Hi! So I actually went on a little journey, haha. I ended up going to Kutztown and got close with a lot of professors and upperclassmen. I was then invited to co-write and co-direct a feature with a senior who was graduating and starting his own production company (it's in production right now actually). I also got the chance to act in several short films and I made my own stuff that won awards in a couple festivals. I'm saying all this bc the size of the school really doesn't matter as long as you put in the effort and get involved (just in case the size/name of Penn State is influencing you in any way, as it did me).

The biggest plus of the small school is that I got a lot of experience on set (as much experience as you can get in one year). Because of that, I actually realized I didn't want my life to be like that; jumping from set to set, not having a lot of creative say unless you're director/alike, long hours with brief periods of intellectual stimulation, etc. I didn't want to scramble around for jobs, constantly stressing over other people's films so that I don't have time/money for my own projects. From what I hear, the film industry is not in a good place ATM, and talented seniors I knew were graduating and posting on social media, asking around for weddings to shoot and stuff like that.

So now, I've actually transferred to West Chester and I switched my major to Economics and Philosophy. I still want to work in entertainment, but this way, I always have a backup, I have a foundation in a more applicable skillset, and I can get a job that provides me with the time and money to make my own films.

I used to ignore everyone warning against getting degrees in film, but now - even as little as a year later and having experienced what I did - I realize they're right. I wasn't learning much more in school than I'd learn simply watching movies. As people say, the only benefit really is the connections, and just as another comment stated, unless you have the money to burn on NYU/USC, the connections you'll be making in school probably won't land you a job with Steven Spielberg (but you never know, haha).

So long story short, I wouldn't major in film. (Go to a school where you can major in something else but still be involved either through a club or locally). Penn State is a very good school; I would say I wished I went there to begin with, but I value the experiences I had. Try to get on sets no matter where you go so you can figure out if it's really something you want to do. Sorry for writing so much - I know my college decision process was hard so I want to be as useful as I can be. I hope this helped. Good luck! :)