Hello, I know I am the common predicament of any high school senior but I am really distressed right now. My parents don’t know how to help, they are not from this country and do not understand the process. I am looking to study film and writing and got accepted into Sarah Lawrence, Pratt, New School, and Syracuse. I have been waitlisted for NYU and Berkeley. All are great options but the prices are over the roof. Although I am head over heels about the Sarah Lawrence curriculum the tuition is far too much and I don’t know if the investment is worth it… is it? As for Pratt, although I received a scholarship, I would not be able to study writing as much as I would like to. The ultimate dream is NYU and although I am hoping for the best, I figured that the best option was to spend a couple years in my cheapest option - New School because of the scholarship I received - and apply again. However, the film program at New School is lacking. Would this be the best option? I would love some help. Truly. My parents are stressing out and I really do not want them to put so much money in Sarah Lawrence for a liberal arts degree when I am not even sure about the job prospects. My brother is also starting college the same year, so you can imagine the financial strain.
Thank you so much…
SL and NYU are expensive. Both are excellent schools for what you are interested in but you pay for that excellence.
What is the issue with Pratt specifically? They have a small film dept. with pretty cool new facilities and another small creative writing dept. but that could be an advantage. You might be able to swing a double major there or at least minor in one of those (if double majors aren’t allowed).
Thanks for replying. I agree that the pratt film departments has great facilities and I really was enamored by all the film stuff. There is not really a huge issue with Pratt, my mother just pointed out that the difference in cost between Pratt and SL isn’t too large and that if she’s going to pay for a college up in NY she rather pay for one that I really like. However, she never factored in the money I’m saving through AP courses and whatnot. I guess the major con in pratt is that I would have to take a foundation year and study painting and drawing for a year before touching a camera and I feel like that’s a waste of time and money tbh. I wouldn’t be able to double major but I could add a writing minor…
Thank you very much for your input!
No, SLC isn’t worth it. I think the starting salary for its graduates is barely above what you’d make with just a HS education. The kids who attend and don’t care are wealthy kids whose parents can easily pay 65K per year out of pocket.
Are you talking loans for your parents?
Film&writing = limit yourself to subsidized loans ($3,500 in loans for the first year). If there’s no other choice, you can go up to the maximum federal loan, $5,500, but DO NOT go over that. Loans are a risk, which you assuage depending on the odds of finding a high-paying job at graduation. Since the fields you’re interested in have very high risk and low salary levels, you must take as little as possible.
Is there a way for you to take a gap year and apply to universities that will be affordable? If you live in NYC, you can join CityYear, if selected you’ll get a monthly stipend and a scholarship for college.
“I wouldn’t be able to double major but I could add a writing minor…”
Can you major in writing and add a film minor at Pratt?
The reason I ask is that the film production major is most always going to require a visual arts-based studio foundation year, especially in a BFA program. A writing major will require a separate foundation program and I thought that’s what Pratt provides. Not sure if you were interested in film studies or history of film, rather than film production. Maybe there is a minor film option somewhere there? The creative writing department is small but sounds really cool from what I’ve heard and it has it’s own writing studios.
Pratt is going to be around $63,000 (all in) for 2016-17. But didn’t you say you got a scholarship? Really what matters is the net cost of attendance.
@frizzyizz I just looked it up and not sure if this works for you but at Pratt there is a cinema studies minor:
And then of course there is the creative writing program (BFA) with it’s own writer’s studios etc:
https://www.pratt.edu/academics/liberal-arts-and-sciences/the-writing-program/
Guessing your goal is to do writing for film/screenwriting someday. This seems to be a way to get the training for that.
Thanks for your responses, but unfortunately, I do not think that either option would help me financially. After some realistic thinking, I figured to either take a gap year and raise some money or enroll at a state college. I’m too afraid of being too in debt for a film/writing degree. It’s just too much a risk 