Nguyen Hoang Vu
Member
I’m a graduate of Stony Brook University’s MFA in Film (Screenwriting), and overall my experience with the program was positive. Here’s my personal list of pros and cons, in case you’re considering it:
Pros
Pros
- Great location: Right in the heart of Manhattan. After class, you’re only a short walk from Broadway shows, film screenings, or just soaking in the city.
- Good cohort size: Usually 12 students or fewer. That intimacy means your professors really get to know you, your taste, and your growth — and they often remember you long after graduation.
- Supportive atmosphere: In my cohort (and the ones just before and after mine), classmates genuinely cheered each other on. I think this comes partly from the affordability of the program, which draws down-to-earth people, and partly because grades aren’t released until the end of the course — so there’s no cutthroat competition.
- Hands-on teaching experience: This is where Stony Brook truly stands out. Unlike many schools where grad students are just teaching assistants, here you get to design and teach your own undergraduate courses. I even created an experimental screenwriting class using Twitter (back when it was still called that). This experience was invaluable — and helped me land a full-time teaching job within months of graduating. Stony Brook might not be the top film school, but if you want teaching experience and a strong teaching portfolio, it’s one of the best.
- Supportive faculty: Forget the “pretentious film professor” stereotype. The professors here are approachable, generous with their knowledge, and genuinely rooting for your success. They’re the kind of mentors you want to stay friends with outside the classroom.
- Flexibility: Only a few mandatory courses; the rest are electives you can shape around your interests.
- Limited space: The program is housed in just two floors of an office building, so if you want to hang out or socialize, you’ll usually do that elsewhere.
- Reputation: Not everyone in the industry has heard of it. That said, the program is steadily gaining recognition — it recently ranked in The Wrap’s Top 50 Film Schools (#22, if I remember right).
- Killer Films collaboration: Christine Vachon does lead a masterclass course or two, and there’s a chance to pitch to her, but that’s about the extent of the collaboration. Still, the indie filmmaking spirit from Killer Films definitely shapes the program’s vibe, and I appreciated that influence.
- Limited electives: Since the building only houses Film, TV Writing, and Creative Writing programs, electives are drawn from those areas only.
