<p>I'm having a really hard time making a decision that has to made soon and thought I might reach out to an anonymous internet forum to get some candid advice.</p>
<p>I have gotten really very lucky and have 3 options at the moment.</p>
<p>1) I've been given a full-ride scholarship to USC and been accepted to the school of Cinema Arts. It is a bit of a pipe dream of mine to be a director, but I'm not sure it's realistic.</p>
<p>2) I've been admitted to Stanford.</p>
<p>3) I've also been given a full-ride scholarship to CU-Boulder. The cool part about this option is I can graduate within a year because of AP and local college credit I've accumulated. It sounds like a great opportunity to get a head start on life and perhaps study more subjects at a graduate level.</p>
<p>It's been tearing me up trying to make a call. I'm thinking of doing the pre-med route if I go for Stanford/CU-Boulder. </p>
<p>There's no way for us to weigh in without knowing how critical the financial part is for you. I wouldn't want my D or S to finish the undergrad experience in one year because I think the experience itself is as valuable as the diploma (and I'm not wealthy). But if finances need to dictate your choices, that may be a consideration. The Stanford experience should be life-changing, but if it's $200K vs. free, I don't know that it'd be that life-changing.</p>
<p>Receiving a Trustee at USC and being admitted to Cinema, which is highly competitive and which has an admit rate of around 4% says a lot. You obviously impressed them and had a terrific portfolio. With a talent USC probably perceived in you, and the connections etc, you'd be in a good place to follow your dream.
I agree with vc08....Stanford or USC depending upon your goals.</p>
<p>BTW are you sure Boulder will allow you to only do one year and get your Bachelors? Most schools, a lot of schools actually, regardless of how many units they are transferring, have a residency requirement of being at their school for at least 2 years. So even if you have units that would place you at senior standing, you still have to attend for 2 years.</p>
<p>It should honestly become between USC and Stanford. In my opinion, you may think your dream is to become a director, but sometimes reality hits when you're actually in your major. Many if not all students change their minds and major once you're there. Cinema, like anything thats pre professional will prepare you for a career/job as opposed to learning for the sake of learning to become a more well rounded individual.</p>
<p>If you have to pay for Stanford, don't attend. USC should be your choice regardless of major, you're getting a full ride to a top 30 school! If Standford was offering you a same package then obviousl standford, but stanford is not worth getting into over 60K+ for debt.</p>
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3) I've also been given a full-ride scholarship to CU-Boulder. The cool part about this option is I can graduate within a year because of AP and local college credit I've accumulated. It sounds like a great opportunity to get a head start on life and perhaps study more subjects at a graduate level.
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<p>Take your time in college... You have the rest of your life to work and such.</p>
<p>Look if your dream is to be a director - or involved in film at all - no matter how much of a "pipedream" it is...you've made it much less of a pipedream by being accepted into USC's prestigious film school - and they're paying YOU to go there...Go to USC and don't look back.</p>
<p>Well regardless, even as a transfer student, they require all students to do 2 years minimum, so 1 year is unrealistic and not really going to happen.</p>
<p>btw the poster can still go to med school after being a cinema major at USC, he/she just has to take additional classes that would meet med school minimum requirements.</p>
<p>If USC will let you in a their film school, and give you a full-ride to go there, I bet you're chances of becoming a director a lot more than minuscule.</p>
<p>you are very lucky!!!go with USC..free ride to the best film school in the world is something very special..if you don~t try your drams you will forever regret..can you tell me your stats:i will apply as a trasnfer studnt for next fall09.
you can PM me if you prefer</p>
<p>It really depends on how much debt you would be in by going to Stanford. If your parents are really wealthy, the full scholarship to USC might not really be an incentive.</p>
<p>The third (Colorado) option is not good. You won't be prepared for anything. Why even go to college in that case? It'd be just for a few classes and a piece of paper that means less than the other schools would.</p>
<p>Go to Stanford if you want pre-med and have the $$$$. USC seems like a good deal though.</p>
<p>USC definetly.. a full ride to their film school is really once in a lifetime. and its your DREAM. if its free, gives you even more incentive to do it. noone says you also cant take all of the bio/chem premed requirements so you could stil lbe a doctor if you wanted to. doesnt matter what you major in in college if you get a good GPA and do well on your MCATS and have the requriements. USC is the best shot at your dream and like others said you ahve a much better chance of achieving it there!</p>
<p>if you're serious about film, usc cinema. they accept 50 people to the film production program a year and it's your one chance to really have a shot at being a big director.</p>
<p>tough choice - stanford is the dream school for just about every other are of study.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice guys. My thinking has been similar.</p>
<p>As a little more info on my situation. I'm not a transfer student. I'm pretty sure the one year thing is possible though (I know of other students that have done it at CU and talking with the academic advisers, they are pretty certain I could do it without issue). </p>
<p>Money is a considerable issue, and the more I think about it, the less I can justify the debt I would incur by going to Stanford over a free education at a quality school like USC.</p>
<p>I guess I'm leaning USC over Stanford now, but the college in one-year thing is tempting from the standpoint that I could learn more at a higher level by going straight to grad school rather than spending time filling the odd course requirements of a liberal arts degree.</p>
<p>It sure would be cool to study film at USC though. I go to a performing arts magnet school and am well aware of the amazing number of alumni we have that turn into starving artists never to be heard of again, and really don't want that to be me.</p>
<p>Perhaps, as some of you guys are saying though, I take a few more classes or maybe double major, maybe that's a non-issue?</p>
<p>Jake,
The School of Cinematic Arts at SC is considered the best in the world. Your application went through the admissions office and then was considered by the cinema school. They must have felt you have the talent to make it into the industry successfully. Trustee scholars at SC have special events planned just for them, in addition.
George Lucas donated $175 million to build a new Cinematic Arts complex. It will have the latest technology. The training you receive there will be amazing. Graduates benefit from fine connections with the movie industry. Later on in your college years you will have many other choices at SC if you do decide to change majors.<br>
Best of luck with your decision.</p>