Hello!
is your application for film schools (like USC, Chapman…) first checked/accepted by the film admissions or by the general admissions department?
Bump!
Hi- my daughter is attending UCLA as a freshman film major in the fall. She applied to UCLA, USC, NYU, Chapman, and Loyola for film. I’m pretty certain that your application is first evaluated by the film department at all schools. Then, after acceptance to the film program, the application is sent for general admission review to be sure the student meets the standards of the university. Assuming the admissions board approves, the student is then granted an acceptance. Good Luck!
Thank you for your help!! @dana37
@bcnbound - the schools will on occasion provide the detailed academic statistics on their websites - if not, you should call and find out what you need to produce in terms of a test score and GPA. For the most part, the order isn’t so much important - it’s the hurdles you have to clear in order to be admitted. You might have an outstanding portfolio - the best that the film dept. has ever seen. But if you don’t meet the academic standards that the uni. has set for that dept. (or even for the university in general) then you won’t be admitted. In other words, talent may not be enough of a hook. That’s why it’s important for you to research this question well so you know what to expect. The best way to think about it is that the university has the final word. And it’s not exactly like it would be for an athlete (which isn’t right, but that’s another story).
Also, even if the film department loves your work and advocates for you in admissions review, you won’t necessarily know this. Your admit/defer/waitlist/deny letter will be from the university, not the department.
You should be able to speak to someone in Admissions or in the film dept. who can let you know what sort of academic standards you would need. It’s best to assume that if they do NOT require a portfolio for freshman admission then you are expected to meet university-wide academic expectations. If they DO require a portfolio then you will have some leeway and you need to find out how much.
Good luck to you!