Hello! My D has difficulties making decisions about her acceptances. Knowing what others think help sometimes. Right now, she is hesitating between two good institutions: Emerson College and Ithaca College. The difference is that she would live on campus at Ithaca and at home for Emerson. She likes both but is worried that the ranking is related to something that she doesn’t see or understands.
Emerson, as Chapman, is regularly ranked in the top 10 when Ithaca, as DePaul, is ranked lower on the list and sometimes is not on the list. Is it linked to the alumni and the possible connections you would make or the location (city vs remote and rural) or the program (I doubt it, both seem really great), the facilities (we visited and found both very good as well)?
Some say living on campus helps to make friends and connect, others say it’s in the classrooms and in the clubs you do that, and being off campus cannot change your involvement if you really want to be engaged.
She is still waiting for decisions from Chapman, Concordia (Canada), but she is not very hopeful.
We are considering the same schools for D. Ithaca and DePaul appear on most top film school lists between 10 and 25. The problem for us is they are all different with very different cons. For Emerson, it comes down to the price tag. We just appealed her scholarship award to see if it can be increased. With Ithaca, it just doesn’t seem to have the “glitz” of the other programs, but I know there are good alumni connections there. DePaul is just so big, doesn’t seem to have enough housing, and for us a plane ride away, and the film program is separated from the main campus. (My daughter was also accepted to the Lincoln Center campus of Fordham and I like how they have a frequent shuttle between the two campuses.)
My D was also accepted to Penn State’s Bellisario College which we toured last summer, and we all loved it, a lot. It’s not on any top list but with their alumni network in communications and new facilities, I think it’s going to get a lot more attention in the coming years. She also recently got a substantial merit scholarship from UCONN which is enticing but its program doesn’t get much attention and does not have an LA program, which is a must for D.
We still need to hear from SU Newhouse (mom and dad are alumni), Chapman, RIT, Drexel, BU, NYU (mom is a graduate school alumni), USC, and UNSCA. Many of these are reaches and other than UNSCA and maybe Drexel, most will be beyond our budget. At this point in time I was hoping the decision would come into focus, but I think it’s getting cloudier.
Different publications have different parameters for their reviews. Variety (as an example–they seem to be fairly reliable source over the years) has Ithica as one of the best film schools.
They specifically mention the facilities and money spent updating equipment. This is just one factor that can cause a school to jump in rating. Faculty is another factor–I personally think it’s better to have stable faculty vs adjunct professors who come and go.
Other reviews may include notable alumni (but they can be from the school and not a particular major). Just depends on publication.
The two biggies for film (I would guess) is internship opportunity and networking. My D went to Ringling for animation and first thing her professor said was “look around this room. Make friends–you may be employing each other one day.” And it was very true. These industries are not that large. It’s good to note where the alumni get work after graduation and how active the career services department is in helping making connections for their students.
Film school is going to be very dependent on self work–you get out what you put in.
Has she visited both? Does she have a preference? Are both affordable?
It’s all about building your portfolio and getting experience. She can be successful attending either college.
Emerson was S21’s top choice but not enough merit. Ithaca was too remote after visiting there and Syracuse.
Same here: USC, UCLA, BU, Chapman, not only will probably be a NO, plus very expensive, BUT, she wanted to have them on her list, just to see. She did not apply to Tisch NYU.
Frankly, when she started to apply, she only was interested in Emerson and Chapman. Emerson for visual Media Production and Chapman for creative producing. She was deferred from Chapman. When she received the decision from Emerson, there was no merit. So, those two telling her: we don’t really want you (this what it meant to her), she turned her attention to Ithaca and DePaul, and yes, they gave her nice merit and then grants. So we visited DePaul, but she wasn’t very interested even if she keeps it under consideration. We visited Ithaca online and in person and she really, really liked it. BUT, Emerson sent its final package, which we appealed, and the total, after their final decision, increased enough to allow her to attend, except she would have to be off campus, otherwise, it will be out of our budget.
DePaul, Ithaca and Emerson appears to be the same price, with this condition for Emerson. This is why it’s difficult.
Exact same majors for my D. We did a self-tour of Ithaca last summer when we were upstate for the pre-college film program at Syracuse and it wasn’t a great experience because there were few people around and we couldn’t get into many facilities, but we are excited to go back on April 15 for Ithaca Today. We are also waiting to see if she gets the Park or Leadership Scholarships. If she does, it’ll be the same cost as our in-state SUNY or lower and then it would be a no brainer. As I keep reminding D, the less we have to pay for her tuition, the more she will have available to make films or go abroad or for her semesters in LA.
If your daughter does pick Emerson and lives at home, there are ways to get an anchor at school. There is Greek life, including some co-ed more professional chapters. When I was in school a number of my sorority sisters lived in the area so stayed at home but could always stop into the house to have lunch or just study for a few hours. Many parked near the house and walked to campus. there will be some other organizations that may interest her too (band, newspaper, student government) that will have offices she can hang in. It won’t be like she only has class and then has to run home.
And she could become popular as someone who brings friends home for a meal or to do their laundry! My friend’s son did go to school in his hometown, lived in the dorm, and came home every Sunday night to eat and do laundry - and watch the Packers with his dad when possible. A really good combo of home and away for him.
I think I’d put a lot of weight on this.
Ithaca has a comparable program it appears (important).
If she likes the rural location (seems to be a thorn for many) and allows her more independence (not living at home) then that would be my choice.
Living at home means you have to REALLY let it go.
When she’s out at 2 am with friends at a party? Or working on a long project and won’t be home? Is she going to have to answer to all your rules? Will you sleep at night? Will she not do things with friends because it’s difficult since she lives at home? Will her friends see her the same way? None of this may matter to either of you in the least–worth a discussion though.
LOL–but that’s me–you asked for opinion and there you go!
Honestly it’s difficult because you don’t know who to believe in on-line reviews etc. Some students say Emerson has a lot of great equipment–but unless you are an upperclassman you don’t get to use it.
Some say Ithaca is too into photography but OTOH photography is important to developing a good film producer (stuck with me because every animator at Ringling is a trained artist which led to their excellence in animation).
Yes, we visited both. Her brother and sister went to Emerson and they are both in LA now. So, for a long time, in her mind, she would go to Emerson. But then, she started to look at more institutions. She likes both, Ithaca and Emerson, and they are affordable enough, the same I should say with the condition that she would be off campus at Emerson, otherwise, it wouldn’t be affordable. We thaught that Emerson was out of the picture because they didn’t give any merit, but they gave her a nice grant and now, it’s back in the picture.
Thank you for the advice. Yes, sorority could help.
@gouf78 has a point. My kids went away for school but have been home summers and long breaks. We love having them home but it’s an adjustment. They’re used to coming and going as they please and we’re used to the peace and quiet. It’s not easy when you get up at 5am for work and your son came home at 2am the night before.
Yes, I’m laughing but it’s totaly true. I’m used to it. My D is my last of 4 children, and those 3 already graduated, and I had the same experience with them visiting. We keep geting older, they keep being young. My 3rd came back to live home after graduation, so we are used to the independent life even if it is in our home. We’ll see. No decision taken yet.
Just a thought- is the grant they gave you renewable for all 4 years? My daughter received merit scholarships from Ithaca and DePaul that clearly state they will be applied for all 4 years as long as she maintains a certain GPA.
It would be terrible if the grant was no longer offered in subsequent years and became unaffordable.
That is my big worry about non-merit based aid.
You ask a good question but if we don’t become super rich over the years, there is no reason they’ll change the amount of their grant. For example, my oldest daughter lived off campus the 3rd year, they lowered her grant but not a lot, it was still affordable. The 4th year, she came back on campus and they increased it. If my Fafsa shows no huge fluctuations, they won’t change the amount of the grant. Same thing for my son, 2 years with the same grant. None of my kids had a merit at Emerson, lol. But they had good grants IMO, approximately the same amount.
Ithaca offered the Leadership Scholarship. It’s now a little bit less than Emerson, but still close. Going to Ithaca the 25th. I really hope My D will make her decision the following week so we can focus on something else.
Final decision has not been made yet, but D leaning toward Emerson. She was accepted to BU yesterday and the news was a relief after all the Noes that last 2 weeks: no from Chapman (top choice with Emerson), no from UCLA and USC (expected).
We visited Ithaca College yesterday during their accepted students event and that helps to lean D toward Emerson, even with the prospect of living off campus.
Once the final decision is made (still waiting to hear from Concordia Canada), I’ll put it on this thread and will share the reasoning, in case that can help others to decide. it is a tough journey.
Congrats to your daughter for her acceptance to BU. It was a particularly competitive year. My daughter was also admitted to COM and it’s pushed DePaul off the list. She preferred Boston over Chicago.
BU also gave her a very generous financial aid package (making it a little cheaper than her state school- Purchase College). We are also just waiting on one more school - Vassar next week.
Glad that the visit to Ithaca helped your daughter with the decision towards Emerson. Hoping th he same happens when we visit BU and Purchase in April
The wait is over. DD committed to Emerson College yesterday, will live off campus. We are happy with her decision.
Revisiting this thread as D23 is struggling to choose between two film programs.
She was accepted into the Film conservatory (BFA) at Purchase College. It’s in state tuition so it’s very affordable but it’s close to home and she doesn’t like she is “going away” to school despite agreeing to let her live on campus. Regardless we thought this was where she would end up due to affordability and the program and faculty are well regarded in our area.
Then she was accepted to BU with a scholarship that makes it as affordable as SUNY. So it’s now a realistic option. We visited both schools this past weekend and D23 was really impressed with the film program. She loves Boston and the people and BU campus but she kind of felt like the BU film students were not as passionate about film as she is. This concerns her.
I know BU’s program is highly ranked and they have the LA program and strong alumni network. She also feels like BU would give her a real college experience.
However she keeps thinking about the faculty she met at Purchase, who she really like and wonders if getting a BFA from a conservatory style program would be better for her career. But we are not sure why Purchase College isn’t on any of the film school rankings. Also no LA program so we worry her networking will be limited to NY.
She is leaning towards BU but not 100% sold. If anyone has any insight into either program, it would be great to pass it on to her
I would choose BU bc it checks severall boxes: living away from home, studying in a well ranked program, having the opportunity to study other subjects, because of a large university, Boston is a nice students’ town. My oldest daughter was a student at Emerson between 2015 and 2019 in the acting / theater program: she acted sometimes in BU’s students film and found them professional. We visited Purchase but D decided to not apply. Didn’t feel the vibe. But it’s totaly subjective.