Study what YOU want in college or what YOUR PARENTS want?

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>Lets say that money wasn't a problem (because of scholarships & financial aids)--In college, would you rather study/major in something YOU love or major in what your parents want? or somehow major in something that satisfy both you and your parents if possible?</p>

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<p>The reason why I ask is I want to attend an Art/Design school in New York (if I get accepted), but my parents want me to study Business or Finance, for instance. That way, according to them, I won't live in poverty and starvation being an Artist/Designer. That's not true, because there ARE successful designers in the world today and I do believe that I WILL have a stable life if I choose my own career(s) such as Graphic, Web or other Designs. It's what I CAN do and love and enjoy doing.</p>

<p>Yes, parents are concerned with their kids. It's understandable. But not all parents MAKE their kids study whatever they want them to study. This is my life and it's not like I am going to drink, smoke and party all night long non-stop. I have better things to do, goals to achieve and things that I want to learn and do. It's not like if I major in designing, my life stops there. I have other plans as well and I can always take electives or local classes on Business. There are loads of other opportunities.</p>

<p>The fact is, I love designing and am interested in Film, traveling and working with people, but I just can't handle Science, Social Studies and few other subjects. I am just not interested in those areas. I can do office work, conduct businesses, answer phone calls, organize events, and etc. I can do that with designing, but my parents still assume that Art/Design = poverty.</p>

<p>I feel that I have the potential to become a successful designer in the future. No matter how much my parents try to convince me, I just refuse to take their advice because I want to major in something that I love. Aside from that, I plan to get involved in school and the community, join school clubs, get a job, visit places, and more. It's what I love doing and CAN do.</p>

<h2>So what IF I don't go to a university for majors that my parents want me to study? So what? I am just not interested. After speaking with teachers, friends, and getting advice from my CAP Advisor, I'd rather be happy living my college life doing something I love rather than being unhappy/regretful studying what my parents want me to study...even though I'll still make the best out of my college life regardless wherever I go.</h2>

<p>What's your opinion? What would YOU do?</p>

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<p>So you're asking, would I want to studying in something I want to, or in something I don't want to? This doesn't seem like a very hard question to me. Study what you want to or else you'll either be miserable for years or be miserable for years, and then switch to the major you do enjoy after all that wasted time.</p>

3

<p>vicissitudes:</p>

<p>You are absolutely right, it isn't a very hard question. :) I agree.
It's just that my parents are so hard-headed that they keep pushing me to go for other majors--like Business. Despite their opinions, I'm still gonna go to the school of my choice and major in whatever I want, whether if they like it or not. But it gets so annoying and frustrating because I am trying to make them understand, but they just don't get it. It's my life, not theirs. They don't get it. They are just concerned with top schools' names like MIT, Harvard, Yale, UPenn, Georgia Tech, etc. Pratt Institute is a good school too, but since it's an art/design school, they automatically assume it's bad, claiming, "I've never heard it before." And me? Harvard? Yale? Phhhhst no thanks...and besides, my grades and exams scores aren't good enough for those schools anyways.</p>

4

<p>Follow your dream!!!!</p>

<p>Having said that, there are many excellent art and design departments within larger universities - you could compromise by going to one of them and taking a few business courses as electives.</p>

5

<p>Hands down study what you want.</p>

6

<p>nervousmommy:</p>

<p>I want to follow my dream. I am going to, but it's quite frustrating for me that my parents don't understand. It's a bit upsetting because I can't really satisfy or make them proud.</p>

<p>I really want to study at New York, because it's "the heart" of designing. I want to study at a place where there are many resources, diversity, places to go to, different kind of foods, easier transportation, etc. I like adventures and going to places, thus, that's another reason why I picked NY. I like to be busy and would love to have the full experience.</p>

<p>I did apply to some state schools that have art/design departments, but I don't think I will get accepted--not because I am trying to be hopeless--but because my grades and exam scores are average, not extremely high. It is said that the art portfolio matters the most, but it's quite hard to tell what the Directors of Admissions are going to decide on.</p>

7

<p>I agree that it is important to study what you want as you will be miserable otherwise. Is there some sort of compromise that would make your parents happy? Maybe minor in something like business so they can feel reassured you have a safety net? I don't know if there are schools where you can do that.</p>

8

<p>PLEASE do what you want. My ex's parents were/are pretty much forcing him to do pre-med and eventually he started to hate it and all the science classes he had to take, and flunked out of a bunch of stuff. So they made him go home (to another country!) and go to school there instead, so they can "keep an eye" on him.</p>

9

<p>Double major - do art and design, and get a second major in something that's a compromise (i.e., you're relatively interested in it and your parents think it'll keep you from living in a cardboard box) - although, i don't know how possible that would be with NYU, since art and design is a separate school... I'm majoring in film, but I'm planning to double major... probably psych, possibly german/education/something.</p>

10

<p>What about art/design + marketing? Those would go pretty hand-in-hand</p>

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<p>swimcatsmom:
My parents won't seem to listen about my desires of pursuing my career in designing. Sometimes I avoid talking to them because it will lead to disagreements and arguments. That's normal, it's hard to change their minds. Eventually we'll have to work out a compromise when the time comes to deciding which school I am going to choose.</p>

<p>AUlostchick:
Thank you for your advice!
Poor guy... he must be really upset. It's shocking that his parents sent him to another country so they could keep an eye on him. They shouldn't be so strict with him. I will definitely remember your post as it will help me remember that I should choose what I want to study.</p>

<p>sydney_bristow87:
I am currently awaiting for Pratt Institute's decision about my admissions. I hear back in mid-Feb. I do not know if Pratt offers double majors. They do offer "Freshmen Foundation" however. If I go to Pratt, I'll see if I can take dual enrollment classes elsewhere. I really want to study in New York. I don't think I have a chance of getting accepted to New York University Tisch School of the Arts, truthfully. Pratt is currently my first choice.</p>

<p>unpolloloco:
I am sure most art/design schools offer marketing too. That would, I agree, go pretty hand-in-hand. I will definitely get involved in school and the community outside of school-hours and get a job. I don't really know what will end up happening in April/May when I have to decide which college to go to...</p>

12

<p>My parents were pushing me to have a double major in business (with theatre), and while originally, I planned to minor in business, because its a good base to have, I have now realized it will probably be impossible for me to graduate in four years doing that. I'm still going to take several business classes, so I'll have the business education, but I'm probably not going to make it an actual minor. </p>

<p>If you really want to appease your parents, just take some classes in business or finance or marketing or whatever, so you have the education in those areas, even if it's without a degree of some sort.</p>

13

<p>It might be best to enroll in a school with both a decent design program and buisness/finance program, so you can take classes in both subjects. I think NYU and Carnegie Mellon both would work for this, and I'm sure there are many more schools that do the same. I mean, as a designer, it would never hurt if you knew some of the basics of accounting and finance--both would help you if you decide to run your own design business, for example. You could take a minor in that area and still concentrate mostly on art and design, and you'd come out of college with improved design skills AND a better foundation in the business skills that could serve you very well later on as a designer.</p>

14

<p>I would double major. Follow your passions but also get preparation for the business world.</p>

15

<p>either double major or compromise. how about architecture? not exactly = poverty, quite close to design, might please your parents. either way, i dont think you shd do sth you absolutely loathe because chances are that you will have no motivation to do well at it</p>

16

<p>It's your life, study what you want.</p>

17

<p>I am of the opinion that you should study whatever you find interesting, not compromising for you parents wishes.
But, you do seem to be the sort of person who wants to reach some sort of a compromise. In your situation, I would say that it has a lot to do with the college you are planning to attend. Supposing you are attending / planning to attend a random community-college type place, it would not be a great idea to major in a subject of little practical value such as art design. Whereas, if you're attending a good college, you should be fine whatever major you choose.</p>

<p>If, at a later stage in life you decide that art/design is not for you, you can always get a different job. Most jobs that simply require a 4-year college degree (irrespective of the major) will be open to you.</p>

18

<p>It depends who's paying for it. if your parents are paying for your college then you should do what they want, as you are dependent on them. If you pay your own way do what you want.</p>

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<p>If my parents had been the pushy, "you must go to a top school and study something that will make you millions of dollars" type, I would have been in the same situation. I am in a design major, and while I'm not 100% sure this is specifically want I want to do, all the things I've considered doing have been design-related. My parents are pretty much clueless about college in general and my mother kept on saying that I should major in computer science because I'm "good with computers" and the computer tech people at the company she works for make more money than she does. I did take a few programming classes and while I might have been fairly good at it, it bored me to tears.</p>

<p>So long as you are sufficiently talented (which is not hard considering some of the crap people apparently pay for to have designed) there's not going to be a huge shortage of jobs or anything. You might not make as much as people in other careers, but I think its more important to actually enjoy your job than to just make a lot of money. If you intend to go into something like graphic design and do freelance work, you might want to do a minor in business or something anyway, since you would be handling the business aspect of things in that situation. And even if you can't find a design job right away, there are a lot of jobs that are just looking for someone with a 4-year degree, and they don't care which major it was.</p>