Yo DJ, thank you for posting your perspective! Sorry I didn't get back to you right away, just been busy. I didn't construe your advice as negative at all; I appreciate you being straight with me. I'm hoping the GRE will help supplement my mediocre grades (at least for the programs that will look at it), and I am working on some things! I'm not sure I'm going to end up applying to Chapman this year, but did you find the program beneficial? Also, what kind of professional experience and portfolio did you have when applying with them? Thanks!
Sounds good. Someone "disliked" my first post, so I just wanted to come back and clarify what I meant so people didn't think I was being rude. I think taking the GRE could definitely help. Some require it (or they used to) and others don't, but I think all programs will at least look at your score if you took it.
And yes, I found the program very beneficial. I went through it right out of undergrad, so I was 22 when I started. I studied business and law in undergrad (with a minor in film), but didn't have a huge portfolio and zero professional experience. I was also applying to the producing program, so having a huge body of work isn't as big of a deal as it is for a directing or screenwriting applicant. I did have very solid undergrad transcripts, some film classes under my belt, a couple projects I had produced, and strong recommendations, which I think ultimately helped.
Personally, I used my time at Chapman to build contacts, intern, and develop projects and I was able to parlay that into a producing job on a reality TV series before I even graduated. This is not the case for most people, but it's not impossible, just takes a lot of persistence and hard work. I sent out hundreds or thousands even of cold emails while at Chapman just introducing myself to people who I thought could help me or be interested in the projects I was developing (agents, managers, assistants, producers, etc). I took any meeting I could get. I worked for a studio producer for 2 years and learned a lot. Ultimately, this is what really gave me a head start when I graduated.
A lot of people think they will go to a top film program and get a job right away and that's not the case. It still takes A LOT of work. There are lots of people with MFAs from top schools. There are lots of working pros without MFAs. In my opinion, it's not about the degree, but what you do with the connections and the time spent while in school that counts.
And just so it's clear... by no means do I think I'm a know-it-all. This is what worked for me, but others have had different experiences that worked for them. This is what I had to do to build a career in the business and it may be easier or more difficult for others depending on their situation. Just trying to give some of my personal perspective on what I did to break in.
