One problem I have faced since my freshman year here at Boston University is whether or not I want to take on a second degree. For a long time, I thought that along with film I would be doing something else, maybe journalism, or maybe something outside of COM, like sociology. However, the past year and half have led me in a completely different direction. While there was a brief time when I considered picking up a minor in journalism, mainly because it was something I did and enjoyed in high school, that never really became a reality. After a while I tossed that idea aside and decided that I was going to dedicate all of my time to the field of film and television.
That all changed when I entered the summer before sophomore year. I guess you could say I had a crisis of sorts, mainly inspired by my family’s desire for me to study something that they viewed as “more secure” in terms of future job possibilities. That resulted in my brief foray into the Questrom School of Business. That was a journey that I quickly ended due to my lack of math background and complete inability to understand anything with the word “calculus” in the course title. My family was not happy that I decided against a Business degree, but I can pretty confidently say that it would not have gone very well.
Well, here I am, a few months later, again back to the singular track of Film and Television. And again, I am considering picking up another major. This time its PR (which is actually a track in the Mass Communication major, but basically its the same thing), which I’ve actually discovered is something I enjoy. Next semester I’m going to take the Intro to PR class, and if all goes well, maybe I’ll pick up a dual degree or a Communication minor!
I guess the moral of the story here is that you don’t have to know what you want to do in college right away! That was something I struggled with for a long time, not just because other people pressured me to find something else, but also because I have a huge range of interests and a huge amount of things that I would like to learn in college. Don’t be afraid to browse the variety of classes that your college has to offer, and don’t be afraid to change your mind even if you’ve taken classes towards a certain track! And don’t forget that you can’t please everybody; if you love film, take film classes if you can. Just because your friends or family think you’re perfect material for the pre-med track doesn’t mean you are; do what you love and what you enjoy!
