NYU vs Pratt Film School

[knucklehhead]

So I have a bit of a predicament. I got into both my top school and my reach school and now I don’t know what to do.
NYU has a much more renowned program but it seems like it’s hard to make friends there (due to competition and size and campus type) and I would like to maybe not feel dumb compared to my classmates for the next four years. I also think most of the reason I got in is because I did an intensive with them last winter and they know I’m interested and want to give them my money.
Now the issue is I really love Pratt’s campus and how they have a lot of really great classes I want to take but it’s not highly regarded at all and turning down NYU for a school that won’t leave me as secure when I leave feels really wrong. A degree from NYU feels like it will do far more for me than a Pratt one would, but I also want to be able to enjoy my college experience without constantly feeling inferior to my peers. (Also if I go to Pratt I can say I turned down NYU, power move) so I’m pretty stuck. The biggest kicker is those are the only two schools I got into (denied from RISD, SVA pretended like they never got my portfolio, and waitlisted by Emerson.) If you have strong opinions about either course please lend me some guidance. (Also Pratt gave me money and NYU is painfully expensive).


TLDR: Pratt film vs NYU- want to enjoy college but also get a job someday (I would enjoy Pratt but NYU will have me set for the future)

 

[Chris W]

NYU has a much more renowned program but it seems like it’s hard to make friends there (due to competition and size and campus type)

I'm not sure about not being able to make friends... I went to BU for undergrad (which is a huge school in a city) and lived on the communication floor freshmen year and made a ton of friends. Some lifelong. Three of whom I'm still in close contact with 26 years later.

Let me tell you a little secret... I had hardly any friends in highschool. Maybe 1 out 2 I'd consider good friends. I thought no one liked me and I thought I was a "loser".

Then I went to college and was surrounded with and living with people who loved the same things I did. No one knew that I was a "loser" in high school. I made a TON of friends. It was a complete 100% reset. No one knows you from high school and everyone is interested in the same thing you are. College is a complete social life reset. Night and day for me from high school.

and I would like to maybe not feel dumb compared to my classmates for the next four years.

No one is going to think you're dumb. You got into NYU. Which means you're not dumb. Again college is a complete reset.

Also Pratt gave me money and NYU is painfully expensive).

Now THAT might be a reason to go to Pratt... Assuming Pratt is a good school which you say it is. Unfortunately I don't know too much about Pratt but please do search the forums on it.

But let me tell you another secret. I've worked in Los Angeles since 2001 as an assistant editor (first year or two), then editor for 16 years, and for the last three years as a producer although I still edit.

NO ONE CARES where you went to undergrad! Seriously. They just care if you work hard and do good work. That's it. I don't know where hardly any of my coworkers went to undergrad. Or even our new hires unless I looked at their resume but no one cares. Heck my school isn't even on my resume now. Just so good work, show up on time, and be conscientious.

Now the issue is I really love Pratt’s campus and how they have a lot of really great classes I want to take but it’s not highly regarded at all and turning down NYU for a school that won’t leave me as secure when I leave feels really wrong.

See above. No one cares where you went to school in the biz. An alumni network might help a little bit (maybe? Maybe not?) but really what helps you are your peers and classmates who give you job leads as they work that business too as they try to get up the ladder on their own. Work hard and people will think of you to recommend when they get a new job etc.

What classes at Pratt do you like?

How much is the price difference? You don't want to be saddled with too much debt.

Make a side by side compare list. Search Pratt on this site.

When do you have to make a decision by?

Good luck. And congrats! It's awesome you got into both schools.

 

[llueve]

Now the issue is I really love Pratt’s campus and how they have a lot of really great classes I want to take but it’s not highly regarded at all and turning down NYU for a school that won’t leave me as secure when I leave feels really wrong.

Hey knucklehhead, This line right here really got me. Not a lot of teens are projecting *that* far into the future when they choose schools, so you must be a pretty thoughtful human, yeah?

I don't think you can make a truly wrong choice here -- I think you might be choosing between two good choices -- but I want to emphasize one thing Chris said:

NO ONE CARES where you went to undergrad! Seriously.

Like Chris, I work in post production. I've been in the film and TV industry for over 5 years, most of that time in NYC. There are folks in the business who never went to undergrad at all. Others have fancy Masters degrees. People came in who majored in psychology and political science and sculpture and biology. Others didn't study anything at all. And it has turned out to have no impact on how far they've gone or who would hire them.

When I had my first PA interview, my undergrad didn't even come up. They wanted to know about my work ethic -- was I gonna be on time? Did they like my personality? Did I seem interested in the work? Was I organized?

If your goal is to work in film, showing up with an NYU degree is going to be the same as showing up with a Pratt degree. Choosing Pratt, if that's what your heart wants, is not going to hurt your chances of working in the film industry.

Like Chris said, though, debt is something that can and will impact your life after college. So that's something worth evaluating. As an outsider, I can't tell you what is right or wrong for you in a financial sense. But I do know that my NYU Tisch friends (theater, not film) still have large loans 10 years out and it's been very difficult for them because it dictates what kind of work they need to take in order to pay those extra bills, often work that is not theater-related. Thus as a freelancer, college debt can be constraining and burdensome.

When I was choosing my undergrad school many years ago, I went with my gut -- and also with my scholarship, because I couldn't afford otherwise. And it worked out really well. I loved the school I ended up at. And having that positive experience served me very well. I found community there, which was key.

Maybe someone who went to Pratt or to NYU will chime in with more specifics, but I just wanted to echo what Chris has said.
If you like Pratt, you are in no way making a dumb choice by choosing it over NYU just because NYU carries some kind of prestige. And if you choose NYU instead because you're in love and you can afford it, etc, then I think that's great, too.

Best of luck!

 

[Sw121]

Congrats on both schools! As someone who went to NYU undergrad (non film major) it isnt for everyone HOWEVER i think making friends is a lot easier than people make it out to be. The film program is especially tight knit. Additionally, when it comes to feeling inferior, you got into the same school as these other kids, therefore admissions did not find you inferior. And even if you do find yourself thinking that the kids around you are "smarter" or "more talented" then that actually can only elevate your work. Think of it like sports. When you play with opponents or are worse or better than you, often we tend to play to their skill level. If you are around people who are better at something than you, than it will only help you in the long run because you can learn from them. When it comes to no one carrying about where you went to undergrad, I agree to an extent. However, I do think if you have zero connections in film that the alumni network and prestige of the school will help come graduation. In addition to that, NYU caters to the fact that their students will have internships throughout the semester, which really helps for eventual job prospects and making connections. With all that said, the price tag is steep so that is a huge consideration. I don't know much about pratt but have nothing but good things to say about NYU. I am even going back their for grad school!

 

[MixAndMax]

So I have a bit of a predicament. I got into both my top school and my reach school and now I don’t know what to do.
NYU has a much more renowned program but it seems like it’s hard to make friends there (due to competition and size and campus type) and I would like to maybe not feel dumb compared to my classmates for the next four years. I also think most of the reason I got in is because I did an intensive with them last winter and they know I’m interested and want to give them my money.
Now the issue is I really love Pratt’s campus and how they have a lot of really great classes I want to take but it’s not highly regarded at all and turning down NYU for a school that won’t leave me as secure when I leave feels really wrong. A degree from NYU feels like it will do far more for me than a Pratt one would, but I also want to be able to enjoy my college experience without constantly feeling inferior to my peers. (Also if I go to Pratt I can say I turned down NYU, power move) so I’m pretty stuck. The biggest kicker is those are the only two schools I got into (denied from RISD, SVA pretended like they never got my portfolio, and waitlisted by Emerson.) If you have strong opinions about either course please lend me some guidance. (Also Pratt gave me money and NYU is painfully expensive).


TLDR: Pratt film vs NYU- want to enjoy college but also get a job someday (I would enjoy Pratt but NYU will have me set for the future)

Congrats on both schools! I am actually in the same boat as you are! I got into both NYU and Pratt and need to make a decision as well. Pratt is definitely the more financially responsible choice in my case and it seems like in yours too. For me though, NYU was my top choice so it's been hard for me to gage if it's worth the price tag. But considering you love Pratt and prefer it over NYU, I would say that's what you should go with. Considering that in this industry film school isn't even a necessity to be successful, I would go with Pratt. It's better financially and you seem a lot more excited about it than NYU. I'm visiting both in the next week before I have to make a decision, but best of wishes to you in your process and maybe I'll see you at either Pratt or NYU in the fall!