dj02bothell

Thanks for the quick responses! So, i'll be sure to not worry too much on my major since it's already something I LOVE. I've been stuck a pit as to if I should double major or not. Is it really that good to have two degrees (Media Studies and English)? Or should I stick with a major and minor? Dunno. Ergh. I'll think about it later. For your personal statement, can it be creative? I've read one of my older sister's friend's paper for grad school (Sociology, Vanderbilt) and her personal essay was very...."practical?" Like it was just a laundry list of her achievements and goals, and not very much substance. I mean, at least that's how I felt with it. But she got in. So, this leads to my question if it's OK to write your personal statement in your own creative way. I would rather focus on my reasoning to my interest in field of study and talk about the experiences I gained from jobs, internships, etc. and how I want to apply that to the real world. Again, thank you guys for the help/advice. This website is awesome.

I know I wont be a help very much because I'm only a freshmen, but from my research it's important to have internships, but it's not paramount. Having any kind of relevant experience would help. In your case, you actually went there and did something hands-on, which will boost your application up. If I were you, I would try and score a few internships, positions, jobs, or possibly get something published. I hope I helped somewhat.

Hi, everyone I'm a freshmen at Penn State - University Park (I know, I feel so young and naive!) who is majoring in Media Studies with an emphases in Film and Television and minoring in Rhetoric; though, I might double minor in Sociology or Philosophy, but I'm not too sure if I find it that interesting for me to continue beyond my intro class. Anyway, I'm a bit worried because people keep telling me that graduate schools look down upon "fluff" majors, which mine just so happens to fall under that dreadful category of "useless" degrees. I originally planned on majoring in Communications but, unfortunately, Penn State only offers a Communication Arts & Science degree, in which the curriculum and core values of the program just does not appeal to me. Media Studies was my best option, plus they had an emphases on Film and Television, so I thought it would be perfect for me. So far, I love it so much. I've truly learned a lot and I value all the classes I've taken for my major. I just love how films can be a form of entertainment, an educational experience, and a cultural phenomenon; I seriously believe that I will become a better person if I concentrate in this field. I really want to go to graduate school for film studies or visual studies. I eventually want to work for a television/film company or anything in the media. Another career option I've been considering is media analyst researcher or journalism. But my main focus is getting into the film industry. I've been trying to take advantage of my school's career service, and so far they've been really helpful. I just got onto staff for The Daily Collegian, my school's paper, and write for the Arts, specifically film reviews of Independent and Foreign Films with some mainstream films here and there. I have yet to score an internship, though. I have my eye on a few; there is an internship where I can write film reviews for the newspaper in Peekskill, NY and the Tribeca Film Festival and Magnolia Pictures are currently looking for undergrad interns for film production, critique, etc. I am also likely going to get an internship at the undergraduate writing center at my school or a publishing company in my town this year. I am really nervous that my degree will be looked down upon. Can this be true? I wouldn't say it's fair at all if grad programs judge a student because of his/her degree. I am determined to maintain my gpa at 3.8+ and graduate with distinctions. I'm also slowly planning on taking my GRE, which I just want to get at least a 1200, but I'm aiming for 1300. I already made efforts in building relationships with my Media Studies professors, one who went to Northwestern for film. I am trying so hard right now to prepare myself for grad school because I know that it is something that I have to do in order for me to get the kind of job I've been dreaming of. I'm particularly interested in getting my M.A. in Film Studies or Visual Studies, or an M.F.A. in Film. I am not really looking into PhD programs, but a lot of the programs I am interested in happens to be just PhD programs. Some of the schools I'm looking at are: Columbia NYU Tisch UC Berkeley Northwestern Iowa UCSB UCLA Emory USC Yale I'm really interested in Columbia's MA program; it sounds like a fit for me. I really like Berkeley's and NYU's program as well. I also heard that going to a "lower tier" school like Penn State will make it harder for me to get into these schools. Is this true? Is Penn State looked down upon? Help, please! I'm not sure if I'm on the right path by trying to score some internships this early, but I don't know what else I can do other than study and gain relevant hands-on experience. Is writing for the newspaper a good thing? What else should I do? Nothing else appeals to me and I hate joining a bunch of stuff to buff up my CV. I was thinking about creating a film club with another friend for Independent/Foreign cinephiles, which would particularly cover films with important social meaning; I think that would be amazingly awesome lol. Anyway, thanks for reading this! I just need some guidance from people who've actually dealt with this similar kind of experience. I feel like no one takes me seriously whenever I talk about my future plans beyond my undergraduate...

Hey guys, I forgot my password so I just made a new account (oops me). @Swagato, Thanks for your insightful response! I'll definitely add in UChicago, Iowa, NU, WUSTL and Pitt. Wow. I never imagined that you would have to know that much in the field, but it makes sense. I mean, after all, it is film studies. I know this is kind of stupid, and I really do feel dumb for asking this, but how do you go about learning these things? lol I mean, apart from taking classes, reading, researching, writing about it, etc. Is there more to it? I definitely have some knowledge of the film world, but I would love to learn more. I'm already pretty certain what specific areas interests me; I'm mainly looking into how cinematography effects the overall film, colors, camera angles, directing of photography, sound mixing, and all the good stuff. I'm definitely more interested in the critique of the technical aspect of film, but other aspects like the storyline, dialogue, acting, interests me, as well. @ZeeMore21, Thanks for your suggestion! It's nice to hear that Pitt has what I'm looking for. Thank you guys so much!