How can I make University Studies sound good? BS in University Studies. It does indeed feel like BS. I was studying English. Wasn't sure what to do it. Technical writing was the best idea I had. But I got scared that BYUI was going to find me out soon, my mental health was garbage, and I had delusions of being able to take my credits to another university and jump into a STEM program, so I left when I found out about the University Studies major. I dropped out with a paper to pretend that I didn't. How can I put lipstick on this pig?

I double checked to make sure things haven't changed...

Insurance companies are always looking for people to work in claims. There are all sorts of jobs that fit under that heading. And since you can't get a degree in insurance claims, they know they have to train the college grads they almost all demand.

It's nine to five, very standardized (until you get a field position...) Once you work your way up the ladder, there are work-at-home opportunities.

If you were okay dealing with people in the mission field, it's a piece 'o cake, peoplewise.

It's suffers, on occasion, from the maladies that affect any bureaucracy, but if you're good at it, you sometimes get left alone to do your job.

My ex has made his living working for insurance companies since college, with nothing more than a BS degree.

There's other fields besides processing claims.

Huge insurance companies have huge departments with job openings to fill. Check out some in your area. You may be surprised at what's there for entry level.

Car rental companies need college grads as well for management trainee positions.

Ever think of becoming a court reporter?

That's what I did with my English degree.

Lois Lane, Girl Reporter.

That's me.

What is it with you court reporters? I could get you to laugh before and after you turned the machine on, but not during!!

You don't know how HARD I work not to laugh.

Not laughing is NOT EASY.

Once I did a hearing where an inmate was suing TWO counties, because his jail-issued shower shoes and can of deodorant had MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED during a jail transfer from one county to another.

The jail offered to issue him a new can of deodorant but he wanted THAT one, his PERSONAL PROPERTY that the county had CARELESSLY LOST.

Halfway through the trial the inmate (who was incarcerated for a brutal rape) stood up and yelled "I demand an appeal."


The irritated judge explained to the pro se litigant that he couldn't appeal until the trail was over.

IT WAS SO HARD NOT TO LAUGH. But laughter would provoke a mistrial. I sucked in my cheeks. I held my breath. But I could feel laughter sneaking up on me.

So I pretended I was at my mother's funeral, which was a very sad, solemn occasion.

WHEW! I dodged that bullet. I made it through the trial without laughing. The state was found "not guilty" of stealing this man's deodorant.

Later I aplologized to my mother's spirit for using her memory for such a matter.

My mother's spirit told me she completely understood.

Lois

I bet you have some great stories! :D

Maybe this will help:

http://thecampuscareercoach.com/ask-the-coach/what-can-i-do-with-a-degree-in-university-studies#.WeADXGhSyUk

And not to be mean, but...from BYUI's own web page on their "University Studies" degree:

" This degree is not designed to prepare students to compete in the job market in specific areas such as business or accounting. University Studies is a degree program generally not intended for transfer, however, some graduate schools will admit students with this degree. Students who plan to attend graduate school should verify this fact before pursuing a university studies degree."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/12/2017 08:11PM by ificouldhietokolob.

The President of ASU came to BYUI to announce a special partnership where BYUI and pathway students could transfer to ASU to finish their degree. His talk was about how amazing the human brain is, how complex it is. Don't waste it.

Maybe I'm just projecting my own identity and struggles into his talk, but it seemed like he was giving a subliminal message to people like me. Like, 'hey, maybe you're brilliant, but you were dealt a bad hand. Mormonism is a waste of the mind. Come to ASU and finish your degree with us. Jump into a STEM field. You can do it.'

Any who, I was talking with a graduate school recruiter, and he said they, at ASU, get a lot of people with University Studies as a degree. The last girl I dated had a University Studies degree too. It happens often. If ASU is aware of the number of discouraged and disgruntled students in Rexburg or who have recently left Rexburg, they will have some kind of respect for the degree.

It sounds like they recognize that some good minds are being wasted at BYUI, and they're trying to wake some of those minds up in a field that's not only challenging, but in high demand.
Sounds good! :)

I am a talent acquisition leader in a large corporation and have quite a few years of experience in the field, so I feel like I have some expertise in this area.

I don't know what your job history looks like, but whatever it is, you are going to want to focus on that. Make the focus of what you are selling on the resume to be the experience you have and get them excited about you based on that. If they're sold there, then education becomes much less important. Tailor your resume as much as possible to the position you're applying for without making it look too obvious (I've seen people cut and paste pieces of our job description into their resume; not good).

Unfortunately, as you already know, your education is not worth much of anything and is actually viewed below the "barista" degrees like those in art history, English literature, communications, family science, and the like. You will want to hide it as much as possible so it should go at the bottom of your resume and be a very simple entry. Something like: "Bachelor of Science Degree, BYU-Idaho". Hiring professionals will automatically think the worst of your degree and know that you're hiding something, but they will probably actually think higher than if they saw "university studies". I don't mean to be harsh, but I want to give you a realistic view of what those on the other side of the table will be thinking.

In any case, the best job leads come from networking so build and leverage your network as much as possible. Reach out on LinkedIn. Check Indeed.com every day. Job searches are a numbers game so you're going to need to put in a lot of work getting yourself out there.

Best of luck in your search!

Is University Studies the same thing as a degree in Liberal Arts? I seem to recall that my alma mater did offer a major in LA for those who simply could not make up their minds.

At my alma mater, it was called Open Studies.

I seriously considered it because I was interested in pursuing several different curricula, but I realized that graduating in "everything, but nothing in particular" wasn't going to help me any more than a BS (yes, a Bachelor of Science!) in English, which is what I ultimately got.

OP, I learned a long time ago that what I learned in college, and whatever degree reflected that learning, really had no impact on the education I continued on my own after graduation. I've since learned a little of everything, mostly for my own edification; history, philosophy, computer science, engineering, physics, chemistry, physical therapy, nutrition, Tai Chi, economics, etc. I'm not an expert in any of them, but I have learned enough to be conversant with those who are, particularly if they're subject matter experts for something I am documenting.

My degree was "BS in English, with a concentration in Technical Writing"; and such a description had served me well when I was a new grad looking for work. I imagine you could do something similar with "BS in University Studies (or Bachelor of Science Degree) with a concentration in Technical Writing (or whatever other coursework you want to play up)".



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/13/2017 12:24PM by GregS.