AFI 2012

[SubTeach]

I have my interview next Friday! Fingers crossed.

 

[Che Gray]

@SubTeach what discipline did you apply for? Good Luck!

 

[pdhopeful]

I know I'm jumping the gun, but just for the sake of conversation - and maybe a current student or Los Angeleno will chime in - when do you guys think would be appropriate to fly out to L.A. to look for an apartment if one is planning to lease starting August 1? I've been keeping an eye on Craigslist and many listings have short notice for when they'll be available. June? First week of July? Is late May too early? Just wondering what's typical of the rental market out there. Thanks!

 

[TDub]

@pdhopeful I am currently not a student but went through the grad app process last year when my wife and I lived in Florida. I admire your optimism. Although, this is my second round with AFI as a pruducing applicant (second interview as well) I too always try and have an optimistic disposition.

After I was rejected last year from 7 schools (although I interviewed at 2) my wife and I packed up and headed out west. So to answer your question, in my opinion, there is really no point in searching for housing until maybe late June. Realistically, when a prop manager or landlord posts and ad for an apartment they are typically looking to fill it within the month.

I would recommend, however, fimiliarizing yourself with neighborhoods via research and average rent prices in those desired.

Again, from my experience in scouring LA for a decent place to live we noticed that it's a dog eat dog world out here. Meaning, if you find a place you like in your price range that feels right to you, be prepared to make a down payment on it IMEDIATELY. I am talking minutes not days. My wife and I found a place in Franklin Village the first day we visited. The landlord recommended we go get a check from the bank to secure the place. No more than 45 minutes later when we returned it was snagged by another couple.

We ended up finding an apartment on Los Feliz Blvd. about a 5 min drive (if that) from AFI. I remember before we moved here people telling us that we just wouldn't be able to afford the rent or trying to make it sound way worse than it actually is. Don't let anybody scare you about this. There are plenty of viable options for housing at fairly reasonable prices. We were lucky enough to have a friend live here a year before we moved that really helped us. If you have any specific questions about neighborhoods, sources for finding apartments, or anything else please feel free to message me. I would be happy to answer and questions.

Hey who knows, if we become fellows together maybe I could help with the search.

 

[alidir08]

WOW @FreakyDreddy THANK YOU SO MUCH THAT MEANS A LOT TO ME AND I AM VERY GLAD YOU ENJOYED IT! Good luck to everyone on their interviews and I hope we all can get the chance to experience the AFI curriculum!

 

[Waterman88]

Does anyone know if they have finished scheduling Directing interviews for the year?

 

[Brice88]

Originally posted by pdhopeful:
I know I'm jumping the gun, but just for the sake of conversation - and maybe a current student or Los Angeleno will chime in - when do you guys think would be appropriate to fly out to L.A. to look for an apartment if one is planning to lease starting August 1? I've been keeping an eye on Craigslist and many listings have short notice for when they'll be available. June? First week of July? Is late May too early? Just wondering what's typical of the rental market out there. Thanks!

First year fellow here:

I flew to LA at the end of June, found an apartment in early July and moved in at the beginning of August. TDub's post is spot on, especially as far as being ready to commit ASAP. One place I looked at hustled me big time, saying I needed to make a decision within the hour or someone else would get the apartment...which I then saw advertised on Craigslist for the next week. But, housing does go fast and if you find a good deal you shouldn't hesitate to take it.

A bit of advice which you may already know: when you drive around, take note of every building you like and call the manager to ask about vacancies - even if there is not a sign out front and you haven't seen an advertisement anywhere. That's how I got my apartment before it even went on the market, and considering the quality of this arrangement I am sure it would have been swooped up extra quickly!

 

[Mike_V]

And this may not pertain in the LA area, but atleast in the OC area, I had a terrible awful experience with renting a room in a house. The homeowner may screw you over on the deposit.
The homeowner from the room I rented 3 years ago still owes my my deposit and that person will never ever pay me back because she's a lying cheating dirtbag. I would say your best bet is to get an apartment that is part of a larger company since they usually have a stronger structure in terms of dealing with payment and such.

 

[groovydazzle]

So if we have not yet received any sort of notification, should we assume that we did not get in? I applied for the Directing and the Screenwriting program. Only until today did I decide to do research on what was going on (last year I started in January and almost got an ulcer form 3 months of suffering).

 

[groovydazzle]

Did anybody get mailed letters with the financial aid information? I got mine 4 days ago! Does this mean anything at all?

 

[pdhopeful]

@groovydazzle - From reading last year's thread, I believe they conducted directing interviews all the way into late March last year, so I wouldn't start worrying yet.

 

[selinabina]

I also received financial aid info in the mail a few days ago. I assumed that they just sent them out to all applicants. Anyone else receive them?

 

[TDub]

@groovydazzle @selinabina Unfortunately, the financial aid information that comes in the mail is not an indicator of admission. I received the same letter last year and my outcome was not desirable (obviously, as I am reapplying this year). I received the same letter this year as well. Financial aid offices for these programs run as their own departments. It seems inefficient and silly but from my understanding all applicants recieve financial aid letters.

 

[alract]

Hey all,

I just had my screenwriting interview this morning. I was like a deer in headlights. Ha, not sure I answered one question coherently.

Aw, well.

It sounds like an awesome program and everyone there is incredibly nice.

I hope all your interviews go better than mine.

Good luck everybody!

 

[ignatiusreilly]

alract, I wouldn't worry, I'm sure you did better than you think. I interviewed about a month ago and went nuts the next few days going over each one of my answers so I'm sure your feeling is quite common. Hope to see you in August!

 

[alract]

Thanks Ignatiusreilly. I'm trying to stay positive. Hoping it wasn't as bad as I thought.

The waiting is almost over, just a few more weeks! Good luck and I hope to see you in August too!

 

[monkeysontoast]

pdhopeful,

I received the Skype interview materials the same day they called to inform me I was selected for the interview. I would contact them if you haven't yet received the info.

 

[alidir08]

I got my financial aid letter as well, I can't wait till April and I hope I get in! Good luck all!

 

[Haisu Wang]

@pdhopeful
I am also a production design applicant. I got the call to schedule my interview on Mar 2.
So, could you please talk about your interview?
I am really nervous! Thank you!

 

[khomya]

Two months in advance to interview???
Oh my God! That`s to long...