<p>Im a senior in highschool wishing to pursue directing i applied to Emerson, Drexel, Tulane (not the best for film but awsome school), Suffolk (safety), and Webster in Missouri. I got deferred from Emerson recently but its still my first choice followed by Webster.</p>
<p>I would tend to disagree with 3boysnjmom about Wesleyan, but this is just my personal opinion. My brother actually goes to Wesleyan, & he is currently involved in the film curriculum there, though I’m not sure if he will major or minor in film studies. He likes it, and I actually have seen some great pieces that have come out of there (namely any of the Court 13 productions, if you haven’t seen them, go look them up. Glory At Sea is one of the best short films I’ve ever seen). Wesleyan really does impress me, but it is definitely a different program from that offered at NU.</p>
<p>However, I don’t think the ties are as strong in the industry for Wes, though it probably depends where you are looking. Many NU graduates have become producers or whatnot for major film houses, and I’m always amazed at how many alumni are involved in the industry. Look up the NUEA- Northwestern University Entertainment Alliance. They have chapters for East & West coasts, and offer alumni panel discussions with many writers, producers, directors in all sorts of genres of TV, film, and theater. & NU students often refer to the “NU Mafia” in the entertainment industry… there are a ton of them because we are a pretty big school with great programs in communication. Mainly because NU is a bigger school with a high-rated film production major (in the top 10 nationally), I would tend to believe that there are a lot more alumni from NU in the industry. I can’t say I actually have statistics though, so this is just speculation. </p>
<p>Though I think there is one thing that everyone keeps forgetting… it’s not just the alumni contacts that get you a job. Especially in the film industry. A lot of it is based on talent and drive, and it is definitely not a stable industry. Just because a certain school has a ton of alumni in the industry does not mean that every graduate will always land a job like that. Plus, a lot of it is based on individual talent and portfolios (depending on the job). A family friend of mine went to USC for film and went to graduate school at CalArts, yet she’s doing nothing within the industry even with those degrees. Let’s face it, the film industry is always extremely difficult to break into. There’s only so much any given school can do. Don’t expect it to be easy.</p>
<p>^^you’re almost talking about apples vs. oranges, here. Wesleyan is first and foremost a liberal arts college; you’re going to come out fairly well-educated no matter what you major in at Wesleyan. Northwestern is a large university with about half a dozen totally different, mostly pre-professional, undergraduate units. The School of Communications is one of them, and numbers about 1,000 students. The opportunities for gaining a rich education certainly exist there. However, it’s a totally different ambience.</p>
<p>As much as people talk about “the Wesleyan Film School” as if it were a separate part of the university, the fact is, majoring in Film Studies is not much different than majoring in Physics or Government: there’s a lot of emphasis on “rigor”; you can graduate with Honors; you can become a member of the Phi Beta Kappa society. And, if you decide not to stick it out in the industry, you can still pursue other careers (although, one Film Studies wag was overheard to say, “only our failures go to law school.”)</p>
<p>I’m less sure what one does with a B.A. in Sound Design after a few unsuccessful years of bouncing around the industry.</p>
<p>cherrycrush021: I don’t know enough about NU to really argue which is better for almuni contacts, but Wes also has a “Wesleyan Film Mafia.” I’d guess that NU has more alumni just because I think it’s a bigger program, but Wes alumni also do very well in the industry. I’d basically agree with you that after a point, a school can only do so much; I’d argue that both NU and Wes do about as much as one could expect from a school that isn’t in LA.</p>
<p>cherrycrush
I thought you wanted to be a visual artist not a film maker, wasn’t that your point not doing Wes? what happened?</p>
<p>Hi John, how’s everything?
my kid’s grades are tanking I don’t think I could ever belong to proud Wes community unless become cafeteria lady or slave to the Japanese dept. either is fine with me, are they hiring?</p>
<p>^^I think eventually they’ll need someone to replace the nice lady who just retired from the Asian Studies Dept… Keep hope alive!</p>
<p>Thanx, I don’t really have credential to do any job-job.
Maybe just about making origami samples or rewrite an alphabet chart of hiragana: even that, less and less -er daily usage is the threat to regression…
O Wesleyan love you so
maybe my grandkid or next life, yep keep hoping.</p>