UCLA MFA Fall 2017

[Kira]

Does anyone want to talk about the Statement of Purpose? We've already submitted now, but since we're all anticipating and stressing lol. Maybe it will help someone next year.

Just like @icygee wrote, UCLA was not my strongest, but I am pretty happy with my Statement of Purpose overall. I did a bit of both, my background and where I want to go/why UCLA. I wish UCLA accepted a resume though. We'll see how it goes in a few months

 

[Iuli Dia]

It seems they leave the Statement of Purpose instructions general on purpose to allows us freedom to write how we want to write. I think whatever we wrote is fine, there's no right way. I ran into a MFA screenwriting graduate at a CAPE and WGF panel in LA. Her name is Bo Yeon Kim and she was very helpful sharing her experience at UCLA, which was great lol. She applied 3 times before she got accepted!! (which means there is no hope for me this time haha) She said the third time she changed her Statement of Purpose to be more "emotional" and "raw" and she said she had better writing samples. She was a staffed writer on Reign (Amazon) and got staffed on a new show that I forgot the name of. (it's not on IMDb yet) Moral of the story, she may not have gotten in the first 2 times, but once she did her trajectory went up! So even if we don't get in this year or maybe haven't in the past, keep fighting! And keep writing to get those samples as strong as they can be.

 

[Kira]

I agree, there's probably no right or wrong way. Although if I don't get in this time around, I'll try to spice things up for next year. If I don't get in anywhere, I'll do the UCLA PP in TV Writing, which will give me (hopefully) better samples and my LORs will be stronger as well (from some internships I just finished / will have).

I ran into a MFA screenwriting graduate at a CAPE and WGF panel in LA. Her name is Bo Yeon Kim and she was very helpful sharing her experience at UCLA, which was great lol. She applied 3 times before she got accepted!! (which means there is no hope for me this time haha)

That's so cool! I just learned of CAPE and want to get involved (once I move to the LA area, that is). Try, try, and try again!

 

[icygee]

I agree, there's probably no right or wrong way. Although if I don't get in this time around, I'll try to spice things up for next year.

This is exactly what I did for this cycle, I decided to say screw it and spice it up. For USC, LMU and I think Columbia I wrote about a birthmark on my knee and developed more about growing up biracial from that and how it influences my writing and worldview. For NYU I used the opening monologue from Manhattan and kind've responded to each snippet with something about myself or my place in the world/NYU. (I'm a huge nerd, please let me live).

It seems they leave the Statement of Purpose instructions general on purpose to allows us freedom to write how we want to write.

I feel like UCLA was probably the most *professional* presented Statement of Purpose, which is like my exact antithesis. We'll see how it turns out.

 

[Anshuman Mitra]

Does anyone want to talk about the Statement of Purpose?

After I sent in my SOP for USC, I felt like I wrote well about how I overcame my failures. But it felt a little sad.

For UCLA, I put a positive twist on it. All the personal stuff is still there but it's prefaced with a far more positive message. I liked the idea of projecting positivity in the beginning to make my SOP more attractive.

For posterity, you have to imagine writing for a group of academicians with a stack of 500 SOPs in front of them.

As my friend @icygee pointed out, leave out the obvious. Which is easier said than done.

Another good advice I received was if your first (vomit) draft is less than a page ( single-spaced) then you aren't quite reaching to tell them what they need.

This is the most intimate part of your application. So make it count.

If I am accepted, I'll post more because then I'll know it worked.

 

[Anshuman Mitra]

A risk I did take was I left out what kind of films I like and/or the kinds I'd like to write.

There were two reasons for this.

Firstly, I couldn't fit it within the page limit. The other stuff seemed more appropriate to be on my SOP.

Secondly, I'm constantly evolving as a person. I don't even know what kind of films I want to write. Isn't that partially why I'm applying to grad school?

Having written a screenplay, I know that I won't know my next subject until I actually sit down to write the next one. It's a function of surprise.

 

[icygee]

A risk I did take was I left out what kind of films I like and/or the kinds I'd like to write.

I think you might be safer than you think. In my SOP I made references to wanting to challenge and frustrate the gaze of the middle class, white, heterosexual male in my work but I'm not quite sure that's realllllllllly evident by the samples I sent in so I might've shot myself in the foot but who knows, we'll see.

 

[Anshuman Mitra]

In my SOP I made references to wanting to challenge and frustrate the gaze of the middle class, white, heterosexual male in my work but I'm not quite sure that's realllllllllly evident by the samples I sent in so I might've shot myself in the foot but who knows, we'll see.

Personally, I think it's quite understandable if one or more of your stated aims isn't evident in your writing samples.

It is because you aren't where you want to be that you're applying to their program.

I'd written something like I want my work to be universal yet uniquely accessible to the middle class, a section frequently ignored by big film industries.

I don't know if that is entirely, factually correct. I discarded it any way due to the reasons I mentioned above.

 

[Anshuman Mitra]

@icygee Curious to know why you applied to Columbia? If you see our signatures that's the only institute we both haven't or will apply to.

Columbia has a Screenwriting/ Directing discipline and I wanted to hyper focus on writing. A course here and there in other disciplines to make me a better writer is fine with me.

But Screenwriting/ Directing seemed to me like there would be close to equal emphasis on both.

Chapman also had the location factor going for it. Not that I don't understand and respect New York's importance as a place of art.

In fact if I had offers from NYU, Chapman and LMU, I'd probably choose NYU.

 

[IndecisiveElle]

@icygee

Columbia has a Screenwriting/ Directing discipline and I wanted to hyper focus on writing. A course here and there in other disciplines to make me a better writer is fine with me.

But Screenwriting/ Directing seemed to me like there would be close to equal emphasis on both..

The program at Columbia for screenwriting/directing isn't so much that you spend equal time doing both, it's that both the screenwriting and directing applicants start together then specialize after their first year. It's explained really well in their online information. It's great program. I really enjoyed taking a TV writing workshop there over the summer, but for me they don't spend enough time on TV writing (the workshop, which is technically an undergrad program is their only big TV element).

 

[BadouBoy]

A risk I did take was I left out what kind of films I like and/or the kinds I'd like to write.

I didn't apply to UCLA but hopping on this thread for the SOP discussion lol.
I think you're good leaving that stuff out. For me, the SOP is meant to tell a story of who you are as a person. You have writing samples as example(s) of stuff you like to write.

 

[Septopus7]

For me, the SOP is meant to tell a story of who you are as a person. You have writing samples as example(s) of stuff you like to write.

Yeah, I think that's the key here. I also didn't apply at UCLA, but find this topic pretty interesting. When applying to USC, there wasn't even a Statement of Purpose...per say. We had to do a "Autobiographical Character Sketch," which we had to use to define ourselves as a person. My guess is that USC went with that name because all the Statement of Purpose's became the same thing: mere platitudes about the individual and the artist they THINK they are, and less about who they actually are (there's a difference, as challenging as it might be to find.)
And even though I can't speak exactly to the UCLA Statement of Purpose, I feel like that's what any artistic Grad School is probably looking for.

That's, at least, what I desperately hope. We're all just blind-firing our way through this anyways, right?

 

[Iuli Dia]

Yeah, I think that's the key here. I also didn't apply at UCLA, but find this topic pretty interesting. When applying to USC, there wasn't even a Statement of Purpose...per say. We had to do a "Autobiographical Character Sketch," which we had to use to define ourselves as a person. My guess is that USC went with that name because all the Statement of Purpose's became the same thing: mere platitudes about the individual and the artist they THINK they are, and less about who they actually are (there's a difference, as challenging as it might be to find.)
And even though I can't speak exactly to the UCLA Statement of Purpose, I feel like that's what any artistic Grad School is probably looking for.

That's, at least, what I desperately hope. We're all just blind-firing our way through this anyways, right?

UCLA has a very generic prompt for their SOP, and deceivingly so. I don't even think it's theirs; it's the prompt from the overall grad school application. I called and asked for more specifics, but whoever they had answering the phones didn't know either. Though they firmly and wrongly believed it was outlined in UCLA application instruction sheet lol. @Septopus7 I think you're right, the SOP will draw platitudes because of how it's presented. It's unfortunate.

I also applied to USC, and I liked that they were more specific in their prompts. I believe UCLA is looking for a "autobiographical sketch" as well. I agree with @Septopus7 @dvxdm that our SOP should show who we are as a person and writer. I don't think you have to necessarily include your favorite types of films or what you like to write, thought if you do it's totally fine. In my SOP, I mentioned the genres and tone of some of the pieces that I wrote because it tied in with the rest of the essay. I think there are other different and creative ways to show who you are without mentioning those things. Maybe that's why they don't get specific with their SOP. Who knows. Whatever you write, I think it has to be engaging, emotional and give a glimpse into your soul!! haha.

 

[IndecisiveElle]

I can confirm that UCLA is looking over our applications! At least for screenwriting. I got an email from an admission admin because one of my recommendations hadn't submitted their letter yet. Oops.

 

[Kira]

I can confirm that UCLA is looking over our applications! At least for screenwriting. I got an email from an admission admin because one of my recommendations hadn't submitted their letter yet. Oops.

Thanks for letting us know! Hopefully that interview email (?) will arrive soon! Crossing my fingers

 

[IndecisiveElle]

Last year the interview requests were sent around the first week of February! Not too far away!

 

[Kira]

Last year the interview requests were sent around the first week of February! Not too far away!

That's awesome! Hopefully the interview / result process is not delayed due to the pushed back deadline

 

[Anshuman Mitra]

Best of luck to everyone.

Can we all agree to a pact?

1. Applicants who get accepted will share the thinking they put into their application after accepting their offer.

2. If some new, valuable nugget of information regarding the admission review process shall befall them once they start attending classes they shall make it accessible to the rest of us.

I'm game. Who's with me?

 

[gradualdecisions]

Hey everybody! Been lurking here for a while, and I finally have a reason to join the conversation - about an hour ago I got an invite to interview!

"I am pleased to inform you that the MFA Application Committee of UCLA’s Department of Film, Television and Digital Media was impressed with your Fall 2017 application for the Graduate Screenwriting Program. As the next part of our evaluation process progresses, we would like to set up an interview to discuss your background, interests and artistic work."

Crossing my fingers that all of you hear back swiftly as well!

MFA in Screenwriting - Fall 2017
UCLA

 

[IndecisiveElle]

Congrats! And welcome out of the woodwork.
I just got the same email!


It has begun!