To Apply Undeclared or ...?

I didn’t know where to post this but here’s my question anyway!

I have wanted to go into Film Production in college so that would mean me applying for a film production major for the fall of 2018. However, I just recently came to the conclusion that since it is maybe not the best idea for me to go into Film (I don’t have financial security nor will it be highly likely I will if I do major in film), I have decided that maybe I should major in something else. But I am not sure about what exactly to major in now, since film is off the table, so should I just apply undeclared?

I was considering though, that the only exceptions I would make for film would be NYU and USC, but since they are competitive schools to get into, especially for film, I was wondering if maybe it is better to go in undeclared and then go into film, since transfers might have an advantage (please feel free to correct me if I am wrong). But I am not sure what to put on my common app when it asks for my major so any help is appreciated!

Many students go in undeclared. In fact, I think the majority do. Colleges expect kids to change their minds. You should indicate areas of study you are interested in, of course. As far as moving into the film major once accepted, I don’t know. I imagine at a school like USC,where it’s probably very popular and probably impacted, the chance of transferring into it later might be tough.

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1947599-faq-does-intended-major-make-it-easier-or-more-difficult-to-get-into-a-college.html

I can’t speak for USC, but for NYU, if you apply undeclared, you are automatically placed in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Tisch (the art school) is very, very difficult to transfer into, even for internal transfers. It’s not just that rhe competition is fierce; the school itself doesn’t like accepting students after freshman year because they have different course requirements and you would have to prepare and submit your portfolio just the same. Even if you got in, their different graduation requirements would mean you would find it hard to graduate on time. If you are thinking of majoring in film, I wouldn’t recomment applying undeclared for NYU.

@koreanstudent Thanks! By any chance do you know if I can take related courses to film even if I end up majoring in something else at NYU?

Yes, you can still take classes related to film and you can even minor in it regardless of your major, if you want. You won’t be able to take some of the limited-space courses the film majors take but there will still be plenty of classes open to anyone who’s interested.