<p>Reviewing the USC vs Tisch thread made me think it would really help all prospective USC CNTV applicants if those of you who were selected (Congrats!) would pass on a little advice. Hopefully, you wouldn't mind taking the time to answer some or all of these questions for future CNTV applicants.
Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Did you have prior experience in filmmaking? If so, how much?</p>
<p>Were your references teachers, industry people, etc?</p>
<p>What do you think distinquished you from the other applicants (other than stats)?</p>
<p>Did you create a theme in your application essays or write each independently?</p>
<p>Did you try anything risky or unique in styling your essays?</p>
<p>What one factor do you credit for your admission (not stats)?</p>
<p>Oh Dude, that sucks. I'm sorry. Where are you gonna go? Can you give me any tips for the CNTV app? I'm gonna try again as a transfer next year. thanks, oh, and good luck wherever you go.</p>
<p>I'd say take a risk, present yourself in your most creative way possible, and have something out of the ordinary to write about. </p>
<p>I actually dont know if im gonna pass up USC cntv or not, but my choice is between usc and ucsb...so i dunno....i dont know if usc is worth it or if its all what its cracked up to be.</p>
<p>Ok, this is an old post but I'll try to answer some of the stuff for people applying this year.</p>
<p>Did you have prior experience in filmmaking? If so, how much? Only a little bit, like school projects and one student film that I helped on.</p>
<p>Were your references teachers, industry people, etc? 2 teachers and my friends mom (and author and I went to a conference where she taught)</p>
<p>What do you think distinquished you from the other applicants (other than stats)?
I'm from hawaii and wrote my character profile about a hula dancer who comes from a really poor family... dunno, maybe they thought hawaii was different. lol</p>
<p>Did you create a theme in your application essays or write each independently?
They were independant. Not at all the same. I made a point of keeping them very different to show different styles. My emotional moment essay was very lighthearted (i wrote about being terrified as a kid during a fire drill at school because i got left inside and thought the school was burning down, but I wrote it in a comedic way) and then my character study was much more dramatic.</p>
<p>Did you try anything risky or unique in styling your essays?
My personal statement didn't directly say what I 'hoped to accomplish through USC film production"... The whole thing was like one long metaphore... I compared film to a time machine and the personal statement was using examples from my life as metaphor's for what i wanted to accomplish with film.
What one factor do you credit for your admission (not stats)?
I have NO idea... i was so shocked to get in (considering i got accepted to my second choice major, critical studies and then received an acceptance to my first choice - production...) My best guess though was the character profile. I wrote it like a story and I thought it was ok.</p>
<p>it's probably best to write about a positive emotional moment then? my favorite genre to write happens to be tragedy, and my character sketch is going to start tragic. i am scared to write a negative most emotional moment (although i very clearly know what it is) because colleges don't like taking people who they might think are emotionally unstable, yikes. having a balance of positive/negative is a really good idea, thanks!</p>
<p>i think more ppl who got in should post here =)</p>
<p>is there a limit to the length of the profile list?
is the character profile one-page single-spaced or double?
should i stick my little usc ID stickers on these things too?</p>
<p>My character profile was one page double spaced but I doubt it matters. I'd have done single spaced if mine was longer but I just ran out of stuff to write. lol. I made my one page personal statement one page single spaced though because I had more to say. I don't think it matters. I dont think you need to put your stickers on. Just be sure to have your name and page numbers on every page. I don't believe there's a limit for the profile list but don't make it too long. Like they probably don't want to know about the time you put on a play in your backyard for your mom. Just list important stuff and stuff you find interesting (not just things related to film. If you won an award in Science Fair or History Day, list those too. They like well rounded students who will be able to bring other interests into their films to make them better). I'd say 1-3 pages is reasonable for the portfolio list but I'm not sure. I guess you could call and they could probably tell you too. :-)</p>
<p>yeah, i called and the girl said "it doesn't matter" to all 3 of the above questions.</p>
<p>i should have asked what the average length of a good essay for critical studies major film analysis (2nd choice) but she'd probably tell me it doesn't matter again.
one person here said hers was 7 pages... i have an essay that my summer film class teacher loved, full of jargon and whatnot, but its only 1 page single-spaced, and now I don't know if that's long enough. it's a really good essay critiquing A Scanner Darkly for structuralism. i only saw the movie once, in the theatres with the class, but maybe i'll be able to add a bit from memory.</p>
<p>could anybody else accepted into Critical Studies say how long their analysis/critique was?</p>
<p>umm, mine was about 7 double spaced (i was accepted to critical studies, my second choice, first and then production...i got the production letter like 10 days later, i guess critical studies had fewer applicants and they decided first and sent out all their letters before production had decided yet... weird... lol... )but anyways, yeah, I'm really not sure. It says a critique or a review I think so if you think it's good, go with it. It's quality, not quantity.</p>
<p>yes, kaitylin, i do believe you were the one who said 7 on one of the other threads :)
that must have been such a thrill to get the production letter</p>
<p>i will feel so happy when i'm done with all these supplemental apps!</p>
<p>just thought of another thing... for the general app, essay about one of your passions, should i write about film, or should i write about something different to show that i am well-rounded? what did some of you current students do?</p>
<p>do you mean the general application for the university in general, not just the film school? I didnt write about film at all for that. I wrote about working with sharks during high school so it really wasn't related at all. But I guess just write about something you are really passionate about. Writing about film won't hurt you but if you have something else you are passionate about as well maybe you can tie it in. At the end of my essay I talked about how someday I'd like to film an episode of discovery channel shark week but other than that there were no film/tv references.</p>