Chapman MFA Filmmaking

[yisiling]

They also haven't sent out an official email yet either. So I wouldn't panic too much!

yeah it's gonna be a couple days for you to get the dodge email. I got accepted on Friday and paid the deposit immediately. I got my logins stuff the next Tuesday and the dodge email on Wednesday.

 

[Cd23]

Got in as well!! I probably can't accept their offer so for any screenwriting MFA applicants that were waitlisted, )))

Can I ask why you won't accept the offer? Like waiting to hear for others? (UCLA? ?) Or like the super short amount of time they give you to commit

 

[estherk]

Is Chapman your top choice? Or looking to go anywhere else?

it was my top choice but due to bad timing i prob won't go. i got off usc's waitlist for the spring so i am here now. i have to think about whether it is worth switching. what about you?

what about you??

Is Chapman your top choice? Or looking to go anywhere else?

 

[Tugger]

Yeah I only applied to two schools. One I got in for directing, but it's a little small. And then I didn't want to apply anywhere where I had to take the GRE. So from what I've found, I really liked Chapman for cinematography. So top choice for me!

 

[kid_a2]

it was my top choice but due to bad timing i prob won't go. i got off usc's waitlist for the spring so i am here now. i have to think about whether it is worth switching.

How are their facilities compared to Chapman?

 

[estherk]

How are their facilities compared to Chapman?

usc has great facilities. i have no complaints. chapman's are probably newer (?) but i'm not sure.
with regards to cinematography, usc has a lot of great gear (red cameras and the like), however students don't get access to them until later. in fact, in the first year, we don't learn much about cinematography at all. we have canon xc15s the first semester (which is not that great), and then we upgrade to the sony fs5 next semester. most students aren't that interested in cinematography so i think the curriculum reflects that. i still really like the program because i enjoy writing and directing my own stuff, however, for someone who is most interested in cinematography, it is also a bit disappointing and i can see how a school like chapman would offer more hands-on experience for an aspiring dp.

 

[BuddernScotch]

Can I ask why you won't accept the offer? Like waiting to hear for others? (UCLA? ?) Or like the super short amount of time they give you to commit

Yeah sure! So no I wouldn't reject an offer to wait for another school. It's because LMU offered me a scholarship and they don't require international students to pay an extra 20k or so

So Chapman didn't offer anything and I don't think if I got in UCLA or AFI they would either. I used all my time on my USC app. HAHAHAHAHAAAA.

 

[WriterGirl33]

usc has great facilities. i have no complaints. chapman's are probably newer (?) but i'm not sure.
with regards to cinematography, usc has a lot of great gear (red cameras and the like), however students don't get access to them until later. in fact, in the first year, we don't learn much about cinematography at all. we have canon xc15s the first semester (which is not that great), and then we upgrade to the sony fs5 next semester. most students aren't that interested in cinematography so i think the curriculum reflects that. i still really like the program because i enjoy writing and directing my own stuff, however, for someone who is most interested in cinematography, it is also a bit disappointing and i can see how a school like chapman would offer more hands-on experience for an aspiring dp.

How is your first semester schedule at USC? Is it every day? Is the work load overwhelming?

 

[Yuk]

Yeah sure! So no I wouldn't reject an offer to wait for another school. It's because LMU offered me a scholarship and they don't require international students to pay an extra 20k or so

So Chapman didn't offer anything and I don't think if I got in UCLA or AFI they would either. I used all my time on my USC app. HAHAHAHAHAAAA.

Hey random lurker passing by. I was accepted to Chapman's producing program, and they didn't mention anything about scholarship in their letter, but that doesn't mean you don't get a scholarship! They sent me a separate email a few days later stating that financial aid information will be available within two days after I accept their offer. (Weird that they only tell me after I pay the deposit) and that the amount is generally 5k-15k. I know this doesn't help much with your deicision ? but if the biggest reason for choosing LMU over Chapman is the financial aid, it might be worth considering this.

 

[WriterGirl33]

Hey random lurker passing by. I was accepted to Chapman's producing program, and they didn't mention anything about scholarship in their letter, but that doesn't mean you don't get a scholarship! They sent me a separate email a few days later stating that financial aid information will be available within two days after I accept their offer. (Weird that they only tell me after I pay the deposit) and that the amount is generally 5k-15k. I know this doesn't help much with your deicision ? but if the biggest reason for choosing LMU over Chapman is the financial aid, it might be worth considering this.

On contrary, I got my financial aid information before I had accepted admissions. It did come a few days after the admissions offer though.

 

[estherk]

How is your first semester schedule at USC? Is it every day? Is the work load overwhelming?

The first semester schedule is 4-5 days a week. It depends on the week, really, at least for me. We have 3 classes - 507 (production #1), cinematic ethics, and screenwriting. In the beginning, we have more 5 day weeks because we have Avid labs, but after a while we don't have them anymore. We also have a diversity lab that is a part of the ethics class that meets once a month on a Friday. But other than that, for the most part we have 4 days of classes a week. Classes are overall kind of long, which takes a bit of getting used to - a lot of them are 3-4 hours at a time.

The workload isn't that bad the first semester, it's overall pretty chill. Most of the work comes from making your 2 films in the 507 class, but it takes about 1.5 - 2 months for that to actually begin. You also make your second film not long after you finish editing your first, so there's about a month when things are pretty busy (which is right now for us). I think the program is designed so that you're getting used to things the first semester. I hear it gets much more intense next semester, though.

 

[WriterGirl33]

The first semester schedule is 4-5 days a week. It depends on the week, really, at least for me. We have 3 classes - 507 (production #1), cinematic ethics, and screenwriting. In the beginning, we have more 5 day weeks because we have Avid labs, but after a while we don't have them anymore. We also have a diversity lab that is a part of the ethics class that meets once a month on a Friday. But other than that, for the most part we have 4 days of classes a week. Classes are overall kind of long, which takes a bit of getting used to - a lot of them are 3-4 hours at a time.

The workload isn't that bad the first semester, it's overall pretty chill. Most of the work comes from making your 2 films in the 507 class, but it takes about 1.5 - 2 months for that to actually begin. You also make your second film not long after you finish editing your first, so there's about a month when things are pretty busy (which is right now for us). I think the program is designed so that you're getting used to things the first semester. I hear it gets much more intense next semester, though.

Would you mind if I PM’d you this weekend to talk about your experience so far?

 

[estherk]

Would you mind if I PM’d you this weekend to talk about your experience so far?

Not at all. I hope I can help!

 

[BuddernScotch]

Yike

Hey random lurker passing by. I was accepted to Chapman's producing program, and they didn't mention anything about scholarship in their letter, but that doesn't mean you don't get a scholarship! They sent me a separate email a few days later stating that financial aid information will be available within two days after I accept their offer. (Weird that they only tell me after I pay the deposit) and that the amount is generally 5k-15k. I know this doesn't help much with your deicision ? but if the biggest reason for choosing LMU over Chapman is the financial aid, it might be worth considering this.

Yikes what do I do. 15k would be insane. Are you sure it's offered to international students though?

 

[alanray]

Well I got into Chapman yesterday for Screenwriting, and considering I got turned down by AFI today, there is a pretty good chance I will be going to Chapman in the fall now! I just have to hear back from LMU now to make a final decision.

 

[Fernando González Ortiz]

Yike
Yikes what do I do. 15k would be insane. Are you sure it's offered to international students though?

I highly encourage you too reach out to the program director, you may never know. sometimes universities have more budget for scholarships than they are willing to tell us. a $1 scholarship is better than nothing. right?

 

[Tugger]

Are we able to start a group of people accepted into Chapman? I’m curious if anyone has toured. I went to Columbia college of Chicago today and was not impressed.

 

[WriterGirl33]

Are we able to start a group of people accepted into Chapman? I’m curious if anyone has toured. I went to Columbia college of Chicago today and was not impressed.

I toured Chapman a couple weeks ago!

 

[Tugger]

I toured Chapman a couple weeks ago!

What did you think? Did you tour alone?

 

[Chris W]

Are we able to start a group of people accepted into Chapman? I’m curious if anyone has toured. I went to Columbia college of Chicago today and was not impressed.

You can start a group but there is also a Chapman group already for last year's class.

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