<p>I have a cousin who lives in Virginia, but who wants to go to USC and double-major by earning a BA in political science and a BFA in film and television production. He then wants to go to law school to earn a his JD. His number-one goal and dream in life is to become an independent filmmaker (he loves Stanley Kubrick, Paul Thomas Anderson, David Fincher, the Coens, Martin Scorsese, etc.). At the same time, he recognizes that film school is useless except for forming connections and learning technology. Yet he also has an interest in politics and the Constitution, so he thinks it would be a good idea to earn a JD so that he won't be unemployable. I attended USC, but I still wanted to know if this is a good means of working towards his dreams.</p>
<p>WOW, I can’t believe I just found this. That is my EXACT situation right now. That’s crazy…</p>
<p>OP, have him look carefully at the new BFA in Production at SCA. Most BFAs have so many reqs in sequence that a student cannot take a double major and graduate in 4 years, even bringing in lots of AP credits. He would be able to get a minor in Poli Sci, but that may not be what he wants. It should also be noted that SCA has such a small admittance rate (around 4%) that it’s a real longshot for everyone and admission is heavily weighted on the portfolio/supplement rather than strictly grades/scores. It is possible to get a double major in Poli Sci and SCA’s Critical Studies major, which still give him a great grounding in filmmaking production courses. But as a BA, it has a little more flexibility for the double major. Still, terribly hard admissions there. Another route would be to major in Poli Sci and minor in SCA–an option open to all USC students. OTOH, he might want to look into the joint Business and Cinema BCS degree, <a href=“Home - USC Marshall”>Home - USC Marshall; which might give him a great alternative. But as you can see here <a href=“USC Marshall”>http://classic.marshall.usc.edu/assets/157/25636.pdf</a> the schedule is very intense and there are maybe 10 units unaccounted for. So even a minor would be a tight squeeze. Lastly, there is no reason to take a Poli Sci major in order to attend law school. So that option is always open, no matter what with great grades and LSATs. Best of luck.</p>