Columbia MFA Creative Producing 2017

[Operator]

I'm going to need one of you to not attend so, I can get off the waitlist! Lol

Me too!

 

[Christopher Gooley]

Me too!

So... cheap housing... its not easy to find but YOU CAN FIND IT. JUST LOOK!! You will have to pay lots of fees when renting an apartment in this city. My finance and I pay $1550 for a one bedroom in Astoria.

Also, don't forget monthly metro cards just went up as well for the subway!

 

[Operator]

So... cheap housing... its not easy to find but YOU CAN FIND IT. JUST LOOK!! You will have to pay lots of fees when renting an apartment in this city. My finance and I pay $1550 for a one bedroom in Astoria.

Also, don't forget monthly metro cards just went up as well for the subway!

I have a car, but something tells me I won't need it while I'm there. Especially with trying to find a parking garage or whatever over there.

 

[Cecil]

@BF @Cecil @Guac @HBG @ireneyang @jiff @Tony Yang

Just curious if anyone would be down for a portfolio share on this thread! I don't mind going first...but only if ya'll won't leave me hanging

And is anyone else ridiculously excited and thinking that the fall is way too far away?

And one more thing to get everyone excited. Check out this article about the new CU Morningside Campus where some of the SOA facilities are gonna be housed....I think we chose a fine time to come to CU

This is the only work I submitted with my application.

 

[clairewitchproject]

I have a car, but something tells me I won't need it while I'm there. Especially with trying to find a parking garage or whatever over there.

There are some really awesome gems to be found uptown in Washington Heights, Hamilton Heights, Inwood, and of course Harlem (though those are quickly disappearing it feels like each year!).

NYC brokers can suck so hard, but if anyone wants to go that route, I can not recommend Bohemia Realty Group enough. They helped my boyfriend and I find an awesome apartment that we may never leave.

@Operator - I feel you about the car! When I moved back to NYC from LA, I gave up my car but my boyfriend decided to keep pick-up truck back with him. As a born and raised Queens girls, I never even thought I would learn to drive, let alone enjoy it. But I have to admit, I love living in NYC with access to a vehicle and I can't imagine not having a car at this point. We chose to live uptown because the parking garages in Washington Heights are fairly affordable (compared to other areas of the city). The extra parking expense isn't ideal but we never have to hunt for parking and we don't worry about digging the truck out of the snow in the winter. It's also really helpful for running errands and we use it on productions quite a lot. Of course living in NYC without a car is 100% possible and I'd be lying if we haven't considered ditching our vehicle when it comes time to pay that parking bill

 

[Christopher Gooley]

I have a car, but something tells me I won't need it while I'm there. Especially with trying to find a parking garage or whatever over there.

did you get anything about financial aid yet?

 

[Patrick Clement]

So... cheap housing... its not easy to find but YOU CAN FIND IT. JUST LOOK!! You will have to pay lots of fees when renting an apartment in this city. My finance and I pay $1550 for a one bedroom in Astoria.

Also, don't forget monthly metro cards just went up as well for the subway!

I'd also reccomend, once you decide to attend, to apply for student housing through CU. We have a small, but stable (and very close) studio for $1340/mo with 100MB/sec broadband. The Columbia housing lease terms are also great. And better to apply sooner than later, its a first come first serve basis. You can also get into multiple bedroom situations for cheaper.

 

[Christopher Gooley]

I'd also reccomend, once you decide to attend, to apply for student housing through CU. We have a small, but stable (and very close) studio for $1340/mo with 100MB/sec broadband. The Columbia housing lease terms are also great. And better to apply sooner than later, its a first come first serve basis. You can also get into multiple bedroom situations for cheaper.

That sounds great!! Luckily I already live here and the campus is only 45mins to an hour on the subway for me. Fiancé and I are in a place where we love! This would be perfect for "operator" and others from out of state!

 

[Christopher Gooley]

I'd also reccomend, once you decide to attend, to apply for student housing through CU. We have a small, but stable (and very close) studio for $1340/mo with 100MB/sec broadband. The Columbia housing lease terms are also great. And better to apply sooner than later, its a first come first serve basis. You can also get into multiple bedroom situations for cheaper.

Can you give us a breakdown of what our schedule will look like at school? Since I do hold a job I need to know.

Typical Monday-Friday class, hours ... etc etc

 

[Tony Yang]

Can you give us a breakdown of what our schedule will look like at school? Since I do hold a job I need to know.

Typical Monday-Friday class, hours ... etc etc

Here is what Patrick, a current student, posted on page 2 to a similar question I asked earlier:

"For me, the workload was not overwhelming. Yes, it was busy but I found I had enough time to spend on all of the assignments and classwork. I'll qualify this by saying I am from the city so I didn't need to "experience New York." Whatever that means. I am also a workaholic and in a long term relationship, so I never budgeted time for socializing and/or dating.

You will be required to produce three filmed exercises and direct three in-class scenes PER SEMESTER (that's 12 exercises over an 8-month period, do the math . Also you'll write two short scripts, an entire outline and first draft of a feature, direct a 3-5 and an 8-12min short, plus produce an 8-12 for another student. And you will also be helping other students on set. There are also mandatory "workshops" on production throughout the first year. Maybe some other stuff I'm forgetting. "

On their website, they highly recommend for people NOT to take a job (part-time or full) because of how intensive the course load is in the first two years.

 

[Christopher Gooley]

Here is what Patrick, a current student, posted on page 2 to a similar question I asked earlier:

"For me, the workload was not overwhelming. Yes, it was busy but I found I had enough time to spend on all of the assignments and classwork. I'll qualify this by saying I am from the city so I didn't need to "experience New York." Whatever that means. I am also a workaholic and in a long term relationship, so I never budgeted time for socializing and/or dating.

You will be required to produce three filmed exercises and direct three in-class scenes PER SEMESTER (that's 12 exercises over an 8-month period, do the math . Also you'll write two short scripts, an entire outline and first draft of a feature, direct a 3-5 and an 8-12min short, plus produce an 8-12 for another student. And you will also be helping other students on set. There are also mandatory "workshops" on production throughout the first year. Maybe some other stuff I'm forgetting. "

On their website, they highly recommend for people NOT to take a job (part-time or full) because of how intensive the course load is in the first two years.

I saw that already but it doesn't answer my question. I'm talking about actual hours broken down and what time classes are so, for my job lol

 

[K]

I'd also reccomend, once you decide to attend, to apply for student housing through CU. We have a small, but stable (and very close) studio for $1340/mo with 100MB/sec broadband. The Columbia housing lease terms are also great. And better to apply sooner than later, its a first come first serve basis. You can also get into multiple bedroom situations for cheaper.

This is great - thank you for the suggestion! I was wondering though, if it is possible to extend the lease without moving out? Usually dorms/campus housings make you leave during breaks. Because if they do, I feel like living off campus is better and saves up in the long run.

 

[Tony Yang]

I saw that already but it doesn't answer my question. I'm talking about actual hours broken down and what time classes are so, for my job lol

Patrick will probably able to give you the exact breakdown for each day, but from our conference call yesterday, we were told each class is 3 hours long and we have 5 classes in the fall and 6 classes in the spring. So class time alone will take 15-18 hours a week.

If you're lucky and moved off the waitlist, from everything the alumni and professors told us, I'm really under the distinct impression that you will have to quit your job (if it's full time) or put it on hold for at least the 1st year of the program.

In addition, I know paying for tuition is a huge undertaking, but in my mind I would prefer to devote all of my time and focus to the program and not be forced to split time between my job and my education. I can't speak towards your situation personally, but that's just my 2 cents.

 

[Christopher Gooley]

Patrick will probably able to give you the exact breakdown for each day, but from our conference call yesterday, we were told each class is 3 hours long and we have 5 classes in the fall and 6 classes in the spring. So class time alone will take 15-18 hours a week.

If you're lucky and moved off the waitlist, from everything the alumni and professors told us, I'm really under the distinct impression that you will have to quit your job (if it's full time) or put it on hold for at least the 1st year of the program.

In addition, I know paying for tuition is a huge undertaking, but in my mind I would prefer to devote all of my time and focus to the program and not be forced to split time between my job and my education. I can't speak towards your situation personally, but that's just my 2 cents.

I work at Apple on 5th avenue so, most of my times are overnight Friday and Saturday or late shifts like 8pm or 9pm to 2am

 

[Christopher Gooley]

Patrick will probably able to give you the exact breakdown for each day, but from our conference call yesterday, we were told each class is 3 hours long and we have 5 classes in the fall and 6 classes in the spring. So class time alone will take 15-18 hours a week.

If you're lucky and moved off the waitlist, from everything the alumni and professors told us, I'm really under the distinct impression that you will have to quit your job (if it's full time) or put it on hold for at least the 1st year of the program.

In addition, I know paying for tuition is a huge undertaking, but in my mind I would prefer to devote all of my time and focus to the program and not be forced to split time between my job and my education. I can't speak towards your situation personally, but that's just my 2 cents.

I'm also from NYC and managed to get through 2 master programs with the same job! Hopefully it could work

 

[Patrick Clement]

I saw that already but it doesn't answer my question. I'm talking about actual hours broken down and what time classes are so, for my job lol

Honestly, if you are not able to move your Apple Store schedule around your Master's Program schedule I would rethink your priorities. I'm not trying to be a dickhead here because as a low-income student, work and school have typically gone hand-in-hand for me as well, but at the MFA level, you should allow yourself to focus 100% on your work. You are building a career, give it the time it deserves. Most students put in about 40-50 hours a week, especially in the first year.

Let's do some math, because math is fun.

Class time
Six classes per semester/week (this includes your HTC requirement.) Four Hours per class (that includes commute time, early arrival, making it out of Dodge and to the train, stopping to get coffee before class, etc. )
24 hours of class time.
3 hours of additional class time per week. (Discussion sessions, directing advisers, meeting with prof, etc.)
2 hours a week on average working on your own exercises (that's 3-4 hours on each of the 6 directing assignments, divided over the 16 week semester)
5 hours a week helping other classmates with their exercises. (If you are spending 3-4 hours on your exercises, this allows for overages and travel. And this is just for helping ONE student, you will likely help more than one every week, so this is a conservative estimate.)
---------------------------
34 hours a week, just on "base" classwork.

This is a conservative estimate at best and doesn't account for:
1. Script writing time (2+ hours a day)
2. Project Prep (Safety process, paperwork, casting, rehearsals, location scouting, etc for 3-5 films and 8-12 films) This could be 100+ hours over a semester.
3. Class "bunching." Because you do not get to pick your classes in the first year, often there will be "bunching" where you will have a class at 10-1 and then 2-5. So that middle hour is "lost" to lunch.
4. Oh yeah, and you're a human, so you need to sleep, eat, go see a movie or master class, get laid, have a drink, go to a museum, etc.
5. Travel. If you HAVE to live in Brooklyn, you will have a 1.5hr train ride each way. That's 3 hours of ride time and if you have classes only three days a week, that's nearly 10 hours of travel time a week. Yikes. And likely you will be coming to campus 4-5 days a week. That's alot of hours.

So I think my 40-50 hour estimate might even be light.

Could you do this AND keep a job, possibly.
I am sure if CAN be done, but the question is WHY?
Everything on this list is awesome and fun and worth devoting your time time. Why cut yourself short?

This is great - thank you for the suggestion! I was wondering though, if it is possible to extend the lease without moving out? Usually dorms/campus housings make you leave during breaks. Because if they do, I feel like living off campus is better and saves up in the long run.

The university runs on nine month leases with the ability to extend through the summer months. So you can stay in Grad school housing (like I do) all year for your entire time at CU, if you'd like. Lots of people choose to move away in thesis years.

The other great part is that Columbia housing allows flexible exits, so if you "break" your lease, you only pay a one-month penalty.Also, and this isn't "official" they've been very flexible when it comes to rent payments around disbursement time and summer season. They've been cool about being a little behind.

Patrick will probably able to give you the exact breakdown for each day, but from our conference call yesterday, we were told each class is 3 hours long and we have 5 classes in the fall and 6 classes in the spring. So class time alone will take 15-18 hours a week. If you're lucky and moved off the waitlist, from everything the alumni and professors told us, I'm really under the distinct impression that you will have to quit your job (if it's full time) or put it on hold for at least the 1st year of the program.

In addition, I know paying for tuition is a huge undertaking, but in my mind I would prefer to devote all of my time and focus to the program and not be forced to split time between my job and my education. I can't speak towards your situation personally, but that's just my 2 cents.

See above.

 

[Christopher Gooley]

Honestly, if you are not able to move your Apple Store schedule around your Master's Program schedule I would rethink your priorities. I'm not trying to be a dickhead here because as a low-income student, work and school have typically gone hand-in-hand for me as well, but at the MFA level, you should allow yourself to focus 100% on your work. You are building a career, give it the time it deserves. Most students put in about 40-50 hours a week, especially in the first year.

Let's do some math, because math is fun.

Class time
Six classes per semester/week (this includes your HTC requirement.) Four Hours per class (that includes commute time, early arrival, making it out of Dodge and to the train, stopping to get coffee before class, etc. )
24 hours of class time.
3 hours of additional class time per week. (Discussion sessions, directing advisers, meeting with prof, etc.)
2 hours a week on average working on your own exercises (that's 3-4 hours on each of the 6 directing assignments, divided over the 16 week semester)
5 hours a week helping other classmates with their exercises. (If you are spending 3-4 hours on your exercises, this allows for overages and travel. And this is just for helping ONE student, you will likely help more than one every week, so this is a conservative estimate.)
---------------------------
34 hours a week, just on "base" classwork.

This is a conservative estimate at best and doesn't account for:
1. Script writing time (2+ hours a day)
2. Project Prep (Safety process, paperwork, casting, rehearsals, location scouting, etc for 3-5 films and 8-12 films) This could be 100+ hours over a semester.
3. Class "bunching." Because you do not get to pick your classes in the first year, often there will be "bunching" where you will have a class at 10-1 and then 2-5. So that middle hour is "lost" to lunch.
4. Oh yeah, and you're a human, so you need to sleep, eat, go see a movie or master class, get laid, have a drink, go to a museum, etc.
5. Travel. If you HAVE to live in Brooklyn, you will have a 1.5hr train ride each way. That's 3 hours of ride time and if you have classes only three days a week, that's nearly 10 hours of travel time a week. Yikes. And likely you will be coming to campus 4-5 days a week. That's alot of hours.

So I think my 40-50 hour estimate might even be light.

Could you do this AND keep a job, possibly.
I am sure if CAN be done, but the question is WHY?
Everything on this list is awesome and fun and worth devoting your time time. Why cut yourself short?




The university runs on nine month leases with the ability to extend through the summer months. So you can stay in Grad school housing (like I do) all year for your entire time at CU, if you'd like. Lots of people choose to move away in thesis years.

The other great part is that Columbia housing allows flexible exits, so if you "break" your lease, you only pay a one-month penalty.Also, and this isn't "official" they've been very flexible when it comes to rent payments around disbursement time and summer season. They've been cool about being a little behind.


See above.

Not to bad! Thanks for the input! I live in Long Island City so travel is not bad at all for me. Sounds like the other master programs I went through. Apple is flexible. But thank you for all that sir!

 

[Christopher Gooley]

Roughly what's the max I can take out in graduate plus loans?

 

[clairewitchproject]

Not to bad! Thanks for the input! I live in Long Island City so travel is not bad at all for me. Sounds like the other master programs I went through. Apple is flexible. But thank you for all that sir!

I would continue to chat with as many current students and take Patrick’s comment to heart. This advice everyone is giving about the time commitment is golden and has been repeated for years to countless students, including myself!

I don’t profess to know your full situation, but this part-time job thing is something I’ve personally dealt with as well.

I was admitted to CU’s CP MFA program 2 years ago and I was 100% convinced that I could do the program and maintain a job part-time. But after I spoke with admitted students and Ira, it became overwhelmingly obvious that my plan was nuts and would have a negative impact on my overall experience.

One student said, should I attempt to balance a part time job with the program, make sure to have a financial contingency plan so that when I decide to quit my p/t job mid semester, I had somewhere to turn for funding. Another friend who’s also an alum, legit laughed when I shared my part-time job + MFA dreams. Her response: “And you expect your classmates to work around your part-time job schedule to include you in their shoots and projects? Good luck.” Ouch, but I needed to hear that.

I thought long and hard, and decided that if I was gonna spend all this damn money to attend, I might as well take the advice of the alumni and professors and do the program they way they suggest (at least in that very first year).

Since I was still super uncomfortable not earning, I didn’t accept my offer at that time. Instead, I decided to wait, save, and become mentally / emotionally comfortable with the idea of taking time off from work (and taking on loans) to pursue this program.

That’s my personal experience with this. We’re all adults here and gotta do what makes sense for us.

 

[clairewitchproject]

Roughly what's the max I can take out in graduate plus loans?

This page gives a lot of details about the Grad Plus Loans:
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans

Also, you may want to give the CU Financial Aid office a call this week and see what direction they can give waitlisted students about preparing for the Financial Cost of CU, in the event you don't find out until late summer.