<p>Hey! I am a current Cinema/Photo student at Ithaca College, and I’m in the Honors program too. However, I am different from most Cinema majors in that I am also majoring in Psychology. Like you, I had other interests outside of communications, and I wasn’t willing to give them up. </p>
<p>I’m not going to lie to you: double majoring and being in the Honors program is a heavy work load. But if you really interested in the subjects that you study, then it won’t seem so bad. And I still have plenty of free time and can go out to parties almost every weekend. </p>
<p>As for the dedication of the cinema/photo students, it varies. I personally have wanted to be in cinema since 7th grade, and I know others in the program who have wanted to be involved in film or photography since they were kids. However, there are still plenty of other people who didn’t realize their love for communications until senior year. Everything gets retaught to us, so you don’t have to worry about not having experience in the field. </p>
<p>The cinema/photo major is pretty intense time-wise, but you could still graduate and pursue a different career (you might want to make it your other major or a minor, though). I love cinema, but I might not do anything with it in the future. I might just go into Psychology, but I’m still glad I’m getting this experience.</p>
<p>And speaking of the experience, you WILL get lots of amazing opportunities here. The facilities are absolutely amazing. Students can rent out state-of-the-art (and very expensive) cameras, shoot in specialized studios, and develop film in our very own dark room. There are so many other students here working on projects, and everyone is very good at helping other people with their shoots. The television station here (ICTV) is very professional, and you can work on or even make your own show even as a freshman. I’m involved with ICTV’s Newswatch, and the experience is irreplaceable. The LA program is specially geared towards communications majors, and the school helps you find the perfect internships. In addition, professional studios and stations know how good Ithaca is, and they turn to us for job positions and internships. Actually, Ithaca is one of the only colleges that NBC uses to help them cover the Olympics, and I just filled out my application to shoot for them in London 2012. Plus, the teachers are all experts, and their networking can really help you find opportunities to gain experience and maybe make some money.</p>
<p>I understand how big of a decision this is, but you don’t have to only focus on cinema while in the program. You can double major or minor, and then choose to go into that field. And you can always change your majors. A lot of people do!</p>
<p>As for the honors program, be prepared to read and write a lot. It is a lot of work, but the actual classes you get to take are SO worth it (in my opinion). I’m in an honors class right now that has literally changed my life already, and I’m only a quarter in! I highly recommend the honors program. You won’t find more dedicated professors. Some of the students are a little pretentious, but there are plenty of awesome people in the program too.</p>
<p>Okay, I hope I answered all your questions! Write back again if you have any more!</p>