I’m currently a sophomore at a small art school, fairly close (about 1 hr) away from my hometown and to be honest, my experience hasn’t been too great. I’ve had a hard time making friends since it’s such a small school (I made friends freshman year but we had a falling out and a lot of drama was spread) and everyone seems to be in a clique similar to high school or hiding away in their dorms. I live off campus this year, as last year I almost transferred but decided to stay and the one student housing building was full so I had to find an apt nearby.
I’ve tried joining clubs and collectives, but I felt really uncomfortable in them and after deciding to stop going I’ve been given many dirty looks by the members and such, so it’s rare to feel comfortable with meeting new people here and it honestly feels like high school in a lot of ways.
Academically, I’ve done fairly well (mostly A’s and B’s, only one C and one D last year; all A/B’s this semester) but I feel like I’m wasting money and time learning nothing about my major (Film) which is pretty technical and we’re not permitted to use anything besides DSLR cameras, until junior possibly senior year, unless we choose to buy our own equipment, which is highly expensive for even the most basic gear. (we’re not even allowed to check out green screens or light gels, which I’ve had prior experience with).
Also, besides the school focusing more on the “art and design” majors rather than film, the success stories from alum seem far from many and the school seems to lack connections for film students. From what I’ve seen, most end up working for wedding video companies, freelance photography, or becoming cashiers for retail stores.
As I stated before, I almost transferred to a larger university last year but decided to give this school another chance since the first year can be filled with a lot of core stuff, but I still just often feel depressed and lonely here as well as dissatisfied. When I return home or visit other places I feel so much happier. I just feel like the school I’m at now isn’t going to prepare me for the real world and industry.
I don’t know if I should try to just push through these last two years so I atleast have the degree, or if I should try again and transfer somewhere with better opportunities. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hi! First you’re doing all of the right things. Because you don’t sound happy, I think it’s clear that maybe a little adjustments are in order.
Second – I’m an advocate for going into the arts if that’s where your heart lies, so more power to you. However, I also advocate doing so with a clear plan in mind. The arts as a career often have slow starts, meaning that if you’re like most people on the planet, your film degree will be the beginning of mastering your craft rather than the end. At graduation you will have the basic knowledge to train yourself to become over time a filmmaker. Why? Because like it or not, learning the craft, honing the skills, takes time and lots of practice.
What to do?
This is the advice that I’ve given my own kids. If you want a career in the creative arts, plan for at least 10 years of practice of your craft. That means: plan for a day job. By planning for the day job, you can avoid being a cashier or waitress while practicing your craft. Instead, you may work a job that makes real money and may support your craft. You can build your life.
If you were my child, I’d suggest that you transfer to a uni that includes any of these skill sets that you can add to film. In other words, a film dept where you can finish that (if that’s where your heart lies) and then classes or a minor in any of these skills to add to the film major–
Marketing
Any business skills such as accounting,
Data, statistics and data-crunching or interpretation – such as data visualization skills
Computer and IT skills (during the summer you can get maybe a fairly cheap comptia A+ cerificate which will give you the skills you need to do help-desk work – $58K on average salary. Go to your local community college for this certificate)
Graphic design skills
Here is an article that summarizes research done by Burning Glass about what skills you can combine with a liberal arts or arts degree that will make you marketable.
When you transfer (or even if you don’t transfer) spend your energies getting summer work in any kind of setting that involves the creative work you like. Every arts organization needs people to run the organization. The skills described above plus your experience working (and connections made there) will help you get a good day job once you graduate.