Stay in school?

[Sorahana]

I first talked to my counselor about what I should do about school (I just transferred here. This is the third school I've gone to. I have an AA from a community college, but yea...third school, and I'm unhappy again. My major was Theater). I told him the options I came up with and he said the best choices would be to switch majors, or he said that maybe taking a semester off to work and figure out what I want to do would be another good option. I can't even discuss that second option with mom, she's shot it down already.

So with school, after taking to my counselor and my adviser, the best decision for me right now is to switch to being Undeclared major wise. If I stayed in the Theatre major I would have been miserable (too much of a time demand outside of school and I didn't have time to work as well, I need to work), and also I'm losing interest in the major (the actual acting part of it is fun but you also have to do directing, be on crews for every show 12 hrs a week hence the too much time factor, and a bunch of other stuff. and I need 25 more courses to graduate.

I was going to switch to Communications, but that would have taken even longer and they could tell I only would switch to it because I need a degree and mom said that would probably be better to switch to (I sounded disinterested when I mentioned it).

So now I have no set graduation date and I could be here regardless for several more years. I wish I didn't have to go for a degree, I'd prefer to just take classes that interest me (I guess thats the point of being undeclared for a major, but I still have some gen eds to et out of the way) but I'm not allowed to do it. I already have my Associate's degree, but yea...mom said I need a Bachelor's.

So I don't know...did I make the right decision getting out of a major for now? Should I have stayed in the Theatre major?

Part of me feels like I made the right decision, but I don't want to be graduating at 25 (I'll be in school four years in the spring), and if thats the case at least not from this school, its expensive and the loans are as well. My mom wanted me out of here by 2010 because of the loans, but that's not happening regardless of what I do.

I know my dream job is working Entertainment at DisneyWorld but given the results of my first audition...yea...I dunno. That and I'm average height .

 

[CelebrationNM]

When it comes right down to it, my opinion is that in the long run it doesn’t matter if you get your degree in theater or communications. My opinion is also that, in the long run, it may very well matter that you get some kind of degree. So, those are my biases. I’d suggest weighing your costs (years spent completing either degree, time taken away from work and money lost as a result, cost of either degree, etc..) with the benefits (what you enjoy most, what will give you the most discretionary time, which skills you might actually use someday). Maybe studying communications would give you time to get involved with less stressful theater productions, which could benefit your career.

Taking a semester off might be helpful, but it seems like you just want to be done. Your best bet might be to walk and chew gum at the same time here—figure this out as you go and figure it out quickly. You really can't lose with either. Sometimes deadlines are the best way to make decisions.

I hear you on the theater time requirements, by the way. I did technical theater for awhile because I liked giving an audience experiences unlike anything they’ve ever had. Problem was, being a science major I had no time for rehearsals and all of that. Instead I found that in hospitality, recreation, etc… the job is all about giving people experiences that are so wonderful they don’t even know they’re part of a planned “show”. I declared my major in biology, but I never stopped reading about experiences and marketing and I’ve been lucky enough to do both.

So pick something and study it, but don’t lose sight of where you really want to be. If you want to end up at Disney, you’ll get that someday.

Good luck!

 

[Jules76126]

I just want to say I know how you feel. I have been there. I am currently attending my third college. I have changed majors lol.

When I was a freshman I really wanted to go away to school so I went to Florida (im from MA orginally). And i was pre-law. Well I hated it and ended up transfering to Umass which was a mistake. I went there because they offered housing which I needed. I was absolutely miserable and I realized that that was no fun. So I took a semester off and went to work for disney. I did the college program. That way I was still technically in school but I didnt have to take any classes and it gave me a chance to see what i really wanted to do. I decided at the end of the internship I could not go back to Umass. I would resent it so much. So i went to another college. It was close to my house so I live at home and I am finally graduating this december.

I have to say i ended up becoming a history major and I thought I wanted to go to law school. Well after researching that I came to the conclusion that that wasnt for me. I didnt want to be miserable working 80 hours a week and being married to my job. So once again i am back at the beginning. I am taking a semester off before I go to grad school and then figure out what I will do with a history degree lol. My advice is this. Do what makes you happy. you dont want to be un happy forever and resent your life. If taking a semester off could help than do it. Workign at disney for that semester was the best thing I could have ever done. I realized how unhappy I was and what I realy wanted to do instead. I wish you the best of luck.

 

[Sorahana]

I just want to say I know how you feel. I have been there. I am currently attending my third college. I have changed majors lol.

When I was a freshman I really wanted to go away to school so I went to Florida (im from MA orginally). And i was pre-law. Well I hated it and ended up transfering to Umass which was a mistake. I went there because they offered housing which I needed. I was absolutely miserable and I realized that that was no fun. So I took a semester off and went to work for disney. I did the college program. That way I was still technically in school but I didnt have to take any classes and it gave me a chance to see what i really wanted to do. I decided at the end of the internship I could not go back to Umass. I would resent it so much. So i went to another college. It was close to my house so I live at home and I am finally graduating this december.

I have to say i ended up becoming a history major and I thought I wanted to go to law school. Well after researching that I came to the conclusion that that wasnt for me. I didnt want to be miserable working 80 hours a week and being married to my job. So once again i am back at the beginning. I am taking a semester off before I go to grad school and then figure out what I will do with a history degree lol. My advice is this. Do what makes you happy. you dont want to be un happy forever and resent your life. If taking a semester off could help than do it. Workign at disney for that semester was the best thing I could have ever done. I realized how unhappy I was and what I realy wanted to do instead. I wish you the best of luck.

Thank you =). I am really considering taking a semester off. I did the College Program last semester but I was getting credit for it and still had to do schoolwork for it (submit journals once a week and a final paper). It didn't count when I transferred to my other school so now I'm farther behind. I feel like I need a break to figure things out, and I considering transferring to a cheaper school since this school is costing $35,000 a year, but my mom won't let me transfer again since I've transferred twice already.

 

[Soarin08]

I think, if I do the WDW CP, I will change my major (not school, though) as well. I told my mom that I now realize that I want to work for WDW in some way permanently after college- it's been like an unconscious dream for awhile but now that I've gotten involved with applying for the CP and such, I finally know exactly what I want to do (I'm a biology education major now, BTW).

I'm planning to co-op and stay in school. At my school we can take distance learning (online) classes and still be full-time students receiving full financial aid as well.