NEW: Application Tracking on FilmSchool.org

[Chris W]

A new version of the site launched today and one of the great new features is that Application Tracking is now built into the site. In previous years our wonderful users created Google Spreadsheets for the tracking and they were quite helpful. The new built in Application Tracking has some awesome new features that are just not possible with the Google sheets:

• The ability to "watch" a Category (Fall 2019, etc...) and be instantly notified when a new Application is submitted.
• The ability to "watch" an individual Application and be instantly notified when it is updated with new information such as interview dates or decisions.
• The ability to reply and ask questions about an individual Application.
• The ability to OPTIONALLY embed MUCH more material with an application such as essays, video links, etc. This will be hidden to the internet and Google so only site members can see it.
• And maybe most importantly no random internet user can mess up the entire Spreadsheet anymore. This should make a lot of people happy.

I hope everyone enjoys it and finds the new feature useful. If you have a suggestion on how to make it better please let me know. If you've added your application to this year's spreadhseet please add it to the new tracking system here.

 

[Chris W]

Tabulated a ton of cool stats from the Application Tracker in this article:

Film School MFA Acceptance Rates, Minimum GPAs, Decision Dates, and more...

Enjoy!

 

[Chris W]

Is there any new features or fields that should be added to the application tracker?

Not many people have used the application materials section yet. Any reason for that? Is there any wordage or anything in the "Add Application" page that is confusing and needs clarification?

I've made it that the GPA and test score information can only be seen by members who are logged into the site. Perhaps this will make more people comfortable with submitting that information.

If you have any more suggestions please let me know.

 

[Chris W]

Added Undergraduate categories to the application tracker. (and the few old applications that existed before on the Google sheet) Hopefully more people will add theirs.

 

[Chris W]

Added some sample applications to show some of the new features of the new tracker....

Applied - SAMPLE MFA Application 2019

Applied - SAMPLE BA/BS Application 2019

If you have suggestions on how to improve it please let me know!

 

[Chris W]

I added some new text and rearranged some of the fields to hopefully make everything more clear and easier to use on the add application page:

https://www.filmschool.org/applications/categories/fall-2019-ma-mfa.1/add

It's a new system and we're all learning the best way to use it. If you have ANY suggestions on how to make it even better PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I'm here to serve.

 

[Shannon M Riley]

Personally, I found the excel spreadsheet much easier to use and more informative. Is it possible to maintain both? Or maybe have the information displayed in some sort of spreadsheet layout another way? Just a thought!

 

[Chris W]

Personally, I found the excel spreadsheet much easier to use and more informative. Is it possible to maintain both? Or maybe have the information displayed in some sort of spreadsheet layout another way? Just a thought!

Thank you for your feedback. Improvements to the display of the applications on the site is coming as soon as that feature is ready. The tracker has even more information available than the spreadsheet but I agree it is currently harder to see the information in one glance.

I'm looking into adding the data in the main list view (dates etc) but that feature isn't ready yet. There's some growing pains now as I figure it out but in the long run it should be a lot better than the sheets.

Having people being instantly notified of any changes and not having any random person on the net being able to mess up the sheet is a HUGE plus. We had to fix it MANY times in the past.

New features are coming. Hopefully soon.

 

[Chris W]

Is it possible to maintain both?

I've reopened the Google Sheet until feature parity on searching and displaying applications is achieved on the site.

Please add your Applications to BOTH trackers as in the future the built in tracker on the site will be WAY more useful and feature rich than the sheet.

Graduate Film School Applications 2019

 

[Chris W]

I'm also happy to report that ALL of the 1,420 Applications from the Google Sheets 2015-2018 have been imported into the application tracker. HUGE THANK YOU to @Julie Lew and @Septopus7 for helping to import the old data. Very much appreciated!

 

[Chris W]

1,528 Applications and counting! Add your applications as well so we have even more data to help others.

 

[Chris W]

I'm looking into adding the data in the main list view (dates etc) but that feature isn't ready yet.

You can now see data in the list view of the Applications page. YAY!

 

[Chris W]

Or maybe have the information displayed in some sort of spreadsheet layout another way? Just a thought!

You can now see all of the important data in the list view.

 

[Chris W]

Added the dates and info to the search results. Just realized get weren't there. Sorry.

 

[Chris W]

Any more suggestions on how the Application Tracker could be improved? Any more fields that I should add for people to enter information?

 

[Chris W]

313 already in this year's tracker. 55 more to beat last year's total! Let's do it.

Film School Application Tracker (Data from over 2,072 applications with GPA, GRE, SAT scores and Acceptance Rates)

A database of over 2000 film school applications to AFI, Chapman, NYU, UCLA, USC and more filmmaking programs with GPA and acceptance data. Add your own application to help your fellow applicants!

www.filmschool.org

Also a friendly reminder to add your application materials to your application to help next year's applicants. (Only site members can see them and not general internet or the Google)

Good luck and congrats to everyone!

 

[Chris W]

We now have more applications in the tracker for 2019 than 2018. Woohoo! Let's break the all time record.

 

[Chris W]

We now have more applications in the tracker for 2019 than 2018. Woohoo! Let's break the all time record.

And now we're past the 2017 record! 2016 we're coming for you!

 

[Chris W]

Wow guys! We officially have the most applications for a school year ever on the site!

Fall 2019 (MA/MFA)

MA/MFA Applications for the Fall 2019 application period.

www.filmschool.org

The more data the better! Glad everyone is enjoying the new feature!

 

[Operator]

Is there any new features or fields that should be added to the application tracker?

Not many people have used the application materials section yet. Any reason for that? Is there any wordage or anything in the "Add Application" page that is confusing and needs clarification?

I've made it that the GPA and test score information can only be seen by members who are logged into the site. Perhaps this will make more people comfortable with submitting that information.

If you have any more suggestions please let me know.

I'd like to know how long each person has been persuing this academically or on the side if they didn't have an undergrad major in film(basically what their experience level is). Might give a better understanding how much time should be dedicated to bettering your craft on your own before applying. For example, I only decided I wanted to do film for a living in August 2009 after I was medically discharged from the Army. Been working my ass off ever since.