<p>not the usual "cornell vs brown", "cornell vs other ivies", etc.</p>
<p>im applying to usc's screenwriting program. i know that going there could get me a ton of connections in the industry. i wouldnt have to study to improve my sat scores for a retake in january or take anything besides regular stats next term.</p>
<p>but then i'm drawn to yale, princeton, cornell, and a few of the other ivies.</p>
<p>can anyone tell me honestly what are the major differences between the top ivies and a school like usc? is usc pretty much just as good or is there a palpable difference (in education, in environment, student body, anything)?</p>
<p>yeah, exactly. that’s my dilemma. if i got into the screenwriting program, it would make sense to go there so i could get all the industry connections. but then again, i’m not sure usc has the “intellectual, enthusiastic, love-of-learning” environment that i’m looking for and that i think the ivies might have…</p>
<p>I mean clearly there is a different environment, USC is a very large state school in southern california, Cornell and the other ivies are all private colleges in the Northeast.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t make any sweeping generalizations about the education differences.
But if you are interested in film-making and screenwriting, there really is no better place than USC or Tisch.</p>
<p>I also wouldn’t make any sweeping generalizations about the types of people. Because of the fact that USC is so large, there will always be people (even if possibly a large minority) there who are genuinely interested and passionate about learning.
In the same way that at Harvard there are kids who only want to get trashed and party.</p>
<p>usc is a private school, not a state school…</p>
<p>but are you saying that most people at usc will not be genuinely passionate about learning but that most people at ivies will be? that’s my main question, i guess.</p>
<p>if the program is better at usc, then you will have a more respected degree than if you went to a similar program in an ivy. usc is a great school and it is AMAZING for film and acting…you would be crazy not to go if you got in! its the same thing with the arts program at NYU tisch, or going to julliard for music and such. when programs are really strong at whatever school, it is going to be a valuable degree and you will learn a tremendous amount. plus, ithaca, of all places, wont provide you the same experience in the film industry as you can get in hollywood (even though ithaca is the birth place of the silent film…)</p>
<p>there will be passion at usc. and its not like just because you are in the ivy league then all you do is discuss philosophy at dinner and do your homework months in advance.</p>
<p>well i guess my main question is…i mean, i’m gonna go to usc or nyu at some point. but i wonder if i should wait until grad school and go to an ivy if i got into one? or should i skip the ivy experience and go straight to film school? is the ivy experience all that difference from the experience at usc?</p>
<p>yes. I live twenty minutes from USC. I hope you like gangs, rundown buildings, homeless people, the filthiest part of Los Angeles, and the possibility of getting shoot, because that’s what happens the moment you set foot off the campus</p>
<p>^i’m talking about on-campus life more, though. and i’ve heard from several friends who go to usc that the surrounding neighborhood is only bad if you’re doing something stupid like walking back to the school at 1 in the morning, alone, drunk…</p>
<p>rileyjohn, you could say the same thing about new haven, connecticut with yale. and i have many friends at usc and they dont have any problems with those that you listed…and you can get shot ANYWHERE. it just takes one lunatic to go crazy (like at vtech 3 years ago)</p>
<p>the “ivy experience”…what do you mean? if you want to do film…go for the film school! its the same thing with me and architecture–i knew that i wanted to do architecture, so why waste my time at a 4 year university when ill only start architecture work my junior year, when i can go to a 5 year program and start architecture day 1? im not trying to convince you to deviate away from an “ivy” school, but show you what is probably best in your situation.</p>
<p>I’d say if you think you’ll end up in LA to pursue your career, I’d go with USC. The Ivies don’t play as well out west in terms of reputation. People are really into schools like USC, UCLA, Stanford, etc…</p>
<p>For example, it wouldn’t make much sense to study acting at Brown when you could study at NYU, even though overall Brown is a better school.</p>
<p>A few years ago I worked in the entertainment industry, where the feeling is that there are 5 top-ranked schools in the business: USC, UCLA, Columbia, NYU (Tisch) and Syracuse (Newhouse). So if you are quite sure that you want to major in screenwriting, you should apply to most or all of these schools, Cornell, and a few safeties (academic as well as financial). Your current focus should be to cast a wide net now, so that you will have some good choices next spring, and then you can worry about making a decision.</p>