Hi,
I was recently accepted to Emerson College (Boston), Pratt Institute (NYC), and School of Visual Arts (also in NYC), all for Film & Video production. Didn’t apply to any schools on the West Coast (not a fan) and still waiting for RISD and NYU (not very hopeful though, my GPA is around 3.2). Didn’t receive any aid, but finances aren’t a problem. I’m planning to specialize in Cinematography with some directing. I’m an international student and although I love love love New York, I think I could like Boston too.
Any advice or input on either of the schools?
Thanks!
Pratt has that new film production facility which looks really cool - don’t know much about it but I’ll bet you’ll see them getting on the radar in the future at some point.
Are you able to visit New York and Boston? You should probably try to get a handle on what’s offered for facilities and curriculum at each school. Some of them are going to have internships and/or semesters abroad in LA (Emerson comes to mind).
Mamelot, I will be visiting Boston and New York in April. I know Emerson has an incredible semester program in Kasteel Well in the Netherlands and a semester program in their Emerson LA campus. Honestly, if not for these programs, I think I would be leaning towards Pratt or SVA.
I love Pratt and the fact that it has a campus (with grass and all) in Brooklyn. The new facilities look great too. However, they only have around 50 people in the whole department, Meaning about 12-13 students per year compared to SVA’s 430 (about a hundred people in each graduating class). Meeting and working with more people would mean making more connections and, in my opinion, learning things from those people.
I love Pratt as well - my D1 just completed her first semester there (communications design major) and being on a real campus is extremely important to her. Most art and film programs are extremely urban to the point of saying “the city is our campus” which basically means they don’t have a “real” campus. That’s the trade-off one makes when choosing that field of study
However, Emerson at least has Boston Commons/Public Gardens right in back which is a LOT of green space. If you were my kid I’d seriously encourage you to take a good look at that school. It’s a well-regarded film program and the school is fairly selective. The four year grad rates are very high (meaning once you are in you are for the most part out of there in 4 years). They are doing some major building to increase dorm space and that seems to be a concern for some parents worried about noise and dust and cramped quarters in the meantime. However, building new facilities is typically a sign of financial health for the institution so should be regarded as good news. You’d have to find out how it would impact the film program (if at all) or your ability to live in one of the existing dorms.
Good luck to you and well done for getting into three really great schools!
