I never researched into USC. A lot of my NYU Tisch friends went to AFI what that became my de facto choice. What do you think USC is better at? Curious to know. And AFI and USC being both in LA, do you think they have collaborations?
Oh boy, you asking this really opened a can of worms that I wasn't expecting when I started commenting, but...sorry! Here's a very long post:
Not so much "better," just different. The conservatory approach has its benefits (you're always making stuff! Everyone there is a filmmaker of some sorts! etc.), but its also something I imagine I'll have to get used to as compared to regular schooling. USC is also a huge, renowned campus with thousands of people, dozens of events in a given week, etc. AFI has like 250 people, total. Across all departments and both years. So it will feel a lot smaller, and a lot more like living in a little bubble, rather being part of this massive machine. Which, once again, isn't bad at all! But it's not really what I was preparing myself for in this whole ordeal, if that makes sense.
Additionally, the thing they wanted to nail down the most during my interview was that AFI is BUSY, and that you won't have time to do anything else but what the school has you do. Going to USC is slightly more lax from what my research has shown me, and does allow times for part time jobs (to help pay for, you know, living in LA) and ESPECIALLY internships, one of the most important parts of this endeavor IMHO. When I spoke to AFI they mentioned that they would have a little of that (and a break in the summer for potential internships as well), but it really seems like time management might be complex at AFI. Well I don't shy away from the work necessarily, I do have to wonder if committing myself fully to just doing AFI will severely limit my ability to expand. AFI seems like a little bubble of filmmaking education, which is as exciting as it is (frankly) scary.
And though AFI has a lot of notable alumni coming from their ranks, almost all of them seem to be in production and directing, with only a few scattered about in the writing program. Also, a lot of the alumni (like David Lynch, Darren Aronofsky, etc.) seem to focus on a very specific type of film -- moody, dark, eclectic works. I love those types of movies and wouldn't mind to dabble in that realm, but my main focus is TV comedy and (frankly) big studio comedies -- something the alumni of USC (Judd Apatow, Paul Feig, etc.) seem much more connected to. It's not necessarily that I don't think AFI will "allow" me to write more comedic stuff (I said that was my focus in the interview, after all, so it must be something they are looking for to some degree), but I do wonder if culturally what I do will "fit in" to the school at large.
And from a pure vanity stand point: USC is just culturally a "bigger" name than AFI. Right now not for the best reasons, sure, but when I tell people I got into USC, right away they know who and what I am talking about, and see the value in being accepted. In the (few people) I've told about my AFI acceptance, they respond with a "what is that?" kind of thing, and I have to go into a whole description of what the conservatory even is. Obviously in film circles it's renowned, but outside of it? Less so.
I know that sounds incredibly silly to worry about, but with working in the industry not a sure thing, I do have to wonder if the overall cache of USC would open more doors. One of the things I would like to do as a fallback of sorts while trying to get my stuff made is PR and publicity type things (I have a B.A. in Journalism, and past experience in the field.) Would just being from the University of California, and with their vast alumni network from all sorts of different focuses (business, journalism, communications, etc.), be more beneficial in that regard? Or would the fact that it's a "Screenwriting" degree regardless carry little weight outside of that medium (or any medium, really -- I'm not going to delude myself on the "value" of the degree here. It's all about what I take out of the program which, frankly, will probably be equal no matter which of the two I chose.)
I dunno, as is clear from this post. It's possible (and likely, actually) that a lot of what I'm saying about both schools is completely inaccurate. More research is needed. I have spent literally a decade absorbing info about USC, so that's where my mind (and my heart) currently rest. I've researched AFI a ton too, but not quite to the same level.
TLDR; They are both fantastic schools that I would be excited to attend. But they are different, and wrapping my head around those differences and what they mean for my future is going to take some time and serious thought. Thanks for allowing me to vent said thoughts in an open forum, though!
