Hey everyone, decision day is coming up and I still feel slightly conflicted. I got accepted to Cal and Northwestern for film majors, and I want to hear your thoughts.
So I’m an animator, and I was originally considering LMU and SJSU too. But seeing the programs, I realize that I don’t want to spend most of my college years confining myself to animation, I want to explore and build my skills in everything. I know at Cal and especially Northwestern I can explore while also diving into film, which is why I’m considering them!
I loved Northwestern, however, I visited a few weeks ago so the weather may have been deceiving. I heard the winter is horrible, and being from Cali, is it bearable? The campus was beautiful and I know there is a tight-knit film community there. I met some amazing people!
Berkeley is extremely close to home for me. My mom says I could live at home after freshman year to save money (but I REALLY don’t want to do that). I know that Berkeley isn’t strong in film, however, they have several student organizations running arts things. Cal day was interesting, however I felt like I didn’t mesh as well as I did Northwestern.
At both schools, I know that I will probably thrive; but I’ll need to work hard on my own if I still want to pursue animation. The one thing I’m also considering is Berkeley is way cheaper than Northwestern because I’m in state. However, with Northwestern my family has the college savings to not take out any loans. I will just need to pay them back when I get a job. Let me know your thoughts!
Do you expect your parents to want you to pay the entire cost, or the difference between Cal and Northwestern, or something else? Do you have any reason to think they will change their mind? Are you full-pay at both? I would not encourage anyone to go ~$360 K in debt for undergrad - even in debt to their parents. It sounds like Northwestern may be a better fit, but maybe not the best choice in this situation.
Have you looked at starting salaries for film majors? My S’s friend did film at UCLA and was lucky enough to find a job in LA. But it didn’t pay enough to live on. Although she’s progressing in her career her parents had to subsidize her rent for the first 3 years after college when she was only earning $15/hour.
Debt is a terrible idea for low paid careers where you need to take unpaid opportunities to build your resume. What would your parents’ reaction be if you said you couldn’t pay them back?
It might be more expensive to use savings vs. loan in the sense that those $$$ will likely compound at a far greater rate than a student loan given historical stock market performance. Personally, I would think twice about spending an additional 200k for a major that doesn’t yield great post-grad salaries for a while.
Both great schools. Weather is much better in SF Bay vs Chicago. I would say unless you REALLY want to go school at NW, UCB is a much better value. You can take all the money you save and move to Chicago post graduation if you are really interest in living there. You won’t be saddled with having to repay any debt which will give you a lot more options to do what you want to do and where you want to do it.
Since you have received some financial aid from Northwestern, what is the annual COA for Northwestern ?
NU is located in suburban Evanston on Lake Michigan with easy access to one of the greatest cities in the world. Of course, Berkeley offers another great city–San Francisco.
It’s simple…go with the in-state option. Also, consider a major that has better employability prospects after college, or at least a double major. The industry has basically imploded. Remember college is not there to fulfill dreams. You’re there to gain employable job skills so you can be a self sustaining adult, otherwise it’s a big waste of tens of thousands of dollars.
I’d go with Berkeley. You can live on campus your first year—I’d definitely favor that over living at home. And Pixar is in your backyard for internships and such, along with other studios and gaming companies who need animators.
While NW may be a bit better, it is not $200,000 better, or even $120,000 better. NW is also better for acting more than animation.
I agree that NW has a pretty campus, but Berkeley is pretty nice as well, and the weather is far nicer. Remember that film and animation don’t make a lot, and it’s better if your parents have that extra $120,000-$200,000 to help support your for the first two or three years (or more) that you will just be starting, or looking for work.
As somebody who lived in the Chicago area until a few years back, visiting NWU in the spring is indeed deceiving. It sits on Lake Michigan, and the Lake Effect is no myth. Temperatures there are a few degrees lower than even a mile inland, and that includes during the winter. Average Winter low for Evanston, IL is 20. It also is windy and can get lake effect snow. Most midwesterners are perfectly fine with that, and people from Minnesota and North Dakota think that the winters there are mild. However, for somebody from most of California, that can be pretty cold.
See that’s what scares me! However, we all have a common understanding that no matter which school I choose I should be able to find a good job (especially since I can easily switch majors).