<p>has anybody here transferred from a higher ranked school to a lower one? not that rank matters of course, as long as the school is a match in other areas, but, my family thinks it's crazy that i want to transfer from berkeley to boston university, so i don't exactly know how to handle it. berkeley just doesn't have the film program i need, and boston university does. i realize there are other good film schools like usc and nyu, but they are too preprofessional for someone who has an interest in screenwriting, in my opinion. i'm out of state, so ucla would again be too expensive, just like berkeley, so i don't really have many options. anybody got any advice?</p>
<p>this happens to a lot of film majors here at berkeley. i know many people that have switched majors simply because the film department doesn't offer what they want to study. it's basically all theory and those who are more interested in production or screenwriting feel a little let down. berkeley is by far, one of the best schools in the country, and while there are some respected professors in the film department, it's not a program that paticularly shines.</p>
<p>if you want to transfer, then do so. i don't know how long you're going to have to wait though. i'm not sure if you can successfully transfer after this semester, or if you will be forced to wait a year or more. you need to check that out. but, if you don't think you are happy at berkeley, then go to a school that suits your needs.</p>
<p>my advice to all hopeful film majors: please, actually check out the film program before you come here. it's the only logical way of going about it. you dont know how many film majors i know that hate their department and want to cry. yes, its berkeley, but you should still evaluate a program, no matter how good a school may be.</p>
<p><3,</p>
<p>Izzie Bear</p>
<p>pinkearmufs, what do you mean by "too preprofessional for someone who is interested in screenwriting"? Its been a while since I've looked, but I think most film schools emphasize either theory or production. What attracts you to BU?
Also, I've seen your threads about dissatisfaction with CAL, family money matters, and looking at a slew of places to xfer. I'm sure you will work it out, but a few thoughts.....
1. My S was a Spring admit, and did the extenstion program. The program was fine, but I think his 2nd quarter at 'regular' CAL was much better. Maybe you need to give CAL a real chance.
2. You needn't study film to have a film career. My B went to CAL and got a degree in psychology, but is a film producer.
3. Since your family's situation has changed, you may want to look at fin aid at CAL; although I don't know if OOS precludes that.</p>
<p>good luck</p>
<p>It's fairly obvious that majoring in film is going to lead you in different directions than a typical student. It's reasonable that you are looking into different programs.</p>