# UCLA Pro Program Advice



## Bane (Apr 11, 2008)

Hey everyone-
I've been lurking on this forum on and off since November, and I just wanted to throw in a bit of advice to anyone interested in getting into UCLA for screenwriting. Last year, having written only two feature screenplays in my life (only one completed before I actually applied to grad school), I applied to UCLA for the MFA Screenwriting program, and got through to the interview round. I wore a dressy outfit, measured my words perfectly...and then didn't get in. If I'd read more sites like this one, I probably would have known earlier that they look for the real you, not a suit-wearing cookie cutter type. 

After getting my rejection I was really depressed, to the point where I didn't really consider enrolling in the "fallback" that they offer - entrance to the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting. Eventually I decided to join it, mostly because another interviewee I'd met in NYC told me that he'd had a very positive experience with the Program. Granted, it's pretty expensive ($4500), but there are thirty weeks of sessions, which adds up to a lot of time talking about screenwriting.

This year I applied to UCLA, AFI, NYU (Singapore), Boston University, Loyola Marymount, and Chapman. I was called to interview with AFI (didn't get in - but found out at the interview it wasn't a good fit for me), and got waitlisted at BU. Then I got called back for another interview with UCLA, during which I was just myself. I was wearing a pop culture t-shirt and my vans - a far cry from the suit-and-skirt deal from last year - and I didn't ponder my answers before responding. I was most definitely myself, a few swears and all (not that I advocate swearing - it's just my normal style of dialogue).  About a week ago I got my acceptance, and despite the fact that I haven't heard back from most of my schools still, UCLA is where I'm going to be in September.

So (to sum up this long dialogue), it may seem silly to take a class which you'll only be in for a month or two before you apply to grad school, but I'd highly recommend it. I seriously think that enrolling in the Professional Program demonstrated a commitment to screenwriting, and helped them overcome the fact that I'm a 21-year-old applicant (which apparently can mean that you don't have enough life experience...meh). I'm not guaranteeing this as your way into UCLA, but for anyone who (sadly!) doesn't get in this year, it's a decent alternative. I don't live in LA, so I'm taking the Program over Skype - which is in itself a really interesting experience, allowing you to be in the same class as people from different time zones and continents.

Anyhoo, best of luck with everyone and the rest of this year's admissions! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting, or if we're going to be classmates in the fall (woo  hoo!) - or for any other reason, too! I hope that my 2 cents' worth will be able to help someone the way that the guy from last year helped me.

Thanks!
Bane


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