I posted this on reddit also, but I’m always looking for more advice and input!
I’m currently a 2nd year Public Policy student in UC Riverside but I was accepted to UCLA last week under the Study of Religion major. It sounds kind of random, but here’s my story:
I applied to transfer last year because I was unhappy being at UCR. I applied as a Study of Religion major because I enjoy the subject and it is currently my intended minor. I didn’t apply with Psychology (my original major) because at that time, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue majoring in it because I discovered that I did not enjoy Psychology as much as I thought I would. And I was right. I ended up changing my major to Public Policy last quarter because Public Health interests me. I didn’t think much about the consequences of my major decision at the time I applied to transfer because a) I just wanted to get out of UCR really badly and b) I did not foresee I would be changing career plans. I was originally planning to go into academia but now I’m looking into healthcare management.
So it was a little reckless on my part but here I am, deciding between going to UCLA or staying at UCR. I’m still not happy in UCR. It’s a good school, but I’m not compatible with the environment and don’t have affinity for the school despite being heavily involved on campus. I’ve done my best to really make the most of what UCR can provide me with and I have some great accomplishments here. I’m the president of a nationally-recognized professional student organization and I hold some valuable volunteer positions through pipeline programs from the UCR School of Medicine. On top of that, I have pretty good grades and will probably graduate with Cum Laude or better if I stay here. I’m wondering if it’s worth rebuilding my student profile at UCLA especially because they don’t have my major and I can’t change majors (there’s a Public Affairs and Public Health minor though). I plan to attend graduate school for Healthcare Management and I’m afraid that majoring in Study of Religion is really random and that won’t make me a competitive applicant to graduate programs. I’ve heard that your undergraduate major doesn’t really matter if you take the proper prerequisites for grad school. I researched grad programs for Health Management and for the majority, there are no specific prerequisites. More emphasis is put on high GPA and GRE as well as volunteer work. But overall, I’m not sure.
What UCLA does have are a lot of public health student organizations, great resources, strong network, potential to meet new friends and a beautiful campus. On top of that, they are offering me a generous financial aid package. UCLA offers a lot of potential growth for me, but I guess I’m a bit hesitant of stepping out of my comfort zone and entering a new environment. I want to get out of UCR but at the same time, I feel like I’m deeply rooted here. I want to challenge myself and grow, but I’m also scared of taking risks. So as you can see, I’m in a bit of a dilemma here haha.
I plan to discuss this more in-depth with my academic advisor, but I just wanted to hear all your inputs on my situation. Thanks in advance!