Northwestern University - School of Communication

*Please take this with a grain of salt, as I went to NU over a decade ago. While I was there:

• Classes in film theory and screenwriting were great
• Professors were also good and caring
• The major was called Radio/TV/Film and offered various certificates (for example, in Sound Design) - but it was quite difficult to achieve certificates in your 4 years there because not all courses were always offered
• Extensive film "cage" where you could rent out equipment fairly regularly
• Extracurriculars / few film grants for film students felt very "insider-y" and at times nepotistic (upper classmen who ran and allotted student film grants seemed very much to just give it to underclassmen "friends")
• Not much diversity in the student body or in the major
• Didn't particularly feel prepared for post-graduation by the School of Communications or the university
• Major itself does not have much of a technical / production focus. I would say it leaned more toward film theory/media studies and screenwriting.

I did have a good experience with their Financial Aid, which made it possible for me to attend an otherwise very expensive school. It is a very high academically achieving student body, so if you want to explore another double major, etc. in addition to a film degree, this would be a great school to attend and learn. I'd caution though that it might be difficult to get a job in the film/tv industries unless you can snag internships in LA/NY during the summers (also very costly), because the School of Comms doesn't necessarily prepare you very well for a post-grad professional career. Ultimately, your journey is very much up to you and what you make of your time while in school and the years following.