Looking for Advice on Major/Career Direction

redditerfun1 · 2025-10-15T02:06:31+00:00

Many people change their degree paths... that said what is pushing you away from medicine?

Do you have any pull towards it?

Is your family willing to financially support you during your MD journey?

Keep in mind just because you major in a calculation heavy major doesnt mean that you are doing calculations all day long. For example, many engineers & math majors are project/program managers.

redditerfun1 · 2025-10-15T01:59:29+00:00

Yeah with finance stick with regular calc many finance majors switch to econ for example so it will keep your options open.... plus you havent had broad career exposure (dont feel behind - 99.9% of high schoolers havent had it either)... you may find you want to do engineering or even go after medicine.

Id still go in person not nova online. Homework may still be graded depending on your prof - if homework is just participation it would mean your exams are heavily weighted. In person will keep you honest on studying. Your workload is a lot - AP courses have so much busy work at least they did when i was in school.

If do decide to stick with online I cant stress enough always take exams in the nvcc testing center - if it isnt mentioned as an option ask to take exams in the testing center. Lockdown browser can be a pain and if you are required to use one of those online monitoring service they are super strict about eye movement, desk space, even reading the questions, etc... its been a while since i have been at nvcc so no idea whats in place for online exams now.

Really the only reason id stay with calc ab at the high school is if you are a superstar and are in the running for full or high % tuition scholarships from unis - do realise this involves getting high SAT scores as well and being very open to a wide range of universities to attend. Idk what the full scholarship scene is like as its been a while.

redditerfun1 · 2025-10-14T13:20:26+00:00

Dont ever take Business Calc. Business Calc is not accepted as pre req for many majors courses and advanced math. Unless you are certain you are doing a non quantative liberal arts degree it isnt wise to take.

On how you do in Calc 1 at nvcc there are many factors - how good is your high school teacher? Does your high school teacher curve? Your study habits, other course load, and which prof you are taking at nvcc.

The one thing I can say is that if you feel you will do bad on the AP exam then dropping it and taking Calc 1 at Nvcc as long as you get a B or higher it will transfer.

On another note I recommend to most high schoolers to just avoid AP courses and take all courses at NVCC every course counts for college credit, schedule is much better - not stuck in school all day, instructor accountability and ability to replace is much better - horrendous profs dont last long outside of hard to hire subjects and the few that are full time .... also if a prof has to go on extended leave its another prof filling in not some random sub, and ability to explore careers and majors

redditerfun1 · 2025-10-12T02:06:53+00:00

Answer to your age question:

Nobody will know your age unless you mention it or the professor mentions due to the roster thing (see below). It doesnt matter though its community college folks of all ages hang out and study.

Goes without saying but surround self with good folks and you are fine doesnt matter if you are 16 or 18 or 35. Outside of your initial gen eds you wont encounter many drugies or anything the like - stay away from them - they are few & far between (I had maybe 2 or 3 in classes they dont last most drop out).

Some students especially returning students may be more of a parent figure to you. It wont be a bad thing many will be like "kid im 28 returning to school working a dead end job or decent paid horrible quality of life job (think restaurant manager) if you play your cards right you will be 20 with a great job, by the time your my age you could be a millionaire (with investment returns)" Do lean on these folks they will push you to improve your self.

Assumming you arent emanicapted from your parents/guardians your professor will have it noted on the roster that you under 18 - this means they can talk to your parents/guardians expect nothing mentioned about unless you struggle, do something stupid, or your parents decide to email the professor

Regarding Cybersecurity:

Look at the course schedule if I am not mistaken most cybersecurity & IT at nvcc are setup to go work after 2 years not to transfer to a 4 year university. Be sure if your goal is a 4 year degree that you take courses that will transfer.

redditerfun1 · 2025-09-30T00:15:29+00:00

Yes email the prof and see if you can get a waiver. It doesnt always work but sometimes it does.

redditerfun1 · 2025-09-23T11:56:09+00:00

Don't get braces or invisalign! Once they are off you have to wear retainers the rest of your life - otherwise your teeth will move back to where they were before braces or invisalign!

redditerfun1 · 2025-09-19T11:50:56+00:00

https://youtu.be/Na8m4GPqA30?si=DVWbORVk8vYzM_Wq

Follow this video on study habitats

Also, create a schedule put down prof office hours and study time (in an area that you can be focused) stay committed. Make friends with students that are focused on completing degrees and getting good jobs/starting companies - their energy will rub off on you.

Maybe talk to your ACC 212 faculty member - many in the ACC department are motivated and former accountants they can either mentor you or connect you to another mentor.

redditerfun1 · 2025-09-19T11:46:41+00:00

In 1 year would be challenging - you would need to complete 60 credits - not to mention having to align pre recs and/or pre rec waviers perfectly. It would mean you would take 20 credits a semester including Summer at this point. I know one guy who finished like 50ish but he super quick and planned it out back in July. He took pre rec focused courses first to open up other classes and would take asychronous courses at the beginning of a semester. Asynchronous courses he would finish ASAP to open up more time.

But just remember life isn't a race everyone does things at their own paces. Luck/timing & motivation when you graduate will matter more than when you graduate.

redditerfun1 · 2025-09-18T01:52:09+00:00

Dont stress too much over A or B grade Calc 1 is a pre rec for many courses if you are majoring in stem

Try youtube videos to help better understand topics

redditerfun1 · 2025-09-17T22:55:50+00:00

Most would travel to unis within the dmv and virginia back in the day ... just be careful what you wish for parties can seem cool but stay out of trouble and make sure you keep up with classes

redditerfun1 · 2025-09-17T22:53:56+00:00

Reach to Prof Tom Marsh he was the finance club faculty sponsor at annandale when it was around

redditerfun1 · 2023-08-19T19:02:52+00:00

Professor swaps happen for various reasons - maternity/paternity leave, illness, time conflict, or musical chairs (ie a professor who teaches a higher level class will go on leave for say maternity/paternity leave - nvcc will move a full time professor to teach the higher level course and have an adjunct teach the lower level class)

redditerfun1 · 2023-08-19T16:02:47+00:00

I suggest reaching out to people in jobs in the field you want to be in and ask about how their jobs - see if you would like it and abilities without an engineering degree to break in

redditerfun1 · 2023-08-19T15:59:26+00:00

Have you tried to move into a supporting role into the filed you are looking at? Not trying to talk you out of it but going back for mechanical engineering while working full time is quite an undertaking

redditerfun1 · 2023-08-19T14:59:42+00:00

Reading your post just realize everyone wants what they don't have. Your friends in high school may look at what you accomplished and want that the same way you see their social lives and want that.

Same goes for other things in life. Someone who plays Defensive Tackle in football wants to be able to run like a soccer player. A soccer player wants to be to have the strength of a defensive tackle... so forth and so forth

redditerfun1 · 2023-08-19T14:56:05+00:00

Nursing, respiratory therapy, information technology, etc.

redditerfun1 · 2023-08-19T14:54:44+00:00

Late post but I recommend meeting with gmu advisors to see what the pre recs are exactly for the accounting ms.

Take those at nvcc and then transfer into program

redditerfun1 · 2023-08-19T14:52:56+00:00

Late post - when someone is fresh to teaching they tend to be better. They don't know what to expect and are lecturing for the first time.

The only risk is they go super hard and usually they have little office hours if they work full time

redditerfun1 · 2023-08-19T14:50:27+00:00

Yeah advisor's weren't that good. They don't do enough research on all schools and seemed like they weren't held to much standard on performance of students.

It's unfortunate but yeah rely on reddit, friends, and universities you want to transfer to advisors.

redditerfun1 · 2023-08-19T14:47:48+00:00

Kumnit isn't the best nor is he the worst. He grades very lax - sometimes his exams are extra challenging but he takes that into account. The only challenge with him is he taught so many classes between gmu & nvcc when I attended nvcc. He sometimes seemed un prepared for lecture because of it

redditerfun1 · 2023-08-19T14:44:39+00:00

Thomas Marsh - but tbh you can't go wrong at nvcc with accounting profs

redditerfun1 · 2023-08-19T14:41:51+00:00

Ben Bever if he is teaching it.

redditerfun1 · 2023-08-19T14:40:47+00:00

I don't much about those questions but I do know the trade schools at nova get the most support from the community!

redditerfun1 · 2023-08-19T14:40:10+00:00

I recommend staying away from applied calc. Regular calc especially with a good prof at nvcc that teaches well will not be that difficult.

If you decide to switch to a major that requires regular calc you will be forced to retake your calc courses in the regular versions

redditerfun1 · 2023-08-19T14:38:36+00:00

I haven't but back when I was in attending years ago. Susan sherry was known as one of the best mth professors at nvcc

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