I switched majors

[ghostexorcist]

I have been majoring in Asian studies with an emphasis on Chinese for the last three years. I have not enjoyed learning the language for a very long time due to various reasons, so I have decided to drop it down to a minor. I'll might pick the language back up if I later chose to teach English in China. In its place, I have picked up two majors, art history and anthropology. I normally deal exclusively with Asian art, but I have come to adore Renaissance art recently. For the latter, I may specialize in cultural and biological anthropology. I am extremely interested in primatology. I was thinking about fusing my love of history, art, and primate behavior to research the origins of art and various other concepts of human nature and society. I'm shooting for a PhD, but I don't know if I have enough steam for it.

According to my adviser, most of the anthropology majors at my school switch in their junior or senior year, so I am not alone. Has anyone else here made a switch of this magnitude late in their college career?

[YouKnowWho]

Has anyone else here made a switch of this magnitude late in their college career?

I had switched from textile engineer into computer science. It took me 3 more years to get my computer science BA degree again. While all my friends are working on their PhD degree, I was still working on my BA degree, it was not a good feeeling. Until one of my friends who just received his PhD degree in physics and couldn't find a job, he came back to gradulate school and worked on his computer science PhD degree again. I felt a bit better after that.

My father used to say, "Everybody need to wear clothers. Not everybody need to use computer." If I continued in textile in my career, I don't know where I could find a job in US. Last time I went back to Taiwan, even my own college (Taipei Institute of Technology) had closed down the textile engineer department completely. All the textile jobs had been outsourced to China.

[mickey]

Greetings,

I did that in my senior year and, shortly thereafter, ended up dropping out for a period of years.

I politely suggest that you take a moment to focus on what how you plan to apply your studies after you have graduated. It appears that you are enjoying the learning experience (nothing wrong with that). But what constitutes the light, the reward, at the end of your educational journey? This is the kind of mapping that you should be doing now, in all seriousness. It is good that you are taking the time to talk with people, here, about what you are doing. If you have not done so, talk with your other supports, family and friends. Sometimes, it will be just their concern and support that will help center you and empower you to make the best decision for yourself.

mickey

[ShaolinDan]

Wow, Ghost. After reading a couple of your essays I thought you must already have a Masters and be working on your Phd. :) As long as you're planning on grad school, I don't think you have anything to worry about--just stay in the top 10%.

Mickey raises a good point, though. As an English major who didn't go to grad school (or get a minor in education), I've ended up working as a cook for the last ten years, now I'm planning to teach EFL in China to get my foot in the 'educator' door.

Anyway, I've known a lot of major switchers...been one myself, though I switched early...College takes 5 years on average now, not 4...It took me six (took 1 1/2 years off). Nothing to worry about as long as you've got the money.

[ghostexorcist]

Greetings,

I did that in my senior year and, shortly thereafter, ended up dropping out for a period of years.

I politely suggest that you take a moment to focus on what how you plan to apply your studies after you have graduated. It appears that you are enjoying the learning experience (nothing wrong with that). But what constitutes the light, the reward, at the end of your educational journey? This is the kind of mapping that you should be doing now, in all seriousness. It is good that you are taking the time to talk with people, here, about what you are doing. If you have not done so, talk with your other supports, family and friends. Sometimes, it will be just their concern and support that will help center you and empower you to make the best decision for yourself.

mickey

Thank you for the suggestions. I would like to point out, however, that I am not fresh out of high school. I'm a "non-traditional" student, meaning that I am quite a bit older than most students. This is due largely to having served in the military. I originally began studying Chinese because I have an interest in the culture and because there is an obvious economic benefit. But I have not enjoyed learning the language for the last few years because I have no real outlet for practicing it on a face-to-face basis (I live off campus where there are no large Chinese communities), and even if I did, I can’t apply it to my daily life. All of the great western experts in Chinese that I have spoken with all studied abroad. I know I won’t progress without it, but I’ve failed time and time again in trying to get a scholarship to study aboard. It is for these reasons why I decided to drop Chinese (for the time being).

The decision to switch majors was a long time coming. I racked my brain for months weighing the pros and cons. I had several heart-to-hearts with my professors as well. They all agreed that the change was for the best. Contrary to how it may appear, the shift from Chinese to art history and anthropology is not that drastic. I was already required to take classes on Asian history, literature, art, and religion. These are subjects that I research in my free time to a great extent. Most importantly, they all fall under the study of cultural anthropology. So I’m merely focusing less on the language aspect. Also, my interest has spread beyond Asia to all cultures, as well as the origins of human creativity and social structure.

As I explained above, I am shooting for a PhD. I’m doing this because I would not only like to be on the forefront of research, but also to pass on what I have learned. I feel this will be very rewarding for me. There is zero chance of me dropping out between now and then because I only have a limited amount of time to use my military college benefits. There are not too many people who can truthfully say that they bled for their college money. This means I take my education seriously.


Wow, Ghost. After reading a couple of your essays I thought you must already have a Masters and be working on your Phd. :) As long as you're planning on grad school, I don't think you have anything to worry about--just stay in the top 10%.

[...]

Anyway, I've known a lot of major switchers...been one myself, though I switched early...College takes 5 years on average now, not 4...It took me six (took 1 1/2 years off). Nothing to worry about as long as you've got the money.

Thank you for the compliments. I've been doing research into various subjects for a number of years now. You tend to get good at something with enough practice.

I figure that I will have to go an extra year to finish out both majors. Hopefully the Army will at least cover that. If they don't, I'll have to get federal funding. It would be awesome if they would cover me through my planned PhD, but I doubt it will happen since I am no longer active duty.

[Drake]

Regardless of majors, kudos to you for taking advantage of your benefits. I earned my BS downrange in Iraq, got my MS while an intelligence officer, and finished most of my PhD work while deployed. Not a dime owed in student loan debt.

It irritates me when soldiers never take college while on active duty. They are throwing away free money, and an advantage most college students would give their right arm for.

So, yeah... good job!

[ghostexorcist]

Regardless of majors, kudos to you for taking advantage of your benefits. I earned my BS downrange in Iraq, got my MS while an intelligence officer, and finished most of my PhD work while deployed. Not a dime owed in student loan debt.

It irritates me when soldiers never take college while on active duty. They are throwing away free money, and an advantage most college students would give their right arm for.

So, yeah... good job!

I am no longer active duty. I actually tried to go to college while I was still in, but I was constantly missing classes due to jumps (I was in the 82nd) or other training. I also tried to go to college right after I got out, but, because I had somehow graduated from high school minus an advanced math, I had to take remedial classes before the college would fully accept me. The Army pulled the funds for the classes at the last minute, so I was faced with a rather substantial bill that I had to pay out of pocket. It took several years to pay it off before the school let me register again. I've been going to school solid since 2009.

That's impressive that you finished your schooling while deployed. What is your PhD in?

[Drake]

Information Technology, with a focus on IA and Security.

[ghostexorcist]

Information Technology, with a focus on IA and Security.

I'm sure you won't have a problem finding a job after you retire from the military. I went overseas in early 2003 when they made the initial push. I wasn't over there long, though, because we did a mission and came back. It's good to know they have since then set up an infrastructure where soldiers can go to school (online?) while they are over there.

[bawang]

i knew a 30 year old man in college who switched after 4 years in law, another after 4 years in archeology.

its not big deal if you have the money.

[sanjuro_ronin]

I never switched BUT I did go back a couple of times.
I have a Bach in Business, then I went back and got a Bach in Mechanical Eng, then I went back and working on my Bach in Theology.

[ghostexorcist]

I never switched BUT I did go back a couple of times.
I have a Bach in Business, then I went back and got a Bach in Mechanical Eng, then I went back and working on my Bach in Theology.

That's part of the reason why I switched to anthropology. I'm interested in so many things. Anthropology is a combination of all of my interests.

[bawang]

its hard to find a job with those degrees. if you only wanna learn you can just buy the textbook.

[sanjuro_ronin]

That's part of the reason why I switched to anthropology. I'm interested in so many things. Anthropology is a combination of all of my interests.

Is it a marketable degree?

[RenDaHai]

It takes a long time to figure out what you want to do but if you have an academic career in mind I would not hesitate in switching. Life is for studying, who doesn't love to study is a fool. Don't be stuck studying something you don't want to and don't worry about time unless you are really set on starting a family soon.

Myself I have a BSc in Physics, but I lost interest long before the end (Not so much lost interest but they didn't teach enough maths, and it gets very difficult to fully understand as opposed to learning parrot fashion). I finished it because I wanted to do something else entirely and I felt obligated to finish but I do wish to return and study again. I think I would have switched but in England there is much less room to as we don't do majors and minors, we exclusively study one subject and there is no room to choose courses outside of it.

[ghostexorcist]

Is it a marketable degree?

Probably not so much at the bachelor's level. Forbes just released a report talking about the 10 most undesirable jobs. Anthropology / Archaeology was number one (http://www.forbes.com/pictures/lmj45ldff/no-1-anthropology-and-archeology/) on the list. Most of what I've read states a person isn't marketable until they have at least a Masters, which is what I'm at least going for.

An anthropology PhD student explained the reason that undergrads are not marketable is because they don't really have a specialty. For instance, the undergrad program at my school has you taking classes on archaeology, linguistics, culture, and animal behavior. This is nice and all, but you really can't use any of this in the real world. It is only when you go onto grad school and chose a focus that you become attractive. Since I'm going to focus on physical anthropology with an emphasis on primates, I could get work as an animal researcher, a field researcher, an animal keeper or behaviorist at a noted zoo, or even a teacher.

[Syn7]

Law school, that great American babysitter for directionless postgrads. - John Grisham

I'm working on a Bach of Science. Electro-Mechanical engineering to be exact. I was/am and Electrician and that got boring, so I stepped it up a few notches. Now I make robots!

These days I'm working on a rapable combat oriented android for Bawang. He placed a rather large order. I just hope we meet his deadline. ;) So far I'm having problems coding the yellow dragon counter techniques. But the droid just keeps raping the interns!!!

[Syn7]

Probably not so much at the bachelor's level. Forbes just released a report talking about the 10 most undesirable jobs. Anthropology / Archaeology was number one (http://www.forbes.com/pictures/lmj45ldff/no-1-anthropology-and-archeology/) on the list. Most of what I've read states a person isn't marketable until they have at least a Masters, which is what I'm at least going for.

I was so ****ed off when I finally learned that archaeologists don't get to carry six shooters and a whip. Weak sauce!!! If I can't melt Nazi's, I don't wanna play....!!!

[SoCo KungFu]

Probably not so much at the bachelor's level. Forbes just released a report talking about the 10 most undesirable jobs. Anthropology / Archaeology was number one (http://www.forbes.com/pictures/lmj45ldff/no-1-anthropology-and-archeology/) on the list. Most of what I've read states a person isn't marketable until they have at least a Masters, which is what I'm at least going for.

An anthropology PhD student explained the reason that undergrads are not marketable is because they don't really have a specialty. For instance, the undergrad program at my school has you taking classes on archaeology, linguistics, culture, and animal behavior. This is nice and all, but you really can't use any of this in the real world. It is only when you go onto grad school and chose a focus that you become attractive. Since I'm going to focus on physical anthropology with an emphasis on primates, I could get work as an animal researcher, a field researcher, an animal keeper or behaviorist at a noted zoo, or even a teacher.

If you're set on going into anthropology, and it is indeed interesting (it was my major at Univ of Maryland before I transferred and switched to biology) I would strongly urge you to consider going the whole way to PhD. This especially if you're going into a research field like primatology. Additionally,what is your minor? You may want to consider switching that to biology or something related to the research you wish to do. Or at least maybe a collateral. Its no longer about just observing outward behavior and such. Primatology now incorporates genetic analysis, physiology and hormonal studies. In areas of applied primatology like in a zoo, you may be required to have some background in conservation biology or some such. I don't know all your goals, but this is a thought. Of course, if you get into a MS or PhD program on whatever your BS currently holds, then this really doesn't matter as you'll then be judged based on your graduate work.

Which brings my next point. Have you interned yet? If you're looking into grad work, ESP if you're looking into graduate research, you absolutely must have some undergrad research experience to put on your CV. Its not uncommon for people to spend a year or two after undergrad just interning to gain competitive experience. As a non-traditional, with bills and crap to pay, that's probably not an option. So you need to get into zoos or whatever you can, now.

Lastly, on the PhD, if you want to have any sort of job security, you'll be in the academic world, or forensics but that's not in your area of interest. Those zoo positions are hard to come by in pretty much any science. Anthropology outside of those mainly rests in archaeology or paleontology, and you struggle to eat. Most take contract jobs surveying land for construction and such. Most I know are borderline poverty. I would consider research, esp if its primates you're interested in, and that would likely mean an academic position. And that would mean a PhD.

[mawali]

I'm working on a Bach of Science. Electro-Mechanical engineering to be exact. I was/am and Electrician and that got boring, so I stepped it up a few notches. Now I make robots!

That's great, dude. I came back from the sandbox last year and they were looking for EOD robot repair guys. Robots used to locate, detonate roadway IED so that is a growth industry in the 'stan!
As long as you can find a niche, regardless of degree ten a good match:D

[Syn7]

Find a job you love, and you never work a day in your life. Right!

I'm doing some cool stuff with smart automation. Automated recognition and response systems. Most of that is microchips and code tho. What I really have a passion for is the mechanical side. Getting something to stand up, take a step and not fall over takes a TON of work. Not even running jumping etc. Just one step. And having that awareness to know when it has fallen over, what position it is in, how that relates to its environment and lastly, how to correct the problem to achieve its objectives. So much ****ing code! lol

I've seen quite a few new and very unique detection bots lately. They are doing some amazing stuff in the ocean these days. Autonomous bots that can collect data on their own at very inhospitable depths. They surface to recharge and transmit data, receive coordinates to readjust any disorientation etc etc. Really cool stuff.


In the sandbox, I think patrol should have satellite rovers with specific proximity specs to the vehicle. They can detect IED's, jam RF, break hardwire etc all without being told. Just do it the second it needs to be done. If need be they can sacrifice themselves for you. Send realtime data to the vehicle. Locate targets, tag em, send back the data for confirmation or abortion etc. It sounds like a lot but it's totally doable today.

[Faruq]

Regardless of majors, kudos to you for taking advantage of your benefits. I earned my BS downrange in Iraq, got my MS while an intelligence officer, and finished most of my PhD work while deployed. Not a dime owed in student loan debt.

It irritates me when soldiers never take college while on active duty. They are throwing away free money, and an advantage most college students would give their right arm for.

So, yeah... good job!

I had always heard veterans saying that the amount they got for college in like the GI bill and other programs only paid a small amount for their college. It seems like you just explained what they should be doing. Do you know if college while on active duty is fully paid for in all 4 branches of the armed services? Also, like how much weight do those degrees carry compared to a college like Harvard or maybe a University of Arizona? I mean where do the active duty degrees rank?

[SoCo KungFu]

I had always heard veterans saying that the amount they got for college in like the GI bill and other programs only paid a small amount for their college. It seems like you just explained what they should be doing. Do you know if college while on active duty is fully paid for in all 4 branches of the armed services? Also, like how much weight do those degrees carry compared to a college like Harvard or maybe a University of Arizona? I mean where do the active duty degrees rank?

GI Bill is not a set monetary amount. Its advertised on TV as XXX money for college, but in reality its adjusted every year as tuition costs increase. The actual amount is equivalent to the hour costs of the highest IN-STATE tuition for a PUBLIC university for the state in which you are attending college. So for example, I went to college in my state of residence after I separated. My university has a lower cost of tuition than the highest in my state, so I actually pocketed a bit more of that money (because its all just sent to the university and overage was calculated into my change check every semester as with grants and such). Also its important to note that college tuition is billed by the semester hour. So the GI Bill is funded accordingly, you are covered for the time it would take to obtain a 4 year degree (not 4 years total, the hours) so 120 hours. This is important because tuition is capped at full time, if you are initiated and are willing to take overage on hours, you can get classes basically for free (whether I took 12, 14 or 16+ the tuition was the same). So you can get classes in that do not count against your pot of funds. This is great because now that money can also be applied to graduate or professional school.

Combine that with the fact that classes taken on active duty are free and you can make out with money left over for further schooling. And they float you too, if you have even just 1 semester hour left in your budget, they will extend it to the whole semester in which that money is allocated. So really, you can make out ahead if you have some stray hours that didn't get in there. There's no reason anyone should be complaining because they didn't get enough for school.

Degree authority is really something that people think too much of. Yeah, the Harvards and Yales are great, but you don't need that on your record. That said, it depends on what you're studying. I can't speak for Drake and the IT stuff, not my area. I will say with my degree (Biology with minor in Chem) an online degree or satellite school common for bases is not comparable to a traditional "brick and mortar" education. But that is because there is just too much of a hands on component to my degree. You can learn the principles, but you'll be half retarded without lab experience. Nor will you be marketable to anyone. In fact, most post positions in graduate, professional (med, dental, vet) or careers in the hard sciences (biology, chemistry, physics) require that you take core classes in a traditional setting and require practical experience. So for me, it wasn't even an option. I had to get out to get my degree.

[Syn7]

So how does it work when you're deployed? Do you do an online thing or what? Or is it like an apprenticeship considering people with those skills are most likely already there with you. Do you go thru an institution you plan to go back to? Or do you do it directly thru the military transfer program or whatever? If online, was it just correspondence before???

[mawali]

It is better to take advantage of Tuition Assistance while on active duty since you get most, if not all, paid for. I am not up on the Montgomery GI Bill

I was at BAF in 2010-2011 and there were quite a few active duty personnel taking advantage of tuition asistance but it was still a low percentage who actually finish to get a degree. It also depends on how long you stay where you are because your next duty station will not have the same university presence.

Webster University, more than most, is well known but it may not have the programme one may be interested in at last duty station:D


So how does it work when you're deployed? Do you do an online thing or what? Or is it like an apprenticeship considering people with those skills are most likely already there with you. Do you go thru an institution you plan to go back to? Or do you do it directly thru the military transfer program or whatever? If online, was it just correspondence before???
1. You CLEP all you can
2. DANTES (They conduct most all level of testing for DOD and military personnel)
3. I worked with alot of USAF personnel and quite a few of them were c-130/AIrframe/Power plant mechanics so since Embry Riddle was at BAF. some credit would be transferable. If in doubt, then CLEP, then specific certificate designation per level of MOS/job position.
4. If the same person went to Turkey and Embry Riddle was not there, then if applicable, an online course if available. If not, then they will have to wait until they got to an Embry Riddle campus. I know of one person who took 9 years to get a BS degree in electrical engineering but he enetred the Air Force at 18 so that wasn't bad. He just had to skip a few years because his duty station did not have a university presence.
5. With the new online presence, it would seem to be an improvement but the more technical the equipment, the presence of the educational facility would be mandatory.

[SoCo KungFu]

So how does it work when you're deployed? Do you do an online thing or what? Or is it like an apprenticeship considering people with those skills are most likely already there with you. Do you go thru an institution you plan to go back to? Or do you do it directly thru the military transfer program or whatever? If online, was it just correspondence before???

I was aircrew. Deployment for me meant I was always on the go. I could never take classes. Drake will have to weigh in on that. But basically online through places like Phoenix University would be likely.

[SoCo KungFu]

It is better to take advantage of Tuition Assistance while on active duty since you get most, if not all, paid for. I am not up on the Montgomery GI Bill

I was at BAF in 2010-2011 and there were quite a few active duty personnel taking advantage of tuition asistance but it was still a low percentage who actually finish to get a degree. It also depends on how long you stay where you are because your next duty station will not have the same university presence.

Webster University, more than most, is well known but it may not have the programme one may be interested in at last duty station:D


1. You CLEP all you can
2. DANTES (They conduct most all level of testing for DOD and military personnel)
3. I worked with alot of USAF personnel and quite a few of them were c-130/AIrframe/Power plant mechanics so since Embry Riddle was at BAF. some credit would be transferable. If in doubt, then CLEP, then specific certificate designation per level of MOS/job position.
4. If the same person went to Turkey and Embry Riddle was not there, then if applicable, an online course if available. If not, then they will have to wait until they got to an Embry Riddle campus. I know of one person who took 9 years to get a BS degree in electrical engineering but he enetred the Air Force at 18 so that wasn't bad. He just had to skip a few years because his duty station did not have a university presence.
5. With the new online presence, it would seem to be an improvement but the more technical the equipment, the presence of the educational facility would be mandatory.

This is only for certain degrees. Honestly, for anything science related CLEP and DANTES are the absolute worst thing you can do. Med schools don't even accept CLEP hours. Graduate schools couldn't care less unless you have some documented research experience to go with your coursework, and even that's a stretch. If you're one of the 9 million going into the cookie cutter business management degrees that soldiers seem to think is worth something, then maybe. For anything more rigorous, your best bet is to avoid CLEP as much as possible because higher education doesn't care about tests that let you skip coursework and practical experience, and doesn't count toward your GPA. Even the military's med school disregards CLEP.

Honestly, I find these online degrees to be somewhat predatory. Military personnel jump on them for job progression but frankly, most mean next to nothing in the civilian world. The better programs like bootstrap, which used to let you apply to be pulled from duty to go to school full time while receiving rank pay, still required you to have a certain majority of hours in a traditional setting. These online gigs seem mostly for people that want to do their 20 years then retire, unless you're in something like computer technology or some such.

[mawali]

You seem to be aware of various tools available but my comments were not meant to be a reflection of every possible major. It is highly improbable that someone would be going through medical school during a deployment!

With airframe mechanics, power plant, etc one could get a certificate per the area of specialty but again completing most of not all during a deployemnt is just not feasible. It would definately be MOS specific.
I personally used to tell personnel to stay away from online institutions because as you indicate, they are predatory. A DoD report recently stated this.
Webster University, Embry Riddle Aeronatical University, Loyola University, (NOLA), Tulane (NOLA) Delgado Communnty College (NOLA-just outside the gate of Naval Support Activity, Algiers, LA-stationed there 20 years ago:D

It makes sense that if you are going to be an engineer, you go the traditional route. I woul dbe skeptical of any online MD stated programme!

[Syn7]

I would not recommend any engineer take online courses. Ever. I'm not into medicine, but I feel comfortable saying the same thing for it. As far as things directly military or completely covered in the skills used in the military, why not? The whole exercise is somewhat of an apprenticeship anyways. May as well get as much credit in your field as you can.

thanx for the info, interesting. As I suspected it's very subjective and some weird piecemeal structure. Which I totally understand. I would have been genuinely surprised if it wasn't. Ofcourse that's just for deployment, at home would be something else, no doubt. So are there any or many military universities on the homeland? When stationed in places like Germany can you go to their schools for credit? If so, how but in Qatar, they have at least one GREAT school that I know of?

[mawali]

I am aware that Northwestern University has a Qatari campus and more US universities are taking advantage of the New Spring.

I am not familiar with Germany but since Belgium is Hq for SHAPE, they have excellent local military friendly universities. The better strategy for Europe is to check to see if and what percentage of credits will be accepted but you will have to also know the school you intend to transfer to since each school has their own criteria of what to accept.

[ghostexorcist]

If you're set on going into anthropology, and it is indeed interesting (it was my major at Univ of Maryland before I transferred and switched to biology) I would strongly urge you to consider going the whole way to PhD. This especially if you're going into a research field like primatology. Additionally,what is your minor? You may want to consider switching that to biology or something related to the research you wish to do. Or at least maybe a collateral. Its no longer about just observing outward behavior and such. Primatology now incorporates genetic analysis, physiology and hormonal studies. In areas of applied primatology like in a zoo, you may be required to have some background in conservation biology or some such. I don't know all your goals, but this is a thought. Of course, if you get into a MS or PhD program on whatever your BS currently holds, then this really doesn't matter as you'll then be judged based on your graduate work.

Which brings my next point. Have you interned yet? If you're looking into grad work, ESP if you're looking into graduate research, you absolutely must have some undergrad research experience to put on your CV. Its not uncommon for people to spend a year or two after undergrad just interning to gain competitive experience. As a non-traditional, with bills and crap to pay, that's probably not an option. So you need to get into zoos or whatever you can, now.

Lastly, on the PhD, if you want to have any sort of job security, you'll be in the academic world, or forensics but that's not in your area of interest. Those zoo positions are hard to come by in pretty much any science. Anthropology outside of those mainly rests in archaeology or paleontology, and you struggle to eat. Most take contract jobs surveying land for construction and such. Most I know are borderline poverty. I would consider research, esp if its primates you're interested in, and that would likely mean an academic position. And that would mean a PhD.

I switched my major at the end of the spring 2012 semester, but the upcoming spring 2013 semester will be my return to school. I missed out on fall 2012 because it took me too long to switch to the Post-9/11 GI Bill from Vocational Rehab, an education program for injured vets. I spent a large majority of my time reading all I could about primates. I have an appointment to speak with my school’s resident primatologist to talk about minors. I’ve been thinking about it for some time. Biology is an obvious choice and psychology wouldn’t be too bad either. I will definitely ask her about the kind of minors that would make me more competitive. My end goal is a PhD, but I’m not sure if I have the steam for it (I’m 31). Only time will tell.

I haven’t done any interning yet since, as I pointed out above, this upcoming semester will be my first foray into the subject. I’ll most likely volunteer in the primate area of the local zoo this summer (I tried to volunteer last summer, but they were already full. I guess I’ll have to apply earlier.) I’m not really sure what other places I could go to in order to get research experience. This is another topic I’ll talk to my professor about.

Actually, working in academia would be my preferred area. That was my plan even before I changed my major. The only reason I mentioned the zoo is because I know of people with only B.A.s that got positions in the primate house at the local zoo. If I happened to get such a position, I would use it as a stepping stone. I will most likely choose my actual focus in grad school. I am most interested in chimpanzees and bonobos. There are a **** load of people who already study chimps, so I might focus on bonobos since they are not covered as much.

[Syn7]

I am aware that Northwestern University has a Qatari campus and more US universities are taking advantage of the New Spring.

I am not familiar with Germany but since Belgium is Hq for SHAPE, they have excellent local military friendly universities. The better strategy for Europe is to check to see if and what percentage of credits will be accepted but you will have to also know the school you intend to transfer to since each school has their own criteria of what to accept.

I'm just curious. I'm Canadian and will never be a soldier for any country. I will defend Canada if we are attacked. Other than that, nope. But I notice that many people get a start in the military with their education and was just curious as to how good a deal it was and how accessible it was.

[mawali]

I'm just curious. I'm Canadian and will never be a soldier for any country. I will defend Canada if we are attacked. Other than that, nope. But I notice that many people get a start in the military with their education and was just curious as to how good a deal it was and how accessible it was.

I got my university degree before I enetered the military. I wanted to travel the world, see interesting people without bombing them so it was a great experience as there was no war. I got to SE Asia (post Vietnam). Good deal is a matter of preference and objectivity. I served based on it being my duty! Education was secondary though I did commplete my Oracle Database Administration curriculum in 2000.
Part of my job responsibilities was administrative and since I dealt with Tuition Assistance/VA benefits, and had my first degree, I was able to see that many personnel do not take advantage of their Tuition Assistance benefits. I know that most of the guys would rather go out drinking, running around as opposed to enrollment at the local college.

I have met some guys who have gotten out (mostly Iraq and Afghanistan veterans) they have gotten so use to their adrenaline 24/7 schedule that it is hard to come down. Even IED dogs who have went through their rotation, when they hear loud noises they just freak out so I can only imagine guys who need help but cannot get it! Is that a good deal? No! But it is twice as bad because those who report these problems are seen as 'cowards" or "stragglers" so they do not report it until it is too late. A major problem is that enough are denied psychological counselling when they do not show enough of the obvious signs of 'stress' and many fall through the cracks. Is this a good deal? Depends on who you ask and their job responsibility. Didn't mean to keep on jabbering on:D

[Syn7]

Yeah, I have met many deserters here. They come, seek asylum or just reside illegally. Some get asylum, many are sent back or turned back at the border.

As for PTSD, it's disgusting how little some people get help when they need it after going thru that. It's wrong. Sure, many get good treatment, but so many more do not. IMO, never fight an offensive war you can't afford and are not willing to deal with the consequences down the road. One thing Ron Paul says that I love. Bring em ALL home. Secure America. We are not world police and going overseas for greater political and economic agendas created more enemies. So what? We kill them too? I kill your family, you get mad and fight back, now you're a terrorist and deserve to die? It's sad. Don't even get me started.

I am NOT a pacifist, but what I see these days is just plain wrong. And yes, I do know it's not black and white.

Anyways. IF you were to go to war, you should take advantage of ALL the opportunities you get from that. But I'm with Micheal Moore on this one, I'm dont praising soldiers. They made their choice. If you wanna go kill and maybe die, that's on you. All this "aww poor soldiers" **** is getting way outta line. MAYBE I feel a lil sorry for the marginalized minority types who see it as the only possible future. Lord knows the military recruits more at poor colored schools than they do in rich white ones. So in that respect, I feel a lil sorry for those kids who get brainwashed into thinking its the only way out of the ghetto.

Anyways, like I said.... don't get me started.

rant over. :)