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! :)
 
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.
 
Last edited:
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.
 
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?
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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?
 
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?
 
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.
 
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?
 
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.
 
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.

 
Last edited:
Log your film school application with our Application Database so that we can improve our admissions statistics.




Latest Accepted Applications


Acceptance Data
For up to date Film School Acceptance Rates, including Minimum GPAs, Minimum Test Scores, After Interview and Off-Waitlist Acceptance Rates, Film Experience and Undergraduate degrees of accepted applicants, Age data, and other acceptance statistics for your film program of choice simply navigate to the Acceptance Rates tab on each film school's page in our Film School Database.

For example:
Log your own Application with our application database to help improve the site's acceptance data.

Latest Film School Reviews

  • University of Colorado at Boulder (BFA)
    4.00 star(s)
    Reviewed by: Alumni
    Degree: BA/BS/BFA
    BFA University of Colorado at Boulder BFA Film Production
    Honest review. CU Boulder is an interesting place to learn filmmaking. The University boasts some excellent professors who are actively making...
    • Anonymous
  • University of Central Florida - School of Visual Arts & Design
    4.00 star(s)
    Reviewed by: Current Student
    Degree: BA/BS/BFA
    Concentration: Film - Feature/TV Writing
    UCF Film BFA (College of Sciences - School of Communication)
    UCF's BFA program is split into 4 modalities: narrative production, documentary production, experimental production, and feature/tv writing. I...
    • Anonymous
  • Syracuse University
    4.00 star(s)
    Reviewed by: Current Student
    Degree: BA/BS/BFA
    Concentration: Film
    Syracuse Film and Media Arts - BFA Film
    I'm in my last year at Syracuse University as a member of the department of Film and Media Arts, and it's been a lot of ups and downs. There's a...
    • Anonymous
  • Fitchburg State University
    5.00 star(s)
    Reviewed by: Alumni
    Degree: BA/BS/BFA
    Concentration: Film/Video and Theater
    A Great School with Great Professors!
    I was a student there from 2018-2022 and had a great experience. I would recommend it to anyone, especially people living within Massachusetts...
    • Anonymous
  • Florida State University - MFA in Writing
    5.00 star(s)
    Reviewed by: Current Student
    Degree: MA/MFA
    Concentration: Screenwriting
    Hidden Gem
    Before I get into the details, it's worth mentioning that I'm in my second year at this program and have really enjoyed my time here. I will be...
    • catmom

Latest Applications

Latest questions

Latest Articles

Latest Accepted Applications

Applications
Articles
Forums
Film Schools
Scholarships
Back
Top