Why I’m Going Back to School

This is a long-awaited follow-up to Why I Left School.

If you got the feeling like I somewhat disappeared over the last week, you’re not wrong. I’ve had several appointments with my school’s academic and financial aid advisors. I’ve been trying to work out a way to go back to school in the fall.

I left that place an emotional wreck – it took me a full month to recover. You might be wondering why I even want to go back. I guess it’s sort of complicated.

I was a film major. My credits won’t transfer into another school, or another major within my own school. Options are very limited for me, unless I want to start over. And even starting over at a state school isn’t financially possible for me – I already have so much in loans, I can’t afford to “buy” four more years anywhere. So it had to be the same school. And it had to be less than two years to get my degree.

I can’t tell you how in love with my school’s Multidisciplinary Department I am right now. A quick meeting with them showed me I can graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Arts and Science (a “Film and Finance” degree), and probably in less time than it would take me to finish up my straight-up Film degree.

If anyone is looking to switch majors, and you already have a few years under your belt, I suggest you seek out a similar department at your school. I’ve seen people spend two years at my school in the Computer Science major, and then transfer into the film program, only to spend four more years there. 6 years for a Bachelor’s in film is more than excessive.

I can afford two more years at my school now because of some changes in my life. I have my car now, so commuting is actually a possibility. And because my family is moving closer to my campus, it will be a much easier drive.

I understand the trade-off that commuting will bring. I already understand how much I’ll hate living out of the campus “sphere.” Some of my friends will probably have to get used to me crashing on their couches! The main cost problem will be avoiding the lure of the expensive vending machines and campus eateries. I haven’t quite figured out how I’m going to work around that – even when I was just living on the far side of campus, I was pretty dependent on the vending machines.

I’m still looking at more loans, probably another $10,000 or so. I suppose that’s the reality of poor kids going to expensive schools. Luckily, I’ll also be getting my academic scholarships and grants back.

I guess I don’t get to call myself a film school dropout anymore. But I guess I’m not really a film major again. I’m something else now. Something new. A finance major? Sort of… I guess I have a while now to figure it out.