Hey guys! I realized there’s not a forum for the School of Cinematic Arts so I thought I’d start one so everyone can have a place to chat!
Thanks for creating the thread @user_3605898! I’m a first-year applicant to SCA Film Production. I was lucky enough to get an interview with a Production professor the week after scholarship decisions came out. I did not get a merit scholarship, but from what I could find on other threads and Reddit, probably anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 of people that get an interview are accepted for Film Production. I’ve also heard that around 1/2 of students admitted to Film Production don’t have to do interviews.
Anyone else get an interview? Depending on the question, I’m also happy to share some info from my experience!
I received an interview also! I don’t think it meant anything in terms of how interested they are in us, more that they just wanted to ask us some more questions to get to know us better? That’s what I read on chat forums.
My interviewer told me that an interview doesn’t “mean you are admitted,” but that the admissions committee members are “encouraged to learn more about a few of the applicants they read.” They also said that interviewers only relay their thoughts to the higher-ups, they don’t necessarily have a final say in whether or not we are admitted.
I’m sure it’s a good sign, though. They wouldn’t spend the time focusing on us unless they wanted to consider us in the final round. From what I’ve read most interviews go from 15-45 minutes, and mine was almost an hour. Was yours about the same?
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My interviewer told me that an interview doesn’t “mean you are admitted,” but that the admissions committee members are “encouraged to learn more about a few of the applicants they read.” They also said that interviewers only relay their thoughts to the higher-ups, they don’t necessarily have a final say in whether or not we are admitted.
I’m sure it’s a good sign, though. They wouldn’t spend the time focusing on us unless they wanted to consider us in the final round. From what I’ve read most interviews go from 15-45 minutes, and mine was almost an hour. Was yours about the same?
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Mine lasted about 45 minutes too! I’m hoping it went as well as I thought it did 
Fingers crossed for us both! 
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I had an interview as well! I think it went good, if anyone here is contacted about one I would be happy to answer any questions!
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hmmmm
Good luck today everyone!!!
fingers crossed it comes out soon!!
They made a post on social media - they are loading in the final decisions, and all of them will be released in the “late afternoon Pacific Time.” Prob in like 3-4 hours!
I got in for film and media studies! Super excited and very likely to go, but I’m definitely going to try to transfer into production.
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@MrStarWarsMan Congratulations! Getting into USC is a huge accomplishment, then adding SCA is like winning the lottery twice
Re: CAMS (Media Studies) - My son was also accepted to CAMS for Spring 2020, with Prod as 1st choice. He really enjoyed CAMS, and wouldn’t be too down if he wasn’t accepted as a transfer to Prod. He was accepted into Prod for Spring 2021, and loves being in Production. The odds are low (I think they accepted <4 transfers into Production for Spring 2021), but definitely doable.
Remember, as a CAMS student you have access to almost all of the SCA production courses. You can network through SCA clubs and volunteering for student sets is always available and is a great way to establish relationships.
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Thank you so much @romns116 ! That is really reassuring to hear. If you have any more insights about CAMS or the SCA in general, I’d be glad to hear them! What have you or your son noticed is the biggest difference between CAMS and Prod?
As expected, production classes are much more hands-on and discussions are focused on specific disciplines (lighting, directing, producing, etc). The biggest benefit is being in working groups of like-minded students, who are passionate about the same thing. The relationships formed are different in CAMS vs Prod. CAMS had a lot of students who had no intention of transferring, or wanted a career path different than our son’s. After transferring, he loved being included in many production group chats discussing techniques, styles, influences, etc.
Also, all of his CAMS courses count towards Production. This was possible because from the very beginning, he chose courses with the intent on transferring. Get with your SCA counselor and let them know your intentions, that way they can help shape your schedule. He also got into the Screenwriting minor.
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Thank you so much, that is all very helpful and I’ll definitely be taking that advice!
Also, @romns116 , do you happen to know if SCA classes are generally made up of students from different majors? Or do production kids take their courseload with others in their major and studies kids with others in theirs?
There are non-major courses offered by SCA, which are open to non-SCA students. But outside of CTCS-466 (Leonard Maltin’s class) and CTCS-190 (intro to film), your SCA classes will be mostly SCA students, esp if you’re in PROD.
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One other thing to note, course scheduling for CAMS is much more flexible than PROD students. PROD student follow a set track of classes, while CAMS doesn’t.