USC MFA Film & TV Production 2017

[SaltyDornishman]

Someone in the Screenwriting thread said decisions are still going out, and that the order of notification begins with the portal update...

 

[patchoooli]

I'm going to say it again.. there's 6 people who were interviewed and haven't updated their decision. I still think some acceptances are going to go out!

Count yourself lucky @A , im still checkin-in every five minutes with my calculator ...

 

[JoannaFern]

Still no word here!
I'm a current NYU TSOA UGFTV student and I was feeling confident in my grades, recs, and creative portfolio submission, (I had used a reworked abridged version of my killer thesis film) but now I'm beyond panicked.
I never have even gotten interviewed, and didn't understand the posts here at first. According to admissions there is no formal interview process. They claim that sometimes professors reach out to applicants if they have questions about their applications, but they aren't interviews.
Why would admissions say that if people here have clearly been interviewed?

 

[brandon segelke]

Still no word here!
I'm a current NYU TSOA UGFTV student and I was feeling confident in my grades, recs, and creative portfolio submission, (I had used a reworked abridged version of my killer thesis film) but now I'm beyond panicked.
I never have even gotten interviewed, and didn't understand the posts here at first. According to admissions there is no formal interview process. They claim that sometimes professors reach out to applicants if they have questions about their applications, but they aren't interviews.
Why would admissions say that if people here have clearly been interviewed?

Agree with you, and all your confusion :/

 

[lianlee]

Still no word here!
I'm a current NYU TSOA UGFTV student and I was feeling confident in my grades, recs, and creative portfolio submission, (I had used a reworked abridged version of my killer thesis film) but now I'm beyond panicked.
I never have even gotten interviewed, and didn't understand the posts here at first. According to admissions there is no formal interview process. They claim that sometimes professors reach out to applicants if they have questions about their applications, but they aren't interviews.
Why would admissions say that if people here have clearly been interviewed?

Hey JoannaFern, based on the sheet in previous years, there were several people who were admitted without interviews, and I personally don't think no interview means no acceptance, or if you get interviewed, it means you will be accepted. For my interview, tbh my interviewer even didn't claim it is an interview actually, because he didn't schedule a time with me or email me first, he just called me and asked me several questions.

I still didn't hear anything back, and I am panicked too, so I don't think interview equals acceptance.


By the way, there is a piece of information I got from the office. They said there will be a mixture of acceptances and rejections coming out before April, and I am not sure whether they're just giving a "generic" answer. I asked them how they decided the decision leasing dates, and they said the decisions need to get approvals by several different departments, but the sooner you completed your application, the sooner your application get reviewed, and also the sooner you get results back. This is what they said.

For my case, two of my letter writers submitted their recommendations on Nov 28th, and Dec 1st, which are pretty behind the deadline. Originally I was pretty confident about my application too, but I am not sure now. I don't really think I can get in, but I still have a little bit hope because of what they said.

So if you're pretty confident by yourself, you can check what date your application got completed.

 

[brandon segelke]

Hey JoannaFern, based on the sheet in previous years, there were several people who were admitted without interviews, and I personally don't think no interview means no acceptance, or if you get interviewed, it means you will be accepted. For my interview, tbh my interviewer even didn't claim it is an interview actually, because he didn't schedule a time with me or email me first, he just called me and asked me several questions.

I still didn't hear anything back, and I am panicked too, so I don't think interview equals acceptance.


By the way, there is a piece of information I got from the office. They said there will be a mixture of acceptances and rejections coming out before April, and I am not sure whether they're just giving a "generic" answer. I asked them how they decided the decision leasing dates, and they said the decisions need to get approvals by several different departments, but the sooner you completed your application, the sooner your application get reviewed, and also the sooner you get results back. This is what they said.

For my case, two of my letter writers submitted their recommendations on Nov 28th, and Dec 1st, which are pretty behind the deadline. Originally I was pretty confident about my application too, but I am not sure now. I don't really think I can get in, but I still have a little bit hope because of what they said.

So if you're pretty confident by yourself, you can check what date your application got completed.

How long ago did they tell you that theyre still sending out acceptances?

 

[lianlee]

How long ago did they tell you that theyre still sending out acceptances?

Before April, this is what they said...

 

[brandon segelke]

Before April, this is what they said...

I meant like when did they tell you that?

 

[lianlee]

revious years, there were several people who were admitted without interviews, and I personally don't think no interview means no acceptance, or if you get interviewed, it means you will be accepted. For my interview, tbh my interviewer even didn't claim it is an interview actually, because he didn't schedule a time with me or email me first, he just called me and asked me several questions.

I meant like when did they tell you that?

Today lol

 

[Nick02]

Hey JoannaFern, based on the sheet in previous years, there were several people who were admitted without interviews, and I personally don't think no interview means no acceptance, or if you get interviewed, it means you will be accepted. For my interview, tbh my interviewer even didn't claim it is an interview actually, because he didn't schedule a time with me or email me first, he just called me and asked me several questions.

I still didn't hear anything back, and I am panicked too, so I don't think interview equals acceptance.


By the way, there is a piece of information I got from the office. They said there will be a mixture of acceptances and rejections coming out before April, and I am not sure whether they're just giving a "generic" answer. I asked them how they decided the decision leasing dates, and they said the decisions need to get approvals by several different departments, but the sooner you completed your application, the sooner your application get reviewed, and also the sooner you get results back. This is what they said.

For my case, two of my letter writers submitted their recommendations on Nov 28th, and Dec 1st, which are pretty behind the deadline. Originally I was pretty confident about my application too, but I am not sure now. I don't really think I can get in, but I still have a little bit hope because of what they said.

So if you're pretty confident by yourself, you can check what date your application got completed.

They said you should hear back by sunday, whether you are accepted, rejected, or waitlisted. Not sure if the whole you submit your application earlier, the earlier you get reviewed works. I was waitlisted in October for Spring 2017, and have had two interviews since, so they have had my application for a while now. Honestly, don't worry too much about it, there are many other ways to go about becoming a filmmaker. Nonetheless, good luck on your results.

 

[Swissapp]

The peeps over at the screenwriting thread have started reporting that rejections are rolling out! Looks like everyone will know by the end of the weekend

 

[ASF]

Not sure if this is helpful at all, but I received by mail my Fall '17 waitlist / Spring '18 acceptance last night, about a week after I received the email. Also had an invitation in it to admitted students day on April 7th.

 

[lianlee]

I really cannot believe I am still waiting... no matter what the decision is, I just hope the whole waiting thing can end as soon as possible..

 

[JoannaFern]

I really cannot believe I am still waiting... no matter what the decision is, I just hope the whole waiting thing can end as soon as possible..

Same!
I was sure that we would hear today (for better or worse) and called the office -- again.
This time, I was told that we would hear before the end of the month.
When pressed for how decisions are sent out, and if the timing doesn't bode well for me, I was told that it depends on who our application reviewer is, and their own process.
I've called a few times now, and to be honest, every time I call I get a vague non answer.
The only theory I have that could justify not just putting us out of our misery with a rejection is that we are somehow still on the cusp/still in the running.
Again....its a theory. Who knows.
But lets have good thoughts for each other in any case!

 

[lianlee]

Same!
I was sure that we would hear today (for better or worse) and called the office -- again.
This time, I was told that we would hear before the end of the month.
When pressed for how decisions are sent out, and if the timing doesn't bode well for me, I was told that it depends on who our application reviewer is, and their own process.
I've called a few times now, and to be honest, every time I call I get a vague non answer.
The only theory I have that could justify not just putting us out of our misery with a rejection is that we are somehow still on the cusp/still in the running.
Again....its a theory. Who knows.
But lets have good thoughts for each other in any case!

Yes I got a vague non answer every time I called them too...
But I saw the screenwriting peeps got rejected, and the office told them the same thing before. However, somehow there is still a little hope because we still didn't see the rejection.

 

[SaltyDornishman]

I would think that all of the reviewers would have a hard deadline of when they need to have their accepted applicants submitted to the dept or wherever they submit them to. Maybe there is a deadline and some just submit their choices earlier than others, sort of like applicants submitting their apps. And so some applicants just get notified sooner because they had an eager reviewer. Idk!!!

Also, it only makes sense to me that there are still people left to be admitted or waitlisted (which is just admitted + condition). It's very hard for me to explain but I will try. Theoretically, everyone exists on a spectrum of being waitlisted. If those who are waitlisted are ranked or compiled into some sort of order (which is the only way a waitlist can work properly), then the closer to the bottom you are the less likely you are to be admitted. The closer to the top, the more likely you are to be admitted, and the ones in the middle are the ones who end up on the "waitlist proper." At the top of the waitlist proper are those who can easily slip into the admittance category and not realize that they were once in the waitlist proper category based on the simplicity of someone declining their spot. But also, the waitlist proper can only hold so many applicants before it equals more than the count of allowable admittance. And so then you have the cut off, which is when people start being rejected. Because all of these are dependent on one another, I don't think they can send out any one batch at a time without throwing off the balance that this process needs. Ufhhhhh I feel like I am not explaining my thoughts well... :/

 

[Christopher Gooley]

I would think that all of the reviewers would have a hard deadline of when they need to have their accepted applicants submitted to the dept or wherever they submit them to. Maybe there is a deadline and some just submit their choices earlier than others, sort of like applicants submitting their apps. And so some applicants just get notified sooner because they had an eager reviewer. Idk!!!

Also, it only makes sense to me that there are still people left to be admitted or waitlisted (which is just admitted + condition). It's very hard for me to explain but I will try. Theoretically, everyone exists on a spectrum of being waitlisted. If those who are waitlisted are ranked or compiled into some sort of order (which is the only way a waitlist can work properly), then the closer to the bottom you are the less likely you are to be admitted. The closer to the top, the more likely you are to be admitted, and the ones in the middle are the ones who end up on the "waitlist proper." At the top of the waitlist proper are those who can easily slip into the admittance category and not realize that they were once in the waitlist proper category based on the simplicity of someone declining their spot. But also, the waitlist proper can only hold so many applicants before it equals more than the count of allowable admittance. And so then you have the cut off, which is when people start being rejected. Because all of these are dependent on one another, I don't think they can send out any one batch at a time without throwing off the balance that this process needs. Ufhhhhh I feel like I am not explaining my thoughts well... :/

but how does one make it to the top or middle of the wait list?

 

[SaltyDornishman]

but how does one make it to the top or middle of the wait list?

I guess that would go back to whatever the reviewers are looking for or not looking for when they review applicants.

 

[lianlee]

I would think that all of the reviewers would have a hard deadline of when they need to have their accepted applicants submitted to the dept or wherever they submit them to. Maybe there is a deadline and some just submit their choices earlier than others, sort of like applicants submitting their apps. And so some applicants just get notified sooner because they had an eager reviewer. Idk!!!

Also, it only makes sense to me that there are still people left to be admitted or waitlisted (which is just admitted + condition). It's very hard for me to explain but I will try. Theoretically, everyone exists on a spectrum of being waitlisted. If those who are waitlisted are ranked or compiled into some sort of order (which is the only way a waitlist can work properly), then the closer to the bottom you are the less likely you are to be admitted. The closer to the top, the more likely you are to be admitted, and the ones in the middle are the ones who end up on the "waitlist proper." At the top of the waitlist proper are those who can easily slip into the admittance category and not realize that they were once in the waitlist proper category based on the simplicity of someone declining their spot. But also, the waitlist proper can only hold so many applicants before it equals more than the count of allowable admittance. And so then you have the cut off, which is when people start being rejected. Because all of these are dependent on one another, I don't think they can send out any one batch at a time without throwing off the balance that this process needs. Ufhhhhh I feel like I am not explaining my thoughts well... :/

I really hope what you said is true, and it kinda gives me some relief lol. But tbh it will be more convincing if they have already sent out a bunch of rejections and some people still waiting for the results. I hope everybody on this thread got good results back, but I think they must have already got a list of people whom they will reject for sure I just hope if I am on the list, they could inform me as soon as possible so I can move on and give up my last little hope lol. I just don't understand why they delay so much.

Also they told screenwriting people there would be acceptances rolling out too but what i saw was they only sent rejections

 

[SaltyDornishman]

Apparently we will all know by tomorrow....so it's almost over lol.