Hello, I am a senior in high school and have been accepted into three reputable film programs; two in upstate New York, Syracuse University and Ithaca College. Both schools offered compelling financial incentives, and I am essentially left to determine the quality of their respective programs, and the best fit for me. I recently visited both campuses on accepted student days. Both schools have their strengths and drawbacks.
At Syracuse, we were divided by major and further by section of the school’s Transmedia program, which included film, photography and animation. Everything about the campus prior to this had been overwhelmingly positive, yet we could not help but question the lack of representatives from the film program. The mini-tour of the Transmedia program consisted of mini demos by department, where the only film representative was an assistant professor who ran a somewhat underwhelming demonstration of a film set.
When we visited Ithaca College, the atmosphere was of course different. The campus did not have the same glitz and glamour as Syracuse, seeming more confined in scope. It was not until we heard the dean of the school speak that we became very much impressed with the school’s overall program, “yes” attitude/enthusiasm and alumni connections. We were given much greater insight into the film program at Ithaca, and were given the chance to speak with multiple student representatives and faculty of the film program to answer any questions we had. There was also very hands on demos with state of the art camera equipment.
It is difficult now because I feel we were not given the full scope of Syracuse’s film program. To my mind, and at this moment, Ithaca has a much stronger film program, while Syracuse has the diverse atmosphere and scope of a larger campus setting which also holds some appeal.
Is there anyone who could offer any knowledge or insight into Syracuse’s VPA film program? Has anyone else made a decision between these two schools, and if so, what factor ultimately influenced your decision making? Any more insight and outlook is very much appreciated on the topic. Thank you.