Boston U

[julia]

What do you all think of BU's film program? It looks pretty good.

 

[RAB]

I think you can get an all around good education there, but there is definitely better schools that are more film-orientated.

 

[Josh]

BU is a great school.

If you can afford it.

 

[Mark Denega]

What Josh said.

BU's film program is one of the best in the country. The tuition, however, is a killer.

The program requires you to take liberal arts courses in writing, philosophy, multi-cultural studies, social science, math or natural science and foreign language. These classes normally dominate your schedule for the first 1 1/2 - 2 years in the school. The earliest you will take a film production class is second semester of sophomore year, unless you have a butt-load of transfer credits.

This type of program is a turn off for many, but for me it was a selling point. The goal of the liberal arts courses is to make you a more competent and worldly thinker and writer. Some some film students view it as a waste of time and sort of unhelpful when it comes to filmmaking, and some think it's vital. I think the latter.

If you want to start taking film classes right away, do not go to BU.

If you want a cheap school, do not go to BU.

If you want to develop your writing and thinking before you pick up a camera, go to BU.

I'm currently an undergrad student and I work in the Communication building, so if you have any questions, ask away.

 

[Joe8]

What's it like at BU? How much do they help you financially? I'm a senior in High school and I was going to apply there, but I got into Tisch early decision, and I thought I was definitely gonna go there, but my family and I realized that Tisch is just too expensive, so now I can't even get my materials together to apply to BU in time.

I may transfer there after I figure out where else I may go to college--that's why I'm interested in the program.

I agree with your statement about a complete education. I've always felt that a strong education really helps arts students--especially filmmakers. Not only does it give you that competitive edge of high SATs and GPA, but it gives you the intelligence to really analyze films. You can really explore the themes of your work and the relationships between characters. Although a great deal of filmmaking lies in talent, a good education doesn't hurt. It's important to become a well-rounded person as well as a talented filmmaker. I think BU's got the right idea with their curriculum. It may be a little frustrating to not hold a camera for nearly two years, but it's a sound decision. Think about it: you get two years of college education to develop your writing skills and help you get more adult experiences--something other than high school experiences-- before you start writing and making films. Two years of college life will probably bring about a great deal of maturity and a whole new array of experiences to write about. Also two years without filmmaking will give you time to adjust to college life before you start taking on the challenges of film classes. BU's seems to have the right idea.

 

[Mark Denega]

I'm not sure what financial aid is like throughout the entire university, but I'm currently receiving a $17,000 scholarship per academic year, which helps tremendously. I'm also graduating in 3 years rather than 2, so I'm not as financially screwed as a lot of BU students.

I too got into Tisch, but decided not to go mostly for financial reasons. If you're a strong BU applicant, which I'm assuming you would be because you were accepted to NYU, you should receive a decent amount of financial aid. I just found this link on BU's website - it looks as if it has some helpful info regarding BU's financial aid system: http://www.bu.edu/finaid/apply/incoming.html.

As far as what BU is "like," I wouldn't really know where to begin. If you have more specific questions, leave another post or IM me at MWice19.