Who wants to chance an Asian? :D

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
1

<p>================</p>

<h1>Stats</h1>

<p>SAT Is: 1290/1900 // 680 CR, 610 M, 610 W (retaking again in Oct)
SAT IIs: Waiting on June Scores (Lit, US, & Global)
GPA: 90 - 3.5 (U) // 93 - 3.8 (W)</p>

<h1>Rank: Top 15% (180/1200)</h1>

<p>Extracurriculars: 3 Years Peer Mediation, 2 Years Boys' Bowling Team, 2 Years Key Club, 2 Years Southeast Asian Club (President), Physics Monitor, National Honor Society, 4 Years Part-Time Co-Op, Summer Programs at LMU & Queens College</p>

<h1>Volunteer/Service: Queens Library - 100+ Hours</h1>

<p>School: Public, Non-Specialized
APs: AP US History, Pre-AP English, (Senior Year - AP Psychology, AP Macroeconomics, AP English)
Honors: Global I, Global II, Biology, Chemistry, Spanish II, English I, English II, (Senior Year - Honors Government, Spanish III)
Ethnicity: Asian - Indonesian and Chinese</p>

<h1>Gender: Male</h1>

<p>Intended Major[s]: Film & Television</p>

<h1>Other Colleges: NYU (First Choice), Chapman, Northwestern, Hunter, Syracuse, Boston University, Columbia</h1>

<p>My GPA will likely go up once I get this semester's grades. I'm on a upwards trend. I'm looking to get over 700 on Math & CR, so I'm going to study OD. And yeah.</p>

<p>I'm split between USC and Chapman, if I don't get into NYU. Chapman has such great facilities and gives their students a lot of freedom, but it's a lot less well-known and prestigious than USC. And I'm not too sure about the area of USC. It's in the bad part of LA...</p>

2

<p>I don't work for USC. However, you probably know the USC Cinema school is # 1 in the nation and is very competitive to get into. I suggest if you are truly interested in USC, that you have some cinema related activities/awards which express your talent and interest in the field. You have very nice activities but I did not see anything cinema related on your list.
My son is going to be a freshman at USC in the fall. He does not care about the surrounding neighborhood as he plans to spend his time on campus. The campus is beautiful and easy to walk around. My son is really happy he is going to USC.</p>

3

<p>First off, lmao, let me tell you, I just got back from orientation, and SC is in no way in a bad part of LA. Coming from NYC, you should know its like being in like midtown manhattan, maybe harlem is close, but its not like you're in harlem. I expected their to be bums chilling around and od gangbangers but I get there and 7 blocks in one direction is like expo park, the other is into downtown LA, the other seems to lead to this area thats supposedly not that nice but I walked down a good five blocks and saw nothing to extreme, and the other is the freeway. To be honest I really didn't feel any less safe than at my suburban home in jersey outside of NYC.</p>

4

<p>I see you are trying to get into film.. </p>

<p>film production accepts 50 students per year.
Critical Studies department accepts 75
BFA program in Writing for Film and Television accepts only 24 students per year.
The recently established BA program for Animation & Digital Arts accepted only 19 students.</p>

<p>I'm currently in the film school as well but since I transferred I don't know how it is going in as a freshmen. But as you can see from the stats its going to be abit difficult no matter what your grades are. Even if you get into USC cinema school's another story...</p>

<p>And honestly you need to up your GPA/SATs. (like you said you planned you would ^^) or least make up for it in your activities but I dont see anything THAT impressive there either. Right now I would actually consider both USC and NYU your reach. (even more so considering you are trying to get into their cinema schools). But good luck, I know plenty of people who got in no matter what their stats are. Make sure your essays and portfolio definitely kicks ass. GOOD LUCK!</p>

5

<p>For USC, you have to qualify for admission to the university and separately to the film school. As stated by others, this major is extremely competitive. They have said their acceptance rate in previous years has been around 4%. That said, USC School of Cinema relies heavily on the supplemental application materials (extensive) that must be submitted directly to the department, including the creative portfolio and many essays. Your list of ECs does not show any creative works so that could be your biggest hurdle. </p>

<p>They do not expect film work (they do not accept submissions of student films, for example) or film festival awards, but they do want to see impressive accomplishments and advanced study, awards, and/or internships in such areas as writing, dance performance, music composition, jazz performance, acting, directing, poster design, painting, sculpture, rock, playwriting, poetry, rap, or a hundred other creative activities pursued with great passion. </p>

<p>It requires a LOT of effort to put together a great portfolio and write original creative essays, and I believe these heavy requirements discourage a lot of kids from applying who are not pretty serious about attending USC. Take a look at the requirements online. If you do go for it, give it your best and good luck. You would not be disappointed with the education, contacts, and the talented students you'll meet there.</p>

6

<p>Film school acceptance is definitely a challenge, and my thought is that you might want to consider adding more schools with excellent film programs to your list if you are sure that is the direction you want to take. Look into Florida State and North Carolina School for the Arts, for example, which are top 10 film schools with superb facilities. The overall (USNWR) rankings of the colleges is less meaningful than the quality of the film schools themselves.</p>

7

<p>You could get into the university, but I'd say you don't have much of a shot at film. My friend had similar stats, was white, and was rejected from Chapman and USC for film.</p>

8

<p>^ ^ My Southeast Asian Club watches the cinema of the rising Southeast Asian film industry, my summer program at LMU is for TV & Film, and I forgot to include this but I got a job this summer for a local production company. I think that's okay right? It's hard to do a lot of film-related EC's, haha. </p>

<p>And wow, thanks for all the responses guys. I wasn't expecting so many, so soon! OD! :P </p>

<p>
[quote]
First off, lmao, let me tell you, I just got back from orientation, and SC is in no way in a bad part of LA. Coming from NYC, you should know its like being in like midtown manhattan, maybe harlem is close, but its not like you're in harlem. I expected their to be bums chilling around and od gangbangers but I get there and 7 blocks in one direction is like expo park, the other is into downtown LA, the other seems to lead to this area thats supposedly not that nice but I walked down a good five blocks and saw nothing to extreme, and the other is the freeway. To be honest I really didn't feel any less safe than at my suburban home in jersey outside of NYC.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Really? Oh that's cool then. I guess I must have heard some exaggerated stories, but I guess you're right. It can't be worse then Jamaica, NYC lol. </p>

<p>
[quote]
I don't work for USC. However, you probably know the USC Cinema school is # 1 in the nation and is very competitive to get into. I suggest if you are truly interested in USC, that you have some cinema related activities/awards which express your talent and interest in the field. You have very nice activities but I did not see anything cinema related on your list.
My son is going to be a freshman at USC in the fall. He does not care about the surrounding neighborhood as he plans to spend his time on campus. The campus is beautiful and easy to walk around. My son is really happy he is going to USC.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Really? Congrads! Did your son get in for film? </p>

<p>
[quote]
And honestly you need to up your GPA/SATs. (like you said you planned you would ^^) or least make up for it in your activities but I dont see anything THAT impressive there either. Right now I would actually consider both USC and NYU your reach. (even more so considering you are trying to get into their cinema schools). But good luck, I know plenty of people who got in no matter what their stats are. Make sure your essays and portfolio definitely kicks ass. GOOD LUCK!

[/quote]
</p>

<p>DAMN! Those are low numbers! >.< Yeah, USC and NYU are big reaches for me, but I'm really hoping that ED for NYU would tip things in my favor. I'm pretty confident in my short film, my GPA and SAT scores aren't so spectacular so I'm really hoping my film will win them over. Maybe I'll post it here for you guys when I'm finished, if you want. </p>

<p>
[quote]
It requires a LOT of effort to put together a great portfolio and write original creative essays, and I believe these heavy requirements discourage a lot of kids from applying who are not pretty serious about attending USC. Take a look at the requirements online. If you do go for it, give it your best and good luck. You would not be disappointed with the education, contacts, and the talented students you'll meet there.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Thanks, I'll really try hard. The only thing I worry about is that LA is full of USC graduates. I read somewhere that this can work both ways. There's a lot of alumni so you have a lot of connections for jobs after college, but it doesn't make you stand out in the industry at all. If you were some studio head, wouldn't hiring an NYU graduate, or Chapman, Northwestern, etc, be like a breath of fresh air? A different point of view?</p>

<p>
[quote]
Film school acceptance is definitely a challenge, and my thought is that you might want to consider adding more schools with excellent film programs to your list if you are sure that is the direction you want to take. Look into Florida State and North Carolina School for the Arts, for example, which are top 10 film schools with superb facilities. The overall (USNWR) rankings of the colleges is less meaningful than the quality of the film schools themselves.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Thanks, I'll look into that. The only thing is, is that I don't want to go seclude myself in some random area for four years. I'm really interested in NYU and USC and Chapman because of the respective locations, where they'll be a lot of internship and other real-world opportunities. </p>

<p>
[quote]
You could get into the university, but I'd say you don't have much of a shot at film. My friend had similar stats, was white, and was rejected from Chapman and USC for film.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Really? Ouch. I don't like having to settle though, doing something I'm not interested in. What did your friend do?</p>

9

<p>College is about finding out what interests you may have, given the opportunity. Even if you don't get into the film school, there are plenty of other courses you can try that probably weren't available in HS, and that could lead into a totally different major that you'll like.</p>

10

<p>I don't think that anyone can chance you for SCA unless they've seen your application essays and portfolio. Because USC will not look at films you've made, they rely heavily on what you write, and what others write about you. If your stats make you competitive for the university (and it would be good if you could bring up your scores, as the average for accepted students this year was 2100) we have no way of knowing if you will do a truly superb job on the application, and if your CV will reflect creativity and creative accomplishment in other areas. Just go into it knowing that it's very tough, and think seriously about your list, weighing excellence of film program versus other things you may want in a university.</p>

11

<p>USC doesn't look at the short film?! >.< Damn, sorry, I haven't exactly researched much on USC. My minds been preoccupied with NYU for the past year, lol. </p>

<p>I definitely think I'll be able to ace the application. I'm going to spend the whole summer working on my personal statement, and my Pre-AP English teacher will probably write me a good recommendation. I have a lot more to offer creative-wise than academically. Yeah, I'm a pretty horrible Asian. :P haha</p>

<p>
[quote]
College is about finding out what interests you may have, given the opportunity. Even if you don't get into the film school, there are plenty of other courses you can try that probably weren't available in HS, and that could lead into a totally different major that you'll like.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I doubt it, my heart's pretty dead set on going into the film industry. :P At first I wanted to be an actor, but then I realized that I like having more control creatively-wise, and actors have to depend on other people too much. I really want to work for Marvel Studios in the future, hell I want to OWN Marvel Studios. lol</p>

12

<p>With SCA, you don't apply to the film school in general, but to a particular major (or majors) within the film school. Each one has different essays above and beyond the general USC essays. For production, S had one required essay on something like his most emotional experience and another was a character sketch. Then there was something like an annotated CV that listed and described every creative accomplishment across fields, including film, music, art, etc. For critical studies, the essays were completely different. You need to figure out which majors interest you the most and see their specific requirements. You also send an additional recommendation or recommendations to SCA. Finally, very important, the SCA application deadline is earlier than the general USC deadline. </p>

<p>It would probably be a good idea for you to start researching the specific requirements of various film schools that interest you now, so you don't get hit with a bunch of writing projects you didn't anticipate come September.</p>

13

<p>
[quote]
What did your friend do?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>He's studying film at Drexel on a large scholarship.</p>

14

<p>I just check the site. OD. So many essays, and three recommendations?! Before, I just assumed their film requirements would be the same as NYU's...a short film entry. <_< I don't know if it's worth it, especially since I'm going to have to rescind the application if I get into NYU on ED. But then again...better safe than sorry? </p>

<p>
[quote]
He's studying film at Drexel on a large scholarship.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Nice, congrads.</p>

15

<p>"Thanks, I'll really try hard. The only thing I worry about is that LA is full of USC graduates. I read somewhere that this can work both ways. There's a lot of alumni so you have a lot of connections for jobs after college, but it doesn't make you stand out in the industry at all. If you were some studio head, wouldn't hiring an NYU graduate, or Chapman, Northwestern, etc, be like a breath of fresh air? A different point of view?"</p>

<p>I know this might be pretty disillusioning but the reason USC alums hire USC grads (thus, the USC mafia in Hollywood) is because they LOVE USC and want to help these kids get their big breaks. Alas, it is rarely if ever about looking for "a breath of fresh air" or any other good reason to hire in this industry. It's who you know. And in point of fairness, it is always a challenge to make a career in Hollywood no matter where you go to school (or if you skip college altogether). That's why many savvy kids want the extra help of USC's legendary film world contacts. </p>

<p>Anyway, there are many good schools to try. And best of luck, you sound wonderfully determined. Might I add--your summer job at a film production company is one of the best things you've mentioned in terms of helping on your app. Make sure to do a spectacular job, put in extra effort, please everyone on the set and in the office, and perhaps be in position to receive a fabulous letter of rec. That could be a vital piece to your puzzle.</p>

16

<p>Haha thanks, you're giving me a lot of credit. The job pays well too, $8 bucks an hour! And most of the time, all I do is stand around at weddings watching the crew film stuff, haha. </p>

<p>And I just checked USC's application. 0_0 There's soooo much work! Like, OD! I'm not sure if I want to go all out of the way for an application that I might end up rescinding if I get into NYU on early decision. Their requirements are a lot different than NYU's. I don't know. Tough decision.</p>

17

<p>you can't ever be sure of anything, i would apply to both. I mean you only apply to college probably once in your life so might as not regret it. You might get into both and there's a chance you might get rejected from both. watch outtt.
I did go through the whole annoying application thing not too long ago, its not that bad (animation department anyhow) learn how to recycle your essays to fit the essay description, lol.</p>

18

<p>i dont know about USC, but I know about NYU Tisch (my sister got in). My sister had like an 86 average (ElRo) and she got like a 2000 on the SATs. ALSO, she didnt even send like a film or anhthing (we dont even own a video camera).
NYU Tisch is more focused on the arts and stuff, so work on that and your school work as well.</p>

19

<p>Wow, that's good. NYU is more focused on the art half, but for USC you have to get into the school first based on your academic stuff and then they judge you for the film school. I won't even be able to make it past the first round! :(</p>