NYU: Tisch School Admissions HELP

[neenstar176]

My name is Nina and I am an aspiring film student and I wish more than anything to attended NYU's Tisch School. The only problem is that I have not really even started to prepare a portfolio, entirely due to the fact that this is a relativly new passion of mine. If anyone with a little insight into the world of Tisch could help me out I would appriciate it immensely.

here are my stats:

Grade: 11
Type of School: Public
Class Rank: 3/343
GPA: 4.55 (weighted)
Junior Year AP Classes: AP Language & Composition, AP US History, and AP Environmental Science
Senior Year AP Classes: AP Physics, AP Literature, AP Statistics, AP Government & Politics
Foreign Language: 4 Years of Italian, 2 of which are Honors classes
All other classes: Honors Level
SAT: I havent received my scores back yet, but my sophmore PSATS were a 1910.


Extra-curriculars:
Secretary of Interact
Secretary of History Club
Member of NHS
Choir
Italian Club
Assistant Editor of the Yearbook

Other information:
I am a singer/songwriter and I play guitar and piano. (Though piano not so well.)
I've performed at various venues in my area.
I am primarily a writer and words are my passion; I love to read.

and most importantly, I must prove to Tisch and to NYU that I deserve to be there. Any and all advice would be most beneficial. Thanks so much!

- nina

 

[Cody Brown]

Hey Rickey,

I agree with some of your points about Tisch but as someone who has recently applied and invested a lot of time working on my application and looking for others who have, I really disagree with you on a few points.

First is that "Tisch places less emphasis on standardized test scores. " Everything I have found about those who have been accepted/rejected this year seems to contradict that. I know about ten people who were accepted into Tisch and I would say the average SAT test scores were around 700 for reading and 600 for math, or in other words, very high. I do not know any student with low or average scores (around 500 verbal 500 math) who was accepted.

I agree that the committee is very interested in students who convey storytelling ability. Like you, my reel focused more on atmosphere, cinematography, composition, art direction, ect, and featured mainly music videos and commercials. You can view it here if you would like: http://codyb.com/2006demoreel.htm . I too was rejected.

While Tisch may say that they evaluate on a 50/50 basis I really do not think they do. In my experience it seems as if they are much more comfortable accepting students who have high SAT scores and grades over those who have professional artistic accomplishments. I say this because, again, I do not know of any student accepted with low SAT scores yet I know of many who were accepted with embarrassingly awful reels or with no film work of any kind.

In person, the admissions counselors at Tisch are very nice and helpful. However, in my experience, they are awful once that is over and done with. When I visited Tisch I received business cards from a variety of admissions directors and was encouraged to write if I had any questions. I eventually did have some questions, and after emailing numerous, yet a polite number of times, I heard nothing back. I was ignored until about the forth email when I got a stoic unhelpful reply.

I agree about Manhattan, I love that city to no end, but I have doubts about Tisch's Undergraduate Film Program. Its' focus on SAT scores immediately takes a lot of talent out of the equation. Also, its allegiance to prospective story-tellers, no matter how poorly they make their films, can create a shallow overall class and can overlook those who are extraordinarily passionate about other aspects of the medium. I strongly agree that film should not exist in a vacuum, but most artists, independent and professional, are not homogenized and do not have this 50-50 speared. I could be wrong, but over the past ten years, Tisch's Undergrad Film Program has failed to produce a poster child director. Most of Tisch's prestige comes from their grad program which has turned out Spike Lee, Ang Lee, ect. I think this says something.

Don't get me wrong, I know plenty of really cool people who go there and they seem to be really enjoying it, but I just thought I would offer my perspective. And, if you are interested, I will be attending Chapman University next year at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. I would consider looking into that as well.

-cody

 

[Tarkovsky]

Cody -

I agree with your assessment entirely; to use an SAT score and pie-in-the-sky storytelling in finalizing admissions decisions at an art school is, I think, outrageous. I was not admitted to Tisch out of high school for a variety of reasons (after filing an appeal, I received a letter from the dean of admissions, proclaiming that "While we certainly appreciate your high level of motivation, the committee has concluded that applicants admitted to the program took just as rigorous a course-load as you and achieved a higher rate of success overall.")

These sort of pithy explanations typify the NYU admissions offices, and I will agree with you, again, that the polite qualities of the admissions counselors working for the department are generally almost always accompanied by ambiguity when responding to questions (not all of the time, but most of the time indeed).

I applied to Tisch as a transfer student and, while there could be a multitude of reasons that ultimately influenced the decision, I was not admitted. As I was advised by Courtney Malaineus at Undergraduate Admissions, "All I can tell you to do at this point is to continue performing well at your current college and improve your artistic submission."

My statement about mediocre SAT scores permitting students to be admitted to Tisch comes from what I have been told and learned from others (I know of a young woman who was admitted to the Tisch dance program with an SAT score in the 900 range). Perhaps I defend this position because it is entirely too difficult and disheartening for me to understand that an art school would possibly turn down a promising student as a direct result of an inane standardized test that ultimately measures nothing. But, perhaps that's just my optimism speaking.

Additional: Perhaps my understanding that Tisch places less emphasis on SAT scores is the result of being familiar with the transfer process (the NYU website states that, while reviewing transfer applicants, standardized test scores are assessed "to a lesser extent.")

One last note: Cody, from what I have seen of your reel, I can say that you demonstrate a really sound understanding of manipulating images and action with sound. All the same, I can "understand" (but certainly do not agree on any means) why Tisch would not admit a student who submitted this reel. I enjoyed what I have seen of your work, though; aesthetically, it's very accomplished. Schools make mistakes and do hold regret.

- Ricky

 

[Mark Denega]

The key fact here is that although Tisch is an "art" school, it is also part of one of the most prestigious universities in the world, meaning they are looking for the best of both worlds. You don't need incredibly high SAT scores to get in. I got accepted to Tisch with a 1310, which is respectable, but probably below the norm. If you come off strongly in EVERY aspect of the application - GPA, SAT scores, portfolio and essay - then of course you are more likely to be considered for acceptance over someone who may be lacking in certain areas. Is this process fair? Overall, I think it is. However, should this process stop an extremely talented filmmaker who may be slacking a bit in grades from being accepted? IMO, no, but that person would have to be awfully talented.

 

[Tarkovsky]

1310 is approximately the average SAT score of students admitted to the film program as Freshmen out of high school (as I have been told) and, thus, is not "below the norm."

I have seen films that have garnished students admittance into Tisch that are of a lower caliber than I would have prefered to see considering the criterea of such a selective program. Why the admittance? It generally almost always points to objective data (the SAT score, for instance). I understand that NYU seeks to maintain a graduating class of scholars and thinkers, but I ask what correlation intellectualism and a sincere, ongoing conversation with ideas has to do with whether or not someone has taken AP courses or has scored well on their SAT. Intellectualism is not connected to statistics.

Intellectuals and scholars can not be assessed by these credentials alone. The personal essay, letters of recommendation, personal statements and artistic work may attest to an applicant's artistic-intellectual potentialities.

 

[duders]

I don't think that anyone would disagree with you. However, consider the sheer volume of applicants they recieve every single year. Thousands. It would be nearly impossible for the committees to go through every single application's personal statement, letters of recommendation etc...

I feel that there is nothing wrong with making cuts based on standardized test scores (with all of their inherent flaws). It levels the playing field. Unfortunately, if you want to be a part of their game, you have to play by their rules.

Intellectuals and scholars can not be assessed by these credentials alone. The personal essay, letters of recommendation, personal statements and artistic work may attest to an applicant's artistic-intellectual potentialities.

 

[titaniumdoughnut]

As far as I know, there is no cut-off at NYU. I may be wrong, as many schools DO have a preset cut-off, but from what I've heard they out-source preliminary sifting to a third-party group which culls the maybes from the applicant pool, and sends back a shorter list, which the Tisch admissions committee evaluates.

 

[neenstar176]

heyy i'm the girl that initially started this topic and i have more questions to ask of all you tisch-informed people out there..

if you look at the beginning of this post, i gave all my stats and everything except i hadn't posted my SAT scores..

I got a 670 verbal, 630 math, and 680 writing with a 9 on the essay. that was completely without prep and i was wondering if you would advise that i take them again or do you think im safe with what i got?

additionally.. i'm having a lot of trouble getting a portfolio together and i was wondering if anyone had any helpful tips or hints.. any reply is more than greatly appriciated. =)

thanks!

 

[titaniumdoughnut]

I think you're fairly safe with those; they're right in the average range. But if you think you can do a lot better... go for it! It sure can't hurt!

 

[Palm Tree Armada]

Well, personally I'd say you might want to try again. Those numbers are far from bad, obviously, but i know collegs are sometimes turned off by standardized test scores that dont really match your normal scores. For someone with your GPA and number of APs, I think they might want to see some higher numbers on the SAT.
That being said, I got fairly similar numbers as you on the SAT and Im not retaking it, with a few less APs. My GPA is no where near yours, however.

 

[Tarkovsky]

I think you should be fine, academically, with the committee. Focus now on creating an artistic submission that conveys your strengths as a storyteller (this is detrimental for Tisch).

That being said, a friend who graduated from high school with me received a 1450 on the SAT (at the time when the test was administered using the 1600 scale) and enlisted in slew of AP courses. He was not admitted to Tisch. Admittedly, he had not placed much emphasis on his porfolio.

 

[neenstar176]

Do you think Tisch places any emphasis on originality or are they just concerned with structure? I started writing my Dramatic/Funny essay for the portfolio and I don't know if it's necessarily the most gripping tale, but I think its a fairly good piece of writing and the story is considerably coherent.

also, if i have little film experience, do you suggest i submit a video for my portfolio or should include a second essay/script?

i'm sorry to be a pain with such specifics but as ive already a million and a half times i want to go to tisch more than michael jackson wants to sleep with little boys.

thanks so much!! (again)

 

[Tarkovsky]

Based on what I have been told by admissions counselors at Tisch, I would recommend that the creative submission show your storytelling abilities via a medium you feel most comfortable working within (for instance, if you feel that you are not very developed, aesthetically, with video production then you have the option of submitting storyboards, a script of no more than eight pages or photographs).

I would advise that you select a medium which you feel your talent as a storyteller would be most succinctly supported by.

Regarding your question with originality, Tisch is interested in potential filmmakers with a unique offering of the world. As such, I would not necessarily stress "originality," but would certainly advise that the work you submit be personal while also paying close attention to the narrative elements that the department so stringently longs for.

I recommend that you also speak with Tisch directly (preferably Lisa Bianche who is the director of admissions). She is generally very patient and professional with students and is willing to convey any information relating to questions you may have.

 

[neenstar176]

thanks so much!!!

 

[Cody Brown]

"Regarding your question with originality, Tisch is interested in potential filmmakers with a unique offering of the world. "

In relation to experiences that many on this board have expressed, including myself, I would disagree with this. Unless by unique you mean scoring well on a standardized test (which seems a lot more conforming than "unique").

I agree that they definitely want to see narrative structured work though, don't send anything atmospheric unless it is tied directly into a narrative.

-cody

 

[Tarkovsky]

"Unique offering of the world" as in work that is personal and not derivative.

- Ricky

 

[marte47]

None of the videos I sent to NYU were story-based. They were actually music videos/animations/promos. Here's one of them: http://uthtv.com/umedia/show/273/.

I think if you do send something "atmospheric" it has to convey a message of some sort... it can't just be camera technique or editing style.

 

[neenstar176]

do you think that if i only got 2's and 3's on my AP tests i should stop the scores from being sent to tisch? or would they take into account the fact that i tried and didnt fail entirely? The problem was that my teachers were all fairly new at teaching the AP classes and for the classes that I got 2's in, the matieral on the tests wasnt really taught.. go figure.

 

[Mica]

cody,

i'd just like to say i thought the same thing about tisch before i applied. I thought all those kids accepted, while they might be book smart would be a bunch of creativity lacking *******s. when i took the sat's i got an average of 1170 and i applied to emerson, tisch, purchase, syracuse, and like two other schools for the film program and i mean, i have decent film experience and all, and i got into all those schools with my reel and senior project film. So, i don't know.. i mean i got in with ****ty grades.. and im retarded at math but i got in because i guess they liked my films?... so that's gotta say something for nyu... if anything.

 

[dhdrixle]

For the dramatic essay, is it 4 pages double spaced or single spaced?

 

[tomorrowsNIGHT]

Does anyone know of about how many spots Tisch reserves for Film/TV majors for incoming freshman?
Thanks