And you should apply for English if you want to be in media studies for what reason?
No - you should apply to the major you want. Otherwise you risk being miserable. English isn’t remotely close to Media.
You are going about this the wrong way - and plus you still have to get in. But if you truly know what you want to do - then the school is secondary.
As for UCLA, what they say about Communication and probably other majors is:
One of the most important decisions you will make in college is your choice of major — the field of study that represents your principal interest and that will likely contribute to your career goals. Some students select their major at the time they fill out the University’s application for admission, although a far greater number are undecided about their major.
Students in the College of Letters and Science do not need to declare their major in their freshman year. In fact, you can be an “undeclared major” until the end of your sophomore year, which is particularly advantageous if you are not certain of your specific academic goals. It is wise to wait and explore the diversity of subject areas offered at UCLA through taking introductory courses in a variety of disciplines. It would not be unusual for you to become enthusiastic about disciplines previously unfamiliar to you. With careful planning, these courses may also apply toward fulfilling your university and college requirements.
It’s not just those 2 schools. I am just confused for those 2 schools whether I should apply with a major. Some of the other schools either don’t ask for your major until Sophomore year, or their website says the majority of students apply undecided.
For UCLA the choice of major shouldn’t impact admissions but with an 8% admit rate it’s not a walk in the park either. For Berkeley, you just need to make the call on whether you want the school or the major more.
Berkeley says production is not a focus of its film and media program so I can’t see a TRF major wanting to go there?
That said, if you go in undeclared and want the Media Studies major later, they say:
For students who did not select a high-demand major on their UC Berkeley admissions application, the process for declaring a high-demand major will be through a comprehensive review, rather than a minimum GPA requirement only. Students will have one opportunity to apply for a high-demand major, and will be required to have an alternate plan to declare a non-high-demand major as a back-up.
UCLA is in the college of arts and sciences and shouldn’t matter.
I’m scratching my head as to why you’d even apply to Berkeley - I hope it’s not the name / rank thing…CSUN yes UCB - no
My opinion is the opposite. You need to live at this college for four years. Many many many students switch majors and do so multiple times. Some colleges don’t ask you to declare a major until you end your sophomore year.
Pick a college with options…make sure that switching majors is something not so hard to do to your preferred area of study…whatever that is.
For example, switching into CS or engineering can be challenging at some schools…and in fact can’t really happen.
That’s fine (if that’s your opinion…I disagree as there will be a lot of schools out there a student will like with the major), but if you have a desired major going in, and picking a college that doesn’t have it - you sort of are not giving yourself a chance to pursue/study what you desire. And what’s the point of that. Not everyone changes majors - neither of my kids have and I can’t think of any relatives or kids friends who have.
My feeling is that if you want a specific major, and it’s an impacted major, you should apply directly to the major. Additionally, many people have indicated that at schools with secondary admission to a major, there can often be greater competitiveness and less collegiality among students wanting to enter that major. That is something to be aware of for any school where you would need to do a secondary admissions process, not just Cal.
Do you have schools on your list that you are 1) extremely likely to be admitted to, 2) that your family can definitely afford, and 3) that you would be happy to attend? If not, you need to find at least one or two schools that meet all three of those criteria. If you need help finding such schools, let us know more about you and what you want out of your college experience (as well as budget).
Sure it can. At some schools. Both of my sons started out with a different intended major and changed TO engineering - one to Mechanical Engineering and one Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (and the second son also had a minor in psychology). They both changed to engineering second semester of their sophomore years, and graduated in 4 years. The younger s took an extra physics course at Ga Tech during the summer to apply to his major, while also doing an internship. Anything is possible.
Switching to engineering is possible at some schools…and not possible at others. But I don’t think this kid is at all interested in engineering so we can stop talking about that.
My point was…students need to see how easy (or not) it is to switch majors. At some colleges it is very easy.
@blossom perhaps can comment on majors and how they relate to careers. Sometimes the chosen college major doesn’t seem to align with career plans…but really…it does.
The old saying used to be, “ half the kids apply as undecided and the other half change their major”. As others have said, good idea to be mindful of how competitive it is at some schools to get into some intended majors (eg at some schools journalism was competitive, at others admission to the business school was also not a guarantee). Alternatively, if, for example, in your activities list and essays, everything points to a strong interest in program A, if you then apply as an intended major to something that clearly doesn’t align with your interests and activities, it can stand out.
S23 was admitted to 3 schools in which he was NOT admitted to the program he applied to but was offered a secondary choice. In all 3 cases transfer out of the secondary choice to the primary once at the school was not going to be an option (competitive program that they don’t allow transfers into).
You need to do the research on the program at the specific schools to gauge what your best option might be. They will sometimes cover the scenario during the information session for the specific program.
No, OP wants to apply to to Berkeley even though he can’t study what he wants.
I mentioned Cal State Northridge. Most would never consider - it’s always UCLA and UCB because they’re UCs and they’re high ranked. And obviously Northridge isn’t a highly ranked school on the overall basis.
But not only could the OP study at Northridge what he wants - or anything he can change into - but he would be studying what he wants at a top flight school for the major.
But of course, it’s not a UC or UCLA or UCB - and it appears (at least to me) this is that type of student - he’s seeking that name. Why else would you apply to a school where you can’t study what you desire?
You can do many jobs from many majors - but something requiring hands on experience - and the OP mentioned a TRF major - is better to be at the school with the major. This isn’t someone from psych or history or marketing becoming an account manager type situation.
But the days where a specific TRF major meant equipment and a big infrastructure to support it – that’s over. A kid can learn what they need to learn to become a digital producer at CNN sitting at grandma’s kitchen table with a phone and a decent quality ring lamp. Young cousin of mine did just that- majored in English Lit, taught himself production, had a couple of production internships at a public TV station which had no budget but was known for quality reporting- and voila.
This is true and I noted that in post 9 - everyone has an iPhone which means everyone has a camera.
However, if you truly want to study and learn the techniques and be engaged in the formal project, the TRF major still would have value.
But back to this case and it’s OP’s choice of course - it’s clear the school is more important to them than to study what he says he wants to.
Someone choosing English as a way to get in (not because they want to study it) is silly - to me. If you want to study English, that’s different but in this case, it seems more as a way to enhance admission chances. So I get the big name I’m clearly after - but I have to study a subject I don’t desire. ok - that sounds like a fun four years.
Even the film program at Santa Cruz has production aspects - but again it’s not UCLA or UCB.
It’s just one of those “name” discussions - but no reason to continue forward.
We have these type discussions and this type student all the time
“This type student” seems unnecessarily dismissive.
We’re talking about 17-18y/o’s who legitimately aren’t sure what they want to study. It’s not unusual for their interest in a particular school to be better-solidified than their interest in a particular major.
If you know you want media studies and have little interest in analyzing literature, then it’s silly to apply for English just to dial up the odds of getting into Berkeley. But what of the kid who truly isn’t sure? Do you calibrate your acceptance odds to the most rejective major you might possibly be interested in?
One of my kids did this and applied to CS at UCLA. Got waitlisted, and might well have gotten into L&S. The app lets you choose a second-choice major, and she chose an L&S major for that, but learned after submitting that they don’t actually consider a second-choice major in a different college. (Should we have researched that more thoroughly? Yes. Could the app just be clear and not let you designate things that aren’t really options? Also yes, lol.) How long did her desire to keep the CS option open last? Less than one semester. In this case, it’s all good, because UCLA wasn’t The Dream and probably wouldn’t have been the best choice for her… but for another kid this could have been a huge missed opportunity, just because of the decision to apply to the most competitive major of potential interest.
I remember, back in the dark ages, ruling out perfectly great colleges because they didn’t have a particular language I thought I wanted to study. Did I actually end up studying that language at the college I attended? No, I did not.
In real life, it isn’t that easy to strike the balance between keeping all desired options open, major/minor-wise, and finding a fit with the best possible school. Sure, rank/prestige often come into the thought process too; but finding the right strategy isn’t as simple as just “don’t be so hung up on rank.”
For this particular student, IMHO English doesn’t seem like a good compromise… but Rhetoric might be. The description does convey explicitly that it is not a communications degree; but it may still encompass some of the attributes that the OP likes most about communications. Or it may not. I tend to think that applying to media studies and letting the chips fall as they may is the best choice; but it could go either way depending on the OP’s range of interests and how important each feels at this time. And even then, it’s hard to project into the future. You make your best call and go with it.
As others have said, good idea to be mindful of how competitive it is at some schools to get into some intended majors (eg at some schools journalism was competitive, at others admission to the business school was also not a guarantee). Alternatively, if, for example, in your activities list and essays, everything points to a strong interest in program A, if you then apply as an intended major to something that clearly doesn’t align with your interests and activities, it can stand out.
it’s silly to apply for English just to dial up the odds of getting into Berkeley. But what of the kid who truly isn’t sure? Do you calibrate your acceptance odds to the most rejective major you might possibly be interested in?