Hi everyone,
After a few years of hard work boosting my GPA and my creative portfolio, I was finally able to enter college this past year. I was accepted to one of my dream schools- NYU Tisch- but could not go due to how unbelievably expensive it was. I ended up going to UC Berkeley, which (as a film MAKER) is the single worst decision I could have made.
I have been at UCB for one semester, and I am absolutely certain me being there is a waste of my time AND money. I will apply to all the major film schools in the fall, and I’ve been assembling a great portfolio. Here is my question: if I did NOT go back to Berkeley in the fall, would that reflect poorly on me? Going back would set me back a few thousand dollars into more debt, which is absolutely ridiculous since I have no intention of graduating from there. Do film schools care if I don’t go for a semester? What if I opted for community college courses instead?
Long story short, after one semester at Berkeley as a filmmaker I want to get out ASAP. If I apply in the fall to schools (USC, NYU, AFI) while not attending Berkeley that semester, will they care? Or will my portfolio be all that matters?
Is there anybody who can offer any advice to someone in my situation?
Hard to know - it depends on what you are doing with your time while NOT at Berkeley. For instance, working on some independent film projects or taking courses at a CC to get gen. eds out of the way might look better than doing nothing. Also, UC Berkeley will have SOME courses that are pertinent to your field of interest, such as history of film, creative writing, etc. If those credits transfer you haven’t wasted money at all.
Quick question - how will you afford film school now given that you couldn’t attend Tisch due to finances? And have you considered some of the good CSU’s (assuming you are a CA resident). Being several thou. in debt is not a good idea even if you are at at top film school, given how difficult it is to break into the industry.
Good luck to you!
Thanks, JB! That’s some great advice. To address a few of your questions:
Before attending Berkeley, I took a great deal of film studies course that were offered by my CC- I was attending CC for about 4 years after high school. Although Berkeley doesn’t recognize most of them, they are classes that have covered much of the history of film. I have also completed all my gen. ed’s- I have transferred in as a Junior.
From what I have seen online, NYU is notorious for its lack of financial support in most students. I would hope to receive more money from the other schools I apply to this year; in the case that I do not receive the aid I desire, I would bite the bullet and take out loans- after my time at Berkeley, I feel like I should have taken the financial risk in the first place.
I understand it is not a good idea to be thousands of dollars in debt… but it is genuinely frustrating for me to be in an atmosphere that hinders what I want to do; I produced at least 5 short film in 6 months of Community College (not only due to film courses, but simply being around peers focused on film production above all else), and not even one while at Berkeley. I will also be applying to CSU’s, so I do have that option.
I am currently working on a film that will be on my portfolio for AFI- I have to shoot a second film before November for USC and NYU. I feel the quality of those films will decline if I am immersed in UCB’s time-consuming academics.
I would happily take CC courses again, although I have racked up some 120 units from 4 years of CC. Not sure if that is necessary.
Thank you for your time- any advice would be a tremendous help!
OK then. You are a non conventional student in terms of age and time table. So the time off from Cal to work on your films isn’t going to matter as much and even shows focus. I wouldn’t worry about it, but I’m also not an AO so perhaps you should run this question by your schools of interest.
The financial issue is still a legitimate one. When you graduate, you will be required to pay back those loans just when you are most cash constrained (it can take a while to break into the industry, even from the top schools). Don’t borrow more than the stafford loans and keep it to less than $25,000 in total. Probably a good idea to arrange for rent-free living as you get on your feet and establish yourself (so parent or relative).
Good luck to you!
Thanks again, JB- that was very helpful 
If anyone else who sees this cam offer any input, I would greatly appreciate it!