!!! Harvard/UPenn/NYU/USC/BU

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I posted before, but now I am pretty sure as to where I am applying.
(me = female/white/virginia/good public HS/low-income)</p>

<p><em>STATS</em>
gpa: 3.9 uw, 4.7 w
rank: about 9/420 (top 3%)
sat1: 2120, 740-700-680
sat2: 760 math iic, (lit+ush in october)
junior year APs: Physics B, Calc AB, US History, US Govt</p>

<h2>senior year APs: Lit, Stats, EnviSci -OR- Chem, World History -OR- Art History</h2>

<p><em>EC’s (as listed on common app)</em></p>

<p>Theatre [10,11,12] {15 hrs/wk 40 wks/yr}

  • Historian (11th), Officer (12th)
  • ITS (honor society) member w/ ~200 ITS points
  • student director for school play (12th)
  • stage manager for school play (11th)
  • TA for theatre class
  • intern for Harvard Summer Theatre (2004)</p>

<p>Film [9,10,11,12] {5 hrs/wk 40 wks/yr}

  • President/Founder of Student Film Society (12th)
  • production assistant/intern for various feature films
  • screenwriter (for what its worth…)
  • short films shown at local public screenings
  • volunteer for Richmond Moving-Image Co-op</p>

<p>Figure Skating [9,10,11,12] {4 hrs/wk 40 wks/yr}

  • certified judge
  • performer in annual ice show
  • member of production team
  • volunteer for LearnToSkate program</p>

<p>Rowing Team [9,10,11,12] {4 hrs/wk 20 wks/yr}

  • club Vice President (11th)
  • Varsity Captain (12th)</p>

<p>In-School Volunteering [10,11,12] {2+ hrs/wk 10 wks/yr}

  • through NHS and Beta Club</p>

<p>Business [9,10,11,12] {2 hrs/wk 10 wks/yr}

  • intern for the business dept of The Crimson (Harvard newspaper) (2004)
  • owner/designer of HC Gaming Network since creation in 2002 (online)
  • member of FBLA</p>

<hr>

<p><em>Awards/Honors</em>
-School Distinguished Honor Roll (2002-2005), National Honor Roll (2004-2005), National Merit Commended, AP Scholar, Junior Marshal
-2005 Scholastic Art & Writing, Regional Honorable Mention
-Best Stage Manager (school award)
-2004 VHSL One-Act Play Festival (crew member for school’s one-act): district champion, 3rd in region</p>

<h2>-2005 VHSL One-Act Play Festival (media technician for school’s one-act): district champion, regional champion, 4th in state</h2>

<p><em>Summer Programs</em>
Harvard SSP 2004 (received grant to attend)</p>

<h2>USC Summer Seminars 2005 (received scholarship)</h2>

<h2>*Rec’s & Essays should be great.</h2>

<p>Applying to:</p>

<li>Harvard EA (Visual & Environmental Studies concentration) - Crapshoot</li>
<li>UPenn (Cinema Studies major) - Crapshoot</li>
<li>NYU Tisch (Film major) - reach</li>
<li>USC (Film major) - match, but the film school is (always) a reach</li>
<li>BU (Film major) - safety</li>
<li>Virginia Commonwealth U. as a really safe safety</li>
</ol>

<p>_
Should the above list be modified extensively?
Any strong points/weak points that I should emphasize/fix before applying?</p>

<p>If anyone could please give the chance I have at these schools with a percentage or safety/match/reach, that would be really helpful, (but I know it is hard to say expecially since the ivies are crapshoots and the film schools are so selective).</p>

<p>Thanks a whole lot.</p>

2

<p>Since you already know that the top four are reaches (a reach by definition means "unlikely", and percentages from folks like me who know nothing about film wouldn't help you in the least), the question you should asking yourself is whether you LOVE your safeties. Have you put in at least twice as much time into finding the safeties you love as the reaches you are unlikely to attend? Why not? Are they financial safeties as well? </p>

<p>(And, if you happen to get into Tisch, how in the heck do you expect to be able to pay for it, given their poor reputation for needbased aid?)</p>

3

<p>VCU = definite financial safety.</p>

<p>Actually I love BU (and VCU's arts program) and would be really happy to attend either of those schools.</p>

<p>And USC I consider a match. But to get the major I want (film), they only select 50 incoming freshmen.
The same goes with NYU, except if I was rejected from the film major at tisch, I would not be able to attend under another major (like USC).</p>

4

<p>maybe try to get full ride at BU?</p>

5

<p>monolith: i heard they are great with scholarships/fin aid... so i was thinking just that... lol</p>

6

<p>So...are they any places between BU and VCU that interest you, have film, and at which you might score lots of aid? Emerson? Ithaca? (obviously, I know nothing about film programs....)</p>

<p>Of course, if you are content with VCU, no sense in looking farther afield.</p>

7

<p>I'm pretty content w/ VCU, though I have considered Emerson, I think I would like it better at VCU.</p>

8

<p>I don't think NYU and USC are reaches at all...they seem more like match</p>

9

<p>I would have to agree with Mini, do you love your safeties?</p>

10

<p>and again, i truly do love them (particularly BU b/c of its location and it has one of the best film programs).</p>

11

<p>bump please.</p>

12

<p>bump again please.</p>

13

<p>Also consider FSU's film school although because of its small size admission could be harder than USC or NYU. It maybe the best film school in the east after NYU.</p>

<p>At USC are you applying for critcal studies, production, or writing? Critcal studies is someone easier to get into. Your focus will be more analytical than production but you will get plenty of hands on experience.</p>

<p>Others to look at are UT-Austin, Northwestern, Emerson, Ithaca. CWM has a film minor. You should take a look at that. Additionally, take a close look at the North Carolina School of thre Arts. Outstanding film program, but it wouldn't ptovide you with a very good general education.</p>

<p>Also look at some of the eastern LACs: Middlebury and Wesleyan especially.</p>

<p>One final question: are you absolutely sure you want to do film as an undergraduate? If not, go to any good college and get the best liberal arts education you can get and then apply to NYU, USC, UCLA, FSU, Columbia, Ohio University, Northwestern, AFI and others.</p>

14

<p>tsdad: thank you so much for your post, it was very helpful...</p>

<p>My mom went to FSU. I know their film program is prestigious, but I've heard so many negative comments about it from students/alumni I don't know if its for me...</p>

<p>I am applying to film production at USC. I did not put crit studies as my second-choice major, (I put history). I have taken film studies classes and really enjoyed them, but production is my passion. I really want to give my all and go for production the first year; if I dont get in as a fresh, I will then apply to both majors as transfer.</p>

<p>NC School of the Arts I decided not to apply to b/c I want a strong general ed, too.</p>

<p>I hadn't considered LAC's... do you think I would have a chance at a place like Middlebury? Are there any you know of with good film or film studies programs? I'm really unfamiliar with LAC's... are there any top LACs near big cities?</p>

<p>And finally: I really want to do film as an undergraduate. However, if I do not get into my dream film schools (USC or NYU), I want a strong academic education (at a great university, if I can get in, like Harvard/UPenn/or the LACs you mentioned). If that happened, I would also considered majoring in something other than film like history, cultural studies, or a natural science and then going to grad school for film.</p>

15

<p>Many colleges have film programs: for example, Duke, Princeton, Michigan, Wisconsin that are not generally on the radar of those who are interested in film school. Take a look at their course offerings and see if they met your interest. E-mail one or two of the professors, and see what they have to say. Same holds true to the LACs. I have also heard that Vassar has a good film program. If you haven't done so already do look closely at Emerson and Ithaca. One of them, not sure which, has an LA campus where you can go to study.</p>

16

<p>More:</p>

<p>I don't know much about LACs and whether any are near big cities. Frankly it may be important for aspiring filmmakers to be near urban areas. My son, a critical studies major, stayed in LA this summer and worked on a real movie (as a pa for the camera person) and was paid, is on call at an advertising agency, and turned town the opportunity to work on a Sierra Club documentary because of the time involved. I'm not sure that these opportunities would have been available if he was in a small town.</p>

<p>And, btw, we really, really didn't like VCU.</p>

17

<p>thanks tsdad. I really hope I can study in LA in college, or go there for USC!</p>

<p>I live next to VCU. My friends who went there for theatre like it a lot, it's kind of like the default college to go to at my HS...nothing impressive really, its just my definite financial safety. (I don't need to worry about not getting good aid/scholarships or worry about boarding/food/transportation costs to go there).</p>

18

<p>I know that VCU has great arts program, but we used VT as my son's safety. I think they have a good broadcast journalism program or something like that. With your credentials I really suggest you consider applying to CWM and UVA, and perhaps use James Madison as your real safety. They will all provide a much better college experience than VCU.</p>

19

<p>does CWM=College of William & Mary?</p>

<p>do you think that they + UVA would be more like safeties or matches for me?</p>

<p>the reason I've shyed away from those schools is because if you're "smart" (top 20%) at my school you go to one of those schools. i feel like if i went there, i'd be seeing all the people from my AP classes all over again... lol... (and thats not usually a good thing...).</p>

20

<p>Your credentials make you look smart to me. CWM (William and Mary) is very quirky in admissions. Three years ago my son was accepted at USC and FSU film schools, UNC out of state, UVA and VT in-state, and the U. of Toronto. He was waitlisted at CWM, which surprised us. Once he got into USC CTV it didn't matter to us. The ultimate rejection at CWM hardly registered with him.</p>

<p>I do urge you to apply to both schools. Fabulous educations at very reasonable cost. You shouldn't regard either school asa safety though. JMU and VT would clearely be safeties for you.</p>

<p>I understand that there is a fear of college being like high school, but remember both UVA and CWM have over 30% out of state students. Plus VA is geographically quite large so they'll be young people from from all over the state. As an aside, I went to my state school many years ago. It was only 12 miles away from my home. I found it comforting that there were 20 or so guys (Rutgers was all-male in those days) that I had shared experiences with. It was sort of like having your siblings around, but you didn't have be with them when you didn't want them around.</p>