might take a gap year and apply ED for fall 2020 or start college somewhere else this fall and try to transfer to NYU in 2021
- white
- female
- 3.7 GPA… mostly As but some Fs because i’ve had absences leading up to transferring high schools (i’ve attended 3 in total)
- no APs, my last high school was credit/no credit (no grades)
- lots of extracurricular activities involving film (volunteering, internships, etc)
- 1300 SAT
i’m currently a senior and i missed the deadline to apply to NYU for fall 2019, but i did get into Hunter which is a much more affordable option. NYU has always been my dream school but i don’t know if it’s worth the risk to forego my Hunter acceptance and take a gap year in hopes of attending NYU for fall 2020. also it’s way more expensive and i’ll probably end up being wildly in debt… but they’re alumni network is great and they have an alumni club in los angeles which is where i’m planning to move once i’m done
Do NOT go into debt for a film degree. Take your college years to learn skills, hone your craft and build your resume as much as possible. Apply to internships at all the production companies and studios in NY. Volunteer on student films, learn, learn, learn. Make contacts and keep in touch with them.
Look at resumes of people who have been successful in the film industry. Yes, many of them graduated from NYU, but just as many graduated from schools you have never heard of or never went to college at all. No matter where you go, your first jobs will pay very little. You do not want debt.
@gallentjill thank you for your help! the thing is i don’t want to be a filmmaker - i want to be more on the business side of things (perhaps production, but not the creative aspect if that makes sense)… so i would almost definitely need a degree and because it’s the industry that’s all about who you know not what you know, i feel like the alumni network would be extremely beneficial and one of the main reasons NYU is so appealing!
That makes sense. But many people on the business side work first and then go back for an MBA. If you choose the low cost undergrad, you can keep your options open for a prestigious MBA and you will still come out ahead in terms of debt. I know at least one person who had their MBA paid for by the company they worked for – in the entertainment industry. I still think Hunter is a decent option. Its in the right city. They should have an internship coordinator. Make and appointment to speak to them about where they place their students. Undergrad is the prime years for making those contacts and building your resume.