News Discussions COVID-19 & Film School?

[Chris W]

True! I just haven't seen as many folks as I expected posting about it

Yeah. It is a big conundrum. My kids aren't going to school anymore this year. Our POTUS is messing the response to this big time. Who knows what is happening.

I currently work as a journalist and have been pretty much knee-deep in Covid-19 news so am probably more aware than most of how significant this situation stands to be.

Oh that's interesting. Yeah you must be busy. For a paper or tv?

It's getting almost cynical how these institutions approach the situation, closing in to the deposit deadline, when the communication on the administrative-level is close to zero

Yes I'm shocked they haven't announced. I'm sure they're just as everyone and trying to figure it out and waiting to see if it gets better. I'm sure they're freaking out about lost tuition.

I'm sure there are some smaller programs that are going to have a problem surviving this whole mess due to the lack of new students. I hope they've been wise with their funding to survive a semester or two practically shut down.

 

[sarahkwUT]

I'll give AFI credit for communicating well. I'm (still) deciding between them and USC, but AFI sent an email a couple of weeks ago saying they currently plan to start on time, but had already been considering some changes to boot camp and this might be the catalyst to implement those. They also extended the deposit deadline and offered an option of deferment on a case-by-case basis. Meanwhile, USC is proceeding as is and hasn't mentioned what, if any, contingency plans are being considered.

Currently, I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about being able to move out to Los Angeles mid-summer, however there's a growing likelihood I'll be moving blind as I was supposed to boarding a plane to fly out there today. But it does make me a little anxious to know I'll be putting in notice at my job in a few weeks and turning my life upside down in the midst of a pandemic. Will make a hell of a script I guess? I suppose I should be grateful I'm "only" moving across the country and not dealing with the international student aspect.

I'm in a state/county (NC) that took early action and we're seeing our curve start to flatten ahead of "schedule," but I work for a university here that has already decided summer classes will be online. July 1 is the tentative date we'll be allowed to return to campus. There's wiggle room for moving that up or back, but I do anticipate extending our Stay At Home order past April 30.

What a wild, wild time full of so much unknowns.

 

[Remiwriter]

Oh that's interesting. Yeah you must be busy. For a paper or tv?

For a financial newswire. Yeah it's been... a lot!

 

[sguilford]

I'll give AFI credit for communicating well. I'm (still) deciding between them and USC, but AFI sent an email a couple of weeks ago saying they currently plan to start on time, but had already been considering some changes to boot camp and this might be the catalyst to implement those. They also extended the deposit deadline and offered an option of deferment on a case-by-case basis. Meanwhile, USC is proceeding as is and hasn't mentioned what, if any, contingency plans are being considered.

Currently, I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about being able to move out to Los Angeles mid-summer, however there's a growing likelihood I'll be moving blind as I was supposed to boarding a plane to fly out there today. But it does make me a little anxious to know I'll be putting in notice at my job in a few weeks and turning my life upside down in the midst of a pandemic. Will make a hell of a script I guess? I suppose I should be grateful I'm "only" moving across the country and not dealing with the international student aspect.

I'm in a state/county (NC) that took early action and we're seeing our curve start to flatten ahead of "schedule," but I work for a university here that has already decided summer classes will be online. July 1 is the tentative date we'll be allowed to return to campus. There's wiggle room for moving that up or back, but I do anticipate extending our Stay At Home order past April 30.

What a wild, wild time full of so much unknowns.

Amen to that last sentence! I'm in a similar situation of not knowing even what my next year will look like because I was waitlisted to USC and now a global pandemic is thrown in on top. So I could go in the fall, but was offered admission for the spring which might be a blessing in disguise. I would like to move out to LA asap but that's not looking to be very soon, and of course I'm worried about money, I have no job lined up after I graduate college to cover the cost of living before my program starts. It's like wtf do I do now.

 

[Chris W]

But it does make me a little anxious to know I'll be putting in notice at my job in a few weeks and turning my life upside down in the midst of a pandemic.

yeah this is all crazy. If it's remote learning can you remote from where you are?

Personally I'm going to be shocked if there are normal in person classes in the fall. I bet it'll be next spring. We need massive testing and a vaccine too be safe.

By maybe I'm just a huge pessimist. This has turned everything upside-down.

 

[itsallhappening]

I think at this point, everyone is kind of awaiting developments because no one really knows what this fall will look like. It could go several different ways. I am concerned and worried but I don't think there is any conclusion that can be made right now. So I think it's really important for schools to be flexible and either extend deposit deadlines or allow for deferrals if need be further down the line. To not do that would be quite arrogant with regards to the position they are putting potential students in. Which school are you planning on attending?

Accepted at NYU, who has just said they expect everything to start on time in September. No other news than that... I get waiting and planning on the norm until new information develops, but considering it's in the epicenter of this, I'm really, really concerned. Not to mention how Covid is devastating NYC and it's just not going to be the same city as it was before all of this.

 

[Remiwriter]

Decided to jump in as the topic affects me in a great manner.
I got admitted into the USC MFA program.
The country I reside in - Poland - has closed its borders, cities, everything is shut down. This means all of the institutions supporting educational endeavors have postponed their actions until further notice.
This means no funding or scholarships.
Now, the deposit for USC itself equals double my rent (ye its cheap here) so without the info on the possible deferral or classes going online/tuition reduction, it's a shot in the dark.
It's getting almost cynical how these institutions approach the situation, closing in to the deposit deadline, when the communication on the administrative-level is close to zero (I've sent 3 emails on this topic with no answer)
At some point they just have to make a stance on the matter as so many people depend on it right now.

Is the deposit non-refundable? I definitely hear you on this. For international students it's all very up in the air.

 

[itsallhappening]

I'll give AFI credit for communicating well. I'm (still) deciding between them and USC, but AFI sent an email a couple of weeks ago saying they currently plan to start on time, but had already been considering some changes to boot camp and this might be the catalyst to implement those. They also extended the deposit deadline and offered an option of deferment on a case-by-case basis. Meanwhile, USC is proceeding as is and hasn't mentioned what, if any, contingency plans are being considered.

Currently, I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about being able to move out to Los Angeles mid-summer, however there's a growing likelihood I'll be moving blind as I was supposed to boarding a plane to fly out there today. But it does make me a little anxious to know I'll be putting in notice at my job in a few weeks and turning my life upside down in the midst of a pandemic. Will make a hell of a script I guess? I suppose I should be grateful I'm "only" moving across the country and not dealing with the international student aspect.

I'm in a state/county (NC) that took early action and we're seeing our curve start to flatten ahead of "schedule," but I work for a university here that has already decided summer classes will be online. July 1 is the tentative date we'll be allowed to return to campus. There's wiggle room for moving that up or back, but I do anticipate extending our Stay At Home order past April 30.

What a wild, wild time full of so much unknowns.

Not sure if this helps, but I'm a lifelong Angeleno (/currently live here) - if you have any questions about neighborhoods or anything, please feel free to reach out!! Happy to answer any questions/help however I can.

 

[itsallhappening]

I'm sure you're not the only one. Going to NYC now in the middle of the pandemic isn't good. Can you defer?

Unsure - I can't find anything on the website about the policy for graduate student deferment. Also, generally I feel like deferring is generally a promise that you'll be there next fall and you're committed, and I feel too worried about everything going on to do that at the moment anyway. Not sure how crazy that is... I should probably email and ask, though.

 

[A_J]

I was really impressed

I'll give AFI credit for communicating well. I'm (still) deciding between them and USC, but AFI sent an email a couple of weeks ago saying they currently plan to start on time, but had already been considering some changes to boot camp and this might be the catalyst to implement those. They also extended the deposit deadline and offered an option of deferment on a case-by-case basis. Meanwhile, USC is proceeding as is and hasn't mentioned what, if any, contingency plans are being considered.

Currently, I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about being able to move out to Los Angeles mid-summer, however there's a growing likelihood I'll be moving blind as I was supposed to boarding a plane to fly out there today. But it does make me a little anxious to know I'll be putting in notice at my job in a few weeks and turning my life upside down in the midst of a pandemic. Will make a hell of a script I guess? I suppose I should be grateful I'm "only" moving across the country and not dealing with the international student aspect.

I'm in a state/county (NC) that took early action and we're seeing our curve start to flatten ahead of "schedule," but I work for a university here that has already decided summer classes will be online. July 1 is the tentative date we'll be allowed to return to campus. There's wiggle room for moving that up or back, but I do anticipate extending our Stay At Home order past April 30.

What a wild, wild time full of so much unknowns.

I was really impressed with AFI's response to all of this as well. I'm in a similar boat re moving across the country, although I'd hate to be deciding between two schools on the other side of the country and not be able to visit them. I'll most likely put the deposit down for AFI by the new May 1st deadline and then see what happens. I may request to defer if I'm not able to go back to work soon and save the money to make the move. I'm a bit curious how the deferrals would work with next years incoming class. Would they accept less students next year or would it be a bigger incoming class than normal?

 

[Chris W]

I'm a bit curious how the deferrals would work with next years incoming class. Would they accept less students next year or would it be a bigger incoming class than normal?

Yeah that's an interesting point! I assume it's the former?

 

[A_J]

Unsure - I can't find anything on the website about the policy for graduate student deferment. Also, generally I feel like deferring is generally a promise that you'll be there next fall and you're committed, and I feel too worried about everything going on to do that at the moment anyway. Not sure how crazy that is... I should probably email and ask, though.

I wouldn't go off of what their normal policy is as stated on the website. These are obviously extraordinary circumstances so definitely email them. Most of these schools wouldn't normally accept deferrals, but hopefully more of them will be willing to do so on a case by case basis. I'm surprised more haven't extended deposit deadlines yet though.

 

[Memz]

Accepted at NYU, who has just said they expect everything to start on time in September. No other news than that... I get waiting and planning on the norm until new information develops, but considering it's in the epicenter of this, I'm really, really concerned. Not to mention how Covid is devastating NYC and it's just not going to be the same city as it was before all of this.

Yeah, I hear you. I am kinda set on Columbia, so what's happening in NYC is scary. Columbia has said they are flexible on deposit refunds which is why I've resigned myself to waiting a bit for now. They have also promised to send an email with information this week on how they'd tackle the next semester if things haven't calmed down. I'm surprised NYU hasn't communicated anything as yet, it puts them at serious risk of losing students.. Are you open to online classes if that ends up being the case?

I don't think any city will come out of this the same as before. But we gotta stay positive. Hopefully NY, and the rest of the world, will come out more resilient and more thankful for what's in front of them once this is all over. I think it will bring people together in the end.

 

[A_J]

Yeah that's an interesting point! I assume it's the former?

That's what I was thinking too. I would think they wouldn't want to lose their small class sizes and intimate nature.

 

[amcracken]

I'll give AFI credit for communicating well. I'm (still) deciding between them and USC, but AFI sent an email a couple of weeks ago saying they currently plan to start on time, but had already been considering some changes to boot camp and this might be the catalyst to implement those. They also extended the deposit deadline and offered an option of deferment on a case-by-case basis. Meanwhile, USC is proceeding as is and hasn't mentioned what, if any, contingency plans are being considered.

Currently, I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about being able to move out to Los Angeles mid-summer, however there's a growing likelihood I'll be moving blind as I was supposed to boarding a plane to fly out there today. But it does make me a little anxious to know I'll be putting in notice at my job in a few weeks and turning my life upside down in the midst of a pandemic. Will make a hell of a script I guess? I suppose I should be grateful I'm "only" moving across the country and not dealing with the international student aspect.

I'm in a state/county (NC) that took early action and we're seeing our curve start to flatten ahead of "schedule," but I work for a university here that has already decided summer classes will be online. July 1 is the tentative date we'll be allowed to return to campus. There's wiggle room for moving that up or back, but I do anticipate extending our Stay At Home order past April 30.

What a wild, wild time full of so much unknowns.

I hope everything works out for you! Wherever you decide to go.

I got waitlisted at AFI but I’m curious. What is the deposit?

 

[sarahkwUT]

I hope everything works out for you! Wherever you decide to go.

I got waitlisted at AFI but I’m curious. What is the deposit?

The deposit is $1,000 for AFI compared to $300 for USC. Bit surprised USC isn't more, honestly.

 

[amcracken]

The deposit is $1,000 for AFI compared to $300 for USC. Bit surprised USC isn't more, honestly.

Thanks for the quick reply! That’s true. $300 isn’t too bad.

Good luck on your journey. I hope COVID-19 gets under control and we can all continue dreaming. Stay safe.

 

[luluh]

hey! do you guys think that COVID will affect the admission process for 2021 applicants? do you think universities might change requirements such as portfolios and what not?

 

[abu2030]

Yeah, I hear you. I am kinda set on Columbia, so what's happening in NYC is scary. Columbia has said they are flexible on deposit refunds which is why I've resigned myself to waiting a bit for now. They have also promised to send an email with information this week on how they'd tackle the next semester if things haven't calmed down. I'm surprised NYU hasn't communicated anything as yet, it puts them at serious risk of losing students.. Are you open to online classes if that ends up being the case?

I don't think any city will come out of this the same as before. But we gotta stay positive. Hopefully NY, and the rest of the world, will come out more resilient and more thankful for what's in front of them once this is all over. I think it will bring people together in the end.

hey! Our of curiosity, did Columbia ever send that email? What did they say?

 

[Chris W]

I'm thinking of putting together an article that has all the current big schools current covid policies in one place. It'll be a useful article to have I think.