Chance Me at USC SCA for Screenwriting!!!

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
1

<p>I would have rather preferred to apply to USC's Film Production Program, but I unfortunately don't have much knowledge in that field, nor the materials or capability to produce an Arts Supplement worthy of consideration. But I do have a vast amount of experience in writing, although Script/Screenwriting is particularly new to me. Care to chance a Newbie?</p>

<p>State: Florida</p>

<p>Ethnicity/Gender: African American Female</p>

<p>Intended Major: Film Production/Screenwriting</p>

<p>GPA:3.3 UW, Hopefully by application time (Really worried about GPA because I had a really bad Junior Year in terms of grades (depression, family issues, etc)</p>

<p>SAT: Took first in June (1950). PSAT Score-189. Taking the September ACT soon</p>

<p>AP Courses: (Frosh-Junior):
AP Chemistry,
AP World History,
AP French Language,
AP Human Geography,
AP Physics,
AP US History,
AP English Language and Composition
AP Statistics
--Plenty of Honors Classes through the years as well</p>

<p>Senior Year Courseload:
AP US Government/AP Macroeconomics
Nutrition and Wellness I
Anatomy and Physiology Honors
AP English Literature and Composition
Newspaper Staff (Honors)
AP Psychology
AP Drawing Portfolio</p>

<p>Extracurricular Activities (most notable):
French Club Member (3 years), French Honor Society Officer (1 year), French Club Officer (1 year), Crew (2 years), Beta Club (1 year), Link Crew Leader (1 year)</p>

<p>Extracurricular Activities (for Senior Year):
Varsity Crew, Newspaper Editor, Literary Magazine Editor, as well as other writing stuff</p>

<p>Awards:
None at the moment, but I'm hoping to win some Creative Writing Awards/Scholarships this summer as well as compete in some competitions (YoungARTS and Scholastic Awards).</p>

<p>Community Service:
Beta Club Hours, Volunteered at a nursing home. (200 + Hours)</p>

<p>Work Experience:
Summer Job at Panera Bread</p>

<p>Reccomendations:
Probably from my AP French Teacher (Sophomore Year) who is also the sponsor of the French Club and my current AP US Government Teacher.</p>

<p>Colleges of Interest:
Reaches:
USC School Of Cinematic Arts
NYU Tisch
Wesleyan
Vassar</p>

<p>Matches:
Bard
Occidental
Kenyon
Chapman University - Dodge College (Film)
Loyola Marymount University - School of Film and Televison</p>

<p>Safeties:
Florida State University (in-state)
University of Central Florida (in-state)
Sarah Lawrence College
Boston University</p>

2

<p>Hey, I’ve been reading through like a gazillion chances threads, especially when it comes to those by wannabe film students such as myself. I’ve read enough chances threads to last a lifetime. Now I’ve never replied to one because I’m in no way qualified (hs freshman here). However, I pretty much spent half of my free time this summer researching film schools- particularly USC’s Screenwriting (my dream!) and I have picked up on several things that could be of some reassurance.</p>

<p>1) You are a URM female. That’s a great advantage when you apply to film programs. Especially the female part. </p>

<p>2) Do you have an upward trend when it comes to your GPA? If junior year was your worst, did the grades increase from freshman-sophomore year? That’s a good thing, plus discussing your drop in grades this past year could be a good, compelling essay topic! (Just looking at the bright side here) Plus, GPA doesn’t appear to be a restraining factor when it comes to acceptance into some top film programs (mostly referring to USC and Chapman). Creativity and a solid portfolio CAN compensate for GPA and test scores (to some extent)</p>

<p>3) Your courseload seems impressive. That can help explain the GPA as well.</p>

<p>4) It doesn’t really matter that you’re a newbie when it comes to scriptwriting. You’ll find many accepted applicants on this forum with little to no experience in film or film-related writing prior to entry into their film programs. What the adcom is looking for is potential. If you show originality and passion in other writing fields, you should be good.</p>

<p>5) Some validation of your work would be most beneficial. Seek out opportunities to get your work recognized and awarded. Some schools will only read a little bit of your writing. Saying that you write a lot is all fine and dandy but it doesn’t eliminate the possibility that half of that writing has no merit.</p>

<p>6) The film program at FSU should probably not be considered a safety, even if you are in-state. I heard that only 30 applicants get accepted into the school yearly, so I’m not sure how powerful of an advantage being from in-state will be up against those odds.</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

3

<p>As I’ve mentioned in your other threads about this, it really all depends on your portfolio; grades, while important, do not matter more than whether or not you’re able to write well and tell compelling stories.</p>

<p>Spend the school year working on the supplements and writing a lot. Write as much as you can for as may outlets as you’re able to. Get teachers to read and comment on your work, too.</p>

4

<p>^
^^
Thanks. I’m fairly confident on my portfolio (although it’s still in the works), but I’m just really worried about my gpa. I’d really hate it to be the deciding factor on my application. I’m working tediously to raise my gpa to the 3.3 UW range this semester but I’m still worried that it still won’t make up for my terrible Junior Year.</p>

<p>If anyone has any feedback I’d be happy to hear it.</p>

<p>thanks</p>