<p>Hi! I have recently been accepted into DePaul University, the University of Texas at Austin and I am waiting to hear back from Loyola Marymount University in LA. All of these schools have amazing film programs from what I can tell and I need your advice on which would be better for me. Here is what I am looking for in a college:
-Great Film School
-Impressive Alumni
-Ability to make connections for the business
-Impressive teachers
-Internship opportunities
-Location (I want a good location to help me get started in the business but I would also prefer to stay close to home and I live in Texas)
Any experiences that you have had with these schools or have heard about these would help me out a ton in making my choice because I have no idea which one to pick! If you could rank the order in which you would choose them and list the positives and negatives of each would help me so much. Thank you guys!</p>
<p>Also, I want to go into directing and production!</p>
<p>What is you net cost of each school?</p>
<p>Money is not really an issue, but the cheaper the better. ( I hope that answered your question!)</p>
<p>As a film student myself, I have to say that most of the things you listed don’t matter. The one thing that matters is LOCATION. Where is it you want to work? Do you want to challenge yourself to make it into the oversaturated world of film in LA? That’s the first question to ask. I personally don’t see myself working in that kind of environment. I live near Portland and I love the atmosphere of a film hub in progress. Austin is way ahead of Portland in that way but not nearly as crazy as LA. Lots of good things film wise are happening in Austin, and I can’t stress enough how many industry professionals I’ve talked with that bring up the moving and shaking going on with Austin film. </p>
<p>You really should just research the locations. If money doesn’t matter (lucky you!) then that’s the biggest factor to consider. Every college has internship opportunities if you apply yourself. Every college has impressive alumni. You can make connections anywhere - even without going to film school! So in my opinion, decide on a location first and foremost, and go from there. Chicago vs Austin vs LA is a huge variety and you’ll want to station yourself in your university in a location you want to continue working in. I’m finding it’s much easier for internships, future work opportunities, and networking. </p>
<p>That’s my 2 cents! Sorry if it didn’t help!</p>
<p>I will default to @jennat for the reply because it is on target and well thought out.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for that @jennat
So I guess my next question would be would what location would you recommend the most?</p>
<p>Well I guess I’m biased in my own decisions…but I’m hoping to transfer to Austin and am awaiting a decision. Even if I’m not accepted, I plan on moving to Austin to start work there. I have to say my biggest regret is not starting school in Austin as a freshmen because if I’m not accepted, it’ll be much harder to network and find internships that allow recent grads rather than current students, etc. I want to go to Austin because of all the awesome things I hear from industry professionals that I talk to through my film club on campus, and while Portland (the nearest film area to me) is great and growing, Texas is even bigger and has more opportunities for growth. </p>
<p>I can’t speak to Chicago’s film production - is there a decent sized film culture there? - but I can speak to my experiences with LA vs Austin, and I have to say that for a filmmaker just starting out, Austin is by far a better choice. Less competitive, more opportunities to work and grow, and you can make a name for yourself much easier than trying to slog through those in the LA film industry. If you find you want to break into LA eventually, starting small is a great place as well. Me personally, I’m most interested in being an Assistant Director. So if I want to be an AD, I need to show 400+ days of paystubs working as a PA. Where do you think that’s easier to do? An industry in LA where the culture is oversaturated and bursting at the seams, or a place like Austin where there’s much more demand vs supply? Logically, the answer is Austin. Ask yourself these sorts of questions and the decision should become simple 
</p>
<p>Hope I’ve helped! </p>
<p>You have actually helped me out a lot @jennat.
I was not expecting to be admitted into Austin because I am not near the stats of those who are not automatically admitted so that’s what threw me off (originally my first choice.).
Thank you for your help and I am definitely considering Austin more and more, best of luck to you!</p>
<p>No problem I hope I too am admitted! My stats, especially my GPA, has me worried. But if it’s not meant to be it’s not meant to be! I’ll end up working in Austin anyway, by hell or high water ;)</p>
<p>Good luck with your decision! I’d love to hear what you decide!</p>
<p>I’ll be sure to let you know and I wish to hear if you will be attending as well!
And like I said my stats were not UT standard but my resume got me in!</p>
<p>Can anyone else offer any opinions? I want a range of opinions! </p>
<p>The motto of UT: “What starts here changes the world”. Now I’m not claiming Hong Kong is the world. Tsui Hark (徐克) who graduated from the UT film school certainly has a profound influence in the film culture in Hong Kong. If you’re looking for notable alumni, he’s one that I’m familiar with. </p>
<p>Thank you @kwyml! Does anyone you know attend/attended UT? If so, how was there experience? </p>