<p>I'm still unable to decide between Berkeley (English) and NYU (Tisch - Dramatic Writing) What's the better path to take if I want to become a screenwriter -</p>
<p>Should I go to Berkeley where I can at the undergrad level really develop and hone my writing skills and become well-rounded in my knowledge of other subjects, then do an mfa program at the graduate level? </p>
<p>Or, should I immediately jump into preprofessional (NYU), where I can learn the trade and make connections and possibly not worry about going to grad school?</p>
<p>I'd appreciate if anybody has any suggestions : ]</p>
<p>Ex screenwriter here. Screenwriting is very hard to learn in classes. One of the best ways to learn the form is through reading many many scripts. </p>
<p>Connections don't get you far in writing; either you have a quality (=commercially viable, well written) story or you don't. I was an English Lit concentrator at Brown. Did not think I would go into writing at that time. About 10 years later I wrote & sold my first "spec" script. (Got my agent through a connection: Brown alum!)</p>
<p>Screenwriting is a fairly brutal job. It is very good money IF you are a consistent person who churns out marketable scripts &/or IF you hit the mother lode & create a TV series like "Cheers."</p>
<p>Thus I would be wary of "majoring" in screenwriting; you may or may not like the life of a screenwriter.</p>
<p>All that said you have two great schools; pick the one you think would be the most broadening experience.</p>
<p>My son had his heart set on screenwriting - applied to both Tisch and USC. Although he got into Tisch, he didn't make it into screenwriting at USC, but did make it into Critical Studies which is a much broader Cinema/TV curriculum and he could specialize in Screenwriting. He is leaning toward USC because of LA entertainment industry and this is where he wants to be after graduation. Also he was going to write a letter to Screenwriting to ask to be waitlisted.</p>
<p>After reading your comments, now I wonder if he should just take Critical Studies, which may give him other options in LA than screenwriting. Thank you for your insight</p>
<p>I think the implication of "majoring in screenwriting" is that you'll get a job as a writer and I see no such connection. A good general education with an emphasis in writing is a better way. Also, a little general life experience helps too-- to spark ideas.</p>
<p>My H (also screenwriter) was english major at UVa and did NYU film grad school. Still wound up sleeping on couches and being a go-fer till he found his own way in. There is ONE ticket in: a good script that someone wants to buy. It doesn't matter how connected you are, if you don't have that you will not work as a writer. OTOH, you can be a complete yokel & if you have a good commercial script you will work. Might just take you a bit longer to get someone of importance to read it.</p>
<p>BTW I loved being a writer-- it was great for me for over a decade-- but once I had kids, I found it was too all-consuming and hard to balance with being a mom. That's why I retired.</p>
<p>I do not believe that there are very many talented writers "out there" who cannot sell scripts & make a decent living. Yes, there are individual scripts of high quality that somehow didn't sell-- but that writer would probably get recognition and other opportunities.</p>
<p>A very good job for an aspiring writer is to be a "reader" who evaluates other people's scripts. This is a decent entry level Hollywood job and it helps you meet creative execs and agents.</p>
<p>If I go with the broader education of Berkeley, will I still be able to get into a good graduate mfa program for screenwriting/playwrighting without having had formal training at the undergraduate level? Thanks.</p>
<p>Sorry I just don't know enough about the MFA grad school requirements... I would think a writing-intensive undergrad program would be very good prep for MFA, but you may need more advice from someone who is familiar with the MFA schools.</p>