My son was just accepted into Ithaca College with a merit scholarship for Cinema & Photography. He is also awaiting the results of his November audition at UNCSA for Film. At the end of all of this, I just want him to be EMPLOYED in film or TV (which is becoming more and more cinematic these days). Can anyone speak to the hiring opportunities for graduates of either of these schools? Would you recommend one over the other and, if so, why?
I’m not familiar with Ithaca’s program, but I can offer a little perspective since my oldest is in a related field. He is a senior at Ringling College of Art & Design, studying Motion Design. What impresses me most about Ringling is the vast number of internships at top tier companies. It seems every week there are new places coming on campus for interviews. Apple, Disney, Google, Pixar, to name a few. Now that my son is a senior, they are coming on campus for actual job interviews. My advice would be to ask specific questions about their career placement program, including internships. Not just “where have your students worked?” But “Can I see the list of employers who came on campus to recruit?” There is a big difference. Just because Johnny got a job at Disney doesn’t mean anything. His uncle could be a Senior VP there. But, if Disney sends their recruiter to campus, that tells you they like the caliber of the program.
My son interned at Vice and CNN. He has had interviews with Apple and NBC Universal as well as many lesser known studios. We knew Ringling had a great internship/job placement rate, but I didn’t understand the importance of on-campus recruiting. Fortunately for our son, there are a lot of opportunities at his school.