Current Brooklyn College (CUNY) Feirstein - 1st year Student AMA

Manwitch

Active Member
I am currently enrolled at Feirstein. If you have specific questions not available on the website, I might be able to help.
 
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Hi @AtBRareform. I’m currently a 1st year Screenwriting student at Feirstein. I’m not sure what qualifies ‘worth’ to you out of an MFA program but Feirstein is one of the most affordable, if not THE most affordable, MFA film program in the country. If you have specific questions, let me know. ;)
 
Thanks @Chris W for letting me know, and thank you @Manwitch for being available for questions about Feirstein! When I mention worth, I'm mostly just wondering if you feel like the costs of living in NYC and tuition are offset by the skills and knowledge you're getting from the program. It's good to hear that the program is affordable! Some questions that have been kinda rollin around in my brain are: have you enjoyed your interactions with the faculty so far? have you heard anything about how Feirstein alumni are doing after graduation? do you feel like the fact that Feirstein is a newer school is detrimental in any way? is there a lot of collaboration between all of the disciplines? do you know if the school finances any films made in the program? what are any of the big pros or cons of Feirstein you've noticed so far? have you felt like living in NYC has been affordable your first year? I know that's a lot of questions, but thank you for any answers you can give! I really appreciate it!
 
...because I am judicious when discussing money and my unique perceptions.

Oh I see...Happily I got an interview invitation received today. I have a friend who attended their masters in their first class and I would love to find out more opinions on how is their program based on a student's opinion. If you ever feel comfortable to share your opinions I would be glad to hear it.
 
Hi! I'd love to know more about your experience as well! I'm interviewing for Fall 2020 directing program but have some reservations since it's such a new school and I'm worried there won't be as many opportunities as some other schools without a large base of alumni. What are your thoughts? Is the newness of the program offset by how great the facilities are and the NY location? Also, how are the professors? I'd be grateful for your input! :)
 
Congrats! If you have any specific questions, I’d be happy to give my perspective. :)

Since Feirstein is a newer school I have doubts on how is the actual student's experience. For instance, it is clear for me that Columbia Directing/Screenwriting program is really focused on broaden up the student's perspective in terms of a more intelectual approach (I don't if it sounds clear). On the other hand, AFI has a more technical and really hands on experience: the student is shooting and writing a lot during the whole 2 year period. I would like to know how do you find Feirstein in terms of hands on experience versus intelectual learning. Also, how do most of their students find their way after finishing the program? (If you have any info on that). What is the students background in general and what is their average age? Do you feel that the program is mostly specific for each area or is it a more general approach as it could be in a undergrad program?
I mean, maybe I could sum up all of these questions in one: how have you been finding the program?

Thanks a lot!!
 
Sure, these are all valid. As is true of many industries of art, newness is a good thing. Don't let Feirstein's newness negatively color what your experience could be. Definitely check out the bios of our faculty and our advisory board members on the website. I would say our constitution is reflective of their backgrounds and training. The curriculum is very interdisciplinary; we are actively filming a lot during the semester and we are also honing our film literacy as academics of cinema. The skill, ethic and talent levels of my peers are outstanding. The curriculum starts off diversified and then becomes more specific to what your concentration is as you move along. The youngest students are in their early 20's and the oldest are somewhere in their 50's, average age being 28ish I'm guessing? Being a part of a school's inaugural years excites me, but I understand being wary of the unknown, so don't be shy about asking these questions during your interview too. Hope this helps!
 
I am interviewing for the director’s program as well. From the murmurs from within the program, how does the directing path seem (have only directed one film in my life, so I am looking to get a real formal education on directing through the program)?
 
From what I can observe from the outside, the directing track is the most competitive and they have a fairly demanding schedule. It seems to be a pretty even balance of practical instruction and pre-proudction assembly for their various shoots. Many of them are accomplished and some are very new to directing, but it seems that they are pretty much equalized in the face of the rigorous workload. I can't speak to how formal or informal the education for them is, but that is definitely something you should discuss in your interview. Good luck!
 
From what I can observe from the outside, the directing track is the most competitive and they have a fairly demanding schedule. It seems to be a pretty even balance of practical instruction and pre-proudction assembly for their various shoots. Many of them are accomplished and some are very new to directing, but it seems that they are pretty much equalized in the face of the rigorous workload. I can't speak to how formal or informal the education for them is, but that is definitely something you should discuss in your interview. Good luck!
Sounds exactly like what I am looking for! Thank you very much!!
 
hey I see this is kinda old now but what is the sort of curriculum for director? do you get too direct a film every year and are there limitations each year?
 
Thanks @Chris W for letting me know, and thank you @Manwitch for being available for questions about Feirstein! When I mention worth, I'm mostly just wondering if you feel like the costs of living in NYC and tuition are offset by the skills and knowledge you're getting from the program. It's good to hear that the program is affordable! Some questions that have been kinda rollin around in my brain are: have you enjoyed your interactions with the faculty so far? have you heard anything about how Feirstein alumni are doing after graduation? do you feel like the fact that Feirstein is a newer school is detrimental in any way? is there a lot of collaboration between all of the disciplines? do you know if the school finances any films made in the program? what are any of the big pros or cons of Feirstein you've noticed so far? have you felt like living in NYC has been affordable your first year? I know that's a lot of questions, but thank you for any answers you can give! I really appreciate it!

@Manwitch I'd like to second these questions. I interview next week and of course when moving to New York, finances is always a looming thought. Interested to hear about your experiences in the Screenwriting program (the program I applied to) and how you're making it work in NYC.
 
I am currently enrolled at Feirstein. If you have specific questions not available on the website, I might be able to help.
@Manwitch I'm thinking of putting together an article on the site on something like "Film School in the time of COVID" to help current applicants and people who may be attending schools in the fall. I'd love to be able to interview you (or one of the site's writers will) about how the pandemic is currently affecting you at the school and what the school's plans are for the fall if any. Would this be something that you're interested in?

Thanks! I think it'd be a great help for the people on the site.
 
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