Tisch freshman willing to answer questions

<p>Ok I have a question about social life...when I visited and went on the accepted students tour, everyone was like carrying prada bags and had chanel sunglasses etc and seemed kind of stuck up. I am from Oregon, am middle class, and kind of a hippie, and don't know if I can handle a student body like that. Are there a lot of people like this?</p>

<p>To bettyboop:
Right next door to U-Hall, there is a gym at the Palladium (an upperclassmen dorm), and it is a full gym, not just, "Oh, hi, I'm a small dorm gym" but it is literally a really, really nice gym, with everything she'll ever need to workout. There's also Cole's Gym, which is close to Washington Square, and is also a nice, full gym. </p>

<p>I'm assuming that you're talking about does studio emphasize nutrition and exercise...I'm not sure, it depends on the teacher you have, but the majority of students do take care of themselves, given the strenuous studio schedule. There's no official "diet/exercise plan," but it's more like you workout, you eat good food, and you take care of yourself...otherwise you will not survive the strenuous schedule.</p>

<p>Lala hope that helps!</p>

<p>To eringobraugh:
Hi, meet me, a student from New Orleans, who is pretty much lower class and doesn't own anything like Gucci or Chanel sunglasses. And I absolutely love it here. Sure there are students who can afford all that stuff and sure you'll meet stuck up people here. But the NYU student population is so diverse that you can literally find any type of student here...from the hipsters, to the fashion freaks; from the valley girl to the poorer student who's working they're butt off to stay at NYU; from the conservative to the best gay friends you'll ever have...ever, you'll definitely find your place here, trust me. Don't be intimidated by the surface...I see all different types of people, hang out with all different types of people. It's truly an all-around social learning experience, definitely. Yay hope that helps!</p>

<p>Eringobraugh,</p>

<p>My daughter and I just visited a couple of a weeks ago and I have to say the NYU students we met were just great. Didn't even see anybody fitting the type of people you described.</p>

<p>I am an alumna and looking back, some of my group of friends definitely came from upper class backgrounds, but were so down to earth I really didn't realize their wealth at the time. I was originally a business major hanging out with the film students. As NoCCA says you will meet people from all over the US and the world.</p>

<p>Interesting...hummmmm?@$#?</p>

<p>Mmm hmmmmm...</p>

<p>I have a question re: Film and Television. Do you have any idea if recent undergraduates can actually find work? Do the Tisch connections really help? I've been hearing from folks whose kids went to "lesser" film schools. While they feel their educations were good, these kids cannot find work!</p>

<p>I have/had two kids in Tisch, one a FILM & TV grad. The school has approximately 1,000 undergrad film and tv students in the program, and they all seem to travel on their own individual paths in terms of finding employment. It all depends on what the student expects to get out of the program and what his or her goals are in terms of how best to utilize the degree. Some recent grads have already gone out to LA to find work, whereas others are staying in nyc. Some are going onto various graduate school programs, law school, etc. It can take a while for each graduate to find his or her niche, because there are so many branches of the film industry, so it's important to be able to be flexible but also choose a branch that someone would enjoy pursuing for a while. It doesn't have to be necessarily a permanent lifetime decision, but just something for at least the next year or more. I know grads who are working as editors, production designers, p.a's, producers, etc. - the list goes on and on. Remember, though, that in this industry, there is a lot of room at the bottom, but less room at the top, so it can be thought of as a gradual process in terms of "making" it. The connections at Tisch can be very helpful, but again there needs to be some degree of flexibility on the part of the graduate, and of course, if the student is really dedicated to the program and shows quality work, then that's a plus. It's not realistic to think, however, that every student who graduates from the program will go on to direct a feature film right after graduation.
I hope that this is helpful.</p>

<p>Thanks for your input, nyumom! She basically answered your question for you, mattice...on an added note, the arts in general are like that, you NEVER know if you're automatically going to find work or not post-grad. Remember that you can do anything with a BFA (i.e. find work in other fields, go to grad school) and not necessarily what you majored in. If you want to do film and you're passionate about it, apply to Tisch for Film...if you're going to go anywhere, it might as well be here (I hear it's second in the nation to USC), and the name of NYU Tisch will get your resume looked at twice, at the very least. But, once again, a BFA is not a lesser/more risky degree, in my opinion, because unless you're applying to med school (which you can also do pre-med requirements as a BFA major at NYU), you can apply to any grad school, that includes law, with a BFA. Also, if you're a working artist, you can get hired at a number of places, a lot of employers just want to see that you have a degree in something, you know what I mean? But yes I hope both of these responses answered your question...good luck!</p>

<p>Thanks NOCCA Junior for your insightful feedback.</p>

<p>Are you sure that there are 1,000 film undergrads? I thought it was more around 250 students...</p>

<p>I don't think it's as many as 1000 students in the department, but, for all years of undergrad combined, it's not as little as 250. I've heard that there are about 150 film freshmen (could be wrong about this, but if I am, it's definitely a lower number) so in total it's no more than 450 students (but, once again, could be less).</p>

<p>There are approximately 250 undergrad film students per class, including those who transfer out and others who transfer into the program. I can find a recent link where it actually says that in writing, and I'll be glad to post it when I get a chance to search for it. Also, I have the Tisch Graduation Program which lists the names of all of the undergrads, and it's approximately that number. It's definitely an overpopulated program, but as far as my S is concerned, he actually did really well in the program in terms of using the resources that both Tisch and the University offered, and he also studied other subjects so that he was able to get a minor in one of them along with the BFA. Also, he took two study abroad programs (one Tisch and one CAS), and they were both wonderful opportunities to work on his minor and also to make a film.</p>

<p>According to my S, and I've also noticed this as well, that students begin the program and then decide for one reason or another to drop out, transfer, etc., so it may seem like there is less than that amount by the end, but in fact, it can be varied depending on the year or circumstances. Here is the link that I was referring to, and the other programs that are listed along with Film and Tv are, in fact, smaller programs, and the amount of students who are accepted/matriculate is less than the Film department. NYU</a> > The Office of Public Affairs > NYU's Kanbar Institute of Film & Television Announce the Winners of the 66th Annual First Run Film Festival</p>

<p>Actually, I am not concerned with "overpopulation," because I am coming from a high school where I never had a class with less than 30 other kids in it. In fact, I look forward to having even more potential colleagues that could one day actually be film collaborators.</p>

<p>If you're interested, you can check out the Tisch Film Review, which is a fairly new professional student-run journal. Spring</a> 2008 | Tisch Film Review Best of luck with your film studies!</p>

<p>Wow. Thank you for such helpful responses! I guess what worried me (from talking to a friend whose S attended a "lesser" film school) is if there is even sufficient room at the bottom. Her son has been out of school for 2 years, in LA, and not finding enough of any kind of work (except waiting tables, etc.) He spends hours each day trying to find even the lowest level jobs -- both in person and online. He isn't wanting to direct -- is willing to do any production assistant work, etc. </p>

<p>His mom feels like too many schools are churning out too many film students and there isn't enough even entry level work. She's not talking about someone thinking they should start out as Scorsese. </p>

<p>So, I continue to wonder -- if someone is talented, willing to work, put self "out there" -- does the Tisch connection help at all? I know there are no guarantees in anything, but there are probabilities.</p>

<p>My husband is an attorney and wonders if there are parallels between film and law schools now... He says there are not enough elite attorneys -- which he defines as top of the class from elite law schools. Top candidates have great chances to succeed (though, again, hard work and starting at the bottom of the firm are required). However, as more law schools have cropped up and more folks are going to law school, many who graduate now have trouble making a decent living. We just wonder if something similar is happening with film studies.</p>

<p>mattice,
It's not only about the connection, but it's more important for the student to network - that's basically what it's all about, and also it helps if the student has the financial backing of his or her family - that certainly makes it a lot easier. I have heard of other film school grads (not Tisch) who have gone out to LA to find jobs, and some have succeeded quite nicely - it all depends on the person and his or her networking/contacts - for some people, it's easier for them to be able to do this, and for others, it's not so easy. There are film students who come to study at Tisch who are from very affluent backgrounds, and that's certainly a plus. Please feel free to send me a pm, as I would be happy to continue the discussion in more detail and perhaps be able to offer some advice in terms of your friend's son.</p>

<p>I just want to mention again that there is plenty of entry-level work, but frequently the only way to get the work is to know people/have friends/acquaintances who are actually working in the field - on film sets/shoots, working in production offices, etc. Again, I can't emphasize enough that it's all about networking - that's the bottom line. Even though it's somewhat of a saturated field (like law), there are still lots of opporunities, because there are so many branches of film.</p>

<p>Just another thought - I also know many college grads who are working in the film industry both in LA and in nyc, and they do not hold BFA's in Film. These are people who hold Liberal Arts degrees who happen to be able to make the contacts and network themselves into positions in the field. They are working as producers, casting associates, public relations associates, etc. The list goes on and on. So it's possible to be able to work in the field without having the BFA. Another way to make contacts and network is to take internships, which are very helpful in determining a person's specific interests. There are some people who have recently graduated (this is generally speaking, and not specific to Tisch), who are taking internships now, because they haven't in the past and aren't sure as to what they would like to do, so they're pursuing this route at the present time. Of course, again, they would have to have some sort of financial support or backing to be able to do this.</p>

<p>I do not see how a "lesser" school would prevent someone' from attaining a job. There must be other factors as well. The most probably ones are a lack of experience, lack of leadership-showing roles in interest or career related activities, and mediocre grades. </p>

<p>I may not go to an Ivy League school but I was able to get an internship in the Information Systems/Technology department at a top financial corporation in New York despite being a freshman at Fordham (a lesser school compared to NYU and Ivy League schools), and all I did to find the program was a couple of hours using Google search. No connections were needed although I did discuss strategies and tips concerning on getting the internship with my advisers and professors. </p>

<p>However, connections from a school do help if someone actually take advantage of it, which I found to be quite rare in my opinion. Still, every student should increase its connections through socializing with their friends, school alumni, professors, etc.. </p>

<p>I believe that employers seek people who are creative, think outside the box, and having great communication/social skills (No one wants a person who only thinks about work all the time and does not socialize with others.).</p>

<p>I do believe the name Tisch does help a film student, especially if the employer is an alumnus from Tisch.</p>