UCLA MFA Screenwriting 2019

[alanray]

That’s awesome!
Is Chapman your front runner now?
Does the “lifetime access to equipment” apply to Screenwriting students too? Or production only? And do you know what the caveat is on that? It’s a great thing I’m just curious how it works.

Yeah it is my front runner right now lol. As far as I know, the lifetimes access to equipment thing is available to all Chapman students, but someone trying to get equipment after they've graduated for their own project would be at a lesser priority than actual students working on school projects. But it's still awesome.

 

[StarChild]

At this point, it's my ONLY option. I still haven't heard from UCLA, and I only applied to the three programs. I'm not sure I want to wait another year, and Chapman does have a reputation for allowing more creative freedom in their screenwriting program.

No idea about the equipment. I'll have to ask more questions next week.

I hope you hear back soon- but Chapman sounds like a good option. Lmk when you find out about the equipment.
Good luck!

 

[biacelani]

Omggggg sounds like such a good time. Can I join lol. I speak Spanish so can pretend to understand Portugese

Yaaaaaaas, girl!! I've been reading your posts for so long I already consider you a friend hahah our door is always open (except when it's closed but then just, like, ring the doorbell) ?

 

[BuddernScotch]

Yaaaaaaas, girl!! I've been reading your posts for so long I already consider you a friend hahah our door is always open (except when it's closed but then just, like, ring the doorbell) ?

Saame herrreeeeee!!

Interesting how often these days people all know each other without even directly knowing each other. And wonderful how global connections can be.

But yeah. See you in LA. "Party", as my beloved Adore would say.

 

[Zach0323]

Might be making some mental progress on my decision and I'm wondering if anyone else is feeling the same way about any of their particular choices?

I'm feeling like I'm about 95% committing to UCLA. They just feel like the right choice short and long term for a variety of reasons (which I won't subject any of you to). The other thing is this... If I went to LMU then I'm concerned I would always wonder "what if" I went to UCLA. I don't believe I would wonder "what if" LMU if I went to UCLA... I'm trying to avoid what ifs as much as possible at this point of my life and moving forward.

 

[BuddernScotch]

Might be making some mental progress on my decision and I'm wondering if anyone else is feeling the same way about any of their particular choices?

I'm feeling like I'm about 95% committing to UCLA. They just feel like the right choice short and long term for a variety of reasons (which I won't subject any of you to). The other thing is this... If I went to LMU then I'm concerned I would always wonder "what if" I went to UCLA. I don't believe I would wonder "what if" LMU if I went to UCLA... I'm trying to avoid what ifs as much as possible at this point of my life and moving forward.

I'm in a very similar boat. I was basically set on LMU then UCLA waved hello and I was like YES BABY. Plus communicating with LMU has beeen aaa jouuuneeyy. Automated reception that kept bugging out. Emails about ... nvm. Communication was difficult. It's just that LMU has 3 years, which for an international student is a longer chance to get something going, and their total cost per year for everyone, no exceptions, is only 15k-scholarships. UCLA has out of state fee and "professional program" fee :'(

 

[Apeach]

Might be making some mental progress on my decision and I'm wondering if anyone else is feeling the same way about any of their particular choices?

I'm feeling like I'm about 95% committing to UCLA. They just feel like the right choice short and long term for a variety of reasons (which I won't subject any of you to). The other thing is this... If I went to LMU then I'm concerned I would always wonder "what if" I went to UCLA. I don't believe I would wonder "what if" LMU if I went to UCLA... I'm trying to avoid what ifs as much as possible at this point of my life and moving forward.

I got an offer other than LMU but one thing I considered was the difference between the interviews. The one school was just like, "What's your favourite show?" And while they were super friendly and cool people, my interview with Phyllis was so much more than that. She wanted to know what I was reading, we talked about certain social issues, and discussed stylized vs. "realistic" dialogue in film. She talked about changes that she was making in terms bringing in female or POC professors that were all working and had great experience.

I think the interview is a good reflection of the culture of the school, and it definitely tipped me in favour of UCLA.

Hopefully this helps you with your decision.

 

[divmoh247]

Might be making some mental progress on my decision and I'm wondering if anyone else is feeling the same way about any of their particular choices?

I'm feeling like I'm about 95% committing to UCLA. They just feel like the right choice short and long term for a variety of reasons (which I won't subject any of you to). The other thing is this... If I went to LMU then I'm concerned I would always wonder "what if" I went to UCLA. I don't believe I would wonder "what if" LMU if I went to UCLA... I'm trying to avoid what ifs as much as possible at this point of my life and moving forward.

Subject me!!! Subject me. I'm willing to hear everyone's rationale at this point. Got rejected from USC and waiting on NYU (which I'm not even sure I want because I don't want to be in NY) but I'd like to hear what you have to say

 

[Cd23]

For accepted peeps, what is your deadline to commit? Is it April 15th? Cause I’d like to know if I’d find out my decision before then

 

[divmoh247]

For accepted peeps, what is your deadline to commit? Is it April 15th? Cause I’d like to know if I’d find out my decision before then

Yes April 15th

 

[Naya86]

Might be making some mental progress on my decision and I'm wondering if anyone else is feeling the same way about any of their particular choices?

I'm feeling like I'm about 95% committing to UCLA. They just feel like the right choice short and long term for a variety of reasons (which I won't subject any of you to). The other thing is this... If I went to LMU then I'm concerned I would always wonder "what if" I went to UCLA. I don't believe I would wonder "what if" LMU if I went to UCLA... I'm trying to avoid what ifs as much as possible at this point of my life and moving forward.

Unless, LMU offered you some serious cash, I would strong recommend UCLA. Just compare the alumni from each school to get an idea of their caliber. UCLA graduated Eric Roth and David Koepp, for god's sake. Their legacy is a huge reason I applied. @Apeach is right. This is a school that is serious about the craft (skim through Richard Walter's book to get an idea of what you could possibly learn about screenwriting).

Ironically, I'm about 85% certain I'll be turning down UCLA. The cost is just too high when considering I can walk away with $0 debt from my second choice. Unless someone can convince me another $40,000 of debt for a film-school degree is worth it, I'll just be over here, encouraging others to pursue their dreams, as long as they deem the financial risk reasonable enough for them.

 

[Zach0323]

I'm in a very similar boat. I was basically set on LMU then UCLA waved hello and I was like YES BABY. Plus communicating with LMU has beeen aaa jouuuneeyy. Automated reception that kept bugging out. Emails about ... nvm. Communication was difficult. It's just that LMU has 3 years, which for an international student is a longer chance to get something going, and their total cost per year for everyone, no exceptions, is only 15k-scholarships. UCLA has out of state fee and "professional program" fee :'(

The extra year for an international student definitely seems valuable, so I can understand where you're coming from. I will say this about UCLA that I find really enticing... The out of state fee is only for the first year. The "professional program" fee is unfortunately permanent. Still though, UCLA does a great thing with TA'ing by covering the cost of the regular tuition. This also is big if scholarships are included.

It would look something like this:

Regular Tuition= $13,000
Out of State Tuition= $13,000
Professional Program= $10,000

TA and it takes the $13,000 regular communication out of it, so it looks like this:

Out of State Tuition= $13,000
Professional Program= $10,000

Add $7,000 of scholarships and now we're looking like this:

Out of State Tuition= $6,000
Professional Program= $10,000

We would officially be California Residents for the second year, which would take out the "Out of State Tuition" completely and leave the scholarship taking out of the "Professional Program" fee:

Professional Program= $3,000

Now... This is assuming you can take the scholarship out of the Professional Program fee of course, but it still makes things look really good. You have to take a course on TA'ing your first quarter on campus (so that one is full tuition) but the other 5 quarters would be covered. For me, this makes tuition cheaper than LMU, even with a pretty solid scholarship.

Sorry that's a lot of information! It's just part of the financial aspect that's been firing off in my brain as of late

 

[Zach0323]

Subject me!!! Subject me. I'm willing to hear everyone's rationale at this point. Got rejected from USC and waiting on NYU (which I'm not even sure I want because I don't want to be in NY) but I'd like to hear what you have to say

Definitely look at the financial aspect that I replied to @BuddernScotch with! I think that might help a bit in terms of that side of things.

As for the rest... When it comes to location, being in LA is a big deal to me because it's where everything is happening at. The ultimate goal for me is to be signed by an agent before I graduate from college. I've also been lucky to have a bit of success in the acting world, so I think my path toward a screenwriting agent will be through an acting agent. LA is the perfect place for me to make that happen. I will say I don't think NY is that far behind! Also, if you have any aspirations for theater then NY is the clear pick.

UCLA just has such an impressive reputation, especially when it comes to their screenwriting program. Here's a fun list to drool over if you want to see how well some of their current graduates did in the past year's award season:

-http://www.tft.ucla.edu/2019/01/awards-season-roundup/

The more I think about it, the more I like the 2-year aspect vs. a 3-year program. There's a sense of urgency without the extra year, and I love that. There's no time to think about it, only time to make it happen. The other huge thing on UCLA is that the students write their asses off. Their forced to write more than other schools, and the students can choose to write even more than that if they want to. More writing, revising, then writing again will always be a good thing.

LMU has the nicest facilities I've ever seen. To be honest, they wipe UCLA's out of the water. It's really not close. But I'm not going to school for facilities, I'm going for screenwriting. I believe I would graduate from UCLA as a better writer, and I would graduate from LMU as a better creator. If I busted my ass then I think I could make up the "creator" aspect if I went to LMU. I don't think I could make up the writing difference by going to UCLA, though.

The cherry on UCLA's top is their relationship with the Cannes Film Festival. It sounds like a dream come true and something I will be working as hard as I can to accomplish.

-http://www.tft.ucla.edu/2018/08/2019-cannes-storytelling-institute/

 

[Septopus7]

The extra year for an international student definitely seems valuable, so I can understand where you're coming from. I will say this about UCLA that I find really enticing... The out of state fee is only for the first year. The "professional program" fee is unfortunately permanent. Still though, UCLA does a great thing with TA'ing by covering the cost of the regular tuition. This also is big if scholarships are included.

It would look something like this:

Regular Tuition= $13,000
Out of State Tuition= $13,000
Professional Program= $10,000

TA and it takes the $13,000 regular communication out of it, so it looks like this:

Out of State Tuition= $13,000
Professional Program= $10,000

Add $7,000 of scholarships and now we're looking like this:

Out of State Tuition= $6,000
Professional Program= $10,000

We would officially be California Residents for the second year, which would take out the "Out of State Tuition" completely and leave the scholarship taking out of the "Professional Program" fee:

Professional Program= $3,000

Now... This is assuming you can take the scholarship out of the Professional Program fee of course, but it still makes things look really good. You have to take a course on TA'ing your first quarter on campus (so that one is full tuition) but the other 5 quarters would be covered. For me, this makes tuition cheaper than LMU, even with a pretty solid scholarship.

Sorry that's a lot of information! It's just part of the financial aspect that's been firing off in my brain as of late

Are you 100% certain that you would qualify for in-state tuition your second year? I looked into this back when I was thinking about applying to UCLA, and the requirements surrounding getting in-state tuition seems...complicated, to say the least.

Residence Requirements

That link specifically states that the only way to qualify for in-state tuition is if you are in Cali for NON-educational purposes:

A student who is in California solely for educational purposes is not eligible for California residence for tuition purposes, regardless of the length of stay.

Now it also seems that working a job outside of UCLA might count as meaning you aren't "solely" there for educational purposes, so if you did that, maybe you would qualify? Like I said, it's all pretty dicey.

I say this not to insinuate you haven't done your research (you clearly have), but just to present the complications involved with in-state tuition. I just wouldn't bet the whole house on that cheaper rate the next year, especially for @BuddernScotch, whose international status probably makes the whole thing even more complicated.

 

[Zach0323]

Are you 100% certain that you would qualify for in-state tuition your second year? I looked into this back when I was thinking about applying to UCLA, and the requirements surrounding getting in-state tuition seems...complicated, to say the least.

Residence Requirements

That link specifically states that the only way to qualify for in-state tuition is if you are in Cali for NON-educational purposes:



Now it also seems that working a job outside of UCLA might count as meaning you aren't "solely" there for educational purposes, so if you did that, maybe you would qualify? Like I said, it's all pretty dicey.

I say this not to insinuate you haven't done your research (you clearly have), but just to present the complications involved with in-state tuition. I just wouldn't bet the whole house on that cheaper rate the next year, especially for @BuddernScotch, whose international status probably makes the whole thing even more complicated.

You definitely bring up a great point! I'll be doing a lot of freelance work as a video editor, along with any potential internships, etc. I've been talking to a 2nd-year at UCLA from Florida, and she's the one who has helped explain everything for me. She never mentioned anything about trouble getting residency and she does freelance work, so that's the majority of the information that I'm going off.

But I definitely agree that it's something worth focusing on, especially for an international student.

 

[BuddernScotch]

That's funny! My interview with LMU was different! We discussed some social issues (how hard it is to make a living as an immigrant in the states, legal or not. Unconscious bias, etc.), and then the rest of the interview zeroed in on my writing, what I perceived were my weaknesses, etc. My interviewer wasa WOC so we discussed a little bit of that too --efforts in including a more diverse faculty/students. Still, having done the professional program at UCLA, I already know some of the professors who teach there and I really like what I've experienced there so far, so that'd definitely be a factor in my decision.

On the other hand, I love the facilities at LMU and the 3-year aspect --for internationals that translates into a longer OPT (work visa), and then it's easier to transition from there to a green card. As in, 3 years at LMU=about a year and a half of OPT. Two years at UCLA=a year of OPT. That's 5 years in the country vs. 3 years. So I definitely see @BuddernScotch 's point. Also, @BuddernScotch , if you're having trouble getting in touch with someone at LMU, I'd try Jenny Vasques. I've had no luck with Graduate Admissions but Jenny has been great in solving any doubts I may have.

Financially... UCLA might be more reasonably priced for internationals? Idk. As far as I know, you have to be a citizen to receive a scholarship at LMU. UCLA seems offer some deductions. I could be wrong. Overall, LMU is 15k per semester (I've been struggling to find the tuition costs on the website), so 30k a year=90k (scholarships/financial aid should cover a great chunk of that), UCLA is $39,162.37 for two years.

Anyways, let's all agree that life sucks when you're poor

Okay so it's GOOD THAT I NEVER TRIED TO DO ANYTHING WITH MATH because I straight up thought LMU was 15k a year.

And trying to communicate with JV has been a little difficult too. I know she must be crazy busy right now but the struggle is still real.

I'm really just super scared UCLA will be like: nvm we got you confused with someone else you can't sit with us after all. But I don't want to pay the LMU deposit. And it's due tomorrow. Ayayayay

 

[BuddernScotch]

Definitely look at the financial aspect that I replied to @BuddernScotch with! I think that might help a bit in terms of that side of things.

As for the rest... When it comes to location, being in LA is a big deal to me because it's where everything is happening at. The ultimate goal for me is to be signed by an agent before I graduate from college. I've also been lucky to have a bit of success in the acting world, so I think my path toward a screenwriting agent will be through an acting agent. LA is the perfect place for me to make that happen. I will say I don't think NY is that far behind! Also, if you have any aspirations for theater then NY is the clear pick.

UCLA just has such an impressive reputation, especially when it comes to their screenwriting program. Here's a fun list to drool over if you want to see how well some of their current graduates did in the past year's award season:

-http://www.tft.ucla.edu/2019/01/awards-season-roundup/

The more I think about it, the more I like the 2-year aspect vs. a 3-year program. There's a sense of urgency without the extra year, and I love that. There's no time to think about it, only time to make it happen. The other huge thing on UCLA is that the students write their asses off. Their forced to write more than other schools, and the students can choose to write even more than that if they want to. More writing, revising, then writing again will always be a good thing.

LMU has the nicest facilities I've ever seen. To be honest, they wipe UCLA's out of the water. It's really not close. But I'm not going to school for facilities, I'm going for screenwriting. I believe I would graduate from UCLA as a better writer, and I would graduate from LMU as a better creator. If I busted my ass then I think I could make up the "creator" aspect if I went to LMU. I don't think I could make up the writing difference by going to UCLA, though.

The cherry on UCLA's top is their relationship with the Cannes Film Festival. It sounds like a dream come true and something I will be working as hard as I can to accomplish.

-http://www.tft.ucla.edu/2018/08/2019-cannes-storytelling-institute/

You bring up a lot of great points that i agree with, the recent alumn accomplishments are so exciting. And yes if I weren't intl then UCLA would be the clear winner.

But then again UCLA is my number 1 anyway because I'm already a crazy optimist and think: naw. Bet I'll be so great they wouldn't even try to kick me outta the country ever.

 

[StarChild]

Okay so it's GOOD THAT I NEVER TRIED TO DO ANYTHING WITH MATH because I straight up thought LMU was 15k a year.

And trying to communicate with JV has been a little difficult too. I know she must be crazy busy right now but the struggle is still real.

I'm really just super scared UCLA will be like: nvm we got you confused with someone else you can't sit with us after all. But I don't want to pay the LMU deposit. And it's due tomorrow. Ayayayay

If you have a written letter of acceptance (print it out if you feel better) they can't un-accept you. It's illegal. For all the money stuff, I have no input for these schools, but just to ease that fear.

 

[BuddernScotch]

If you have a written letter of acceptance (print it out if you feel better) they can't un-accept you. It's illegal. For all the money stuff, I have no input for these schools, but just to ease that fear.

Wott!! Cool UCLA hasn't sent out an official letter though, it's an unofficial one right now. That's good to know though.

 

[StarChild]

Wott!! Cool UCLA hasn't sent out an official letter though, it's an unofficial one right now. That's good to know though.

Ah. yup. well as soon as you have it in hand