Hello!
I’ve committed to Dartmouth as a '21 and looking for some current students who can share their experiences with the Film & Media Studies major. A bit of background: I’m really into filmmaking–writing, cinematography, directing, editing, etc. When I applied to colleges, I applied to several film schools like USC, UCLA, and Northwestern (school of communication). My decision ended up being between Dartmouth and Northwestern, and initially I leaned very much towards NU because of their hands-on/production-intensive program and their location near Chicago. However, after appealing my financial aid award at both schools due to special circumstances, Dartmouth gave me a nice amount of aid while NU gave me none.
I understand that going to Dartmouth entails a liberal arts style of education, and in the case of film, more theory/analysis than production. Therefore I’m hoping some of you with similar interests can share your experiences. What is the film major like? Do film students often double major with something else–creative writing or maybe something interdisciplinary? Do you pursue internships at production companies? Study abroad? (The Edinburgh FSP sounds really interesting!) Are there opportunities to create and collaborate, such as a film club? Do film students usually go on to grad school to get an MFA, or directly enter the industry?
Thank you so much!