Any college students around here?

[Foxhound3857]

I'm just finishing up my Associates Degree at Victor Valley College, in Hesperia. Majoring in English. I want to go into a current events field like Journalism, and I've been bolstering my skills with a bit of novel writing on the side. Still not sure whether I want to go to a specialty school like Devry, or to a university like UCLA and pursue a Bachelor's.

Anyone else around here in college? What's your experience? What are you majoring in?

 

[JohnsPrincess]

I'm in college! I actually go online because I've always Hated traditional schooling. I have a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Criminal Justice. I'm now going for a Masters in Education with concentrations in Children's Literacy Development, Early Childhood Education, and Leadership & Administration in Education. I have about a year left!

PS - I don't plan on doing anything in the business, criminal justice, or education fields - other than POSSIBLY homeschooling my kids for a few years (when I have them)...

 

[Sparx]

I'm a social work major at MTSU.

If I were in your shoes, I'd lean more towards a full university than a school like DeVry. You may get there and want to change your major, and a full university will have a lot more options for you than something smaller.

 

[Foxhound3857]

I'm a social work major at MTSU.

If I were in your shoes, I'd lean more towards a full university than a school like DeVry. You may get there and want to change your major, and a full university will have a lot more options for you than something smaller.

I don't think I'm going to want to change my major again (having done so three times, and this is the second time I've decided on English with any certainty), but I have no idea what I want my minor to be in. History bores me to death, Math I can do but I'm scared to touch it after Algebra II. Science would be my best bet, and I'm taking Physics in the summer.

I was warned against specialty schools like Devry because they only prepare you with a vary narrow set of skills for a specific career, and if it comes that you can't get a job in that field, you have nothing to fall back on. That's why I'm such a strong advocate for general education, having knowledge in a wide field of subjects so your skills and knowledge is applicable to more than one focus.

 

[mamacatnv]

The Reynolds School of Journalism at the Univ. of NV Reno has a good reputation. As an HR person - go for the Bachelors it will take you farther in that type of field.

 

[pigletgirl]

Hello! I'm a junior at UA!
Currently I'm a major in Biology and planning on going to medical school next fall. *crosses fingers* (2011).

If I were you, I would go the route of the public university. You NEVER know what the future will hold and I think you would have better opportunities going there.

GL with whatever you decide!

 

[NatashaDisneyCM]

I am in College, and my major is Biology with my concentration in Cell/ Molecular / biomedical biology minor in chemistry.

 

[Foxhound3857]

Hello! I'm a junior at UA!
Currently I'm a major in Biology and planning on going to medical school next fall. *crosses fingers* (2011).

If I were you, I would go the route of the public university. You NEVER know what the future will hold and I think you would have better opportunities going there.

GL with whatever you decide!

Yeah, that's probably what I'll end up doing. First I have to finish earning my A.D at this college, though. I'm allowed to take up to 90 units even though I only need 60 to graduate, and I'm taking those extra 30 because I can apply them to a future transfer, and it's far cheaper and more time-efficient to take them here. So when I finish with my A.D I'll be considerably closer to a Bachelor's. Then it's just a matter of getting the right classes.

Thanks. =)

 

[Sparx]

I don't think I'm going to want to change my major again (having done so three times, and this is the second time I've decided on English with any certainty), but I have no idea what I want my minor to be in. History bores me to death, Math I can do but I'm scared to touch it after Algebra II. Science would be my best bet, and I'm taking Physics in the summer.

I was warned against specialty schools like Devry because they only prepare you with a vary narrow set of skills for a specific career, and if it comes that you can't get a job in that field, you have nothing to fall back on. That's why I'm such a strong advocate for general education, having knowledge in a wide field of subjects so your skills and knowledge is applicable to more than one focus.

I feel like a liberal arts school would definitely provide you with a lot more opportunities with a minor (or even other major specialties ) My school has majors I didn't know existed.

I know my major went from psych to pre grad psych to social work, and my minor went from being nonexistent, to psych (when I went to social work) to sociology (which I still love) and now its spanish. So i've been all over the board.

 

[DisneyCrazy915]

I'm a psych major at UCF, graduating in summer
Then I'm going to USF for a second undergraduate degree in Creative Writing. After that , it's either an MA in marriage and family therapy or an MFA in creative writing. I'm a little torn. And trust me I don't want to be in school this long, its a no choice thing for me (parents, they pay my bills). I'd love to take a break, but I'd never go back if I did

 

[DisneyCrazy915]

I know my major went from psych to pre grad psych to social work, and my minor went from being nonexistent, to psych (when I went to social work) to sociology (which I still love) and now its spanish. So i've been all over the board.

Me too! I've been all over the place; art history, creative writing, psych, pre-pharm/pre-med, then psych and creative writing again.

 

[PirateSnowmen]

I'm a freshman at the University of Oklahoma majoring in Early Childhood Education. I'm thinking about a possible minor in Sociology, but I'm not sure yet. I love Sociology, but I'm in a class right now with the WORST professor ever, which makes it hard to love the class.

If I were you I'd definitely go to the public university. I have a friend who is doing the same thing as you, but she isn't sure where to transfer yet. She hasn't picked a major and needs to come up with something (so she can transfer) within the next year. She also said she might just stick with the Associates degree, but she doesn't believe me when I tell her it'll be really hard to get a job with that. She's never had a job before and she thinks it's as easy as just strolling into a store, filling out an application and getting hired on the spot. I try to tell her that it's not like that (in most cases, especially where we live), but she doesn't believe me. She can just figure it out for herself

 

[Foxhound3857]

I'm a freshman at the University of Oklahoma majoring in Early Childhood Education. I'm thinking about a possible minor in Sociology, but I'm not sure yet. I love Sociology, but I'm in a class right now with the WORST professor ever, which makes it hard to love the class.

If I were you I'd definitely go to the public university. I have a friend who is doing the same thing as you, but she isn't sure where to transfer yet. She hasn't picked a major and needs to come up with something (so she can transfer) within the next year. She also said she might just stick with the Associates degree, but she doesn't believe me when I tell her it'll be really hard to get a job with that. She's never had a job before and she thinks it's as easy as just strolling into a store, filling out an application and getting hired on the spot. I try to tell her that it's not like that (in most cases, especially where we live), but she doesn't believe me. She can just figure it out for herself

Oh yeah. In today's society, having an A.D isn't much better than having a Highschool Diploma. The A.D, for me, is a landmark, and more than not I'm mainly going for it so I can say beyond a shadow of doubt that I was the first in my bloodline to graduate from college. It's sort of a family honor since nobody else before me has gone.

I don't expect it to land me a decent job though, hence why I'm taking my education a step further.

 

[Katie's Butterflies]

Yeah, that's probably what I'll end up doing. First I have to finish earning my A.D at this college, though. I'm allowed to take up to 90 units even though I only need 60 to graduate, and I'm taking those extra 30 because I can apply them to a future transfer, and it's far cheaper and more time-efficient to take them here. So when I finish with my A.D I'll be considerably closer to a Bachelor's. Then it's just a matter of getting the right classes.

Thanks. =)

Hi! I'm also a college student (though for only a month longer ) Just a heads up, not all schools will allow you to transfer more than 60 units. At my school, once I hit 60 units, I was not even allowed to transfer summer school credits from a cc. Not all schools do this, but if I were you, I'd check. That way, you won't waste time and money on classes that don't count toward a bachelor's degree. Of course, if you're like me and just want to take classes for fun, then by all means...

 

[Foxhound3857]

Hi! I'm also a college student (though for only a month longer ) Just a heads up, not all schools will allow you to transfer more than 60 units. At my school, once I hit 60 units, I was not even allowed to transfer summer school credits from a cc. Not all schools do this, but if I were you, I'd check. That way, you won't waste time and money on classes that don't count toward a bachelor's degree. Of course, if you're like me and just want to take classes for fun, then by all means...

Yeah, that's a big reason why I take classes too, personal enrichment. I have to keep accumulating units anyway because I don't have my current 60 in all the right places (not enough in my major, too many in electives), but if it turns out that I can't use the extra 30 for a transfer, well at least I walk away more knowledgeable. It's not a waste of time when you sit at home with nothing better to do.

 

[PirateSnowmen]

Oh yeah. In today's society, having an A.D isn't much better than having a Highschool Diploma. The A.D, for me, is a landmark, and more than not I'm mainly going for it so I can say beyond a shadow of doubt that I was the first in my bloodline to graduate from college. It's sort of a family honor since nobody else before me has gone.

I don't expect it to land me a decent job though, hence why I'm taking my education a step further.

Yeah - she's going for her AD only because she doesn't know what she wants to do and she's using the AD has a landmark, just like you are. She does want to transfer somewhere, but she wants to figure out a major before she does. I think once she goes to apply for her first job she'll realize that it isn't easy to get a job. I had a friend last year apply to at least 20 stores in the mall and didn't get hired by any of them. It's just so hard to get a job now, which is one of the main reasons I'm going to college. Also, my friend's mom has a great job and didn't go to college, and she doesn't realize that society isn't the same now as it was however many years ago her mom got hired.

I don't have anything against getting an AD - I didn't mean for it to sound like I had something against it (just in case anyone took it that way).

 

[Alphabetsoup]

I am a university professor in Journalism, but I have also taught English courses and Technical Writing, so what I am saying is based on the schools I have worked for and the students I know who have gotten jobs in the field.

First off, the type of school to move to. If you are serious about going into journalism, then you need a proper university or college degree -- online or DeVry won't cut it in any mass media outlets except the questionable and 'smallest of the small' regional papers (and even they'd rather hire 4 year grads from their own local university or community college).

Also be warned that some online schools are not accredited which means that the courses you've taken and the 'degree' you have earned may be virtually worthless. You need to double check the accreditation of the school you are going to...and NOT just what they say on their website. Contact the regional accreditation body and check it out (for instance, my university is part of the Southern Association of Universities and Colleges). When in doubt, check with the Department of Education for the accreditation status of your school.

As to the idea of studying journalism, an English background is a good start, although writing for journalism is not the same as writing literary criticism or 'creative writing'/fiction-- be prepared to essentially start 'over'. Also be warned that getting a job with a journalism degree is VERY difficult without extensive writing/publishing experience -- something that students at a 4 year colleges start getting during their first year (I went to a 4 year university and started getting articles published in my first semester of school). That said, small regional/town newspapers, town crier' type newsletters and such may not require as much previous experience so you may find a niche for yourself.

If you are going into journalism you need to make sure you are going into it because you sincerely LOVE to write and tell stories -- not fiction, but 'real' life stories (the way we write for fiction and journalism are VERY VERY different).

If you think you want to get into journalism I strongly suggest learning a bit about web design, as more and more news outlets have a strong online presence and knowing how to maintain and write for convergence media is a STRONG selling point.

 

[tinkgurl]

I'm in college! Just graduated with my Bachelor's Degree in December with a major in psychology and a minor in sociology. I am now in my 1st semester of a counselor education Masters program.

 

[tar heel]

I have a degree from one of the top J schools in the nation (UNC-Chapel Hill), and my DH has worked in the field for 30+ years. Definitely get a bachelor's. The job market in journalism is so bad right now that you need as broad an education as you can possibly get. I've worked as a newspaper reporter, at three colleges and for two nonprofits. I don't think any of them would have looked at me if I had not had a degree and experience.

Alphabetsoup gave you some really good advice about the web.

 

[Foxhound3857]

Yeah, that's probably what I'll end up going for.

For the time being, since I'm not sure exactly what kind of writing I want to do for a career (hell, I might want to go for my Masters and teach), I'm just going to concentrate on a broad range of English-based classes and see what it molds into. I have to experiment before I find something I really love.

I'll look into web design as well. I took Multimedia in 8th grade, but that was ages ago and I forgot everything about it. =/

Thanks for the advice everyone.