Chance Me Please!

Colleges & Universities A-Z New York University
1

<p>Hi guys. NYU is my top choice school and I'm really nervous about getting in. Based on my grades alone I know I probably won't. I think I put together a good portfolio to make up for it, but I'm not sure.</p>

<p>I applied to Tisch, Film and Television major.
GPA: 3.38 uw, 3.41 w (HUGE weak point, I know)
SATs: 760 Critical Reading, 690 Math, 630 Writing
SAT 2s: 730 lit, 700 Math 1, 650 Math 2</p>

<p>My film submission is the first of the two in the following link: YouTube</a> - Common App Arts Supplement</p>

<p>Here's my Dramatic Essay:</p>

<pre><code>It has been said that right before you die, your life flashes before your eyes. My god I hope it does.

I was on my way home from a field trip to Gettysburg. Spending the day there with my friends was more then just an educational experience but also a truly fun and enjoyable one. As I sat on the bus, talking to my friends, I had a sense of satisfaction. I was happy; I was enjoying life. But then a sense of dread came over me; as soon as I got home I knew this feeling would end. I had a massive amount of work due the next day and I knew it could take the entire night. Once I arrived at home I got right to work, the drudgery was painful, but not as much as the rest of the night would be.

My work was coming along quite nicely. At the rate I was going I’d have gotten it done with time to spare. But then it happened. First I felt a movement in my arm, then all of a sudden, a sharp pain in my chest. I fell to the ground. It felt exactly like a heart attack is supposed to. I was confused. I didn’t know for sure that’s what it was, but I was scared, more scared then I had ever been in my life. Then the symptoms expanded and got stranger. I felt a sensation of liquid rushing throughout my torso, I began shivering, my heart rated spiked, I felt like I wasn’t getting enough oxygen, and my arms and hands slowly began to numb. It just continued to get worse. Something was wrong, very, very, wrong. If I was alone I would have called an ambulance. Even in retrospect I realize that probably would have been the best idea. However I was with my family and although my father is a doctor, he’s never taken any medical issue I’ve ever had seriously and as I cringed on the floor thinking this was the end, he acted like it was nothing. I thought that this would be the way I died, suddenly and anti-climactically.

It was in this moment that my life was forever changed. It’s not an uncommon story to hear someone who has gone through a near death experience opine that they need to live more in the moment and that they hadn’t enjoyed life enough. My revelation was quite the opposite. All I could think about was how I hadn’t done anything substantial in my life. I thought about the famous. I knew the names of important scientists, such as Jonas Salk, a graduate of NYU’s medical school. His research had saved the lives of so many people; he would be remembered fondly for centuries. I knew the names of important politicians, such as Ted Kennedy, Barak Obama and countless others who changed the landscape of American government, they would be recorded in history. I knew the names of important entertainers such as Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese, both of whom attended NYU and whose work had enriched the lives of countless moviegoers; their films would be eternal. As I thought about all these people it was clear to me who I was: nobody. I was so scared in this moment not because it was the end, but because it was an end without any sense of accomplishment.

I also thought about my friends and how much they mean to me. I thought I might never see them again. There was nothing I wanted more desperately than an opportunity to say goodbye to them. Just the thought that I would not be blessed with that opportunity was incredibly depressing.

As these thoughts occupied my mind an hour passed, I slowly began to recover. Feeling returned to my extremities, as I controlled my breathing, my heart rate returned to normal and the pains subsided, but I was still in shock. I’m not a religious man, but if I were, this would have been the time at which I thanked god.

Obviously I did not die in this moment, but a part of me did. My ability to feel at all carefree about anything was gone. From this moment forward I knew I was going to have to live my life a different way. I needed to do something worthwhile, become somebody. Up until this point I had little regard for my health. That would be the first and easiest thing I would change. I was going to do whatever was in my power to prevent an event like this from occurring again. Unfortunately though it did happen again. It recurred the next day and it was even worse; I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. After being there for a few hours my symptoms again subsided and when none of their tests could explain what was wrong, I went back home.

Slowly over the next few weeks, the symptoms started to recur less and when they did I wasn’t nearly as scared; after feeling the same thing over and over again, I realized it wasn’t killing me. It’s been three months since the first time it happened and to this day no one’s really sure what caused it. The prevailing theory is that it was acid reflux, which has been known to mimic heart attacks on rare occasions; luckily though it’s not nearly as deadly. That diagnoses doesn’t fully explain all of the symptoms though.

It has been said that right before you die, your life flashes before your eyes. That’s the perfect poetic image for the end of life. It wraps up your life’s story in a neat little bow right before it all disappears. There’s no real reason to believe it’s true though. No scientific evidence backs up this fabled occurrence. I’ve had so many wonderful times in my life, maybe I just didn’t come close enough death, but none of those times came back to me. I just felt a sensation of being alone, and that was even though there were people with me. I truly hope that when my time comes and I’m the closest to death I’ll ever be, that I will see my life replay, and even more importantly, I hope that there will be something amazing to see.
</code></pre>

<p>And here's my arts resume:</p>

<p>Work Experience
May 06 to Present - Videographer -Film Bar Mitzvah ceremonies.
Nov 08 - Production Assistant. Los Angeles, Concept Media - Interned on a film set.
Sep 09 – Assistant, VA, Last Tango Productions - Assisted in the production of a local TV program.</p>

<p>Extracurricular Activities
Cult Film Club - Grade 9</p>

<p>Awards/Certificates
Oct 07 - ITVA-DC 2007 Peer Promise Award - Awarded to the best production by a high school student in the DC area, given at the National Press Club for "True Hollywood Story: Chase Movie."</p>

<p>Artistic Achievements
Yearbook Documentary – Director/Editor/Cinematographer - Grade 12 - A documentary currently in production featuring interviews of every senior at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School.
Untitled Mockumentary – Director/Editor/Cinematographer - Grade 12 - A short film currently in pre-production about the rise to fame of a Jazz musician.
100 Years – Writer - Grade 10 - An outline for a feature length film chronicling the downfall of humanity over a period of 100 years.
School – Writer - Grades 7,8,9,10,11,12 - A screenplay following a day in the life of an average high school student. It was started in 7th grade, but has been restarted multiple times based on life experience.
Breakup. – Writer/Director/Editor/Cinematographer- Grades 11,12 - A screenplay about the depression of a man during a rough breakup. It was partially filmed and edited, however the lead actor decided he was no longer interested in completing the project which left the remaining cast and crew unable to continue.
Wonton Destruction – Writer - Grades 11,12 - A screenplay and parody of 70's low budget Kung Fu films.
Mercenary – Writer - Grade 9 - A screenplay about the capture of Saddam Hussein.
Martyr for the Keepers. – Writer - Grade 10 - A science fiction screenplay that functions as a political allegory.
Jul 09 - Weekend at Hitler's Two: Heil Harder – Writer/Director/Editor/Cinematographer/Actor - A comedic short film focusing on the creation of the worst movie ever made.
Letter to Mrs. Khen – Director/Editor/Cinematographer/ - Grade 12 - A short film made as a gift for a teacher away on maternity leave.
True Hollywood Story: Chase Movie –Writer/Director/Editor/Cinematographer/Actor - Grade 9 - An award winning short film about the fictional rise and fall of Hollywood superstars.
September 11th Montage – Editor - Grade 12 - A video montage made for the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School's 2009, September 11th memorial. It was shown to the 10th, 11th and 12th grades however it was not shown to the younger grades due to it being very emotional.
Team Killing – Writer/Director/Editor/Cinematographer - Grade 9 - A short film and mock public service announcement.
Sep 05 to Aug 06 – RS – Writer/Director/Editor/Cinematographer/Actor - A comedy web series consisting of 7 episodes.
Blue Team Film – Writer/Director/Editor/Cinematographer - Grade 11 - A short film for the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School's 2009 color war. Shown to an audience of over 700 people.
Green Team Film – Director/Editor/Cinematographer - Grade 11 - A short film for the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School's 2009 color war. Shown to an audience of over 700 people.
An Assassin's Mind – Writer/Director/Editor/Cinematographer - Grade 11 - A short film focusing on the psychology of a hired killer
Ever Since Beginnings – Director/Editor/Cinematographer - Grade 12 - A music video currently in production.
The Doorway – Director/Editor/Cinematographer - Grade 12 - An in production homage to the cult classic film "The Room."
Before College – Writer/Director/Editor/Actor – Grade 12 – A short film about a student struggling with the college application process.</p>

<p>If there's any other information I can give you to help you give a better judgment let me know. I'd be happy to post any of my common app stuff or any of the short answers from the supplement.</p>

2

<p>Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you. You’re your own worst enemy for posting this after the application deadline.
I don’t think your grades and scores are that bad. Really, I don’t. Your GPA is a little below NYU’s average, but your SAT scores are definitely in NYU’s range.
Moving on…your essay could’ve used a little proofreading. It’s not bad, but you definitely missed some commas and confused spelling of a few words. I wouldn’t say it’s particularly creative or captivating, but that’s just me.
Now, I’m not a Tischie, and so I don’t really know what NYU looks for in a portfolio film, but I have to say that I didn’t think yours was that great. I’ve seen ones from previous years that seem close to professional, and I just didn’t think yours was. Also, the color war one was completely lost on me. It seemed like a glorified inside joke.
Your arts resume seems impressive, but, then again, I don’t really know the Tisch applicant pool.
I’d be interested to see your course-load and your short answers, as they are also important factors.</p>

<p>Right now, I’d say it’s a reach. But remember, it doesn’t matter where you start, but rather where you end up. Good luck (:</p>

3

<p>Hi. I intentionally posted this after the deadline. Even if you guys didn’t like it nothing in that portfolio was going to change. </p>

<p>I’m really surprised you didn’t like my essay! I proofread it so many times and had other people proofread it for me. My college counselor went through and I posted it to another website where like five people went throught it. As for the creativeness part, I’d love to know what other people did that was good. Any way you could link me to some Dramatic Essays you liked?</p>

<p>As for the film, I’ve heard time and time again that they’re not looking for technique, but rather storytelling skills. Also I didn’t submit the color war one, just the first one. It WAS a glorified inside joke btw, lol. Within those clarifications, how did you think it was?</p>

<p>It’s great you thought the arts resume was good because that was the part I was most worried about. I really don’t know how I compare in that regard to other Tisch applicants. Did I do too little? Is the stuff I did interesting enough? I don’t know.</p>

<p>Could you be more specific about what you want to see in regards to course load? If you mean honors classes, I haven’t taken many. That’s why my weighted isn’t that much higher than my unweighted. I took one honors class in 11th grade and this year I’m taking three.</p>

<p>My short answers are below:</p>

<p>In addition to any work experience that you listed on your application, please tell us how you spent your most recent summer vacation.</p>

<p>I spent nearly all of my last summer vacation directing a film I had written. It was a study of failed relationships called “Breakup.” I was, and am still, incredibly proud of my script and consider it one of my greatest accomplishments. After a long pre-production process of casting, location scouting and figuring out how to shoot with no budget, I was ready to film. Unfortunately, about two thirds of the way through filming, the lead actor dropped out, forcing the project to an untimely end.</p>

<p>If you had the opportunity to spend one day in New York City with a famous New Yorker, who would it be and what would you do? (Your New Yorker can be anyone -past or present, fictional or nonfictional - who is commonly associated with New York City; they do not necessarily have to have been born and raised in New York.)</p>

<p>If I could spend a day in New York with any famous New Yorker, it would without a doubt be Woody Allen. I consider him to be one of the greatest filmmakers of all time and would greatly value the opportunity to speak with and learn from him. If I could do any one thing with him, it would be to listen to Jazz. Allen is a Jazz clarinetist and a known Jazz aficionado. I too love the art form and I’m sure he would know the best places to listen to it. </p>

<p>Write a haiku, limerick, or short (eight lines or less) poem that best represents you.</p>

<p>Times change
Life moves on
Men progress
New ones spawn
Years have passed
Childhood gone
If I am unchanging then what am I?
I am a man who neither lives nor dies.</p>

<p>In the year 2050, a movie is being made of your life. Please tell us the name of your movie and briefly summarize the story line.</p>

<p>The name of the movie would be “Life Through a Lens.” It would chronicle how throughout my life, film has had an enormous influence over me and how I used that influence to create some of the most critically acclaimed movies of all time. The film would be a documentary, as I don’t think my life would be suited to a fictionalized retelling, and it would be autobiographical, as I could never bring myself to let someone else tell my story.</p>

<p>Please tell us what led you to select your anticipated academic program and/or NYU school/college, and what interests you most about your intended discipline.</p>

<p>I chose NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts Film and Television program because it is possibly the single most well respected film program in the world. I’ve loved movies for as long as I can remember and it’s been my life’s dream to be able to make them professionally. I’ve always been fascinated by the power that the screen has over its viewers. There is no place that would better prepare me for a career in film than NYU and as such I know that it is the perfect program for me.</p>

<p>In addition to just telling me if those are good answers for admission are not, could you tell me if that’s a good poem? When I was first writing it I really liked it but then I saw a bunch of other people’s who said they didn’t like theirs, but I thought those might have been better than mine!</p>

<p>Also is it a problem I only spend one sentence in the 2050 movie section talking about the actual plot of the movie? My college counselor said she liked the answer but I’m afraid that going off on a tangent wasn’t the best idea.</p>

<p>Can I get some other opinions in here as well? :)</p>

4

<p>i dont get your poem…</p>

<p>but other than that, your gpa is low and your SAT is average… but that woulda gone well with a 90+ average. I’d say a reach but not too high</p>