<p>I'm awaiting decisions for film programs as I write this. I applied to a bunch of schools but was wondering if anyone could enlighten me on Syracuse University's BFA film program, and TCU (Texas Christian). I applied to Syracuse because I heard it was a good program but all I hear about the school is that it's cold and Syracuse as a city sucks. On the other hand, I sort of randomly found TCU. Don't know how good the program is but love what I hear about the school. Anyone have insight? In the very LIKELY event that I am rejected from USC, these will likely be my next choices. Any input would be great, thank you!!!</p>
<p>Have you also looked into Chapman? Hope that you have applied to Chapman as well, if not, you’ve missed a great one.</p>
<p>I visited chapman, beautiful film school! I ended up not applying there but it had nothing to do with the film school, I just didn’t like the school overall. I’m one of those hopeless people trying to find the best of both worlds in a good film school/“real college” feel. Hahaha.</p>
<p>When did you visit the campus? Did you go during winter break or during the semester?</p>
<p>Hi laurenkes7: Have you seen this list? Maybe it will give you some ideas! Best of luck to you!</p>
<p>[The</a> 25 Best Film Schools Rankings - The Hollywood Reporter](<a href=“http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/25-best-film-schools-rankings-215714]The”>The 25 Best Film Schools Rankings – The Hollywood Reporter)</p>
<p>laurenkes, Not sure when you were at Chapman, but here’s a link to a video of the campus and the surrounding areas, created by a couple of freshmen filmmakers that I thought is interesting to share and perhaps give a better sense, but a quick view of the campus environment while the school is in session, so that you can compare to your visit. Good luck with the schools that you’ve applied to.</p>
<p>[Selective</a> focus creates a charming close up of campus life, tilt-shift style](<a href=“http://blogs.chapman.edu/happenings/2012/03/12/selective-focus-creates-a-charming-close-up-of-campus-life-tilt-shift-style/]Selective”>Selective focus creates a charming close up of campus life, tilt-shift style | Chapman Newsroom)</p>
<p>Syracuse has difficult weather in winter. It’s as cold as Chicago and Boston. Snowfall amount is significant due to lake effect snow, blowing the moisture up from the Great Lakes and dumping as snow onto Western and Central New York. There are many gray days in winter, putting some responsibility on residents to keep their spirits up in March and April when it’s been a long time since shorts and sandals. Syracuse has similar weather to Ithaca NY, home to Cornell University and Ithaca College. </p>
<p>And yet, people attend college in all the locations named above. </p>
<p>If you are deeply involved in your program at Syracuse, would that balance it off for you? I think when people say a city sucks, they’re comparing it to the best city they know. Syracuse is an older, industrial midsized city. The university is right downtown so that creates a small neighborhood of cafes and such to enjoy. </p>
<p>When I have to drive from BUffalo to NYC, Syracuse represents the halfway point. I’m always sure to get off at the exits for Syracuse U to eat and walk around the shops, because I like the university neighborhood. It extends for blocks, not miles, but has a solid urban university flavor to it. How much do you need to be happy? </p>
<p>It is not a wonderful destination city for young people in the same way as: Boston, Seattle, SF, LA, Minneapolis or Chicago…but you are not planning to live there forever. If you are excited about the program, and willing to buy a coat, wear some socks and learn the joys of hot chocolate, you will survive the city being a less-than-great city for a few years of your life. </p>
<p>I think whoever told you “Syracuse (city) Sucks” is being kind of – immature. If you have the imagination implied by your major, you might find some of the surrounding rural settings beautiful and fascinating to explore, too. Upstate rural NY is gentle and dreamily beautiful: rolling green, filled with old dairy farms and apple orchards and old-timey small towns. There are harvest festivals, state parks, waterfalls and forests. In autumn, late Spring and all of summer, it’s kind of like heaven. Summers (unlike NYC and the East coast cities) are not humid, staying in the 80’s and rarely into the 90’s. </p>
<p>People focus on upstate NY’s long winter, and it is that. But there’s more to your life than that. You just need a lot of project activity to keep yourself busy around NOW - March, April when it’s been winter a long time. If you’re adventurous you can discover some new things, like ice fishing, snowboarding, even try hunting. Filmmakers should really be ready for anything, no? Cities are not the only exciting place to be. Anyway, Syracuse isn’t the greatest city but I don’t think it sucks, either.</p>
<p>Have you visited Syracuse? D is also a high school senior intending to go to film school and Syracuse was one of the first of many we looked at. (I’m looking like crazy for the notes we took while there, but can’t find them! I will post again if I uncover that notebook!) Let me mention right up front that D did not apply to Syracuse. She will most likely attend Chapman. </p>
<p>The BFA film program is very small, and is run by the art department, not the large communications school. The good news is they do have a few of the essentials such as a study abroad program in Prague. However, there aren’t many actual film courses (please double check me by looking at the course catalog), so you would also be taking art courses that are not necessarily film related. (You know, so you get a feel for things visual.) The film program in general is more, can I say “art” than media related, because they have a separate communications school. The fine arts student who gave us a tour of the film department was a specialist in porcelain. We went in summer and the film facilities were locked up, but we were shown the subterranean hallway where the classes are held. In a word – dismal. </p>
<p>The school itself looked OK, though not beautiful, and you may know that the whole sports scene (spectating, I mean) is a Huge Thing at Syracuse. The town is just sort of – meh. However, it is a large enough area that they say film professors do have jobs and do research in the film industry. We were not thrilled by the big lecture hall we were shown – there are big classes and you would have TA’s for many intro classes. Honors college would be worth it in a place like this, if you could get in. Surrounding rural areas like the Finger Lakes region are lovely as Paying3tuitins said. If you are an outdoors person you wouldn’t have to travel far to find lovely spots. We did like the little strip of shops and restaurants just off campus and ate at a fun pizza place (the name of which is in that misplaced notebook…) that is a local institution.</p>
<p>I’m wondering, which schools did you apply to besides USC and the other two you mentioned?</p>
<p>Did you look into Boston University or Northwestern or Loyola Marymount University or the schools in Florida, Ohio, UT Austin (I think?)</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the info! For whoever asked me about chapman I visited over summer. I liked the campus it’s just my high school has 3,500 kids so seeing chapman was like seeing a prettier version of my high school. I know the film school is great but it’s just a personal issue I have with it. And I know it’s an issue. Lol. I applied to Boston university and loyola marymount as well! And fsu in Florida (I didn’t get accepted to the film school sadly:( they only accept around 25 kids I believe) and to the people with the huge Syracuse posts, thank you!! It’s very helpful to read. I haven’t visited Syracuse yet and the information about the whole “art” aspect of Syracuse is definitely interesting. Starting to worry that would not be a good place for me:/</p>
<p>I also applied to Ithaca(accepted), American university, and university of Colorado. It seems though in my research post college app season that USC, bu, and Lmu are the best film schools though I need to do more research when I get accepted.</p>
<p>Shakespeare Fan–Did you visit Newhouse at Syracuse? They have a radio/TV/film major–in fact, at first I thought that was their film program. Any thoughts on BFA in film vs. radio/TV/film? </p>
<p>My daughter is currently a junior who plans on applying to Chapman, Loyola Marymount, USC, and others, and Syracuse is still on the list (actually, there is still a lot on the list!). Just wondered if you have any information about this…discrepancy? Difference in focus? </p>
<p>I’ve seen your posts on other threads and they have been very helpful. Thanks!</p>
<p>lasmeninas66
Good going looking into all this stuff so early. Have you gone over to the “visual arts and film majors” section of CC? There are folks hanging out there who have been around way longer than I have. A guy named digmedia comes to mind. They are full of good advice and their kids have already been to film schools. (And gone on to have their names in the credits of Oscar-nominated films!) They have lists of film and film-related schools, lists of questions to ask when you go tour the schools, etc. One guy (I think it’s dig) even wrote a book on all this!</p>
<p>When we went to Syracuse, we thought we were there to visit Newhouse, but it turned out the the BFA in film is in the arts department. My D was not interested in coming at things from the broadcast journalism aspect of things, but more the Hollywood or artsy angle. (For her, nothing about real life; only fiction will do!) So we skipped Newhouse and visited the BFA film area.</p>
<p>Boy, you really have to sift through what these so called “film schools” offer. Media in general is such a popular thing these days, every college wants to say they have it. Scratch the surface and you discover that what many schools offer is a critical film studies major, not film production like my daughter wanted. Teaching film production requires that schools have an awful lot of expensive state-of-the-art equipment, and professionals to show you how to use it. Critical studies? All you need is a laptop and a pair of eyes.</p>
<p>D also visited Ithaca (felt it was too far from civilization, though liked the progressive atmosphere and the many vegetarian choices in the small town.) Also visited American U – too documentary-based for her, but more than anything, way too close to home (practically just down the street.)</p>
<p>She ended up applying to nine schools, of widely varying sizes, reputations and geographical locations, and all with different sorts and levels of film production programs. (Some BFAs, some BAs and even a BS in film!) She applied to a couple of the big schools. She applied to some up and coming ones like Chapman and UT Austin. She applied to one LAS – Vassar because they have a small film department and she excels at all that liberal arts stuff and loves a good classroom discussion. We also found out that SUNY Purchase has quite a rigorous BFA film program, and it’s a reasonably priced school with kids who are scrappy and resourceful. UNC Wilmington has a small film department and is in a town with Screen Gems Studios. And a beach!</p>
<p>Start reading about all the schools BEFORE you apply to them, I’d say, and if you can, visit the ones that seem to be a good fit. And take that list of film school questions with you. And definitely keep asking questions.</p>
<p>ShakespeareFan–Thanks again! We will keep sifting through all the programs and information. I have read some of digmedia’s stuff, and there are other names that I have begun to recognize on these threads. 
</p>
<p>My daughter and I have visited Ringling and FSU–we took advantage of a visit to my mother who is wintering near Tampa to check them out. Both very interesting, but very different. We definitely want to go to Los Angeles at some point (though that may have to be over the summer–not ideal, I know). Other than that, it is a question of going through schools and programs to choose and eliminate, and perhaps visit a school (schools?) in another area of the country if she gets accepted and it/they are high on her list. </p>
<p>I hang out on film boards, on various college boards of schools with programs, and SAT/ACT boards. I don’t usually say much, but I have begun to offer advice on taking the SAT/ACT because I feel like I’ve learned more about studying for these exams than I ever wanted to know! (I can even direct everyone to silverturtle’s great SAT guide .When not on CC I can usually be found on university websites.</p>
<p>Good luck to your daughter!</p>
<p>Why look everyone, we ARE on the Visual Arts and Film Majors section of CC! I was erroneously thinking we were on one of the college threads, but here we were all along. And ooo, what pretty colors I see over here!</p>
<p>lasmannina66
What area of the country are you in? On the one hand, it can get expensive taking all these trips, but on the other, it is the perfect opportunity to spend quality time with your student. The transition to college life even presents the opportunity to discuss major life issues. D and I have really enjoyed seeing different places, and one thing I always tried to do when we went on a short visit to a place kind of distant from home was to stay at a bed & breakfast rather than at a chain hotel. B&B owners are plugged into the local scene and can be a wealth of information (and even a reflection) of what the local area is like.</p>
<p>Sounds like you are really doing your homework. I think the college selection process is extremely time consuming for parents! (Not to mention money consuming!)</p>
<p>just curious shakespearefan where did/is your daughter choosing?</p>
<p>And the winner is… Chapman’s Dodge college of Film and Media Arts!</p>
<p>Firstly for the fine film production program (which, unlike so many places, allows the students to dive right in starting freshmen year) and the amazing facilities.<br>
Also very important, the school’s obvious nurturing of the students. That said, they are also very realistic about how difficult jobs in film production are to come by. </p>
<p>Next, we feel the president is a very effective champion of Chapman and continues to lead the rapid development of the university as a whole (the one drawback we can see in the increased interest, is that student housing can’t keep up with increasing enrollment, so on campus housing is only guaranteed freshman year.)</p>
<p>Finally, the quaint, safe location, (and natch, proximity to Hollywood), positive atmosphere and general friendliness of the students. D was looking for a “happy” place. She was also accepted to and seriously considered NYU which is much closer to home than CA. D felt she could have cultivated her urban edgy side and put on the required air of aloofness, but really didn’t want to go in that direction. Sunny Chapman offered the feel she wanted.</p>
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<p>… Almost as much of a champion as OCELITE!!! :D</p>
<p>^^^^^^^^ :)</p>