<p>Hello all, </p>
<p>I wanted to get some of your opinions regarding different the different UCs here in SoCal.
I am currently transferring from a California Community College as a Junior. I am planing on Majoring in Economics and Philosophy (double major) with a minor in Film Studies. After graduation, I plan on working on the business side of the film industry (talent agency), and then later trying to get a JD (law degree) from an Ivy league school. I am having trouble deciding which school I should attend to finish off my bachelors. I have the following options:</p>
<p>UCLA
Major: Mathematics/Economics, Philosophy
Minor: Film, Television, and Digital Media
Pros: Prestige within film industry.
Cons: Not actual econ, only Math/Econ. Don't know aid yet, I applied for the regents scholarship though.</p>
<p>UCI
Major: Economics, Philosophy
Minor: Film and Media Studies
Pros: Full on economics, not Math/Econ. Closeness to Los Angeles (can still room with friends in LA)
Cons: Preparation for Law school</p>
<p>UCSD
Major: Economics, Philosophy
Minor: Film Studies
Pros: Full on economics
Cons: so far from LA</p>
<p>My biggest concern would be whether or not a prestigious law school would look more favorably at a degree from UCLA versus a degree from UCI.</p>
<p>Hopefully some of you guys on here have some input about my upcoming decision.</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>If you minor is really that important to you, I’d say pick UCLA. However, that’s a lot you’re going for so I hope you won’t be overwhelmed.</p>
<p>I was leaning closer to UCLA, but I suppose it all depends on how much aid they give me.</p>
<p>@oceanpartier: I am concerned about that, as I don’t really know how much more rigorous the coursework at a UC will be compared to my CC (I’ve heard different things from my peers who have transferred), but I think it shouldn’t be that big of a problem. During the past two years, I’ve balanced about 6 honors classes a semester and a 40-hour a week management job. I don’t plan on working after I transfer. Thank you for the concern though :D</p>
<p>I’m pretty knowledgeable about law school admissions and I can tell you the only thing that matters, literally, is your undergraduate gpa (your community college gpa will be included) and lsat score. Any law school you apply to is not going to distinguish at all between the three schools you’ve listed.</p>
<p>This is what you should do if you’re serious about law school: pick the cheapest school you can and graduate as soon as possible. This means picking one and only one major; double majoring will not improve your chances at all. Graduating quickly is important because law school is tremendously expensive, and you really don’t want to add on debt from undergrad. </p>
<p>Second, I would encourage you to consider not going to law school. The fact is that the number of legal jobs available is far, far less than the number of new law school graduates every year and it’s getting worse. I personally know several people who graduated in the top half of their class from very good law schools who are unable to pay off their crushing debt because they cannot find a job. My impression is that the vast majority of people who go to law school regret it.</p>
<p>If you do decide you want to go to law school, at least major in something that will allow you to get a job. I would also recommend trying to do an internship so that you have some experience you can put on your resume in the event that you are applying for entry level positions.</p>
<p>@spookyaction2:
Thank you for the informative response. I only plan on double majoring with a minor if I can fit it all in without too much extra cost. If it will leave me with too much extra debt, then I will drop one of them. But college is still an investment, right? Investments cost money, so I am expecting some debt.
As far as job prospects and paying for further education post-graduation go, I plan on working in the entertainment industry at a talent agency for several years before pursuing my JD and my MBA. After I have those, I plan on returning to the entertainment industry in a different capacity, hopefully at a studio. I have a strong resume for someone my age, 21, with two summers of internships under my belt and another three ahead of me, in addition to my robust occupational history.
Who knows? Maybe my plans will change and I will decide that I don’t even need further education (I doubt that, however, as I also would like to dabble in politics at some point haha)
Thanks again for the reply. I am sure I will refer back to it when the time comes to plan my next move after receiving my Bachelors.</p>
<p>I would go to UCLA since you are planning to go into the entertainment industry and there are more opportunities there.</p>
<p>if you’re trying to break into the entertainment industry, why would you not go to UCLA?</p>
<p>Whether I attend UCLA or not, I am going to take a “Corporate Internship in Film” course that they offer to non-UCLA students each summer. That will allow me to use their resources to secure internships within the industry, so I am not too worried about breaking in to the industry.
I guess my main concern is how much debt I should be willing to take on to take advantage of UCLA’s perceived connection with the film industry. Both UCI and UCSD have offered me really substantial grants, and I have doubts that UCLA’s offering will be comparable.</p>
<p>Totally agree with Spooky. If you want to get into a law school, GPA + LSAT combination of at least 3.8 + 170 for ivies. I don’t recommend this though.
If not, go to UCLA. Math/Econ is better than Econ. If I were you, I probably go for Math/Econ major plus two minors. but you have to spend 3 years unless you can manage and get good grades 6 classes per quarter.
IMHO, whatever you are planning will most likely not going to work… Our plan never works…
If you have to decide between better GPA vs more experience, I would go for better GPA if you are not 100% certain about your future. Generally, higher GPA gives you more opportunity.</p>