Stony Brook University (SUNY) Reviews & Admissions Statistics

2 things stand out in my second year of film school.

#1: In my directing class, the professor insists everyone does their own camera work (we shoot weekly exercises with small crews) ...and it is incredibly challenging. But I'm learning how to get the shots I need to tell a story, how to frame those shots, how to work more visually and work with sound to make the stuff I write more effective and evocative. I'm getting so much more than I bargained for and it is awesome!

#2: I'm a pretty confident writer, though my writing is becoming a bit less laborious because, with this program, you're also writing all the time. But being thrown into the deep end of crewing my classmates' projects, from the first semester on, is also making me a stronger all around filmmaker and storyteller. I am the sound person or the AC or the gaffer, depending on the project, touching every aspect of filmmaking. I feel more confident in my technical abilities with each passing semester and I cannot wait to shoot my spring project in March.

Look into it while it's still a quiet little gem of a school!

I wanted to get my MFA to develop a strong portfolio and refine my voice as a writer. I'm getting all that and so much more. The TV program is so comprehensive, and I can also take Film and Creative Writing classes. My cohort of 8 students is terrific, as we all bring very different voices and perspectives to our work, and it's a supportive environment. I'm learning important skills outside of writing so that I can create my own content (a must in today's industry), and I landed a development internship at Killer Films after my second semester.

Getting to take a production master class with Christine Vachon is WILD. She's one of the most connected and knowledgable (and badass) producers in the world and brings in impressive industry guests each week. Alan Kingsberg, the director of the TV Program, is the most involved and passionate head of an MFA program imaginable. He genuinely cares so much about the program and his students in a way I've rarely experienced in academia. He's constantly looking for ways to create more value in the program, and his connections to industry and faculty are fantastic.

I'm also currently taking a very comprehensive teaching practicum, and next year I'll have a chance to teach my own undergraduate class on main campus, which I hear is rare in these kinds of programs.

From the classes to the faculty and administration, Stony Brook really hits it out of the park.

I'm an international student from the Philippines and initially I had chosen this school due to financial concerns. I had applied and got accepted to a wide array of schools, but the financial aid all of them gave were measly compared to the cost of attending. SBU gave me the highest scholarship offer, a Sklar Prize award, and the opportunity to work as a GA/TA for extra income right when I entered.

I was just telling our Executive Director, who is so passionate about growing this tiny program of ours, that I'm happy for having chosen this school. It's really a space where your own personal voice can be developed, where every professor really cares about you and what you write.

I love that we own our films (we sign a clause at the beginning of the semester stating that the school does not own our films), and that the directing track shoots one they wrote themselves at the end of every year. This instantly gives you a portfolio when you graduate. I know I had written about the limited number of crew due to the small cohort, but there are Facebook groups for film students in NYC looking for outside crew. I think that challenge exists in every school.