In high school, I planned to study economics in college. It just felt like the obvious choice. My father works in economics, and I’ve always looked up to him. I admired how he solved problems and connected business ideas to everyday life. Because of him, economics felt familiar and meaningful, not just another subject. So, choosing that path made sense to me.
During high school, I put a lot of effort into preparing for economics. I studied hard, practiced for exams, and joined business and economics competitions. Doing well in these areas gave me confidence. Back then, I thought that if you’re good at something, it must be the right path. But when it was time for college, I started to question my choice. Did I really love economics, or did I just like being good at it? That question stuck with me. I realized much of my satisfaction came from earning good grades, winning competitions, and feeling capable. Those things matter, but they aren’t the same as real passion.
Around the same time, I started thinking about my experiences with media. In high school, I worked a lot on student association communication and explored social-media branding through internships and creative projects. I noticed something different about those moments. With media work, I felt excited during the process. I enjoyed coming up with ideas, figuring out how to connect with people, designing content, and sharing messages that could inspire new thoughts or changes. Even if the final result wasn’t perfect, I still felt happy doing it. That feeling meant a lot to me.
This helped me understand the difference between something I am good at and something I truly enjoy. Economics was a subject where I could achieve strong results, and I am grateful for that. It taught me discipline, logic, and confidence. But media science was different. It made me feel interested, creative, and alive. I was not only focused on whether I would succeed — I actually enjoyed the work itself. That’s when I suddenly understood that economics was something I was good at, but media science was something I really liked.
That realization changed how I thought about my future. I started to believe that passion matters more in the long run. When I really enjoy something, I’m more willing to spend time on it, get better at it, and grow. Media science felt like a field where I could keep learning and never lose interest.
Now that I’m at Boston University studying media science, I feel even more confident about my choice. Media science has shown me that interest and ability don’t have to be opposites. At first, I thought I had to pick between what I was good at and what I loved, but now I see they can go together. You can start with interest and become excellent through practice, and you can bring skills from one field into another. For me, my background in economics still shapes how I think, but media science lets me express ideas in a way that feels meaningful.
I think choosing media science at BU was an important moment of honesty for me. College isn’t just about choosing a major that matches your past success. It’s also about choosing a direction that matches who you are becoming. For me, media science is that direction.
Lara Luo is a Media Science student and creative storyteller with a strong interest in branding work and content creation. Her passion for writing and visual communication has shaped her interest in crafting compelling brand stories, and she looks forward to applying her creative and strategic skills to branding and content-driven work after graduation.
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