<p>riku, eastport/remsenberg</p>
<p>Fish–
While it’s true you can have a practice as a psychiatric social worker or other type of private social work practice, the remuneration is nowhere near what a psychologist with a Ph.D. will command. I believe the OPs intention in pursuing a career in psychology was to make money.</p>
<p>sagiter - Yup, I know her. I’ve actually been to her home a few times to watch my friend’s flute lessons and recitals and stuff like that. She’s a very nice woman. (: What town do you live in, if you don’t mind my asking?</p>
<p>Thanks for the information, everyone. I’m going to do a year at CC and then I’ll revisit this in a few months when auditions come up and stuff.</p>
<p>I’m in East Islip</p>
<p>As a parent, I don’t like the dynamic I’m detecting between you and your parents. You all need to sit down and figure things out. Even if what comes out puts off your master plan for a semester, or a year, you can continue to take credit courses at your CC, or online. I agree that NYU is a fine school, and NYC is a great city, but NYU is a very expensive school to be attending if you’re still feeling your way</p>
<p>Jumping into the fray, would it be less of a stretch for you to do a combined major in music therapy and music ed? I’m afraid with psychology/music ed, you’re looking at two areas where to engage in either one of them on a professional level will require an enormous outlay of educational effort … at some point you will have to commit to one or another.</p>
<p>What is your passion for Music Ed? I don’t think you’ve indicated that, and it may be important to analyze that.</p>
<p>I think you have arleady received a lot of valuable information here but I will throw my own two cents in anyway. I think that you should attend the CC for two years instead of one before even thinking about transferring. It will give you more of a chance to explore both fields. As a Psych major myself, one year of Psych classes will not really give you a good indication of the field. Psych classes will only be a portion of your load anyway along with all your LA requirements. Same thing goes for the General Music classes. It will also give you more time to work on your vocal training and be better prepared for auditions anywhere.</p>
<p>I too am bothered by the dynamic between you and your parents though. They really should have a better understanding of your goals, even if they are not entirely supportive of them. But the fact that they think that getting a degree in Psych will allow you to make more money than being a teacher is amusing. Like others have said already, to make a good living in the psychology field requires a PhD typically although there may be some jobs where you can get by with a Masters but the competition IS fierce. I think the part I am confused about the most is do YOU want to major in Psych or are you doing it to mask your real desire to major in Music and appease your parents? Because like Violadad said, your parents can’t live your life nor you theirs.</p>
<p>So I would really take a couple of years at a CC or some place like Hunter or Queens College if the city is your thing or Stony Brook if you like the island; save your money and give yourself a chance to figure some thing out for yourself before committing to an expensive education like NYU because you never know how things may really turn out. I actually know a very talented viola player whose parents refused to let her major in performance because they thought she would never be able to make a living at it. This girl is VERY talented and loved music more than anything. But she did what her parents asked - she enrolled in Stonybrook as a Psych major and still played in the orchestra but was not happy at all. She even stopped practicing. She soon tired of Psych and is now considering Pharmacology for sophmore year. Given that she is not the best math or science student I can only imagine how that will turn out. Meanwhile she was not allowed to pursue her own passion and has been floundering ever since. So I thnk the best thing you could do is first, level with your parents and two, since you are not 100% sure what path you want to take, take your time and explore your options. But most of all, do what YOU want to do, because anything else would be like throwing your money into the street.</p>
<p>Just to add a few comments…I think, frankly, that you are over-planning. Perhaps this is because your parents demand this kind of approach.</p>
<p>You should not have to feel that you know what you want to do for a living, before even entering college. It is supposed to be a time of exploration, of yourself and your interests.</p>
<p>A choice of major often has absolutely nothing to do with a person’s eventual career.</p>
<p>The largest proportion of any group to get accepted into medical school, by the way, is music majors at 66%. Tell that to your parents. A bachelor’s in music can be followed by a Master’s in psychology, or anything else for that matter. Most jobs requiring a BA do not specify major: they just want to know you had the persistence and commitment to finish.</p>
<p>The work world is ever-changing and doesn’t fall into the neat categories of “careers” that so many students are taught to think about. Maybe look at craigslist’s jobs postings to see what I mean.</p>
<p>Other posters have more than adequately covered some of the misperceptions you and your family seem to have about future job options in the music and psychology fields.</p>
<p>Trying to focus intensively on two areas, music (ed.) and psychology, and before you even go to college, is difficult. Both require intensive attention, further intensive academic work. I would think more in terms of sequencing than simultaneous focus.</p>
<p>Whether you major in music, or psychology, you get later get into a music therapy program (Berklee has a great one), or maybe you will get interested in the neurobiology of music (Oliver Saks has a great book out on this, and research in this is very much in vogue). Just as examples.</p>
<p>I am afraid that community college is only going to make your vocational focus worse, to be honest. Also make sure the courses you take are transferable. There is a lot of discussion about whether community colleges are motivating environments or not. My own daughter finds the answer to be no.</p>
<p>I think you are suffering because your parents maybe do not fully understand what college can be, or what it should be. I can’t tell you how many parents have told me that they told their kids they couldn’t major in music, due to financial concerns. The best way for you to help yourself is to try to get someone to talk with them so that they can understand that majoring in music is a fine path that does not limit your future.</p>
<p>I would wish for you a chance to go to a college you are excited about, that is affordable. That will relieve the financial pressures that are driving your choice, and driving your parents’ choices for you. </p>
<p>When you go, spend a year exploring. Talk to advisers. There is a term I like: “wise wandering.” At your age, a little wise wandering is a good thing. It is not the same as confusion. I have also read that overplanning actually limits opportunities, because it closes you off to things that might actually help define your path in a more authentic way.</p>
<p>Finally, have you looked at SUNY Purchase? I don’t know where you live, but if you PM me, I could tell you some other schools closer to home.</p>
<p>You could spend a year at CC, trying out classes in areas you might be interested in, and also taking lessons in voice. Then, choose a college that will most appeal to you and your developing interests. Let money be a factor in terms of affordability, but please don’t let mistaken ideas about future earnings potential guide all your decisions. </p>
<p>Be flexible! Planning can be a sign of fear or need to control life, and it is not always needed, or can even get in the way. Just my 2 cents.</p>
<p>This is not meant to be discouraging, but encouraging…I hope it comes off that way.</p>