<p>Hello all, I am a freshman at Indiana University Bloomington studying in the Telecommunications Dept. with a concentration in Production and Design in hopes of one day getting a job in the film industry. As IU is not necessarily known for their "film" program per say, I am strongly considering a transfer to UNCW as they have a fairly well known Film Studies program that is highly competitive. I absolutely LOVE Bloomington but I came across UNCW and frankly fell in love with the pictures on the Internet of the campus and then I realized that they have an excellent FST program too...Thus, I cannot decide whether this is a really dumb move or something that would really benefit me. IU has a very good reputation and I don't really want to compromise that on a possible whim and regret it. Any input would be great!</p>
<p>They make lots more movies/shows in Wilmington than Bloomington. Film/TV still is a field where learning by doing and making contacts>>book learning. Might not be a bad move at all.</p>
<p>If I was admitted to IU do you think there will be an issue with getting admitted to UNCW? I know they have to limit their OOS acceptances, but I feel as though if I can get admitted into IU (which I feel is a very good school) I should be able to get into UNCW. I am currently carrying a 3.8 GPA through my freshman year here with ~40 credits by the end of this Spring semester due to credits brought in via ACP and college classes in high school. Just an opinion or any sort of info would be great, even it if’s just an opinion!</p>
<p>UNCW is surprisingly strong academically. I had always assumed it was a party school, since it’s so near the beach, but recently I looked up the stats, which are quite respectable.</p>
<p>I agree with your self-assessment, though: You should have little trouble getting in as a transfer. :)</p>
<p>Thank you for the input! Do you know a lot about the area of Wilmington? I have never been there but like I said I fell in love with the campus just by pictures. I am at IU right now with 40,000 other students and I am not sure how I like such a large school. It is really hard to get to know professors and HUGE class sizes for the most part. Are you familiar with Wilmington, enough so that you could give me some insight?</p>
<p>I am very familiar with the Wilmington area. I actually visited UNCW while in high school too. Wilmington is a small city, but the college is not downtown. Rather, UNCW is located halfway between the beach and the city. The city is located on the Cape Fear River and has plenty of nice restaurants and very solid nightlife. There is a lot to do in Wilmington and people are very into fitness/outdoors. Plus, Wrightsville Beach is one of the most gorgeous beaches on the east coast. </p>
<p>If you have any other question about Wilmington PM me!</p>
<p>UNCW is not a very difficult school for admissions. It is however, about $27K per year out of state - if you’re in-state for IU, that may be a jump.</p>
<p>I did think about that also. Right now, yes, I am in-state at IU lucky enough that my parents are paying for my schooling. My thought is this: I will probably be living off-campus in an apartment and I will probably pay my rent on that and food bills. Therefore the added 8000 for Room/Board on-campus will not be an issue (I don’t think anyways?). My parents will, again, pay tuition. Right now they are paying close to 16k for room/board and tuition here even in-state. So there wouldn’t be that much of a difference I don’t think.</p>
<p>I’m very familiar with Wilmington. I have lots of friends from the area, and I’ve been there countless times. UNCW is a great school, and in the past few decades it’s improved its reputation considerably from being a party school to one of the best colleges in NC. The Wilmington area is huge for films, and film studies is probably UNCW’s greatest strength next to Marine Biology. Right now, I think ‘The Rock’ is shooting a film here at EUE/Screen Gems studio (which is one of the largest film facilities outside of California). The area is absolutely gorgoueus, and is home to Wrightsville beach which is one of the best beaches on the east coast, as wilmingtonwave mentioned. If you’re really serious about doing something in film, then you should definitely consider transferring to UNCW. Especially if money/distance isn’t much of a factor.</p>