<p>The title sums it up pretty well. I was an average student in high school, and now I'm an average student in college (I'm hoping to do a lot better up until I transfer, and this current Fall semester I'm doing better). At this point I'm not even worried about that; I'm worried more about my major and what I plan to do with the rest of my life.</p>
<p>Let's start this off by saying that I have parents who are pretty shallow and care about prestige. They care about telling others that they have a son who goes to a great school (like Berkeley, Stanford, Harvard, etc...), which is annoying. They also have the mentality that being a doctor or lawyer is the greatest thing that anyone can do and that I should strive to be one....unfortunately for them I have no interest in these at all. </p>
<p>I told them I was looking into Psychology as a major and they accepted that (although I'm still technically undecided). I love the subject and all aspects of it. I felt right at home with my Psych 101 class. Problem is, I'm kinda doubting what I can do with Psychology and started craving moving on to another big interest of mine; that would be acting. I know all of you must be thinking "LOL oh my god he thinks he'll get nowhere with Psychology but wants to take a shot at acting?" This is pretty much the mentality of everyone that surrounds me. I always hear the standard "you can't do anything with acting" and "acting is totally gay" and "acting is a hobby." This is really starting to frustrate me because I love and have a strong passion for it. So much that when people ask me what my major is I say "Theater" and am strongly considering changing it. I've built up a small support group (one of my best friends is a Theater major, although her parents are more lenient about what she chooses to do) but this still doesn't seem to be enough for me to say "**** everyone, I'm going to do what I want to do." One day I'll have the mentality of "I'd rather be a struggling actor than work a tedious corporate job" than the next day I'll ask myself "what if they're right and I'm just fooling myself?" I really hate being conflicted.</p>
<p>Ok I felt like I gave you guys an unnecessary story but it helps give you guys a grasp of what I'm feeling. Ok let's get to brass tacks now shall we? I do extremely well in fields like Psychology, Theater, Music, Philosophy, and Communications. I do mediocre in fields like Science and Economics. I'm going to take English and Math courses next semester but I always hated those subjects in high school. At this very second I'm leaning toward a Psych major with a Theater minor and transferring to Northern California (I live in LA).</p>
<p>Becoming a doctor or a lawyer requires a very rigorous education, and if you’re not cut out for it, you’re not going to succeed at it. You also don’t sound like you excel at technical subjects. So I think you should major in whatever appeals to you, on the understanding that you are likely not going to be able to make a career simply out of your undergraduate major. Majoring in theater, or in psychology, or in both (or in virtually any humanities or social sciences subject) will give you transferable skills that you can then take with you into whatever becomes your career. </p>
<p>If you’re seriously interested in an acting career after college, it seems to me you’d do better to stay in southern CA since there are so many more opportunities there. Lots of people combine acting with some other kind of full or part-time job. One of my former students acts in live theater, regularly appears in commercials and in small roles on TV shows, but also works as a paralegal.</p>
<p>Most colleges have a career services division that can help you sort through your post-college options. You might be interested, for instance, in becoming a counselor of some kind, or working in human resources.</p>
<p>Forget that soft stuff. Do engineering, hard science or finance. Doctors/Lawyers are overrated. Ironically, theater and psychology are only good for easy(er) admission to med school. Remember the survery: Chemical Engineers are happier than Psychology majors on average even if the chemical engineering and psychology majors are both scrubbing dishes (which happens). Why? Because the chemical engineer can look back and say, I learned math, physics and chemistry at my degree, you? And the psychology major says “seems like you have a mental problem” and nothing more.</p>
<p>Do it. You don’t have any obligation to anyone but yourself at this point. **** everyone else. No one can see the future. If you died the day after graduation, would you have spent the last four years doing something you love or making yourself miserable trying to make someone else happy?</p>
<p>Ignore LastThreeYears, He has a “mental problem” about posting everywhere, literally every post, that everyone should major in chemistry or chemical engineering.</p>
<p>How about trying out acting on the side for awhile during these first few years of school? Then you can see if you really do have the talent for it. Honestly with those talent-based fields, it doesn’t matter where you go to school or what program you’re in, if you aren’t truly talented and don’t dedicate yourself 110% to your dream you won’t make it. </p>
<p>You’re really going to have to go out there and really dedicate your life to this, and it’s not always going to work out. The thing with acting is that you might spend the next 15 years of your life struggling and then you’ll get that one big break. For all you know that success will last one year or just five years, and then that might be the most you’ll ever get to do, as far as huge, commercial projects go, anyway. You just never know. Then again- you don’t know! So if it really is your dream, pursue it, but as they always say, have a plan B!</p>
<p>Having a major career in a psychology field takes more than just a Bachelor’s degree, so like with being a doctor or lawyer you’ll be in school for a LONG time, and it will costs you a LOT of money. Too much to just pursue it because it might be right for you or because your parents want you to. </p>
<p>I’d say figure out if there’s something you’d really want to do with a psychology degree. If there is, then keep theater as a minor. If not, figure out if you’re really dedicated enough and talented enough to have success in acting. </p>
<p>You could always go a little broader and do some sort of mass media program, where maybe you can study the more technical aspects of film/tv and then theater as well, so that even if maybe you can’t find acting jobs all the time, you could still work in that environment.</p>
<p>Look, i’m not saying major in chemical engineering. i’m saying, if you died the day after you graduated, for 1 second before death, would you say, damn, i wish i did something else?</p>
<p>wouldn’t you?</p>
<p>wouldn’t you think, if only I learned some quantitative knowledge? if only I didn’t pick the easy way out?</p>
<p>I do not agree with some of the opinions you are getting on this thread so let me state mine. College is to learn, to grow as a person and as a professional and to get to know yourself. To me, getting professional preparation to make the most money I can make when I graduate is secondary. Don’t waste your college experience on studying something you don’t really love just because you’ll be able to make large money with it.</p>
<p>I once had a manager who used to say: “I don’t care what you choose do in your life… If you want to be a lawyer, be the best lawyer you can be, and if you want to be a garbageman, be the best garbageman you can be.” Kinda extreme, but what he meant is whatever the path you choose, do it with passion, and be the best at it. Let me add to it that if you enjoy what you do, you will excel at it.</p>
<p>That said, you love acting? Definitely go for it and strive to be the best.</p>
<p>Lastthreeyears, the OP said he/she was “mediocre” in science. In that case, why choose to major in a technical field? Yes, chemistry, engineering, etc. are fine options for people who are interested in those fields and have some talent for pursuing them. But a hard science major, for somebody who’s not inclined that way, is just pointless torture. And nobody’s going to have a successfull, fulfilling career doing something they suck at. It’s not a matter of “taking the easy way out,” it’s about figuring out how to coordinate the gifts one has to offer, with what the world needs. This is a little harder for people whose gifts aren’t in computer science or engineering, but it’s not some impossible feat.</p>
<p>Woah, a bit of clonflict going on in here! I just want to say thank you to everyone for taking some time out of their day to respond.</p>
<p>Today I actually auditioned for some student plays and it was really fun plus a nice experience. I also have a scene im doing in my theater class which has also been a blast.</p>
<p>Ive thought about it and at this point im leaning towards being a clinical therapist. I know that I need a graduate degree to really go somewhere with that, and with this I have no problem. Ill most likely keep Theater as my minor unless I later decide business would help me more or something rational like that…blah. </p>
<p>Anyways the great thing about acting is that even if I dont make it my career, I can still enjoy doing it as a hobby or on a much smaller scale on the side of my actual career. I can participate in local plays and the like, just to get my fix. </p>
<p>I just want to thank everyone for posting. Each post gave me something to think about. At this point I’d like to ask people what schools in California have good undergraduate and graduate Psychology programs? I’d be forever grateful! :)</p>