i kind of hate college

Student Lounge College Life
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<p>i'm a sophomore in college in charlotte nc and I am not happy. School isn’t fun. I’ve met really cool people and hanging out with them is fun, but they're not going to be lifelong friends and it doesn’t make up for the fact that I kind of hate living here. I wasn't happy last year either. I’d transfer to another college in another state but A) i can barely afford in-state tuition so how could i ever afford it out-of-state without getting a million loans, and B) i have no clue what state I’d even want to move to. I wish I could go on a road trip and travel to places I’m interested in, but there’s no way I could afford to stay in one place long enough to know if I’d like living there. </p>

<p>I know I want to work in either/both the music industry and film industry. If I worked in the music industry I'd want to be a tour manager. If I worked in the film industry, I'd be happy on either the production side, journalism side, anything really. I just love the media industry as a whole. I'm majoring in communications right now, which is boring me to death. I was considering transferring to unc wilmington for film studies, but still, I don't like being in school and I don't want to live in north carolina/the south anymore period. All I know is I can't stay in charlotte being unhappy and wasting thousands of dollars in school, but I don't know what else to do. I'm considering taking the spring semester off, but I'd have to sub-let my apartment (to move back home to raleigh), and that seems very complicated. However if I did do that, my goal would be to work during the semester, get myself together, and then try to get a summer internship in nyc or los angeles, or any major city really. I also considered finishing this year and taking the fall off instead next year. But I don't know if I can ride it out that long. And I'm scared that if I do take time off, I won't want to go back. I'm sad, I'm anxious all the time, and I have absolutely no motivation to do schoolwork. I just need a change desperately. I haven't spoken to my parents about it, but they've told me I 'can always come back home' so I know they will support me even if they don't like the decision. Any advice?</p>

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<p>Have you talked to the career office at your school? Or to a professor in the areas you are interested in? Use the resources that are available to you to make a plan. Perhaps they could help you get an internship in an area that interests you so you can see if you would like the career…sometimes things seem enticing but end up being a bad fit.</p>

<p>Also, get your parents involved … let them help you get to where you want to go.</p>

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<p>It may be cliche, but it’s true - life is too short not to follow your passion. So if you love film and music, you need to find a way to pursue it or you live a life of regret and dispair. My son is a music major and job prospects aren’t falling out of the sky, but it’s his one true love and I applaud him for doing the thing that makes him happy.</p>

<p>That said, you’ve got to be smart about it - don’t sacrafice your long-term prospects for short-term goals that may not pan out. In other words, you’ve GOT to get your college degree, it makes all the difference. What I would suggest is finding some sort of situation or mentor in the areas you mention, and volunteer to do anything and everything for FREE on your own time. That means working for a local video company, or volunteering in putting on a music festival, etc…reach out to your church, your friends, your professors, your contacts, and make it happen! It only works if you take the bull by the horns, not sitting around hoping.</p>