<p>I know the answer to this is college, but hear me out; my situation is weird. I applied to schools as a film and media studies major (I'm a transfer student hoping to become a screenwriter). UCLA was my top choice, as they have an excellent film and television school. Here's the kicker though: I got in with my ALTERNATE major, French. So here's my dilemma. Do I go to UCLA for the opportunity to network and get internships, even though I'd be getting a bachelor's in French? I'm going to look into the possibility of minuting in film, too. Or should I go to UC Berkeley as a media studies major? The main drawback with Berkekey is that it's not close to LA, where I should probably be. Or should I consider UC Irvine? It seems close enough to LA that I'd be able to get internships, but everyone's telling me I'd be crazy to go there. Ultimately I'd like to attend graduate school at UCLA, and I hear that grad schools prefer to take students from other schools, to avoid nepotism. Ugh, so many factors! Anyway, what do you guys think?</p>
<p>So you were accepted to UC Berkeley in Media Studies, UCLA in French, and UC Irvine in Film & Media Studies. Is that right? Sorry, just want to be clear.</p>
<p>Yes, that’s right. Sorry if I was vague!</p>
<p>Also, it should be *minoring, not minuting. My bad</p>
<p>Actually, I’m thinking you could parlay that French major into a career in film if you could add a Film minor, take perhaps a couple communication or stats or business classes, and do some kind of thesis on French film/actors in LA or at the Academy Awards (how about “French actors in American films” or “…who live in Hollywood” or “…who met success at the Academy Awards”, including Berenice Bejo, Marion Cotillard, and Jean Dujardin?) There is a sizable French population related to film, actors but also technicians and people working in animation. (I really wish Ernest&Celestine had won this year for best animated film. So different from what you typically see and perfect for preschoolers to grade 3.)
Can you imagine “Hello, Mr Dujardin’s agent, I’m writing a thesis at UCLA and I was wondering if we could meet…” :D</p>
<p>Go to UC Berkeley. There’s a great deal happening that’s media related in the Bay Area. LA is a short flight away should you find intern opportunities there.</p>
<p>I don’t have a lot of knowledge of the film industry, but it always seemed like a field where experience and networking mattered a lot more than what your degree was in. I would try to go to the school where you could get the best experience in the field because that would matter more than coursework, I would imagine. Would you still be able to take courses in the film department even if they don’t allow you to major in it?</p>
<p>About staying in the same school for graduate school–that’s usually to prevent a kind of "academic inbreeding, where students are only exposed to one way of thinking or teaching (and is mainly relevant for research dominated field). In larger departments or professional schools, it’s becoming less of a huge worry, and I don’t know how relevant the concern is for film. If you’re concerned about this, it might be worth it to contact someone in the department. Really, for any of these questions, it’s worthwhile to ask someone in tge field what they think.</p>
<p>^ Absolutely true (I should have spelled it out too).
Op: that’s why I spoke of using your French major as a way to get into that professional milieu, rather than of straight major. Your experiences with the “right” people, internships, jobs, contacts, etc., will be way more important than major.
Post on each college’s forum though. Ask the same questions, compare the answers.</p>
<p>In addition to where you want to be, you also have to think about how you want to get there and when you need to be there.</p>
<p>Do you want to work your way into screenwriting by having other jobs in film? In that case, it would be an advantage to be in LA at some point after undergrad or grad school. But I’m not so sure that being in LA during undergrad is necessarily going to get you closer to a job. How much time are you going to spend networking in the film industry as an undergrad? </p>
<p>At any rate, the odds of you becoming a successful screenwriter are nil if you don’t have a saleable script in your hands, and you very likely won’t have one (or better yet, two or three) until you are much older, maybe late 20s or 30s. So ask yourself when it’s necessary to be in LA.</p>
<p>Have a look at what you want to get out of your undergrad degree in terms of academic content and campus fit, and maybe put less stock in proximity to LA. Which major/minor will help develop your writing ability, creativity, and your understanding of film so that you can actually write a script that someone wants to buy? </p>
<p>Here’s an open thought - do you NEED to be attached to a college in Los Angeles in order to stay in Los Angeles? Last I checked, the two are mutually exclusive. Even if you aren’t attending UCLA or another school in the area, that technically doesn’t have to stop you from renting out a $1,200/month studio to look for internships. </p>
<p>I’m just saying. No one would stop you. You could give it a shot and leave if it wasn’t working out, no debt and no strings attached. It’s a relatively small commitment, especially since you could bail out at any time. That’s the reason people take gap years and extend enrollments by a semester. </p>