MusakParent I really like your point about many making a “quiet” living in the arts.
The various skills and tasks you listed as part of that life are also a very good point. I do think undergrad years should be a time when you can “just” do music (intense as it is), though many conservatories now have classes on entrepreneurship and require outreach work. Ditto other arts like theater.
CS is way more than coding. A lot of intense math, for one thing. My son majored in it and tries to explain things and I do get it once in awhile, but mainly I get the complexity and depth of the curriculum for the major.
@NASA2014 " A degree in computer science is so worthless these days. You can literally learn coding by yourself"
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Mere mortals might consider a “worthless” CS degree, but first consider how much it is worth in today’s market:
2016 post graduate report on Computer Science majors (WPI): BS $85,456, MS $90,238, PhD $122,500
2016 post graduate report on Interactive Media & Game Development BS $71,644
There are plenty of people who are self taught and who can write code. Some strike it rich! It is a lot like playing the lottery. If you had the data and understood probability, you might opt out for a more certain path. We will always have examples of exceptions to the rules. One of my favorite inventors is Dean Kamen who has no earned degree, but plenty of honorary degrees and successful inventions.
Teaching yourself code is one thing, but computer science is another. Look over this listing of courses and tell yourself that there is no advantage to having a knowledgeable and experienced mentor to go over the subject and its applications with you (see https://www.wpi.edu/academics/departments/computer-science/courses).
I’m a firm believer in the value of a liberal arts education, and in giving students time to explore and grow up a bit before deciding on a major. I’d start with finding out what she didn’t like about F & M and the LACs she saw. Were they too small for her? In that case, what about something like Tulane or Emory or a mid sized institution like that? My daughter was just accepted to Scripps, which is part of the Claremont Consortium, and it’s a great combination of big and small. Another thought is the consortium in MA. Or something like Barnard in NYC, which is right across from Columbia University with cross registration privileges. All of these options would give her time to explore without feeling as small as the schools she didn’t like.
@MusakParent Thanks for this. My junior daughter thinks it would be great fun to be a Musical Theater major. She gets lead roles in our small, rural Iowa school (sure she does a good job but honestly not a lot of competition) but the extent of her dance training is various Just Dance games on the Wii ;). I’ve had her pretty well convinced to make theater her minor. She brought up MT major again yesterday and I pointed out that the MT majors do not have time for a minor and so she’d have all her eggs in one basket and she seemed to accept that as not a good idea. If she brings it up again I will mention the intensity of dance. I don’t think she realizes the extent.
Everything else the same, it is easier to switch majors to/from engineering at universities where engineering is not an entirely separate college. Most schools, one applies directly to engineering and then must apply again to switch colleges. But for some universities, there is no application to a specific major/college, just a general application. One example is Brown University (not the greatest example because admission percentage is so low) - at Brown, there is no application directly to engineering and in fact, students are encouraged to explore in the first year or two before declaring the engineering concentration. I’m sure there are lots of other gems out there like Brown that encouraging this searching. Ooh - one suggestion - Washington and Lee University (although the deadline for the big scholarship has passed).
In general - no need to pick a major now. Better to pick a list of schools for which changing majors is relatively easy.
@profdad2021 That is all nice that you can explore but even Brown works to ABET accreditation so a late decision to choose engineering can definitely impact graduation time. You can sit down with your advisor and plan a five year program at a state school with freedom to explore.
I agree that the best Universities for her at this point are those that have few or no extra requirements to get into engineering from undecided, and/or allow her to apply to the college in general not to college of engineering.
Set your budget for 5 years. If you have 60k planned, I assume for 4 years, it means you feel you can afford a total of 240k - divide that into 5 and tell her she has to find a university that is 40-45k a year max and she has time to explore.
To the OP, originally you mentioned drama, not musical theater . While actors certainly learn to move on stage, they don’t have to take the dance that musical theater actors do. Was the recent play at high school a musical? You also mentioned screenwriting.
She may be having temporary doubts about engineering before recommitting, or she may have a genuine desire to explore various areas of interest, including theater. Again, my suggestion would be to apply to a few schools, that cover each of her options. She can decide in late April. Encourage her to do things that help her clarify, whether that means more acting or classes/ lessons of some kind or volunteering.
I will also say again that a theater major is welcome in many areas of work and the skills learned are valuable in many fields. It is a bachelors degree like any other and gives access to grad school, or law/medicine/business/nursing schools after graduation. These days, many many students do grad or professional school and that is sometimes where the more specific career choice is made, if not on the job market.
I would try NOT to sway her at this point. About schools, majors, minors, anything. Except for financial concerns, let this be entirely her own decision but be there if she needs a sounding board. Reflect back in as neutral a way as you can manage
