direction to go. Could you major in one and minor in the other? Read the core course descriptions again. Look at some of the required textbooks from the library. Would it pain you to check them out? Would you hate (gasp), actually reading them? If not, consider enrolling in an intro course or core course from each major at your school, or try to get into your dream school.
I made up this process. It's how I discovered that I have ridiculous passion for this weird subject called "linguistics." It's what also convinced me that I can and deserve to go to my dream college. I graduated from UC Berkeley in Linguistics in 2006. And am now working on a Master's in that field at SFSU. I just can't get enough! And I would have NEVER even KNOWN that there was a field of study like this in existence if I hadn't torn up the catalog.
(not) the end.
posted by iamkimiam at 5:06 PM on December 6, 2008 [7 favorites]
1. Find out your dream college.
2. Buy 2 course catalogs. Put one aside.
3. Clear a large space on your floor.
4. Grab one course catalog and tear out all the pages/sections of the majors that you are even remotely interested in. Read brief descriptions of the major at the section heads if you've never heard of that field before. If you think, "heh, that's neat," then tear it out.
5. Now lay the sections on the floor in a big grid.
6. Look at the first two. Read the major descriptions and ask yourself, "Which one would I rather?" If you can't decide, leave 'em both on the floor and move onto the next two.
7. For all the rejected halves of the comparisons: remove from grid and place in a pile.
8. Repeat until you are down to the ones you can't decide between. You should have about 2-10 sections on the floor.
9. Repeat the 1 x 1 comparison process again, but this time read the course descriptions. ESPECIALLY the core courses (they'll be marked somehow most likely). If there's a class on one of them that you would rather eat razorblades than take, remove that major and add it to the dump stack.
10. Narrow it down to two. Are they similar? If not, you'll need to do further research to figure out which general direction to go. Could you major in one and minor in the other? Read the core course descriptions again. Look at some of the required textbooks from the library. Would it pain you to check them out? Would you hate (gasp), actually reading them? If not, consider enrolling in an intro course or core course from each major at your school, or try to get into your dream school.
I made up this process. It's how I discovered that I have ridiculous passion for this weird subject called "linguistics." It's what also convinced me that I can and deserve to go to my dream college. I graduated from UC Berkeley in Linguistics in 2006. And am now working on a Master's in that field at SFSU. I just can't get enough! And I would have NEVER even KNOWN that there was a field of study like this in existence if I hadn't torn up the catalog.
(not) the end.
posted by iamkimiam at 5:06 PM on December 6, 2008 [7 favorites]
I was dead sure I was going to do a cognitive science type independent major when I started my undergrad, with the aim of getting a Ph.D. in the same. Lo and behold, 20 years later, I'm finishing my Ph.D. in Environmental Geography with a strong focus in geographic information systems. I suppose my advice to you is don't be afraid of strong passions for one discipline or another (or several), but don't be afraid to do a 180 if that's what your heart and mind wind up suggesting. Exploration of yourself and the world is the name of the game at this point, and don't hesitate to pursue interests. You'll figure it out eventually, and, in the worse case scenario, if it costs you an extra year of school or some time away from school, it'll probably wind up being the best way you could have spent your time.
posted by mollweide at 5:11 PM on December 6, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by mollweide at 5:11 PM on December 6, 2008 [1 favorite]
On preview, riffing on iamkimiam's answer, I knew a professor who knew he wanted to be a scientist but didn't care what science it was. He chose biochemistry because it required the fewest credits and allowed him to take the most electives. He's now on the cusp of retirement as a very well known biochemist who has received major professional and media attention for his work with Agent Orange and the impact of dioxin of nervous systems.
There are lots of ways to get where your going.
posted by mollweide at 5:16 PM on December 6, 2008
There are lots of ways to get where your going.
posted by mollweide at 5:16 PM on December 6, 2008
I went to Oberlin and got a degree in Computer Science which has served me well. I took Calculus II and Multivariate Calculus and Linear Algebra. I suffered through calc, but loved Linear Algebra. I loved the CS major, but in the process of getting it, I took classes in English Literature, Anthropology, Archaeology, Physics, Ethnomusicology, Religion, Music History, Jazz, and played in three bands. In other words, I tool full advantage of the breadth available in a liberal arts education. If you think that a college should be an all-you-can-eat buffet of brain candy, I'd recommend this path. I probably could've done it without the calculus.
Also, at least when I went there, the college was open to letting students create individual majors if a catch-all major didn't quite make it.
posted by plinth at 5:18 PM on December 6, 2008
Also, at least when I went there, the college was open to letting students create individual majors if a catch-all major didn't quite make it.
posted by plinth at 5:18 PM on December 6, 2008
I would like to state as an aside that it is very likely that you have not taken any higher level math. You might not have wildly enjoyed the math that you've seen so far, but don't write it off completely. I was never particularly impressed by math until my second year as a math/phys major (although I obviously was interested enough for that to be my major).
posted by vernondalhart at 5:41 PM on December 6, 2008
posted by vernondalhart at 5:41 PM on December 6, 2008
i'm mostly going to talk about all the things i did wrong when applying to college in the hopes it helps you address your problem.
i wish I had gone to college and done what plinth describes, "take full advantage of the breadth available in a liberal arts education". what i do now as a day job (and make six figures at) came out of a clear blue sky 13 years ago. it's not what I studied, it's not the career I stumbled into by way of what I had studied for, and if you had ever told me that I would be working with computers, I would have laughed you out of the room.
ME? computers??
but i do wish I had given myself the chance to LEARN more. I did it towards the end, when I ended up at semester registration talking with a faculty member who taught constitutional law for undergrads. I signed up for it, despite the lectures from my parents, on what could only be called a whim. I LOVED it. I loved the professor. I took two other electives from him as a result. I was in a class with people from all over the college. I got to go watch the supreme court in session. I wish I had done more things like that.
i also second the people who urge you to go out and see some of the world or to delay your entry into college. nowadays, it's completely accepted - in my time (when the covered wagons were crossing the prairies :), it was not). i was a year ahead of myself, a gifted child who was never allowed to be gifted, and at age 17 I knew I was nowhere near ready for college. I wanted to join the peace corps, I wanted to travel, i wanted to do a million other things besides go sit in a classroom yet. I wasn't allowed that option unless I was willing to pay for my schooling myself. On hindsight, I wish I had just followed my own instincts, because I squandered my college years. Even if I had just worked for a year, I would have just - grown up some.
the advantage that you have is that your generation will be expected to be agile and having multiple careers will be considered an asset. my generation still squinches its nose when they look at my resume and try to figure out how i got from A to B to C.
do you have any adult you can trust who isn't a parent that you can talk this through with? it helps if they know you, but even if they don't, as long as they've been to college in the last 20 years (I would say anyone under 40 unless they've been in academia lately - I would not be well qualified to counsel you closely) I know some of my decisions were because my parents were not qualified to help and did not help me and could not help me. i thought i knew what I was doing. I had no idea that I didn't, or I would have gone to trusted teachers for help.
I look at my college career now and wish I had done things like gone to an all-woman's college, gotten out of new york, studied abroad, done a 5 year program with one year of work experience... a million things.
posted by micawber at 5:42 PM on December 6, 2008
i wish I had gone to college and done what plinth describes, "take full advantage of the breadth available in a liberal arts education". what i do now as a day job (and make six figures at) came out of a clear blue sky 13 years ago. it's not what I studied, it's not the career I stumbled into by way of what I had studied for, and if you had ever told me that I would be working with computers, I would have laughed you out of the room.
ME? computers??
but i do wish I had given myself the chance to LEARN more. I did it towards the end, when I ended up at semester registration talking with a faculty member who taught constitutional law for undergrads. I signed up for it, despite the lectures from my parents, on what could only be called a whim. I LOVED it. I loved the professor. I took two other electives from him as a result. I was in a class with people from all over the college. I got to go watch the supreme court in session. I wish I had done more things like that.
i also second the people who urge you to go out and see some of the world or to delay your entry into college. nowadays, it's completely accepted - in my time (when the covered wagons were crossing the prairies :), it was not). i was a year ahead of myself, a gifted child who was never allowed to be gifted, and at age 17 I knew I was nowhere near ready for college. I wanted to join the peace corps, I wanted to travel, i wanted to do a million other things besides go sit in a classroom yet. I wasn't allowed that option unless I was willing to pay for my schooling myself. On hindsight, I wish I had just followed my own instincts, because I squandered my college years. Even if I had just worked for a year, I would have just - grown up some.
the advantage that you have is that your generation will be expected to be agile and having multiple careers will be considered an asset. my generation still squinches its nose when they look at my resume and try to figure out how i got from A to B to C.
do you have any adult you can trust who isn't a parent that you can talk this through with? it helps if they know you, but even if they don't, as long as they've been to college in the last 20 years (I would say anyone under 40 unless they've been in academia lately - I would not be well qualified to counsel you closely) I know some of my decisions were because my parents were not qualified to help and did not help me and could not help me. i thought i knew what I was doing. I had no idea that I didn't, or I would have gone to trusted teachers for help.
I look at my college career now and wish I had done things like gone to an all-woman's college, gotten out of new york, studied abroad, done a 5 year program with one year of work experience... a million things.
posted by micawber at 5:42 PM on December 6, 2008
You live in Roanoke. Just go to Virginia and be done with it, and worry about majors when you get there.
Unless things have changed, you won't need to declare a major right away, and if there's a spot on the application for it, nobody will hold you to what you write there.* If EChols takes you, you can put together your own major.
CS there is primarily through the engineering school, but you can get a CS major through CLAS.
*Except, maybe, ROTC if you take their money.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:14 PM on December 6, 2008
Unless things have changed, you won't need to declare a major right away, and if there's a spot on the application for it, nobody will hold you to what you write there.* If EChols takes you, you can put together your own major.
CS there is primarily through the engineering school, but you can get a CS major through CLAS.
*Except, maybe, ROTC if you take their money.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:14 PM on December 6, 2008
The general advice on this thread is very good, so I won't repeat it. I do want to give you one very specific piece of information, though: I am a math professor, and I teach the required first-year math course for computer-science majors, and it doesn't require calculus, isn't anything like calculus, and indeed isn't anything like what you've studied in high school unless your high school is a specialized math-science academy. So don't be so sure that the math in the CS major will be a turn-off for you.
Also:
However, most of them have segregated colleges which would prohibit me from learning, say, psychology and programming at the same time.
Probably not. It might be hard to major in _computer engineering_ and minor in psychology, since the former might require you to enroll in the Engineering school. But the computer science major is typically administered by the arts and sciences faculty, same as psych. Based on your interests, I assume CS, not CE, is the route you'd go at most schools.
Also: writing is one of the few things you can really work hard on in college without majoring in it, or even taking courses in it. Writers aren't hired because they have a BA in writing; they're hired because they can write. So write! Join the literary magazine, the newspaper, blog, do whatever it is that will keep you putting one word in front of the other while you study whatever it is you're studying in the classroom. Lots of people I went to college with (including me) are published writers, and some (not including me) have writing as their main careers -- almost none of them majored in "writing" or English, but almost all of them were involved in writing-intensive activities in college.
posted by escabeche at 6:30 PM on December 6, 2008
Also:
However, most of them have segregated colleges which would prohibit me from learning, say, psychology and programming at the same time.
Probably not. It might be hard to major in _computer engineering_ and minor in psychology, since the former might require you to enroll in the Engineering school. But the computer science major is typically administered by the arts and sciences faculty, same as psych. Based on your interests, I assume CS, not CE, is the route you'd go at most schools.
Also: writing is one of the few things you can really work hard on in college without majoring in it, or even taking courses in it. Writers aren't hired because they have a BA in writing; they're hired because they can write. So write! Join the literary magazine, the newspaper, blog, do whatever it is that will keep you putting one word in front of the other while you study whatever it is you're studying in the classroom. Lots of people I went to college with (including me) are published writers, and some (not including me) have writing as their main careers -- almost none of them majored in "writing" or English, but almost all of them were involved in writing-intensive activities in college.
posted by escabeche at 6:30 PM on December 6, 2008
A small point to note: an interest in computers can be applied (profitably, productively) to pretty much any other field, so if you are worried about having to choose between computers and something else, don't worry about that. A psychologist, architect or historian who can code has more opportunities than one who can't, both in business and in academia.
posted by Hildago at 8:03 PM on December 6, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Hildago at 8:03 PM on December 6, 2008 [1 favorite]
I went to college having no real idea what I wanted to major in (although I knew I was NOT pre-med.) During freshman orientation I discovered an interdisciplinary major that was a perfect fit and four years later I had a degree I was very happy with. So leave yourself open to being influenced by what you find. Also, try to find out which professors are the best teachers and take their classes, even if the topic is not your first choice. Then take advantage of office hours and get to know them. they will be able to give you a glimpse into what their field looks like at the more advanced level since most are nothing at all like studying the same topic in high school.
posted by metahawk at 9:26 PM on December 6, 2008
posted by metahawk at 9:26 PM on December 6, 2008
I'm just finishing up a Computer Science degree myself. If you're really into computers, and don't have any qualms about being a code monkey at times, then I don't think it's a bad thing to get into these days. However, I will say, if you take Computer Science or any Engineering at a university, you will be HAMMERED with math. It's just something you have to deal with. I got through it okay, although I hated it too. Calculus 1-3 weren't half as bad as things like Discrete Math and Circuit Physics.
If you are good at math and really love computers and programming, I think you should probably swallow that pill and go for it anyway. Any degree you go for is going to have it's set of courses that are just unbearable, but you have to grit your teeth and get through 'em. It's just part of the (stupid) process.
As a lot of people have mentioned, you can go into college undeclared. Most schools don't have any issues with you changing degrees in the first year. You will find out pretty quick if you're enrolled in the right program within the first year, most schools structure it so you'll quickly realize you're not where you want to be. I know an absurd amount of people who entered as CS, but were in a completely different program before they ever hit Java 2.
It's a tough path, for sure, especially the last few semesters. But I think it's rewarding. At the end of the day, you have to love to code, period. If you do, then definitely consider it.
Have you thought about maybe a tech school? I don't put a whole lot of stock into those things, but you can get a degree quick from one of those without having to take all the useless stuff alongside it. I'm not making a recommendation, but if you're at a loss for ideas and the math stuff is your biggest wall...well a tech degree would be a lot better than no degree...
Oh, and as for a minor, I don't think you should have to worry too much. In most cases it's just a matter of restricting your electives to ones that fall in the minor. I'm finishing in four years and only took one additional course to get my Business minor. Some minors will be a bit harder certainly, and some won't work well at all (such as one's that require semesters of language courses, as I discovered), but you shouldn't have any trouble most places getting a CS major with a Philosophy/History/English/etc minor. Getting a second major is a different issue...
posted by nmaster64 at 2:41 AM on December 7, 2008
If you are good at math and really love computers and programming, I think you should probably swallow that pill and go for it anyway. Any degree you go for is going to have it's set of courses that are just unbearable, but you have to grit your teeth and get through 'em. It's just part of the (stupid) process.
As a lot of people have mentioned, you can go into college undeclared. Most schools don't have any issues with you changing degrees in the first year. You will find out pretty quick if you're enrolled in the right program within the first year, most schools structure it so you'll quickly realize you're not where you want to be. I know an absurd amount of people who entered as CS, but were in a completely different program before they ever hit Java 2.
It's a tough path, for sure, especially the last few semesters. But I think it's rewarding. At the end of the day, you have to love to code, period. If you do, then definitely consider it.
Have you thought about maybe a tech school? I don't put a whole lot of stock into those things, but you can get a degree quick from one of those without having to take all the useless stuff alongside it. I'm not making a recommendation, but if you're at a loss for ideas and the math stuff is your biggest wall...well a tech degree would be a lot better than no degree...
Oh, and as for a minor, I don't think you should have to worry too much. In most cases it's just a matter of restricting your electives to ones that fall in the minor. I'm finishing in four years and only took one additional course to get my Business minor. Some minors will be a bit harder certainly, and some won't work well at all (such as one's that require semesters of language courses, as I discovered), but you shouldn't have any trouble most places getting a CS major with a Philosophy/History/English/etc minor. Getting a second major is a different issue...
posted by nmaster64 at 2:41 AM on December 7, 2008
As an adult going to school now here are the things I am interested in now, that I was not as focused as when I was 18:
1. Courses that are useful that will help me gain concrete skills. Think public speaking, writing, foreign languages.
2. I like the one year off idea. I don't know if it would be financially feasible, but definitely a good idea, also if you can go somewhere and do a language immersion, extra bonus.
3. I don't think the major is the most important issue, as to what field you are interested in going into. Think about your career: how much money do you want to try to make, do you want to travel in your job, do you want to work for a non-profit or NGO, do you want to sit at a desk? These are general kinds of questions that I don't know if you can answer at this point in time, but can greatly influence the decision of your major.
posted by hazyspring at 7:17 AM on December 7, 2008
1. Courses that are useful that will help me gain concrete skills. Think public speaking, writing, foreign languages.
2. I like the one year off idea. I don't know if it would be financially feasible, but definitely a good idea, also if you can go somewhere and do a language immersion, extra bonus.
3. I don't think the major is the most important issue, as to what field you are interested in going into. Think about your career: how much money do you want to try to make, do you want to travel in your job, do you want to work for a non-profit or NGO, do you want to sit at a desk? These are general kinds of questions that I don't know if you can answer at this point in time, but can greatly influence the decision of your major.
posted by hazyspring at 7:17 AM on December 7, 2008
What do you find interesting about the things you find interesting? What kind of work feels satisfying or engaging to do, and what makes your brain tingle? Those qualities are the ones you'll run into every day, in college and in related employment, and the ability to find satisfaction and enjoyment in your work will make it a hell of a lot easier to stick out the bad days or the single mandatory course you hate.
Also, figuring out and researching the connections between disparate disciplines is good stuff, and might lead you to find the right fit for you in the overlap. Hildago is dead right here:
A small point to note: an interest in computers can be applied (profitably, productively) to pretty much any other field, so if you are worried about having to choose between computers and something else, don't worry about that. A psychologist, architect or historian who can code has more opportunities than one who can't, both in business and in academia.
I am surprised how weak the computer skills of a lot of architects are. As a discipline, I find it really satisfying because it has room at various points for many of my interests - problem-solving, social justice, aesthetic values, craftsmanship, examining the way we function and relate to one another, etc. But I also find that having minor technical knowledge, relatively, is already beginning to present me with a choice about whether to develop those skills so that they're more than just relatively good and end up as part-time web designer (for example) for good, where there's an opening allowing for someone who's interested to take on the extra responsibility and make an impression in that way. Anecdotal, but I think you might be surprised how widely Hildago's observation would ring true.
posted by carbide at 10:18 AM on December 7, 2008
Also, figuring out and researching the connections between disparate disciplines is good stuff, and might lead you to find the right fit for you in the overlap. Hildago is dead right here:
A small point to note: an interest in computers can be applied (profitably, productively) to pretty much any other field, so if you are worried about having to choose between computers and something else, don't worry about that. A psychologist, architect or historian who can code has more opportunities than one who can't, both in business and in academia.
I am surprised how weak the computer skills of a lot of architects are. As a discipline, I find it really satisfying because it has room at various points for many of my interests - problem-solving, social justice, aesthetic values, craftsmanship, examining the way we function and relate to one another, etc. But I also find that having minor technical knowledge, relatively, is already beginning to present me with a choice about whether to develop those skills so that they're more than just relatively good and end up as part-time web designer (for example) for good, where there's an opening allowing for someone who's interested to take on the extra responsibility and make an impression in that way. Anecdotal, but I think you might be surprised how widely Hildago's observation would ring true.
posted by carbide at 10:18 AM on December 7, 2008
Seconding tickingclock's suggestion of Cognitive Science; I regret not having that as my major. You sound like you'll fit right in. That said, go in undeclared if you're still ambiguous. You'll have some time during freshman and maybe sophomore year to figure out where you want to go.
posted by curagea at 2:09 PM on December 7, 2008
posted by curagea at 2:09 PM on December 7, 2008
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Decide where you want to go to school, then worry about your major once you get there.
(I graduated with a writing degree from a science and technology school and I write for a living now, so don't worry too much about "oh is this school good for this or that?")
posted by missjenny at 4:36 PM on December 6, 2008