<p>I'm a high school senior who is going to start my freshmen year at Penn State - U Park in the fall. I want to double major in Broadcast Journalism and English because I found my passion of writing after I joined my high school newspaper. My goal is to work my butt off in college: maintain 3.5+ gpa, get at least 1200 GRE score, and get as much work experience I can get (interning at newspaper, magazine companies, tv stations, broadcasting stations, film studios, etc. (anything relevant)). I plan on studying abroad as well (perhaps somewhere in the Middle East since I have a huge interest in Israel/Jewish culture) so I can expand my perspective and use that experience to creatively write about media, cultures, etc. Ok, so I have everything planned out - big deal haha! I have big dreams, what's wrong with that?</p>
<p>These are the schools I want to go to for grad school with great Journalism or English programs: Columbia, Northwestern, UCLA, UCB, NYU, and Brown.</p>
<p>Whenever someone asks me what my plan is life after high school, this is what I tell them. The response I get: laughs. It bothers me how condescending people can get towards others who have big dreams. Am I seriously laughable material? I know Penn State is nowhere near the status of those schools I just listed, but I think that if one works hard in college, he/she can get anywhere. I think it's worth the shot and I am not going to waste this opportunity. </p>
<p>Have you ever had an experience where someone undermined your ambitions/dreams/goals?</p>
<p>There’s nothing wrong with big dreams. You sound very bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, which, at your age, you should be. It’s great to have goals. I think perhaps legitimate causes for laughs (in a goodhearted way) could be: you don’t realize that maybe all your goals/hopes/dreams may change when you get to college and realize that major x isn’t as great as major y. Older people may realize that interests may change dramatically (the kid that wants to be an MD that switches to philosophy or the math major that becomes a history major or the serious student that becomes carefree or the slacker that buckles down and graduates with honors) and they may think it’s amusing that you believe so strongly that you will stick with these interests. You never know where life may take you. You may be inspired by something unknown in your future (a great professor, internship, person you meet on the street, a place you visit, an issue that you start to care about) and where that path may take you. My advice is don’t feel like you have to stick to your original plan if your interests change - continue to follow your heart and brain where it takes you.</p>
<p>I don’t think your plan is a bad one at all. Of course, your plans may change as you delve into journalism. One great thing about the field that I think gets overlooked is the versatility of the skillset you develop as a journalist. You will develop a strong ability to create effective communications vehicles - be they videos on YouTube, press releases, sports blogs or educational television shows. Journalism may be in trouble right now, but there will never stop being a demand for effective communicators, because they’re needed in every facet of life.</p>
<p>What people find funny is not the fact that you’re ambitious.
Its the fact that you have extremely concrete plans, this early in the game. No matter how well you’ve thought things through in high school, your plans <em>will</em> change.</p>
<p>I’ve been told with a straight face and no offense meant on their part, by two mid-career colleagues that International Affairs or it’s variants is fooey fooey and “useless” :)</p>
<p>I work in an international organization in DC that is prominent in the field of economics.</p>
<p>^I disagree that plans always change. I’ve wanted a PhD in theoretical physics since I was about 13, when I discovered my passion. I’m now one year away from graduating with a BSc in Mathematics and Physics, and will apply for PhDs in theoretical physics in the autumn. Having a dream that doesn’t change might be somewhat rare, but it definitely happens. It’s been true for several of my friends as well.</p>
<p>To the OP: Follow your dreams. Pursue them for all they’re worth, but if you find a new passion, don’t hesitate to follow that either. Do what makes you happy.
]</p>
<p>That’s not proof that plans don’t change. With much respect to you, you’re still a year away from graduating and you don’t know what you’ll do. When I was a junior in college I would’ve told you I would be getting my PhD in psychology the next year. I changed tracks to public health somewhere in between. And even within this PhD program, I’ve gone from wanting to do research at the CDC to wanting to do something else entirely.</p>
<p>What if, God forbid, you don’t get into any PhD programs? Or you get there and realize after a semester that you hate it? I’m only using you as an example, because the same could happen to OP - s/he could do an internship in journalism and realize that s/he hates it, or maybe stumble into a program for something else just to pay the bills and realize that’s what s/he loves to do. You never stop changing, as you begin to discover yourself more and really realize what it is you love - and there’s nothing wrong with that. You can always change and grow, realize that you dislike some things and like others, and carve your path out. And many people switch careers.</p>
<p>In response to the OP, though, there is nothing wrong with dreaming big! Take it as a learning experience. There are always people who will try to put you down, tell you that what you want is impossible or can’t be done or that you don’t have a chance. Ignore them. You’re not trying to divide by zero, you want to be a journalist. There are thousands of journalists - millions, maybe. They all started somewhere, and Penn State is a great place to start.</p>
<p>Well, I know 100% I’ll be getting a BSc in Mathematics and Physics. I go to school in the UK and it is impossible for me to change at this point in my degree. I’m also guaranteed a spot in a PhD program at my university if I want it. I suppose I could change my mind, but it’s unlikely. The same could happen for the OP.</p>
<p>I’m not saying that changing one’s mind doesn’t happen, because it definitely does. But at the same time, it’s not something that’s 100% certain to happen. There are people out there who have had a dream since before university, and they’ve achieved that dream with no deviations. It’s probably not common, but it does happen. I just think that people like the OP shouldn’t be discouraged. They should follow their dreams, and if on the way they discover something they like more, then they should change and follow that! There’s nothing holding them to the original dream. It’s just that when someone has had dream before uni, so many people say “Oh you’ll change your mind, it’s never going to happen” that it gets really demoralising. We should praise and support people with dreams, not get down on them before they’ve even started. </p>
<p>Everyone always looks at the bad side: What if you don’t get into a PhD program? What if you change your mind? Blah blah blah. Almost no one is like “Awesome! You’re almost there! Keep reaching for that goal.” I just wanted to give the OP some support so that he knows there are people out there who have accomplished or are on their way to accomplishing their dreams.</p>
<p>Part of it is the concreteness–I mean, the GRE itself is changing, for one.</p>
<p>But also it’s surprising because few people are that detail-oriented, so you probably have a very particular personality that seems cute to people who are a few years older.</p>
<p>Sorry, I know “cute” is not what you were going for but that is no doubt part of it. It’s just funny to see “that” guy in the body of a high schooler at the age of 18 spouting off about some long-term plans… and you’re thinking, “Oh, man, I’ll bet Nelson was just like this in high school.”</p>
<p>If they doubt you, forget about them. There’s nothing wrong with being goal-oriented. Aim high–you can do it. Go for it and good luck!</p>
<p>I’m not focusing on the bad side. I’m already in a PhD program and so I’ve confronted a lot of people who said the same things to me. What I’m saying is that the people who are the most adaptable and willing to go with the flow when things happen are the ones who are the most successful. You have to take opportunities and go with them; you have to have a Plan B, sometimes.</p>
<p>I was doing the exact opposite of discouraging OP. I think s/he should reach for his/her dreams, just like I feel like you should, too. I’m just saying one always need to have an ear to the ground, seize opportunities, and allow for reshaping. There’s a reason why it’s not common for people to have the same path after university as they had before it: we all grow up, we discover new things, we realize our interests take us in another path.</p>
<p>I still think OP should ignore the naysayers and go for what s/he wants.</p>
<p>I graduated with a double in Joint Math/Econ and Psyc with all aspirations to go into a Ph.D. in psychology after a year or two of working full-time as a lab tech; my ambitions changed and I decided to apply to a different discipline all together (without any real substantive experience; I just did more research about other subjects and liked them more), and couldn’t be happier.</p>
<p>I had fairly solid plans for graduate school from years 2-4 and they never really changed until after I actually graduated. This may or may not happen to you, but sometimes change occurs because of coincidence or luck.</p>
<p>I’m sure that we would all agree that there’s a difference between having big dreams and having realistic ones. Right now, I think the OP has realistic dreams, provided he works on the mechanics of writing and his journalistic sensibilities as well as on his grades. Those dreams can quickly become unrealistic if he focuses on the goal and not the hard work that will help him reach it. People may be laughing because he hasn’t yet proven that he’s capable of getting from the dreaming stage to the realization one. Does that mean he won’t get there? Absolutely not.</p>
<p>It’s fine to dream, and it’s fine to adjust those dreams as reality starts to temper them. My advice to the OP is to work on getting the best education possible and to take advantage of available opportunities. Prove to people that you have what it takes. And if you discover one day that you don’t have what it takes to achieve this particular dream, have the courage to direct your talents elsewhere.</p>
