<p>I find myself in need of advice from someone older, wiser and with some life experience to fall back on. </p>
<p>Allow me to explain, I am 23, I have my BA in English from a liberal arts college. I am currently teaching English in Korea (to pay off my college debt). Going through college I didnt really have a plan for what I wanted to do once I graduated, especially after I shifted from being a business major to an English major. On with my story, I have decided that I would like to return to school (undergraduate study) and get a second BA (or BS, but that depends on which school I get into) in psychology with a heavy focus on science and math. </p>
<p>Funny that four months in a foreign country managed to do what four years of college never did, get me to think about what I want to do with the rest of my life.</p>
<p>Now that you know my story, let me present my problem. Being the first and only person in my family to go to college (let alone decide to go through the undergraduate process twice) I find that my own family isnt sure how I need to go about applying for my second run through college. </p>
<p>I am aware that I will need to fill out the FAFSA form, but I am unsure if I can file as an independent or if I must file as a dependent (my father and I are having a rather heated debate about this). My current address (to allow me to keep an in state residence and avoid high tuition costs) is my parents home, however I have been supporting myself since I was eighteen. It would of course be better for me if I filed as an independent as I will not be receiving aid from my parents, and our joint income would make getting financial based aid unlikely if not impossible. My current income makes receiving aid simply unlikely, but still a possibility.</p>
<p>Also, as I already have a BA, would I be applying as a transfer student or just a normal student? The application information I have found to the schools I am looking at is geared towards transferring students and new students. However, the title transfer means I am going from one school to another, which I am not, while the title of new student, also doesnt fit. Not surprisingly I have no desire to repeat certain mandatory courses if I dont have to (think ENG 101), so I want to make sure I apply properly.</p>
<p>Thank you for taking the time to look this over I would appreciate the help and advice of anyone that can offer it.</p>
<p>I don’t have any specific experience in Psych programs, but:</p>
<p>My first thought is that a second BA/BS might not be your route, but rather graduate study. Do you have a specific reason for thinking of a second undergrad degree vs. grad program?</p>
<p>You may need to take some courses to prepare you for an application to a graduate Psych program (PhD or Masters), but you wouldn’t need a full second degree. Since you mention heavy focus on science and math, are you thinking about research psych rather than clinical psych?</p>
<p>You don’t need to have your BA in Psych in order to pursue a graduate degree in the field. Were I you, I would talk in person or by phone with someone in the Psych department about what the requirements are for a graduate applicant. See how close or far you are to meeting them already. Others on this board may know more about specific “chances” of acceptance at graduate programs in the field.</p>
<p>I’m wondering how receptive different colleges/unis are to applicants for a second BA, anyway. We certainly don’t see much of that.</p>
<p>What state are you in and what school(s) do you have your eye on?</p>
<p>Just to continue what jmmom says about second BAs/BScs, my D who is at NYU met someone who was visiting the campus with the intention of doing just what you are planning. This individual was told that NYU does not grant second undergraduate degrees, with the exception of nursing. I’m not sure how widespread this policy is at U.S. colleges but it might be worth investigating, and it might make jmmom’s advice re: grad programs even more pertinent. Good luck!</p>
<p>If your plan is to major in psychology in grad school, you don’t need a second BA. You just need to make sure that you’ve taken the courses in things like psychology and statistics that the grad schools require.</p>
<p>If you need to take more courses, you can take those courses at night school or as a special student without getting a second BA. This is what I did when I decided to go to grad school in psychology even though my undergrad major was political science. I had already taken a couple of psych classes as an undergrad, and I just needed to take 3 more undergrad psych classes plus statistics to meet the entrance requirements for grad school in psychology. I easily did this by taking some relatively low cost night classes at a local public university, where I enrolled as a special nondegree student.</p>