hey everyone! i’ve been following this thread recently and trying to catch up as far as possible. im sure this has already been discussed before but i cant seem to find where on this thread.
i’ve applied to USC’s SCA for film and television and a couple weeks back a friend of mine got an interview with them. my stats (SAT and grades) are higher than his but of course i know that the admission process is based a lot on the supplements so theirs no way to gauge. i am quite happy with the film and personal statements etc. that i’ve made/written but still, you never know of course.
I’m just curious, does no interview mean you’re out of the running? since SCA is already so selective i’m figuring only the top applicants get the interview and then they sieve further from there?
Actually no… there has been a lot of speculation over the years regarding the issue of SCA interviews because many get in without every being interviewed and many get rejected without ever being interviewed. Also, most who are interviewed still do not get in. Some have speculated that professor-requested interviews are primarily for those applicants that may be “on the bubble” or where clarifications may be deemed warranted via the faculty requesting the interviews.
With SCA, the acceptance rate is only in the 4-12% range anyhow, depending on the major, so 88-96% get rejected any way you look at it. If you are a BFA for Film and Television Production applicant, you are in the same boat as my daughter. She was also not interviewed. Her rank, gpa and other stats are also very high. But as you suggest, these are creative majors and so much of that holistic review process is entirely subjective.
Ultimately, keep in mind that you and her along with the other SCA applicants will need to be accepted twice… once by USC generally, which of course will be aided by having strong stats and academic credentials… and again by SCA - where the emphasis is more on the strength of the supplements / creative portfolio.
@WWWard thank you so much for the quick reply. you’ve definitely given me the courage to have some hope. since you seem to know your stuff i had another question, how much value/weight do you think is given to the film submission compared to the other supplements? i really think my film is the strongest part of my application in terms of showing my originality, individuality, creativity and love for writing.
I have read here on CC & other places online over the past few years that the greatest emphasis is placed on creativity and writing ability. Even SCA has stated that prior film experience per se is not a firm prerequisite. In other words, they are confident that you can learn the craft well while at SCA, but instinctive creativity is harder to find. That being said, I do believe that a well-done, creative/original film submission has got to carry a great deal of weight… especially if you played key creative roles within it. For example, if the short film plays well, and if you also wrote it or developed its concept.
If you dig deeper and actually go review every SCA-created video that they themselves have posted on their own website and on youtube, the sense that we at least got was that they are also looking for people who can work collaboratively as part of a tv / film production team. That aspect was emphasized again and again. So, ultimately… if I had to guess in terms of what SCA is truly seeking… it would be a solid student, with at least above-average academic credentials, who exhibits a special brand of creativity while also coming off as a potential team player. The BFA program especially is a four-year intense conservatory approach involving close-knit teams of students working together as fellow-filmmakers. They thus may be a little apprehensive of admitting anyone who presents themselves as know-it-all egoists or who they may project could find it hard working with others.
My daughter is also a BFA film applicant to FSU MPA. There, unlike SCA, they do require in-person interviews of their 45 finalists before they narrow it down to the 20 freshmen selected. In fact, that in-person visit was over 5 hours long in total. And they especially emphasized the importance of teamwork & collaboration. I suspect that SCA looks for exactly the same thing. I.E. super creative team players.
@thefloridavegan For the past two years, merit scholarship decisions have come out on the Friday before the week that regular decisions come out, so you I’m assuming they’ll be out this Friday!
DoctorB98: I applied by 12/1 for the scholarship, but i didn’t get it, do i have a possibility to have other merit scholarship which you say the result to come out before the week
