Has anyone pursued a second bachelor's degree in liberal arts (for enjoyment)?

Question

Has anyone of you pursued a second BA or BS in a liberal arts major for personal enjoyment. If so what did you major and which college did you attend for the 2nd degree?

I was wondering if I'm nuts to pursuing another degree: B.A. in English after I earned a B.S. in Computer Science. (I'm 28 years old -- doing college all over again) Especially considering I've acquired student loans for my first degree. I'm looking to attend a decent university for the second degree.

Answer 1

Some loans/financial aid is limited for second bachelor's degrees - you will need to consult a school that interests you to see if you qualify. If you are already in deep for student loans, putting yourself more in debt just for 'fun' is something you will need to think long and hard about.

I would second the recommendation of a master's degree. This question interested me because I have done something similar, but for me it was a second masters degree program rather than just one. A masters can open many doors, allow for individualized and in-depth study of topics of interest to you, and will (probably) result in higher pay.

"Decent" universities are often in the eye of the beholder. I have done private and public, large (40,000) and small (350 students!) colleges and consider myself incredibly well educated and well-rounded because of the types of colleges I chose. To me, that was more important than being an Ivy League grad. If you are seeking a personal challenge and are a bit older than the traditional student, I would recommend a master's degree with a private, even smaller, college where you have more interaction with faculty and it can be more personal.

Just my two cents. Good luck!

Answer 2

Getting a second degree because of enjoying the subject isn't a crazy idea, although the money could be an issue.

I think it's a little tougher to get financial aid to pursue a duplicate degree or a lower degree. It's at least an issue when determining financial aid for your kids (the more family members attending school at the same time, the more grants you qualify for, so, until they tightened things up, it used to be almost a scam for parents to decide to take some classes at the local community college in order to increase the amount of grants their kid was eligible for).

I've considered taking classes in automotive repair - maybe even getting an associates degree, but the cost of a local community college is a lot cheaper than pursuing a second bachelor's at a decent university.

Answer 3

I haven't done it, but it isn't such a bad idea if you want to defer the payment of your student loans for a few years.

You are not crazy, but if you already have a BS degree and a lot of your lower division work done (you should be able to transfer most of that stuff over towards your new degree), maybe you should specialize more on your new degree. Try studying some obscure thing like poetry or asian history.

Here is another idea.. Go back to school and get an MFA in creative writing. Then at least when people ask down the road, you can say that you went to grad school.

Answer 4

Have you considered a Master's? It may take you less time than another Bachelor's degree. Plus, you may get more pay having an advanced degree, even if it's underwater mayan basket weaving : )

-Chris

Answer 5

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