USC School of Cinematic Arts v.s. NYU Tisch / Kanbar Institute

College Search & Selection
1

Hello all! I just found out that I have been accepted into both USC and NYU as a Film & TV Production major.

I’m really torn between both choices, and was wondering if anyone could give me advice on the better route

I’ve wanted to go to USC ever since I was little, but I recently found a love for NYU this year. I love both schools and I just want to know which school would be best.

Personally, the cons to USC for me are the emphasis on greek life and the inability to get around much without a car.

The cons to NYU are the possibility to be lonely in such a hectic city and not living on a spread out campus.

Thank you so much!

2

Oh my gosh, I’m going to be applying to the exact same colleges for the same major next year, and I’m already torn between the two!

I would say it also depends on where you’re living right now and also what kind of city you’d like to be in (and I’ve been in NYC long enough to know that you’ll never be lonely there… trust me)
For me it was the other way round: I have a family legacy at NYU and I wanted to go there since I was a kid, but I love California too much. I feel like I’ve spent too much time in NY and I need a change.

Don’t be more inclined to USC because you think its in Hollywood or whatever; NYC has enough opportunities, contrary to the popular belief, just in case that’s a factor you were considering.

Transport in CA, like you said, is very hard. However, not being spread out on such a large campus for NYU can actually be an advantage. If you’ve seen the campus, you’ll see that everything is walking distance away. You’ll have quick, cheap and easy access to the whole city just by foot, subway and taxi. Plus, college life in NY is always going to be dynamic and an ever changing experience. And the fact that it isn’t a gated campus like others makes you feel kind of independent. There are more chances of being lonely at USC than at NYU, in my opinion.

As for USC, you don’t need to join a frat/sorority if you don’t want to. Apparently about some 30% of students don’t.

Lastly, from what I’ve heard, USC focuses more on main stream films while NYU is more for personal expression, but I’m not sure how true that is. Both colleges are really well rated, so I would say make a judgement based on what city you would rather be in.

Good luck!!

PS: On my profile, there are a couple of questions for people that got into USC for filmmaking and what their resume looked like/ on what basis they got admitted/ their GPA and SAT scores, etc. I’m really looking at getting into these colleges but I’m terrified. I just wanted to get a better idea on what my chances are so any help/tips would be really appreciated… Thank you so much! Have fun at college!