As long as you have computer skills (and what student doesn’t these days) you will be employable with a social sciences degree. If you like psychology or philosophy or sociology or religion or history or religion or what have you, then it’s fine to choose to major in it. One does not have pick a hard science or a professional degree just to be employable. One of my son’s friends majored in ancient Mediterranean civilizations. And remember, your first job is just that- your first job. All that said, this is a little disheartening. The 16 worst-paying college majors, five years after graduation
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Why don’t you start trying to figure it out now? You can look for volunteer work in nursing right now and continue it over the summer (perhaps in a paid position). Perhaps 6 months part-time exposure isn’t enough to reach a final decision but you’ll know more than you do today.
A second reason to do this is should you enroll in UCLA and decide nursing is right for you then you can ensure you are taking the classes required to transfer to a BSN program as a junior should that be something you decide to do.
@kr0604 do you want to work in the field of psychology, or something related to that? Do you want to work in healthcare somehow?
If healthcare is an interest but you aren’t sure what of the options…check this site:
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What is it you love about your current psych class? Are you learning the history of psychology or are you learning skinnerian behavior modification or different therapeutic paradigms? What is it that draws you to nursing? Both careers help people. But what specifically lights your fire?
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I think nursing is a terrific major. It assures you a high paying job immediately upon graduation, while also providing a ton of flexibility. Posters above rightly point out that with a psychology major a person can move into sales, or HR, or marketing, or case management or whatever. But this is even more true for a nursing major. Being a nursing major in no way locks you into being a nurse.
Here are the jobs of some people I know who were nursing majors:
-Psychiatric nurse practitioner (pays way better than being a clinical psychologist)
-College president
-Research manager at a medical device engineering company
-Sales manager at a medical device engineering company
-Community college professor
-Actress (nice to have a high paying, flexible, part-time job so you don’t have to be a starving artist!)
Yes, some of these above careers would require grad school, but many do not.
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Very true, and those are just a few examples! There are jobs in the insurance industry, jobs in workplace ergonomics, remote jobs as an “advice nurse,” case management jobs, jobs at schools and camps, traveling jobs where you can try out different parts of the country before deciding where to live… the list goes on and on. So yes, it can be a stressful and strenuous career, but there are also so many alternatives within the profession, as well as options to work part time and pursue anything else you’d like in your time off. It isn’t a commitment to one particular type of job or lifestyle; it’s a great foundation that can open many different doors.
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I don’t think that is accurate
Oh i know the cost, S graduated last year from UCLa and is now at UCI
One cannot be a psychiatric nurse practitioner with a BSN. You need to go back to school for an advanced degree. Yes the salary is very good, but one does not step into this job after graduating college.
While it might be true that a nurse can become a college president, professor, research manager etc…this will not happen at the age of 22. Or 28. These are not entry level jobs like those that are noted above. The exception, maybe, is teaching…there are forgiveness programs in place for students who agree to teach, but I do not know the details and requirements.
I agree that nursing is a great profession with a good salary……IF you like it. It’s a hard job for those who like the profession. It can be an impossible job for those who don’t….imo.
This student has to decide if she will be happy at SDSU if she ends up changing her major. She also needs to think about nursing.
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Except that the cost of housing isn’t what you are likely to pay as a freshman. The listed cost is $18,369 but a classic triple 14P was $14,500 this year, probably around $15K next year (which is plenty of food).
And for most people there’s no need to spend what is listed for books, while travel is very variable but not likely to be high for SoCal. It is accurate to say that most freshmen will not pay much more than $30K for tuition, room and board. But if/when you move off campus or get a nicer room, the costs will go up. Renting a shared apartment near campus will cost more like $20K-$22K per year including food.
I understand all the permutations and that you can pay less than published COA. The OP indicated they are looking at Financial Aid in post #6. I work with FGLI students where every dollar counts. If they plan with the low-ball number for 4 years, the extra few thousand that may arise if they don’t get a quad/triple, or if they can’t find the cheapest off-campus apartment, can make a difference whether they can afford college at all.
So for students looking for financial aid, I always suggest they start with published COA and work back from there. I am posting this not just for the OP, but for those who may come along and read this thread and start planning UCLA for $30K, $120K for 4 years. They need to dig into the COA line items and understand if that number is achievable.
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Her first year, my D22 lived in a classic triple with a 19p meal plan annd our all-in cost was around $28k. We did not use the UC insurance ($3kish savings), we didn’t pay much for books (maybe $300 tops—a lot of teachers use downloadable PDFs or things other than textbooks), and she paid for her social life expenses. This year she was in a plaza with shared bath and 19p, it was a couple thousand more. We do fly her home to the Bay Area a couple times a year at around $400 per trip, including Ubers. Next year, she will be off campus in an Westwood apartment with 5 other girls, her share will be about $1000 per month, plus utilities and food. Not sure what to expect on that budget, but I’m guessing around $600 a month. She will probably shop at Trader Joe’s a lot.
thank you for the insight about the tuition and opportunities for a psych vs nursing major. i guess my real concern is if i think nursing is for me. i did so some volunteering at a hospital and shadowing at a nursing home. i expected to have a better idea, but honestly it didn’t really. i didn’t hate it and there were some aspects i liked, but i still wasn’t sure if i could see myself doing it long term, which is why i ended up applying to some schools with psych as my major instead. nursing is definitely a rewarding field with a good pay, but it’s a field that you have to enjoy. but i feel like if i do go through with nursing school and find that i really like it, it would definitely be worth it. but if not…then i’m not sure
That’s with any major / career but the good news is - no matter what you get your degree in, there will be areas for you to pivot to.
Up front, you noted stress - and that maybe that wasn’t your desire - and that’s fair. Many jobs are stressful but there are different levels of stress in life.
No matter what you study in school, you’ll have flexibility to pursue different avenues in life.
The one advantage of nursing will be - if you do decide to stay in the field, finding a job will be easier and a path more defined than with the psych degree.
btw - I’m in the car business - I work with car dealers and one of the managers I work with was a nurse for years - but left due to stress and finances (he did well but makes more now with more mental and actual balance in his life).
So nothing is “forever” if you decide it’s not for you.
One thing I might take out of the equation - SDSU vs. UCLA.
Obviously the nursing direct admit is a coup - but let’s say you don’t like it and decide to transfer out.
I don’t forsee a psych degree at UCLA as necessarily world beating vs. a psych degree at SDSU. In other words, worst case, you’ll be fine at either school.
If you combine UCLA+UCI+SDSU+Fullerton there are less than 200 seats in the ENTIRE state for a 4 year BSN (public). So if you’re not sure, perhaps consider giving up your seat in Nursing for the thousands of kids DESPERATE to do nursing.
I think you meant that to OP.
I’d say this - like any student at any school, the student has earned the right to wait until the deadline to decide what they want to do.
And if they are undecided, there is certainly no reason to give up their place until they are ready to do so.
One school of thought might be - do Psych (or another major) and if you realize you made a mistake, revisit later.
Another school of thought - start in the more competitive major - and if it’s not right for you, drop later…similar to what happens to many in engineering who aren’t 100% sold going in but still start there.
I’m risk averse so I’d likely go #2 - but everyone is different.
OP just doesn’t truly know yet if nursing is right for them - but that doesn’t mean they should give up their spot. Only they can decide.
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Sorry, yes I meant to reply to original poster. And I agree with you, many people figure it out as they go. However, I know at least 5 California kids who have felt the “calling” to be a nurse since they were small–none of which have gotten into a state school.At this point they are all going out of state and I feel for them and their parents. It’s hard to see someone on the fence when you know so many passionate kids longing to be in OP’s position. I’ve been very clear with my child to give up her spots (she KNOWS she doesn’t want to go there) for others who desperately do.
There are many more than those campuses which have BSN programs among state universities in California.
However, most BSN programs at California public universities have pre-nursing → secondary admission to nursing, rather than direct frosh admission.
Declining admission does not result in a 1-for-1 admission of someone else. Colleges / majors know that each admit has some (probably individualized) chance of yielding, so they admit more than the target size of the class. However, if enough admits decline so that the college / major underyields, then waitlisted applicants can be admitted (some colleges start admitting from the waitlist even before May 1, if early declines result in a projected underyield).
Nursing is a big burnout profession, both because of the work involved and the disrespect of administrators (I have a BSN/RN of recent vintage). As mentioned above, it is rewarding and fulfilling if you like it. If you do bedside, you often only work three days a week - three HARD days of 12 hour shifts, but it can be a nice lifestyle. If you don’t mind working nights, you make a very good living with the shift differential. My own RN recently moved to a specialty clinic where she currently works 9-5 weekdays, no holidays and still gets overtime. Sometimes she misses bedside, but not enough to go back lol.
That said … the nursing major is easier to get out of than get into. If you go in as a nursing major, is there enough at the school to keep you there if you change your major?
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Yes almost ALL CSUs have impacted pre-nursing programs. But what they do NOT have is a guaranteed seat for every PRE nursing student to go on to complete their BSN in 4 years. It’s a crap shoot.
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