Screwed over by my University

Solid Snake · February 5th, 2004, 08:56 PM

I go to Temple in Philadelphia, it's my second year. All schools try and sound personal and like they care but in reality, to this one, you're not much more than a nine digit number. I needed some advice on which classes to take so I went to an advisor within my major who recommended i take a certain track of math classes. Now that i'm halfway through it I'm told that this track isn't any good for my major, computer science. So in this semester it's too late to switch classes, so I'm taking classes I can't use towards graduation and I can't get a refund for them. My parents are very upset at me, like it's my fault that these advisors can't get their $%&# together. They think I don't appreciate them paying for my school so they want me to start paying. Every time I try to hold someone accountable for the information they give me, they slide away and point the finger at someone else. Nobody seems to want to take responsibility for what happened with my classes because it's too late now and everything is "university policy" so i'm screwed and there's no way i'll be able to finish in 4 years.

Sweet · February 5th, 2004, 09:19 PM

Awww... I really hate to hear that you got tangled in the red tape of curriculum bulstuff.... Get a good advisor in ur field, the courses you have taken will probably help fill in other requirements..... Do NOT Fret over this, it is very common, and is not unusual for it to happen. The important thing is to find a prof in the field that you trust and have him/her guide you. The grief will go away and you can once again FOCUS on your intended field.........

gotta take responsibility for what u took and what happened, ya cannot place blame..... Be Strong and stand up for what you want to do.... you'll be OK..... have faith.... be strong...

surreal · February 5th, 2004, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Solid Snake
Nobody seems to want to take responsibility for what happened with my classes

Including you. You should have just found out the information on your own. It's your future.

originel · February 5th, 2004, 11:34 PM

surreal is right...i'm a college student myself in my 3rd year of electrical engineering and computer science. btw...which math classes were they? i've found that CS is very math based and certain key classes (diff-eq, linear algebra, stats, discrete mathematics, and automata) are very important. it may not seem that way at the time, but it's true. another bit of advice, classmates are FAR better advisor's than your actual advisor is, talk to them about which classes to take.

that does suck tho about being told wrong info...that's why i only talk to my university when it is absolutely necessary.

Solid Snake · February 6th, 2004, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Including you. You should have just found out the information on your own. It's your future.

If you read correctly you would have realized that I was given the wrong information. If I can't trust these people who are PAID to help me, then who can I trust? I am taking Calc II but there are two different kinds of Calc II.

samwichse · February 6th, 2004, 02:03 AM

Seriously, this seems like a common problem when a school gets too big for its britches. They try and get better economies of scale by pushing all their facilities and faculty to the limits, but things suffer anyway.

Anyhow, I find it hard to believe that as a sophomore you already know you won't be able to graduate on time. Request an independant study of an off-semester class if you must.

Then again, what do I know, my school was the #7 party school and #3 in hard liquor.

jordanabc2332 · February 6th, 2004, 02:14 AM

woot I'm #4.

Snake: Every university posts the requirements for graduation on its website. I know how you feel when it comes to "advisors", I went through a similar experience. Just go off the website and you'll be fine.

CraigK · February 6th, 2004, 03:17 AM

You were not wrong to go to an advisor for your classes. But you were wrong not to check up on the information they provided for you. College is an active experience. Just to be sure though, the advisor you went to was an advisor in your majors department right?

Other than that, get your hands on an undergrad catalogue, hard copy or an online version. It should provide for you a listing of all majors and minors and what classes are needed for that course of study.

In response to your calc II comment, my school also has two different calc sections. one course is for engineering and comp sci. majors, and the other is for "non-tech" majors. There is a difference in what they cover in the two classes.

JacobM5727 · February 6th, 2004, 04:03 AM

yeah, i go to community college, they have a sheet for every major with all the classes you need.. sorry to hear you got poorly advised

Optimus Prime · February 6th, 2004, 07:28 AM

My Dad said this to me, and it has helped a lot in my job:

"Believe what people say to you, but don't trust them, only trust them when you have found it out on your own"

So, take their advice, but look for some more advice yourself, to backup that persons.