# the ANGER that is APPLICATIONS!!!! wanna help make them less frustrating?



## lalala (Oct 19, 2008)

Hello, yes, I am another highschool senior applying to colleges with (hopefully) good film programs. and so far it is an immensely angering process. I've been a longtime lurker and decided to finally post.

So, the colleges I am applying to are-

Emerson
Drexel
Boston U
Calstate Longbeach

and a couple of Canadian ones. 

So, what are my chances?

- I have been director and editor of so far of four student films and one and one stopmotion animation, and one of the films showed on my city cable channel. I've been tech director/Director of our school football games. Been feild reporter and editer of several news segments on our journal broadcasting class there are seen on the school website, itunes podcast and city cable channel. And I interned at Nickelodeon this past summer. Currently I'm director of a tribute video to this huge community service club of my community thirtieth year anniversary. My G.P.A is only 3.5 weighted   .  

And I've been lurking around a lot. SO I"m definately applying to Emerson (ch'ya!)

So at Boston U you don't touch a camera until the third year- that's a bit of a turn off. any awesome turn-ons that I'm not seeing?

But what's the Lo-Down on  *Drexel* ? is it any good? I've read that its supposed to be very good but I have no idea if that's just false advertisment or what.

Is Calstate Longbeach anygood either?

Any other schools I should look into?

Thanks for reading guys.


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## Sketchy21 (Oct 19, 2008)

I'm applying to Drexel University's Film major too (I got the VIP application, which means NO ESSAY!). I also would like to know when you first pick up a camera. There's one thing that I like about the program which turns into something I hate. You get to do a Co-Op for a film company for about a year, but because of the Co-Op you have to take courses during the SUMMER. I'm also applying to Emerson, NCSA, SCAD, Hofstra, DePaul, and University of Central Florida.


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## lalala (Oct 19, 2008)

cool! Congrats on the VIP application (lucky you!!) I first picked up a camera when I was a freshman, but I really picked one up sophmore year. And it was love. Awesome to see someone else apply to Drexel too.

Whats Hofstra?

can anyone help me with my questions though?


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## Sketchy21 (Oct 19, 2008)

Hofstra is a private university in Long Island, NY (where the third presidential debate was held) and I didn't mean when is the first time YOU picked up a camera I meant I want to know the first time you use a camera in Drexel University for the film major if there are any alumni on the site.


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## lalala (Oct 19, 2008)

Oops ^_^;; but that is a good question actually.


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## Oquendo (Oct 20, 2008)

Hey man, I was in the same boat as you last year and this is my first year in college. In the past year, I've learned so much about film programs that I wouldn't otherwise know. I'm actually still learning from counselors and advisers as well.



> So at Boston U you don't touch a camera until the third year- that's a bit of a turn off. any awesome turn-ons that I'm not seeing?



Don't quote me on this, but ALL schools that offer Film don't allow students to touch cameras until their third or even fourth year. When you enter a University, you don't do anything in your major, just General Education. That's why its important to do well in the next two years in college. While there may be an exception to some(vocational?), its generally known you don't do your major fresh out of high school.



> Is Calstate Longbeach anygood either?



It's one of the top CSU schools in film and in GENERAL. I think the biggest hype is because Spielberg went there 40 years ago and came back 7 years ago to finish his BFA. Great thing, it's VERY cheap; I think the cheapest of the Film Schools. But of course, that's if you live in CA. This and Northridge are the most sought after film programs in the CSU system because they are impacted each year. Other good cheap film schools: CSU-LA and possibly CSU-Fullerton(that should be your back-up because its probably the easiest to get into.)




> Any other schools I should look into?



Well you could look into the usual suspects; UCLA, USC, CHAPMAN, COLUMBIA, NYU, UT-A, FSU, etc.

A adviser told me this and it stuck with me ever since:  *It doesn't matter which school you go to, it only matters which school you can take the MOST out of. * 

If your interested in film like me, you'd know its a blue-collar occupation, which I mean the industry will most likely value experience over education. That's why you see directors like PT Anderson and David Fincher succeeding because they have high experience with filmmaking. If you feel like your gonna get the better end of the bargain by all means go there, regardless if the school is "prestigious" enough.

It's overrated seeing how USC gets all this acclaim and when you look at their professors they have just the same amount of credentials from CSU-LA or Northridge. In fact, I know LA has/had some assistant professors who have MFA FROM USC and some from UCLA. Not to take anything away from USC(I'm interested in applying), but the fifty thousand bucks you have to cough up is very wishy-washy for me as opposed to the five grand at a CSU.

For me, I want to go to a school where I am guaranteed to be working on films hands-on almost the majority of the time. Hope that helps!


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## Jayimess (Oct 21, 2008)

USC integrates production courses with general education courses.

I have to tell you, though...the faculty at USC is pretty dang impressive.  I go there, and I still get a thrill every week when I watch shows that my professors wrote/directed/showrun...same thing with their films.

What's most impressive to me, though, is just how talented they are...the insight and riffs they offer to our projects, not to mention the valuable criticism to make it better.

There are those who get the MFA, but then there are those who get the MFA and go work...and like it or not, those are the people who tend to teach at USC.

As for the "it's what you make of it" theory.  I agree whole heartedly.  However, it bears saying that where you make the most of a program can benefit you too.  There are three of us that got undergraduate film degrees from our small little school in Cleveland, Ohio.  We made the most out of our time there.

But we all felt that we still needed more, because the program wasn't all that it should or even could be...so we all headed to graduate school...I'm a USC, another's at Chapman, and my roommate just started at AFI.

So we made the most of our program, and it still wasn't enough...


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## Josh (Oct 27, 2008)

> Originally posted by Oquendo:
> ALL schools that offer Film don't allow students to touch cameras until their third or even fourth year.



This could not be further from the truth.


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## Oquendo (Oct 27, 2008)

Really? I thought you can only do general ed during the first two years at your college.

Can you elaborate because I'd like to know as well?


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## Jayimess (Oct 27, 2008)

No, and this pretty much goes for all BA or BS degrees, I believe...though probably not preMed...the first two years are spent doing genEd, but also prerequisites and 100/200 level classes within your declared major, or 100/200 level classes within majors you're exploring, should you be undeclared.  Sure, GE will be fill up about half to two thirds of your schedule those two years.  Chances are, you'll flip that your last two years, and two thirds will be your 300/400 level major courses, with a lingering GE stuck in there each semester.

UCLA is the only program I definitely can say keeps you out of production classes til your junior year, but you also don't get admitted to the program till then anyway.


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