Film and Television Production BFA at Chapman or USC

[jackglider]

Hello! I got accepted into both Chapman (fall 2023) and USC (spring 2024) for film and television production which is something I am beyond grateful for! I am very torn to which school I should attend and I thought I would ask you all for any advice you might have on the topic. Due to financial aid and everything, finances are not going to be an issue at either school.

Chapman University
Pros:
- two people I know are going (brother and best friend)
- I get to start in the fall
- the program seems like a lot of fun
- I loved the environment and the people there
- calm town
- wayyy nicer dorms + getting to be on the same floor as people other film people
- seems to be more access to equipment which is great because I'm super interested in cinematography
- feels more like a family than colleagues

Cons:
- less networking opportunities
- further away from LA
- might not be the best option in the long term for a career
- not many well known alumni


University of Southern California
Pros:
- arguably the best film school in the country
- great internship opportunities
- amazing alumni
- excellent university in not just film (opportunities to branch out)
- lots of clubs and different people to get to know
- beautiful campus
- awesome faculty

Cons:
- huge school
- intimidating place
- communal bathrooms in dorms
- would have to start in the spring
- scared for cutthroat environment
- seems very difficult and overwhelming
- from what I hear, underclassmen don't get access to much equipment at all
- students seemed to treat each other more like colleagues than friends

This is gonna be a super hard decision for me and I would really appreciate any input! Would it be career suicide for me to choose Chapman over USC, would I be settling for the safe option?

 

[Chris W]

arguably the best film school in the country
- great internship opportunities
- amazing alumni

This is for sure a huge plus for USC. But see my last note below.

getting to be on the same floor as people other film people

Some of my best friends (they were in my wedding too) I met from the freshman "COM" floor (communications) at BU. This is actually a big plus. Easy to make lifelong friends if you're living with people all interested in the same thing.

Would it be career suicide for me to choose Chapman over USC, would I be settling for the safe option?

No. USC might maybe have better opportunities or networking but it's really up to you to put in the work and hustle and get the most out of either program. Going to USC isn't automatically going to get you work if you don't hustle and work hard and the same goes for Chapman.

Have you toured both programs?

 

[jackglider]

This is for sure a huge plus for USC. But see my last note below.


Some of my best friends (they were in my wedding too) I met from the freshman "COM" floor (communications) at BU. This is actually a big plus. Easy to make lifelong friends if you're living with people all interested in the same thing.


No. USC might maybe have better opportunities or networking but it's really up to you to put in the work and hustle and get the most out of either program. Going to USC isn't automatically going to get you work if you don't hustle and work hard and the same goes for Chapman.

Have you toured both programs?

Yes, I went to USC Explore and Preview Day at Chapman. I got a really in-depth look at Dodge College and they offered tours of all their buildings which was really cool. I also thought everyone was super friendly and the environment was really great. At USC Explore, there was no tour of SCA available which was disappointing and we didn't get to talk to that many students in the program, so I feel like I still don't know much about how it is there. From what I got, it seems extremely professional on all fronts which I'm not sure I want out of my college experience.