I exceed the standards and am extremely certain I will get in next spring. However, I’m only looking for colleges where I can successfully graduate in 3 years. I plan to major in film at the School of Cinematic Arts and subsequently find work in the Los Angeles area. I want to take courses in the summer for credit and be able to graduate in 3 years (Graduate in 2019). Is this possible at USC? If not, do you know any other schools that would fulfill my interests?
- SCA Admissions are based on a subjective review of the creative submissions in your portfolio supplement, in addition to grades/scores etc, so it would be hard for anyone to predict who will be admitted in a given year. Having a lot of back-up schools is key.
- What SCA major do you wish to pursue? At USC, the Production major is a BFA degree requiring 4 years to complete the coursework in sequence. This would also be true for Screenwriting and Animation majors.
- A Bachelor of Arts degree in Cinematic Arts Cinema & Media Studies (formerly called Critical Studies) or Interactive Media may be possible to complete in 3 years, depending on the number of GE reqs you can get credit for if you get 4-5 AP scores, and the number of units you take each semester. It takes careful planning and there are only a few specific AP courses that replace certain specific GEs, so be sure to check. It may not be possible to add a 2nd major or minors in this timeframe.
- Summer courses cannot help a student move faster through the BFA majors in SCA, which require 8 semesters of classes taken in sequence. For Cinema & Media Studies or Interactive Media, one might be able knock some GE courses out, but there are limited offerings each summer. It should be noted that it is extremely expensive to take summer classes and there is a limit to the number of units one can take. Also, summers can be the best time to get industry internships that can help lead to jobs after graduation.
- You didn't say why you want to finish your degree in 3 years. If you apply for one of the BA programs and get admitted (about 4% admission rate), you can meet with an SCA advisor to compare how quickly you can complete the coursework to other admissions you receive. Good luck.
I want to graduate in 3 years because I want less debt. I already have a large portfolio and want to go into the Production major. You said it requires 4 years so I guess I will have to reconsider my options.
It’s not the size of an applicant’s portfolio, but the quality and creative potential it shows–which is a subjective decision on the part of SCA.
For every school you consider/research, be sure to go to their website and check the degree requirements. This is the link to USC’s production major: https://cinema.usc.edu/production/bfarequirements.cfm
Yeah, I know. I meant large in the sense of complete and honed down to the pieces I am most proud of. All of my (2) siblings got in (I’m from Atherton) and I’m more qualified than them to be honest.
USC isn’t that difficult to get into. The acceptance rate is low because the applicant pool is so large with many less-qualified individuals applying.
I’m not really asking about admission but rather about paying my way. I come from a pretty rich area but my parents are making me go on my own after I graduate and pay my debt off all on my own. So, I want to graduate with as least amount of debt as I can from USC.
honey, as an UG YOU can ONLY borrow a VERY small amount. Your PARENTS can borrow a lot of student loans, but not you.
The rest of the tuition and R & B $$ will have to be paid by your parents, UNLESS you will a huge merit scholarship, which is NOT easy to do. Full tuition scholarships are harder to win than getting into Harvard.
And USC is NOT that easy to get into, especially SCA, which is known as the best film school in the nation.
That’s not what I said. I said that they are paying for my tuition, but expect me to pay my debt from my work after I graduate. I know that SCA is hard to get into, I was talking about USC as a whole. I guess USC is not easy to get into for the average applicant but it’s pretty easy in my case. I’ve already met with so many people from the administration and alumni and they’ve said I shouldn’t have any problems with admission.