Definitely study what you love! But consider jobs that pay well after graduating. Also, OP, you don’t have to do the well paying job forever! I was a lawyer, and hated it. I gritted my teeth and stuck it out for four years, long enough to pay off my sizeable student loans, and get situated. I haven’t practiced law since. (Let me be clear, my path is kind of extreme and I’m not saying this exactly is what OP should do).
But instead of aiming to teach right away, what about working in the film industry in LA? Or NY? Or working for the film division of Peloton. (Just throwing ideas out there for you to think about).
Anyway these are issues down the road, you don’t have to worry about that now. But it’s not a bad idea to have some thoughts percolating around in the background.
London is super gray but the good news is Spring in London kind of starts in February with flowers beginning to bloom. And by late Spring it will still be light at 10 pm. I believe as a student you are allowed to work. I lived in London as a student and as an adult, and some of my best memories are working behind the bar at Lord’s Cricket Ground, and at a high end lingerie boutique in Knightsbridge. I remember our most expensive item had sapphires embroidered on it, and the afternoon the shop closed for a Saudi princess to do her shopping. There are so many non-academic amazing things!
Glad to hear you’re going to London. It may be gray at times but it rarely snows and there’s amazing energy in being in the city! I hope you have a fantastic experience! When you speak with your advisor just confirm you can’t go to London for the year starting in the fall. The school term begins later in the UK (late September/early October IIRC) and you definitely have time to obtain a student visa given the start dates. Might be worth looking into since it would give you more time away.
Since this is a small LAC with presumably more individual attention to students, I’d contact them to see if they can work with you to find a way to still make the fall semester abroad possible. There may be more flexibility than you’re thinking.
Or even better, London in the Fall and London in the Spring!
It’s a fabulous city (expensive, but fab). We lived in Europe for a number of years…with the low-cost airline carriers there, we routinely would do weekends in Prague, Paris, Edinburgh etc, and not spend too much money with Ryanair tickets and staying in B&Bs, etc.
The reason I suggest London is that it is such a cosmopolitan place, and you will find folks with common interests and new interests. I haven’t been to Copenhagen, but it strikes me as a much smaller place. That being said, I also hear Denmark is the happiest nation on earth (or something like that)!
I’ve read through the thread and can’t help but think if the old saying, “The grass isn’t always greener.”
Going in as a transfer student isn’t always welcoming, most students have their cliques. I will be surprised if the FA package from USC is anywhere close to what you have now. I wish you the best.
Not trying to steer you in your choice of major, but trying to make you aware that your career plans (professor in film studies, or actually professor in almost anything) should be considered high reach, so you need to consider various alternate plans (just like how pre-meds must consider non-medical-school plans, since most do not get into any medical school).
Just curious as to what your parents feel would be best? Are they aware of how much you hate your LAC? Are they ok with USC and debt? Are they aware of all your social issues etc?
OP, I haven’t read all the comments, but I was in your position back in the day - URM at a top 10 LAC that had a tiny percentage of URM and I hated everything but the quality of the education. I had some similarly bad experiences and was miserable. I applied to transfer and was admitted but did not receive enough financial aid and I was on full financial aid at my LAC. So I found some hobbies to occupy myself, worked more, and accelerated my studies (dropped the double major) so I could graduate in 3 years. I knew it was the school and not me (loved grad school; most URM struggled there as well).
Do not go into debt. If USC doesn’t come through with a comparable financial aid package, tough it out. Find ways to make it tolerable and take full advantage of the pros (sounds like you already are) and be very careful about choosing a good fit grad school. The study abroad option is a good one for you. Another possibility is trying to graduate early if possible. But please don’t go into debt or transfer and spend an extra year for a better/perfect college experience. This is a blip in a hopefully long life. The education will open doors and serve you well long into the future.
I haven’t told my parents yet. I was going to wait for fin aid to come in so we can sit down and talk about it. But my parents knew how miserable I was Fall 2020 and encouraged me to transfer closer to home. They said I became a different person after attending, noting how sad I became, how more mental health issues began to rise, and how I started to smile less.
I promised them I would toughen it out until Spring 2021 to see if I can tolerate it.
Great advice from itsgettingreal21. This will soon be in the rear view mirror. You have a great record and excellent faculty support so don’t abandon ship.
Learn from this experience what your personal priorities are and build on it.
If financially possible, I have been convinced, with more info, that transfer to USC or SoCal in general would be the best option.
If not financially possible and the OP is truly miserable, taking a leave, taking classes in the LA area, and applying to schools for the following year as a fully enrolled student, is another option.
A year abroad could reduce time at the LAC to the final year when socially things might be better. Again, I do think COVID is a factor.
It is not worth being miserable and depressed if these moods are persistent, and you have tried to persevere. Only you know if you can do it. But should you have to force yourself?
I would talk to everyone possible at the LAC to see if there is anything that can help. But if the money comes through at USC, it sounds like a good path despite the problem with no film major.
Regarding the weather: I know the area very well. Lots of gloomy overcast days.
@pineapplenarwhal: Just for fun try to obtain a Fiske Guide To Colleges & read about Occidental College in Los Angeles. I would love to know of your thoughts about this 2,000+ student LAC.
It sounds like you worked hard to make the LAC work - maybe too hard. Three jobs, several clubs, double major… I think you need to do less, not expect perfection or for the college to be everything for you. Work your jobs and enjoy them. Make a friend or two and be thankful, not think you need 10 best friends. If the groups and clubs don’t work out, don’t worry about it. I had a few activities in college but in the long run not life changing for me. I had some friends through my sorority and that became my big benefit from college.
I don’t think things will be different at USC. You will be trying to join clubs that already have cliques and leaders established, some of them freshmen who are younger than you and don’t want your input. It’s the nature of the beast. You will have to establish yourself with new professors. You will be battling for slots in film classes with majors who probably have preference at registration.
Unless the financial aid if fantastic, stay where you are and go to Europe for the spring. Weather may not be better but it won’t be worse. Stop worrying about what others are doing and find something YOU like to do. It may not be on campus. Maybe there is a film society in the community or a yoga group that meets nearby. Ask a friend to join you for a habitat for humanity build on a one time basis. Everything doesn’t have to be about school.
Thank you for the advice. I’ll take that into consideration. However, if you want an idea of how isolating the campus is (i.e. hard to do things that aren’t school), think of a rural campus in the middle of nowhere.
Maybe you should focus on the future-do you need portfolios or whatever to apply to film school? Internships? Do you know where you want to apply and how you will pay for it, and your chance of admission? Alternatively, do you have recs lined up for psychology grad school, and the same questions-where, is it funded, who would you work under, specialization, etc. None of that will be easy to arrange abroad, so do it now. Colleges publish career results by major, have you checked out yours, and for any grad school you are hoping to attend? You could take advantage of the LACS financial support for the next 23 months to get a lot done before you need to be self sufficient
I think it is clear from the OP’s responses what he actually wants to do. Charts of pros and cons are helpful but it really is about what your gut tells you.
My only reservation at this point is that COVID has caused so many students to be isolated, depressed and anxious.
Hoping the financial picture makes the move possible.
