Senior can't decide what to do next

[Susie in CA]

Hello Everyone,

 

We have finally reached the last year of high school with ds1.It seems that he has a very difficult time dealing with the what next isssue. What am I going to do after high school?

 

He is currently attending a charter school while also taking Math as DE. He is doing well at the high school; not well in the Math class. Ds always wanted to study Oceanography or Chemistry. He know that requires much Math. He loves Science, but dislikes Math. What to do?

 

Last night we did have a long conversation about this, however, I seem to have a hard time getting him to focus on the goal rather than on things he dosn't like. I have made some suggestions to him for next year:

 

1. Meet with the counselors at the CC to get 'real' information on transfer courses required in various disciplines. He does have some other interests. (Chem, Oceanography, Art, Theater, Anthropology, Political Science)

 

2. Take next year as an exploration into areas of interest.

 

3. Work for a while.

 

Any other suggestion? He seems to have no idea on what he would like to start with at all.

 

Thanks,

 

 

[MerryAtHope]

Is he concerned about going to college as an undecided major, or do you mean he can't decide whether to go to college or take a gap year (work etc...)? If it's the former, he's in good company--many, many students go as undecided majors, and many will change majors (80% change at least once, and the average is 3 times). Let him start with gen-eds and taking some electives to explore interests. He has time to decide. (My oldest is in his 2nd year and still is undeclared, so I know it's sometimes stressful & we all wish they knew! But, I keep reminding myself...this is okay.)

[Susie in CA]

Is he concerned about going to college as an undecided major, or do you mean he can't decide whether to go to college or take a gap year (work etc...)? If it's the former, he's in good company--many, many students go as undecided majors, and many will change majors (80% change at least once, and the average is 3 times). Let him start with gen-eds and taking some electives to explore interests. He has time to decide. (My oldest is in his 2nd year and still is undeclared, so I know it's sometimes stressful & we all wish they knew! But, I keep reminding myself...this is okay.)

 

 

I think for one he is trying to decide if he loves Science enough to work through his math difficulties. I am leaning toward taking a break from Math and explore. However, I also don't want him to get too rusty in case he does decide he needs more Math. Not sure what to advise.

[MerryAtHope]

It might take him a bit to get back into math, but I don't think a break in math would hurt that much, and might even help (sometimes a year or two for the brain to grow and develop can help with understanding difficult math concepts). Talking to someone at the CC is a great idea though. He might also want to investigate how much math the science areas he is interested in would require occupationally (it's one thing to gut it out through a class or two, and another to have to use difficult math regularly).

[Clemsondana]

I was also a student interested in science but not really enjoying math. As the first in my family to go to college, there were things that I didn't know to look at, but I decided to study biochemistry and figured I could just deal with the fact that I'd need 3 semesters of calculus. The fact that I loved my molecular biology classes made it easier to endure the classes that I didn't like. When talking to college students, I sometimes give the advice that if you like most of your classes, you can persevere through the ones that you don't, but if you dislike everything, you need to change majors.

 

But, he should also explore the 'course of study' for several related majors. When I was in school, biochemistry required 3 semesters of the calculus that engineers take. A BS in biology required 2 semesters of what they called 'baby calculus', which was an easier version, and a BA required even less, I think. Some programs might require statistics and probability instead of calculus - for some fields of biology, like population genetics (which would have more overlap with oceanography than biochemistry would) there is a lot of statistical analysis because they do a lot of population sampling. At the end of the school year, I have my Bio II students bring in potnetial 'course of study' lists because there can be so much difference between programs and schools. Good luck!

[amy58103]

If he's interested in science but worried about math, I would encourage him to reach out to people working in the field he is interested in and see how much math they actually use on a daily basis.  

 

As an engineer, I had to take three semesters of calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, and advanced probability and statistics for my bachelor's degree. HOWEVER, as a practicing engineering I mostly only use simple trigonometry (eg. finding the length of one side of a triangle), algebra (eg. rearranging an equation and solving for an unknown, solving a system of equations for two unknowns), and statistics (finding the mean, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation.)  Over the course of my 15-year career I remember exactly one time when I had to use calculus ... and that's just because I was trying to be fancy in my analysis and it wasn't really required to finish my design.  

 

Sooooo ... its possible he may only need to muddle through a couple of difficult math courses in college and never actually have to "use" that math to work in his chosen field.  

[Susie in CA]

Thank you for the responses! I appreciate all of them. We will have him find out requirements for various degree options. He will need to decide if it is worth the grind with math. He will definitively take a math break next semester just to take the pressure off and grow a little.

 

[regentrude]

I will be a dissenting voice and say that taking a break from math is not a great idea for a student who struggles with math and who may have to come back to it. I would use the time to cement basics and fill the gaps that are the underlying cause of his struggling. Taking a year completely off math will mean he most likely will test into very low remedial math classes when he decides to go for his degree at a later point, and that will be very demoralizing and put him behind in his coursework. I'd at least keep the skills from getting rusty.

 

If he knows that he wants to go to college, he could begin to take general education credits that are required for all or most majors. That information is available on the website of the departments at the institution he wants to attend; which credits transfer from a CC to a 4 year school should be on that school's website under articulation agreements on the registrar's page. I would not rely on a counselor to give me advice and always prefer to verify myself with the documents available.

 

Oh, and I would explore other options for math. It could simply be that the class he is currently taking is not a good fit for him. Not all math classes are taught equally well.

Edited October 28, 2016 by regentrude

[Susie in CA]

Thanks Regentrude for your response!

 

I have the same concerns about taking a break from Math. I could have him take an online course through our high school just to stay at the very least even. Hmm...something to think about.