Should I drop out of college?

College Life
1

My situation is somewhat unusual, so hear me out.

I’ve been attending college for the last six months and I don’t like it. I can’t really say that I totally hate it: I actually enjoy aspects of all of my classes and last semester, I got mostly As and Bs, so it’s not because I’m a terrible student. I really liked the first month of college, but then the novelty of being away from home wore off, my classes got harder, the weather got colder, and I drifted away from all the friends I had made during the first month once I realized how unlike me most of my fellow students are. The fact that I never drink or have sex with strangers largely excludes me from college social life, so I spend most of my time in my room watching Netflix and writing. Because of all this isolation and confusion, I developed severe depression, not leaving my room for days at a time.

But my depression is better now because I know what I want to do with my life. I want to be a film director. I know it’s not the most practical career choice, but I’m terrible at anything involving numbers and equations, so for me, there is no practical career choice. I love film: watching movies, writing movies, reading about movies, and making movies is the only thing that gives my life meaning. For the first time in my life, I believe in myself. I know that I can be a great director. One of the best things about being a director is that you don’t need a college degree: only talent and experience. In fact, college would only be a distraction, taking away time and energy that I could put into my directing career. As a result, I want to drop out of college to pursue filmmaking full time.

Unfortunately, my parents aren’t fond of my idea. They think it’s great that I want to be a director, but even though I told them repeatedly that you don’t need a degree for it, they want me to go to college for three more years and graduate. I came up with the idea of taking a gap year as a compromise with the idea that if I proved my talent and commitment to directing, they would let me drop out permanently and if I failed and did nothing, I would have to go back to college. They thought this was a good idea, but they said I could only take a gap year a year from now and not starting at the end of this semester like I had planned. This seemed fair enough at the time, but the more I think about it, the more the idea of going to college for another year seriously depresses me.

In fact, the only reason why I haven’t already dropped out is that I have such a great scholarship that I pay about 1/10th of what the average college student pays each semester. It’s still expensive, but it’s a once in a lifetime deal. My parents worked very hard to get me into college and are thrilled by how cheap it is, so I’d feel extremely guilty about throwing it all away. But my heart is not in college: nearly everything I do that’s school-related seems pointless. I can’t transfer to a film school, either because I’d lose my scholarship: my parents would rather have me drop out than transfer. Also, my Dad agreed to partially finance one of my films but only if I graduate from college first.

I just know the real world would be a better fit for me than college. I’m a very unusual 18 year-old. I have no desire to drink until I’m 21 and after that, I’ll only ever drink in moderation. I wouldn’t really want to have sex unless I’m in a monogamous relationship with someone I love. I don’t like parties unless they’re small, low-key, and free of any really dangerous activities. As a college student, I’m a weirdo, but as a working adult, I’d be a model citizen. Every aspect of college is seeming more and more absurd to me every day. If I left college, I would be totally 100% committed to filmmaking every day: it wouldn’t even feel like work because I love it so much. But for someone in my situation, the thought of leaving college is just as unfathomable as the thought of staying. What should I do?

2

There are a bunch of themes here, I think.

  1. You are unhappy with the social situation at school. I'm going to guess that there are some kindred souls about, but you need to find them. Is there a group on campus, perhaps related to film, that you could join? Someone is selecting the movies that are shown, or someone (you?) could arrange a film festival or whatever. In other words, is there a way that you can use your passion to improve your social situation? Of could you work at a nearby theater (film, drama, music) to learn the other end of the business -- the side related to consumers? Could you help with theater productions so that you can learn something about the art of directing people (on stage)? You might find some people you like, and one of the things about any of these activities is that they'll bring you in regular contact with people, and at that point, you may find that you have something in common and the basis for a friendship -- even if they drink, etc...
  2. While technically, you may not need a college degree to be a film director, it sure will help -- from everything from greater knowledge of the world to a bigger network.
  3. Start looking for summer internships now. If you're going to stake your life on this, you want to be sure you know what it is.

Based on this, I think you should stick it out a bit longer. The first year of college is rough for almost everyone, yet almost nobody admits it. If you end up doing well academically, finding that you’re happier socially, and still hell-bent on film, perhaps you’ll be able to find a way to get there. Right now, it may just seem (especially to your parents) like a reason to leave a situation that could still be improved rather than a true passion. Does that seem reasonable?

3

Even without knowing where you go to college, I can tell you that both of those statements is simply false. For a start, you are not a “weirdo” for not wanting to drink, do drugs or have random hookups and I 100% guarantee you that there are other students at your college- no matter what college it is- who feel the same way. If you haven’t found your tribe yet, start looking: they are there.

Quite possibly the most ludicrous statement that I have read on CC- and there are doozies around here. Lawyers, Air Traffic Controller, Chiropractor, PR, most forms of business, sales, marketing, psychology, sociology, government, journalism, stage manager, most tech jobs in radio/tv/movies, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

That is so myopic even you must see that.

What are you doing now to get ready for your prospective career? As @gardenstategal asked, have you lined up a summer internship to start learning more about your ideal(ized) career? How many films have you already directed?

You may be right that you will do better in the real world than in college- and that is a good thing, b/c college is 4 years and life is long. But your thinking here doesn’t say ‘shows a maturity and understanding that makes being a college dropout a good option’ to me.

Start looking for your tribe at your current college: they are there. @gardenstategal has some good suggestions- get to know the film and theater crowds. Participate, learn by doing- staging, technical production, assisting the director of plays. ALL of that will be valuable to a film director. Also, find the ‘wellness’ housing and the people who live there.

4

In my humble opinion college education(not degree) can really develope your mind to be a better film director.

I would recommend more language, theater studies, film, psychology, history, literature, sociology, political science, business type courses to improve your knowledge, clear your perspective and gain more depth. A good director needs it.

I would also recommend discussions with professors in film and theater department for their advice. Another good thing would be to look for theater or film companies where you can intern on weekends, spring & winter break and summers.

If you don’t like numbers and equations then it’s not good enough to loose an opportunity to have college education. Find other subjects. If you don’t like friends you made so far then join other clubs and activities where you can find people with common interests. Don’t let popularity prospects pressurize you in having drinks, drugs or sex.

You sound like a more mature and intellectual soul. You’ll make a great director but don’t write off trying on other things and making the most of opportunities that you find on your path. It may take you a bit longer to get there but you’ll be better prepared. There is a whole lot more to film directing then it appears.

I say for starters start making small films and download them on YouTube, just to try your hand on basics. Volunteer to take pictures and make videos for college paper or athletic program. You’ll meet more people while putting yourself out there. Some of them are bound to be kindred souls like you.

5

It is much easier to learn to direct films while enrolled at college. Free equipment (cameras, lights, editing sound), access to student actors/crew, and great locations.

6
  1. Yes, finish college.
  2. Turn your focus to film studies…either at your current college or a new one. O
  3. You don’t just get to show up and say “let me direct a film”…you start creating your own small films and learn. Do this while you are in school.
  4. It may be good to learn in a structured environment with resources
  5. You don’t know what you don’t know…but understanding history, mythology, writing, finance are all skills that one needs to have as a director…
  6. There are more kids than you think that are not into drinking/hookup culture…find them
  7. Is there a film club at your school? If yes, join it.If no, form it.
  8. Why do your parents want you to have a college degree?
    a) If you are getting a liberal arts degree you will have the chance to learn more about the world.
    b) If you can’t get right into making money directing, you have a college degree that opens the door to other jobs.
    c) It will give you time to mature and become independent in a structured environment
7

You’re not putting forth any effort to connect with people. Its just crazy to think that every kid in your school only cares about partying. Start by joining some clubs, volunteering, or even just study groups to meet new people.

Anyway, on to film. My stepsister and her husband are both in the industry, as director/production types. She is famous, he is semi-famous. Neither went to “film school” although the both graduated college. She worked her way up the production management side, he up the craft side. You have to build up a lot of credibility doing small things before you get entrusted with budget and other resources.

8

Uhhh, hello, James Franco I think has about two PHD’s. Not only is he a Professor in the film studies program at NYU, he is a full time actor and director. Alec Baldwin went to NYU film school as well. You could certainly try and become a director on your own, but who is going to hire you? You would have to start at a very lowly position. Why not study film at NYU or UCLA or any of the other colleges which will allow you to pursue your passion. Franco met all his contacts while in film school.

9

@mrxincognito Lots of great advice above. It sounds like you’re depressed and full of anxiety and can I just tell you: many of your fellow freshmen are, as well. You need to talk to counselors at school. Start at the student health center as well as with an academic advisor of some sort. Find professors or even just one professor who’s interested in filmmaking. Professors LOVE finding like-minded students. You have no idea how many students they see who take classes for an easy A or because they liked the sound of the class title. Good luck. College is a time of enormous growth intellectually, emotionally, etc. You are in a protected environment where you will be able to learn way better than if you were on your own in the world.

10

Stay in school and go see a doctor about your depression

11

Depression colors (ruins) everything around you. The school will have counselors available. Please seek them out.

12

Thanks for the great advice, everyone! Just to let you know, I’m already seeing a school counselor, but I don’t think my depression is making me make a bad decision. I’m just sick of school and don’t see the point of going anymore. Soon I’m going to switch my major to Film Studies and I’ll take some classes related to filmmaking, so hopefully that will make school more palatable, but I still can’t conceive of how I’ll make it through three more years of this!

13

Do not drop out of college.

Your life will be twice as worse if you drop out.

I am somebody who chose not to go to college right after high school and life without a college degree sucks.

I would do anything to get into college and focus on studying instead of working a crap job making an hourly wage.

You don’t know how good you have it until it’s gone OP.

14

The definition of depression is " I’m just sick of school and don’t see the point of going anymore"

Don’t make any decisions about dropping out until the depression is treated.

15

@mrxincognito Listen to @bopper. I wanted desperately to drop out of my highly-rated college sophomore year because, I know know, I was really depressed. Thank goodness I did not. Don’t leave college until you’ve got the depression treated and it’s manageable.

16

OP, from your posts last summer you cannot blame your depression on college. You had issues in high school that you brought to college with you. Get counselling!

17

Careers involving numbers and equations aren’t the only practical career choices and wanting to be a film director isn’t necessarily impractical. Improbable, perhaps, but not impractical: SOMEBODY has to direct films!

However, I disagree that you don’t need a college degree and that college is only a distraction. Some of the best film directors have degrees. Joel Coen went to NYU and studied film; Ethan Coen went to Princeton and studied philosophy. Ava DuVernay went to UCLA and majored in English and African-American studies. Spike Lee went to Morehouse and majored in mass communication and then got an MFA from NYU Tisch in film and television. Steven Speilberg went to Cal State Long Beach and majored in English. George Lucas got his BFA from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts (as did John Singleton, Bryan Singer, Shonda Rimes, Jon Turteltaub, Lee Unkrich, and Robert Zemeckis). Lots and lots and lots of film directors have college and even graduate degrees; many have them in film but some have them in other fields.

The other thing is that you realize yourself that film direction is a really competitive career that’s hard to break into and do at a high level. Your parents want you to stay in because they want you to have a good fallback plan - in case you aren’t as successful as a director as you had hoped, OR in case you change your mind. The gap year idea isn’t a great one - it takes more than a year to develop success in the field. What’s the metric for success? How do you “prove your talent”? Do you have a plan for a gap year? Do you have a connection that will help you get a job or at least some resources for filmmaking? IF your plan is simply to take a year off and make “a film,” that’s not a good plan. Do you have access to the equipment and people and resources necessary to do that?

Use your time in college wisely to expand your opportunities - do a summer internship at a television or film company; make some student films and submit them to festivals or competitions; use the time to explore and test the limits. You have more freedom now to try and fail and try again than you will later in the work world. Student status can be enormously helpful in snagging career-building opportunities.

Also, I think you’re both stereotyping college students and thinking more of a shift happens between college and “the real world” than it does. Do you think the minute you graduate all of your more stereotypical classmates are going to instantly convert into hardworking model adults? No, of course not. Many of the ones who are drinking and partying now are going to party and drink their way well into their 30s. But you’re not a unicorn; there are lots of other teenagers in college who don’t drink, have sex or party (evidenced at least in part by the large number of CC posters who claim that they don’t like partying, either). And furthermore, just because some of your classmates DO like to party or have sex doesn’t mean that they aren’t kindred souls who also deeply love art or care about music or are serious about school.

I’m not fond of the current fawning over Steve Jobs, but one thing he always said resonates with me because I say and believe it too. When he was briefly in college, he took a class in calligraphy, even though it had nothing to do with computer science or business necessarily. That calligraphy class came in handy later when he was designing fonts for Apple systems - it instilled in him a love for simple, beautiful, and easily readable fonts for his operating system. The point is that you never know when something you take will become useful later on, or how it might enrich your life and career. This is especially true as a filmmaker, because filmmakers make movies about the human experience in all its diverse parts. You have an unprecedented opportunity to just take four years and just learn stuff - any stuff you want. You never know when something you discuss in class might spark an idea or push you over the writer’s block edge or who knows what else.