Advice on Applying to Tisch Film Program

[Rita]

Hi, all, I know I might be starting this a little early, i just finished my second year in undergrad. And I know I want to apply to Tisch graduate film program, and it's kind of all eggs in one basket situation. If i don't get into Tisch, I promised my parents I would give up my dream on film directing.

BUT big problem is that my GPA isnt that great, at all. i know i still have a whole year to raise it up before I apply, but i think the safe bet is I can raise it up to a 3.0, 3.1, something like that. but that still isn't good enough, my major (an interdisciplinary major i set up in film studies and filmmaking) will be around 3.7 though. so i really don't know how i can come about this problem.

i called tisch graduate admission. they said they dont have a minimum requirement and its not necessary to write any letters explaining my situation. but i still feel like it's safer to explain why i got the bad grades that i did, you know just in case.

i know a lot of you guys have had good experiences in applying for grad. film programs. so just wondering if anyone can give me some advice on this???

Thank you soo much!

 

[FLFilmFan]

Rita,

firstly, i think it is horrible for you to hinge your future in the motion picture industry based solely upon getting into a graduate school. people who get into filmmaking dont get into it because they just "like" to, but they HAVE to because there is nothing else they want or can want to do with their lives.

graduate school is a lot different than undergraduate. you dont need perfect grades to get into these programs. graduate school is about taking students who are serious about their craft and expanding on that. show your desire and passion for the craft by things you have done. not necessarily the films, screenplays, or volunteer work. but worldly knowledge and not the ability, but the desire to tell stories. too many times a technical know-how will wow the admissions, but it is those that have a mission to create something through film that makes them truly successful.

i have rarely seen minimums for schools, but in the event that there are, it is just a benchmark.

it is really bad to see you putting your whole career on the line based on one admissions board.

i got into nyu's grad film program this year, but didnt elect to accept the offer of admission. you should broaden the schools you apply to because you may realize nyu may not be for you.

only 36 are selected for admission and i could have just as easily been denied as i have been for other schools. this business comes attached with failure and if your desire to succeed in the business is fueled by admissions decisions or material profit, your growth may be stunted.

i am always one to help another. at any time you have any questions about the admissions process, feel free to email me at appleguy00 (at) gmail (dot) com

keep in mind i applied to afi, fsu, nyu, and columbia

i was interviewed with all those schools in person EXCEPT columbia

i got into the nyc schools, was waitlisted at fsu and denied at afi (i think i am too young)

i wish you the best, rita.

andy

 

[Jerry Prokosch]

Hi Rita,

All good advice from FLFilmFan. Let me add something to it.

What Tisch wants to see, specifically, is storytelling ability. There are other factors they care about, but this is foremost among their priorities. They will consider people from all walks of life, all educational backgrounds, all magnitudes of film experience... provided you can demonstrate a need to tell stories through film. I know this because they've told us.

You don't need to apologize for your GPA. If you really want to, just make sure you don't waste your personal statement doing so. Part of the difficulty with explaining things like that is it can give you the tone of an excuse-maker or of insecurity. What you want to project is confidence, capability, self-assurance, and what you want to focus on are...

A) The reasons why your background (whatever it is) gives you the perfect skill set for the program. Sometimes, a background that has NOTHING to do with film is a benefit, because if you're saying "Look, making tacos professionally for the last three years has taught me these valuable lessons and given me these valuable people-skills and an amazing work ethic," people will listen to you. For the record, quite apart from your application, you should foster this confidence in yourself anyway. The thing is, if you said this about making tacos: you wouldn't be wrong.

B) As FLF wrote, the reasons why you need to make films. How will your life be effected if you can't make films? How have films taught you about yourself and the world?

I want to underscore what FLF wrote about not having your film future be contingent on graduate school. And it's a really bad idea to have it depend on acceptance to Tisch -- I would definitely go straight back to your parents and formally retract that statement.

 

[Race_Bannon]

Rita

I have not yet applied to Tisch, but am doing so this fall. I visited both NYU and Columbia a little over a month ago and met with the admissions directors from both.

What Dan Sanford from NYU told me during our meeting was that they don't even look at your GPA, nor do they look at the school you've come from. What they are concerned with is your work speaking to them. They want to see work with heart, with purpose and experience. Your creative portfolio is the most important part of the application in their graduate program. Also, NYU selects a group of 35 or so people that they think will work well TOGETHER. Therefore, you must demonstrate a unique talent that could be used to benefit the group as a whole. You might be the next Orson Welles, but if you can't work with the other 34 they're considering, then you have less of a shot of getting in. It's a collaborative artform and NYU stresses that very strongly.

So, this is what he told me. I found it very inspirational. I hope this helps. Maybe I'll see you at NYU in a couple of years. Take care and best of luck!

 

[Jayimess]

Rita,

Do not make any promises to anyone regarding your career path but yourself. I let my parents talk me out of film for my junior year of undergrad and though I have no regrets in life, the pre-law classes I took to appease them led me to drop out for five years...and I still came back to film.

Film school won't make you a filmmaker anyway. You already are one.

Jerry's example of the tacos is a great one. In my personal statements to USC, AFI, and UCLA (I was admitted to all of them either straight up or off waitlists), I mentioned my five year drop out and how I spent the majority of that time bartending. I mentioned how my regulars often commented that I made even the most mundane stories entertaining, and finished the paragraph with a sentence saying something like, "While I don't expect that the opinions of these customers to serve as a predictor of my ability to succeed as a screenwriter, I don't believe it should be dismissed."

Everything in your life is shaping the stories you will tell.

Everything.

Good luck to you.

 

[duders]

Rita,

I can understand where you are coming from. Many, many years ago when I was thinking about applying to schools, I decided that if I was going to study film, I would do it at one of the schools with the best reputation. I applied to NYU, USC and Columbia. Naively, I thought that if I didn't get in to one of the top programs, then the Universe (or whatever) was acting against me and I would have given up. Thankfully, I got into NYU. However, I like to think that if I did not get into one of the schools, I would have been determined enough to realize my dream.

Everyone's advice here so far has been excellent, especially Race_Bannon. What NYU's looking for are people with interesting stories, from interesting backgrounds that want to learn how to bring their vision to fruition. However, I would caution you that grades do count to a certain extent. Obviously, it's not the first thing that they look at, but more often than not, the students in the program do have very high GPA's.

Also, and I don't mean to sound condescending, but you're still very young. When I was in my 2nd year of undergrad, I was very much still trying to please my parents. That will go away.