<p>Hey everyone,
I’m a freshman at NYU’s Liberal Studies Program and to be honest I hate it.
The required classes really don’t interest me at all. I’m required to take a writing class(which is fine), but then a Social Foundations and also Cultural Foundations class. We are required to read a lot for these classes and to be honest, I’m just not at all interested in the subjects we cover. It’s a lot of philosophy, something I was really interested in at one point, but not so much anymore.
So what I’m saying is that it’s not just one class that’s bothering me, but it’s two classes that I will have to take for 3 semesters.
I am taking a french elective that I really enjoy, and NYU has some other great classes that interest me, so I would like to stay at NYU but maybe not in LSP.
So what are my options? Being undecided I don’t feel that my program offers diverse enough classes to help me choose a major (I know I don’t have to for a while but if I’m only taking philosophy classes I won’t ever really have an idea…).
It seems unlikely that I would be able to transfer to another school within NYU from what I’ve heard.
And my GPA continues to suffer because I’m not interested in the coursework.
I know I should have done my research before, but my high school counselor made it seem like LSP was essentially another CAS school…
So if anyone read this far, could you please give some advice?
I know I haven’t really asked a specific question, but how do I get out of this program before I fail out (preferably staying at NYU or as close as possible)?
Thanks so much!</p>
<p>I’m a sophomore in LSP at NYU, and I felt the EXACT same way last year. I loathed LSP classes. The sad truth is, though, it’s almost impossible to transfer into another school within NYU from LSP. You can petition, make it a really big deal, and maybe they’ll let you transfer, but I highly doubt it. If it were easy I’d have done it last year. So unfortunately, I don’t think it’s possible for you to leave LSP and stay at NYU at the same time.</p>
<p>But there is a but. I took almost all of my LSP requirements freshman year (Writing I & II, CF I & II, SF I & II, and two LSP science classes), and this year it barely feels like I’m in LSP. I just have to suffer through one LSP class this semester (and one the next), and it seems like the further along you get in the CF and SF classes, the better they get. At least that’s been my experience. </p>
<p>Basically I’m saying I’m glad I suffered through freshman year LSP classes to stay at NYU, because let me tell you something: CAS classes are amazing. This semester I’ve finally realized that NYU is actually an AMAZING school. Classes just get better the further you get in your major, and there are some amazing people teaching at NYU. I mean, Jonathan Safran Foer, Zadie Smith, James McBride all teach here. NYU really doesn’t skimp on the professors. It really makes sure we’re well taken care of as students. Students outside of LSP, that is.</p>
<p>And I didn’t hate freshman year. I hated my classes and thus my GPA wasn’t great, but because I love my classes so much this year my GPA has skyrocketed. I took advantage of the tiny class sizes in LSP and made some great friends that made the classes themselves bearable. I got to know the professors a bit – they’re actually decent people. And even though I didn’t like my classes, I tried to get the most I could out of them. I made myself work (you can do it, I’m sure you made yourself do work you hated in high school), and I took what I learned into my major. </p>
<p>But if you can’t even imagine another semester in LSP, then transfer. You don’t want to waste all the money you’re spending ($50,000!) on a program you can’t tolerate. I found I could make the best of my situation last year, but maybe you can’t find it in you. In that case, you’re wasting your time here. Find a place you’d be happy with.</p>
<p>If you have any more questions just let me know, I’d be happy to help a fellow NYU-er!</p>