<p>I have asked this question numerous times on these forums, but each time, I feel as if I flounce up the wording and completely misrepresent what I'm asking.</p>
<p>I have a cousin who is interested in attending USC, but who lives on the East Coast. I currently attend USC, where I am doing grad work. His goal in life is to become a filmmaker, albeit not a big-budget, blockbuster director. He is interested more in Oscar-y, arthouse stuff. Anyway, he originally wanted to attend USC SCA, but decided against it, as a film-school education is clearly not needed to become a successful director. Most greats don't have one, and frankly, majoring in it is a waste of time. He recognizes that there is all sorts of fancy equipment there, but also realizes that he won't have access to said equipment once he graduates. He also recognizes that there are connections that can be formed there, while also realizing that he can form connections by helping film students with their projects, coming up with his own ideas and films on campus, and interacting with people who also have an interest in film on set (without spending his money on a degree). </p>
<p>That being said, he wants to make movies for a living. But he also wants a pragmatic degree, one that he can use. Clearly, it is difficult for Joe Average to break out in Hollywood, especially if Joe Average doesn't come from privilege. A bachelor's degree clearly won't cut it (at least for him), but when it comes to useful graduate degrees, he has limited interest in science and technology. He likes debate, politics, and law, so he would like to BA in Political Science and attend law school and earn a JD as a reliable safety net to fall back on until he can fulfill his dreams of becoming a successful director. Perhaps by specializing in entertainment law, he can work in a field close to filmmaking, while making movies on his own time and trying to see if he can succeed.</p>
<p>Obviously, becoming a famed director is a shot in the dark, but he doesn't want to become a starving artist, so a pragmatic degree in another one of his interests (law) is what he would like to spend his college years/tuition on.</p>
<p>What do you think? Since I attend USC, I have been asked to think this over and determine if it's a good idea, but I also want to hear what others believe. (Worth noting: student has almost all A's, 2220 SAT score, taking SAT II (chem, math 2, US history) and ACT soon.)</p>