<p>TarantinoFan -- Clearly you're going to apply to USC and NYU and hopefully the film folks will love your stuff and go to the mat for you with admissions. If you go to college arts fairs, many of the college reps will tell you straight up that say an actress or a violinist they really want may get a break on numbers. Whether this happens with USC or NYU film is an unknown. All you can do is send them both the best application with the best recommendations you can muster and see what happens. Seriously, get going on that writing.</p>
<p>It sounds as if Chapman and LMU may be of interest. I don't think their numbers are as high as for NYU or USC for the universities in general, so the film schools may be more accessible. If these look good to you, go for it. </p>
<p>With your interest in a hands-on, film centered program, please do look at NCSA. They are an arts college in the University of North Carolina system with spectacular filmmaking facilities and their program is exactly what you describe yourself as looking for. Florida State is also a place you should check out. These schools both have very competitive film programs BUT the threshold criteria of the colleges themselves are not as demanding in terms of numbers. </p>
<p>Isn't there also an arts college in Chicago that has a top film program for undergrads?</p>
<p>Wow, I have a lot of work ahead of me. Glad I did this thread now instead of at the end of October, at least I have a chance to get this all sorted out.</p>
<p>As of right now I'm going to apply to NYU, USC (top choices), LMU, Chapman University and maybe UCLA, though I'm not sure at the moment. My two safeties are UMBC and HCC, I'm more than qualified for those. Nester, I may apply to NCSA because their program looks really interesting, but I'm not keen on the whole idea of going to North Carolina for college.</p>
<p>Sounds like a plan! Have you checked out the film program at Temple as suggested by another poster? Look at the numbers, but I think that academically this may be pretty safe for you, and if the film program appeals to you and you're OK with Philadelphia, you might be happier than at UMBC and HCC as I think you could be doing serious film. As for NCSA, yes, it is in small town NC. But in your worst case scenario, if you're looking at one of your safeties, you might want to at least try to have the choice of going to a really intense, hands on film program with amazing facilities with a bunch of like-minded filmmakers instead. (Don't think of it as a shoe-in, though. Very competitive.) </p>
<p>Good luck with all this, and with your top choices especially. You clearly have a lot going for you artistically. Be sure you have applications that really showcase everything you've done, your interests, skills, successes and enthusiasm.</p>