How can I find out what major I should take at UCSB?

College Majors
1

spent a majority of my college career taking chemical engineering courses and only a few general electives like the advisors recommend. After 2.5 years invested in it, I failed enough that I was removed from the major. So I then tried chemistry but failed organic chemistry too much to continue that.

I’m now really behind in my college career, it’s been 4 years since I’ve started, and I’m without a major. Are there any online tools or apps where I can type out all the classes I’ve taken, and it will tell me which B.A./B.S. degrees I’m closest to reaching? The classes I’ve taken are the first 2 years recommended for Chemical Engineers (http://i.imgur.com/gkOafhi.png), except for Chem 109C which I can’t take anymore. And I’ve taken the general clasess Econ 1, English 104B, and Env Studies 3.

I asked an advisor and they just handed me a list of majors ( http://my.sa.ucsb.edu/Catalog/Current/UndergraduateEducation/UndergraduateDegreeList.aspx ), told me that maybe zoology and environmental studies might be viable, and left me on my own. :frowning: I’m at a huge loss of what direction to go… I don’t even know what classes to choose for the upcoming fall quarter. Please help. Thanks.

Also: I know that ultimately I need to know myself to know which direction I want to take for a career – however all I want to know are the objectively viable possibilities. In addition I have no internships, experience, or passions to point me at a direction.

2

The problem with enviro studies (or zoology?!) is that you’d likely have to take several courses (6+) just for entry into the major.

A BA in Math might be your best bet at this point, pending aptitude. You probably have all of the pre-major courses. Well, with a quick check, you probably don’t have Math 8, but I’m guessing you could have it waived. I’m not sure what Math 6A/B are, or if you’ve in fact taken them, or whether those courses would allow you to waive Math 8, but give it a shot b/c waiving Math 8 would allow you to launch into the upper division reqs immediately. It looks like you’d need ~10 UD courses for the BA.

Depending on how many UD courses you currently have in chemistry, you could also look at adding a chem minor. It takes ~6 UD courses.

If you needed nearly all of the UD courses in chem, you might be better served (for career purposes) to bypass chem altogether and pursue an economics minor, pending your aptitude and interest. Well, it looks like there isn’t a formal econ minor offered at UCSB, but the point is, you can take a number of courses to approximate a minor (add intro macro, intermediate micro/macro, econometrics, a couple UD courses). Maybe 7-9 courses total. This, in combination with math, would allow you to pursue an MA Econ program or MBA down the line (pending grades), if you wanted to go in that direction. Your chemistry background need not go to waste – you could eventually end up in a chem/science-related business.

I think you’re looking at 4-5 quarters additional to salvage something that can take you forward. You’re in a tight spot, so the idea is to escape from there with the possibility of moving in a few directions. Math seems a reasonable option in your place b/c of its broad applicability for a variety of careers. You could go ahead with something like this: http://www.es.ucsb.edu/academics/hydro-sci-major but as I say you probably need a bunch of pre-reqs, plus another downside is that it requires more of a specific vocational ambition, which you admittedly lack at this point.

How are your finances holding up? Can you survive another couple of years?

3

I suggest that you look into the Individual B.A. (a degree designed by the individual student) that is offered at UCSB.
This would be a good use of that option.

“Declaration of the Individual and Interdisciplinary Studies majors is subject to the approval of the Executive Committee of the College of Letters and Science.” If they let you do it, it likely would be the shortest way to a degree.

4

Well, I read on and found obstacles such as their wanting the student undertaking an individual major to “have an above average record of scholastic achievement” (http://my.sa.ucsb.edu/catalog/2012-2013/CollegesDepartments/ls-intro/IndividualMajor.aspx). The interdisciplinary studies major sounds also difficult to arrange, as it “requires that students do preparatory course work in three Letters and Science departments.”

Looking at the other majors, Physics BA seems the best in terms of shortness of time to complete. It would require of you Physics 5 (3 units) and 32 upper division units in physics (courses which expand on what you’ve learned in lower division physics).

5

I see you’ll also need Physics 5L (1 unit) for the Physics BA and, if you don’t have a 2.7 GPA in the Physics 1-2-3-4-5 series, you’ll have to do however many parts of the Physics 1-2-3-4-5 series deny you a 2.7 GPA, in the Physics 20-21-22-23-24-25 form (which the 2.7 GPA requirement doesn’t apply to) (http://my.sa.ucsb.edu/catalog/Current/Documents/2015_Majors/LS/Phys/Physics-BA_2015.pdf).

6

Thank you both for your replies. I read them as early as the 10th, and have been thinking them over for the last couple of days. Either math or physics will make sense as paths for me to take.

@Dunboyne : Because Math 8 is a course which requires good grades in the other pre-reqs, I doubt it’d be waived entirely but it probably wouldn’t hurt to ask nor to ask whether I’d be allowed to take upper divisions at the same time as Math 8. I’m confused why the Math B.A. sheet says 28 out of 40 UD units need to be math, yet it also says permission is need if one wants 4 out of the 40 UD units to be non-math. An UD is any course that is in the 100s, right? How many units will I need? As far as finances, although I’m constantly worried over it, my parents tell me that so long as I eventually succeed, they will find a way to continue paying for my education.

@jjwinkle : So long as I get a minimum of a C-, I will qualify for the 2.70 GPA. Your link for the Physics BA sheet says it requires 42 units; was that a typo or did 10 of my units qualify? On closer look, I’m realizing this is from section C. So 35 units total, counting Physics 5.

Both majors seem to be approximately equally long to complete. I’m thinking about creating a graduation-plan for each major, comparing them, and then e-mailing the advisors of each major on whether it’s okay. I don’t know whether its common practice for advisors to do this over e-mail, or work during summer for that matter; butI have yet to choose classes for the fall quarter and I know from experience that advisors of a major are typically very busy in the first weeks.

Thank you both so much for helping point me in (two) right directions to consider. :slight_smile:

7

28/40 UD units must be MATH courses, so as I understand it, you are allowed up to 12 units in PSTAT.

But this is indeed confusing: “With an advisor’s approval, 4 of the 40 UD units may be non-mathematics courses taken as part of a coherent mathematics program.” I assume by “non-mathematics” they don’t mean PSTAT because they definitely allow you up to 12 units in PSTAT. I don’t know what would constitute a “coherent mathematics program”, either, when we’re talking about only 4 non-math units out of 40. 36/40 units seems pretty coherent to me regardless of the other 4 units. LOL

You’ll just have to query an advisor on it. Maybe it’s a typo left over from past programs. Maybe by “coherent” they’re talking about a math-related course like econometrics or computer science. Maybe they will allow you a chemistry course for those 4 units.

See what they say about MATH 8 (5 units), too. As you noted, you would at least need to take it concurrently with other UD reqs in your next term. So in total, I’m speculating that you would need 36-45 units, depending on MATH 8 and the mysterious 4 non-math units.

Physics is a good option, too. Well done @jjwinkle.

It sounds like you have a good plan with contacting the advisors right away:
Math: http://www.math.ucsb.edu/department/staff.php
Physics: http://www.physics.ucsb.edu/people/staff

Send them an introductory email first, outlining your background, your plight. Contact them by telephone soon after. Telephoning is more personal and they will be more apt to help (hopefully you can reach them at this time). Ask them about options for a minor, too.

Anyway, decide between math and physics when all of the facts are in. For me, if one major ended up 1 or 2 courses longer, that difference wouldn’t matter that much, as long as you aren’t spilling over into an extra term. Consider your aptitude, department/advisor support, grad/career possibilities, etc.

And it’s nice to have parents that will support you when you need it most!