<p>Can someone recommend a good film school. My son is a high school junior and very interested. I would also like him to get a decent liberal arts education. He has a 3.8, takes 2 honors classes, and has a lot of club involvement.</p>
<p>Geographical preference?</p>
<p>NYU and USC, on opposite coasts, have the two top-ranked film programs in the country. There are many other good ones, you would need to specify other criteria to narrow down the options. Your son can start doing research with the links and forums at:</p>
<p>[Studentfilms.com</a> - Film School Advice - Short Films - Filmmaking Forums - Film Composers and Royalty Free Music](<a href=“http://www.studentfilms.com/]Studentfilms.com”>http://www.studentfilms.com/)</p>
<p>Check the Visual Arts and Film Majors section here on collegeconfidential for ideas. [Visual</a> Arts and Film Majors - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/visual-arts-film-majors/]Visual”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/visual-arts-film-majors/)</p>
<p>If the link posted by Wildwood disappears, you can Google to search for a vibrant filmmaking community forum to find the resource Wildwood was describing.</p>
<p>Florida State University is supposed to have a top-rated film school. I have only heard as I am a Gator and have no personal experience with FSU.</p>
<p>Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA</p>
<p>Ithaca College, Boston University, Wesleyan University, Vassar College, Chapman University, University of Southern California.</p>
<p>Check posts by digmedia, his son did a program at University of Ohio (I think) that was very good.</p>
<p>At the risk of being rude, and I would make the same suggestion to a student, film schools has been a frequent topic of discussion in CC for years so I suggest that you do a search and then come back with specific questions. You’ll also note that there is a specific forum, College Majors, that contains a heading for Visual Arts and Film Majors. You should spend some time reading the threads there. The participants in that forum may be the best source for answering your questions after you make yourself more knowledgeable about the topic.</p>
<p>If I wanted a great liberal arts education and film studies I would go to Wesleyen.</p>
<p>^^^ please note that one needs to distinguish between film studies and filmmaking – although I believe Wesleyan is good for either.</p>
<p>+1 for Wesleyan. when you graduate, the chairwoman of the department gives you a list of contacts in NY and LA and off you go to join the Wesleyan Film Mafia. the program and alumni are unreal. liberal arts education plus the best LAC film program</p>
<p>Wesleyan does seem to be a good choice at combining liberal arts and film/media studies. But it’s very competitive and there are other options. I’m glad that smartalic (is that smart-alick or smart alice?) used the phrase “Wesleyan Film Mafia.” Indeed, having a cohesive set of alumni in positions within the film industry <em>does</em> make a difference. My son credits that for so many of his “crew” getting great jobs right out of school.</p>
<p>However, I don’t know how you’d find that out.</p>
<hr>
<ul>
<li>The term “film mafia” means not only that there are lots of alumni in the industry, but that they know each other, help each other, and look for new talent from their former colleges. And that’s different from just having lots of graduates in the industry…</li>
</ul>
<p>i think New York Film Academy is a good choice</p>
<p>Since a big part of film is the connections, I’d recommend USC, NYU and UCLA. Keep in mind the competition for these programs is intense, think admission rates in the range of Harvard.</p>