Age

[maozbrown]

I've heard on two occasions now that UCLA prefers applicants in their late 20s. This has got me wondering how much age plays into the film school applications.

Would people mind posting their age along with any information they have about how much emphasis different schools place on age? I just want to get a sense of the age range here.

I'm 23.

 

[beez]

i think it's fair to say that age and acceptance rate falls under the "correlation does not necessarily imply causation" category. i'm 22 and i had luck with ucla, so don't think being 23 will count you out.

 

[d_lefeb]

Hey, I haven't applied to UCLA, but I'm 21 and just got accepted to Columbia, a school that also prefers applicants that are older than your average college student. During my interview, I was told that they like to accept students that have acquired a certain life experience, but they thought that despite my young age, I fit the bill. Hope this helps

 

[maozbrown]

d_lefeb, if you don't mind my asking, what life experiences of yours were they referring to?

Working through college? Traveling the world? Little of both?

 

[d_lefeb]

Traveling the world is actually an example they gave me of what they like to see in an applicant. However, my case is quite different. I've had a very tumultuous (and consequently, rather inspiring for me) family life, almost from birth. I've had to grow up very quickly and apparently they could see that in my portfolio materials. Most of those said materials were inspired from true events and my interviewers found these to be very interesting. I guess that was my "edge", in a sense. Now, I don't know if you have interviewed with UCLA yet, but if you haven't, here's my advice: find a way to sell yourself. You have to be unique in some way, bring something specific to the table. Find your edge, why they have to have you. Anyhow, that's what worked for me

PS I also work for a film producer, so that might've helped a bit...

 

[Jayimess]

IT.

DOESN'T.

MATTER.

My class has ages ranging from 21 to 36 at incoming.

I know a 20 year old production MFA, a 43 year old.

At AFI...they claim it does, but who knows.

Quit searching for reasons to discount yourselves, people. You'll get in or you won't. Your birthday won't make the difference. Your talent will.

Keep your heads up.

 

[maozbrown]

I'm sure there are 21-year-olds that get in every year, but that doesn't mean age doesn't matter. Apparently, AFI claims age carries some weight, and I've heard the same about UCLA. Also, FLFilmFan said that his interviewers expressed a bit of concern over the fact that he's still working on his undergraduate degree, so I think it's a realistic question to ask. I'm not looking for a reason to discount myself, but I am genuinely curious.

To clarify again, I wasn't under the impression that young age destroys one's application.

 

[MarkChristmas]

What about eighteen year olds?

 

[FLFilmFan]

well, some were surprised that some people would go and apply to grad school immediately after undergrad.

i think jayimess is right though, your birthday doesn't really matter. i think it is maturity that they are looking for rather than age. some people/applicants/admissions committees can correlate age to maturity, but it all dependent upon the demeanor of the individual.

i am 20 and consider myself very immature. its all about how you sell yourself. i can almost guarantee you that no school will deny you based solely on age.

i think you all have a place in the industry, but in many ways you have to fit the niche of the school. the same way as you feel you are right for the school, the admissions committee is trying to see if the school is the right fit for you.

i wish you the best of luck!

 

[copenhagengirl]

This discussion is entertaining...
I´m 33, I have a master in architecture, and this is my third year trying to get into NYU - so I guess we are all different...!

 

[Jayimess]

I guess what I was trying to say up there, in my last post, was that there is no perfect scientific formula for getting into graduate film schools...no ideal age, no ideal life path, no ideal academic choices, no ideal portfolio submissions, no ideal professional resume. I also don't think there are any instant disqualifiers.

It's a combination of who you are and what you can do, what you've seen, and what you imagine.

It's the way you present yourself, your abilities, and you goals...and how likely you seem to reach them.

It's who you are, your determination. And nobody can fake that to fit some mold.

The only common element I see among my classmates is that we're passionate, and that we're genuinely good people.

If they got that from our applications, then I guess perhaps that's the ideal formula?

I just feel like self-doubt gets you guys too bogged down. There are so many aspects that you controlled in your application.

Your birthdate is not one of them, and these schools know that.

Keep positive.




PS...AFI wants people with professional experience, so that begets their age rule, but they violate both...all of the time.

 

[d_lefeb]

Nicely said, Jayimess. And about AFI, they just admitted a friend of mine in screenwriting. She's 21 and has little experience. Goes to show you!

 

[wendja85]

I agree with most of you here, age isn't going to be the deciding factor in admissions.

What will be, however, is selling yourself. You have to appear to be the kind of person they feel could thrive in the film industry. You have to set yourself apart as the most interesting, creative, intelligent and/or well-travelled person. Another category is life experience.

It's really interesting to me though because I don't think these technically make a great filmmaker (I mean come on, is there really a formula?). I guess all the faculty can hope for is that these factors add up to students with talent.

From what I saw in my undergraduate film class, just because students were well-travelled or had gone through great hardships did not make them acclimate to the film medium naturally. For many its a struggle.

 

[Cinematical]

Originally posted by MarkChristmas:
What about eighteen year olds?

You'll need to go to undergrad first.

 

[louvonsalome]

Honestly, I really don't believe age is a factor. It seems like a non-entity to me.

It's easy to start listing reasons for why we may have been rejected or accepted, but the truth is, we'll never know. Best to keep forward, keep working on films, keep pursuing your passion. And regardless of the situation with MFA programs, your pursuit of your dreams will pay off. In my opinion, be glad you're young and you've found what you're passionate about so early. You'll have many opportunities to pursue this dream of filmmaking.

best,

louvons.

 

[FarhanAli]

I'm 22 and got into Northwestern's screenwriting program.

A lady from AFI came to talk to my school and she mentioned that they really prefer candidates with work experience(aka older imo)in many of their concentrations but for screenwriting age didn't matter as much.