Columbia Fall 2010

[ds65]

Hello everyone,

I'm starting a thread for Fall applicants to Columbia. I applied last year, interviewed and was put on the "high" waitlist. I'm reapplying and would like to share thoughts, ideas and anxieties...

~dawna

 

[Aislada]

I'll be applying this fall for the first time. I'm already brainstorming as to what to write for the Film Creative Materials section.

 

[jmclarke22]

I am.

 

[ArtVandelay]

I started at Columbia this year and I'll be a screenwriting concentrate. Just wanted to weigh in and say that I've been very impressed so far. From the application process to this day, it's been a pleasure to be a part of (natural application anxieties aside). The professors are great, and the people in my class are as interesting as they are pleasant.

Best of luck to those with their eyes and hearts on Columbia. It's a school full of good people who want to make solid films, and make careers for themselves while helping their colleagues to do the same. Feel free to shoot me a message with any questions.

 

[ds65]

I need some advice. I was wait listed for the Fall 09 - so I'm starting over with the application process. I feel as though my first personal essay and visual submission were good (they did get me the interview) and I don't know how much I should change them. The film I submitted was my best work. Is it okay to send the same visual submission? How much should I change the essay? Personally, I think I blew it in the interview - I was asked to pitch (in three minutes or less) a screenplay I was working on and it threw me off.

 

[ArtVandelay]

Originally posted by ds65:
I need some advice. I was wait listed for the Fall 09 - so I'm starting over with the application process. I feel as though my first personal essay and visual submission were good (they did get me the interview) and I don't know how much I should change them. The film I submitted was my best work. Is it okay to send the same visual submission? How much should I change the essay? Personally, I think I blew it in the interview - I was asked to pitch (in three minutes or less) a screenplay I was working on and it threw me off.

It's a tough question. According to my logic, if you got to the interview stage with the materials sent last year, then they were good enough. If you've done something else in the mean time, include it, but only if it's better work. I don't think they'll look poorly upon you sending the same work as last year if it best represents your talents. If the interview was where you were lacking then that should be your focus. Be prepared for anything. Keep at it!

 

[Kretze]

Hi everybody! My name is Pau and I am from Barcelona.
ds65, I am in a very similar situation this year!
I was accepted both at AFI and Columbia (in Columbia after being waitlisted). I couldn't make it because of money issues, but this year I got an scholarship so everything is fine for the moment.
I am preparing my materials for the applications, and I would recommend you to try to work on new stuff if you can: it will show them that you are prolific (think that you will have to write and do so much if you get there). If you come out with something good, it's i better, and if not, you can send the same. But my advice is at least try!
I am really concerned about my Statement though. I think I shouldn't change it that much, but at the same time I don't know if they are going to think that I have been lazy this year!...
Well, I hope we can help each other from now on!

Thanks for posting guys!

God luck and don't let this process blow your mind: enjoy it! (or at least try!)

 

[Winchester45]

Has anyone heard or know when we're supposed to hear from Columbia?

 

[Neville26]

Columbia's application was probably the most daunting and as a screenwriter, I was particularly critical / obsessed with the "Film Treatment" portion. Looking back, it's pretty awful, so unless they overlook that and see some other good things in my app, I think it's a no-chance for Columbia. Does anyone have an idea of how many apply to MFA in Film/Screenwriting emphasis at Columbia, and how many accepted? Typically, it seems the ratio for MFA in Film/Screenwriting programs is 1 out of 12 accepted, but just wanted to check and see.

 

[Jay Drose]

I agree. The film treatment was also the most difficult element of the application. However, we are applying for this exact reason--to actually become better at this mode of writing. My guess is that they want to see those mere potential. Those who wrote treatments with substance rather than the shallow, easy cliches easily found in stories and scripts.

 

[Impossible Protagonist]

I'm very disappointed in my film treatment, especially since I had a much better one prepared for later schools. Hopefully, it won't kill me.
I wonder how everything is weighted in their selection process?

 

[Elianarra]

Assal,

It's cool that your wrote science fiction. I tend to write that kind of stuff, so my "finish this dialogue" was based in a sci fi world. However for my treatment, I did something more "real" It was hard!

 

[Neville26]

The more I read my film treatment, the more it sounds like "Meet The Parents" with a transgender/homosexual couple. Lame, lame, lame. I should've wrote about my script I'm working on now, about a church snowplow maintenance man who has an affair with the pastor's wife. That story felt more real, more close to home (and where I'm from--in Michigan). Grrrr.

 

[Elianarra]

assal,
nice to meet someone else who likes sci-fi. i finished one short screenplay for a class, which i updated and revised for several of my applications. but in general i like to write prose, which made the whole creative part of the application even harder! some of the stories i submitted are longer than the word limit, so i just ended them at a good point.

 

[robot_m]

I applied for the creative producing program, so I had to submit 2 treatments. One of mine was a scifi/timetravel movie.

Actually, it was transcribed verbatim from a dream I had, in which I dreamed the entire plot fade-in to credits-roll. I hope I continue to dream entire plots, as it's way easier than sweating them out over a keyboard. Ha.

 

[Neville26]

That sounds good robot. Dreams are great source material (most of the time). Sounds better/more promising than mine!

 

[apex]

i'm from michigan too, neville. what area you from?

 

[Neville26]

SW Michigan. Kalamazoo/Battle Creek area. More specifically, Richland/Gull Lake. Where you from Apex?

 

[Suzako]

Hey, all creative producing applicants. I heard first hand today that they've only just begun reviewing applications. They say they're really happy so far with the quality of the applications so far (especially since its the first year of this new program). Looks like your interviews will be towards the end of March, so you'll probably be hearing about them at the end of this month.

hang in there!

 

[robot_m]

I blame Ender's Game.

suzako- are you currently enrolled at Columbia or how did you hear this? if you are at Columbia, do you know how many people they are accepting for the creative producing major?