USC Application Status

[Ryan C.]

I called up USC today and learned some cool news. My application is now at the admissions comittee and they are hoping to have all of the letters sent out by April 1st.

Wow! The time has finally come!

 

[Jayimess]

Congrats, all!

The writing program admits 32 students each fall.

Last year they wanted replies by April 30th.

And we had a crazy old guy who used to sit in on classes at my alma mater in Ohio. We used to put him in our films whenever we could, and let him crew...when he wanted to be, he was really helpful.

The rest of the time, he slept.

 

[gbnypat]

Yes, congrats to all!

As I haven't heard anything yet, I'm assuming it's a no go for me. There is consolation in knowing there's always next year.

 

[tordazzle]

Writing for Film & Television here...found out on March 21st, which will go down as the greatest day of my life!!!

It seems only multiple exclamation points can communicate my joy.

 

[chrisanthemum7]

so wait...if nobody's told you anything yet then that means you didn't get in? How can you find out for sure?

tordazzle, how'd you find out so early?

 

[A Plan Unfurled]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure tordazzle got admitted to the BFA program.

 

[chrisanthemum7]

okay, I need to get off this thing, everyone keeps freaking me out. This is truly horrible. I mean the point of letters is to bring news to a mass amount of people. What the hell, they should just post the people online like a high school play or the football team. They're only picking 32 of the saintliest of scribes in the free world to get into their massive school. I'm sorry, I thought I was trying to get into a school to learn things, not on a reality show. And here I thought I aced the swimsuit competition.

 

[trajan9]

I've decided on Columbia, over UCLA, USC and NYU for dramatic writing...hopefully someone will now get off the waitlist...

 

[tordazzle]

Sorry to freak you guys out...

I didn't get the official letter from WF&T until about two weeks later but in my acceptance packet it had a sheet that said what major I was accepted into. When I saw what it said, I literally threw the paper across the floor I was so shocked. It didn't help I was in a Red Robin...

And yes, it's the BFA. I assume you guys are discussing Masters now and I've just freaked everyone out for no reason. Apologies.

 

[placebo]

Got a letter today from Graduate Admission informing me that I have been accepted as an MFA student for writing for screen and television. What a relief that this waiting business is over. Now I just have to decide between USC and UCLA - I'm leaning toward USC for a variety of reasons. I'll be re-reading the pros and cons listed on this board very carefully.

 

[chrisanthemum7]

dude, USC totally sucks. If I were you I'd go to UCLA.

 

[chrisanthemum7]

i'm sorry. that was dirty.

 

[whatdoyouknow]

Anyone have any idea as to when the packages will be sent. I called on Tuesday and the admissions counselor said that we should receive mail BY MAY 1. I've never heard that expressions especially since it's unlikely that one can control the stop point of the arrival of mail, so I continued to question until she finally said that we could receive something between now and May 1.

Weird. I'm getting antsy, though. But we all are.

 

[Hesker]

I really think their "May 1st" line is a way to get us to leave them alone. The letters will all be sent by then, but they don't know exactly when, so by telling us that time it gets us off the phone and gets them back to their duties.

Every year they have to deal with prospective students calling them hoping for some inside info...which they just really can't give, so they've got to take a somewhat hard line.

 

[Jayimess]

Calling doesn't make them go faster, like cracking a whip on a horses back...when they're done, they're done.

"Sure," you may say. "You already go there, what do you know about anything?"



I know I didn't contact them once after I applied, and I know that remarkably enough, despite my silence, the decision letter came.


I hated the Sundays in April more than any other day of the week, because the mailbox remained empty.

 

[chrisanthemum7]

I didn't make it. I didn't even make a waiting list. They couldn't have made a more grave mistake.

does anybody know of a film school like USC where everyone collaborates?

 

[Bartleby Fink]

For those of you who DID make a visit: how did you go about doing it?

I'd like to make a visit only if I can get more from it than a simple tour.

 

[RedHen007]

chrisanthemum7... i'm sorry friend... I'm sure I didn't get accepted either, so i totally sympathize with your pain.

Did you find out in the mail? and what program were you going for?

Don't worry, you'll try again this year and prove them wrong! It took Lucas three years or something to get in!

 

[Allen Ho]

Have decisions or letters been made for Directing?

 

[PeterYao]

im confused...they sent out letters already?

if you haven't heard back from school..then it's just in your head yo! no matter how impossible it seems, facts are still facts..

chrisanthemum7...from my research on grad schools...all schools collaborate, and all school don't collaborate. it depends on the student body of that specific year...

school can setup a system to get people to collaborate (like the discipline setup) but they not going to fail you if you don't collaborate...

i heard a lot of students (from all types of schools) only worked together (like doing favors for each other) but don't really collaborate at all during or after the school year... they focused on their own personal career, very similar to the working world...it's just people's view on life...if you're really willing to collaborate in any school, you'll get it cause it's still a school environment.

 

[Jayimess]

Collaboration at USC is definitely optional, but they give us so many opportunities, it's harder to avoid it than it is to do it, I suppose.

There's the 546, which are written by screenwriting students (typically) and brought to reality on 16mm, with a generous finance package from the school, by production students...4 each semester.

There's the Stark Special Project, which I submitted for today. 35mm, produced by Starkies. 3 each year, with $12K in funding for each.

Production students collaborate on theses, though they seem to write the majority themselves.

My coup, however, is the Stark thesis. Each Starkie nurtures a script, creating a package designed to launch their producing career...and in turn, the writer's career. I'm optioned for two theses, and I am effing stoked.

As I've said before, the excitement of USC was the opportunity for collaboration coupled with the flexibility to be able to take more than just feature writing classes...I'm excited to write for video games next fall...

The other schools I could've gone to didn't have that...AFI enforces collaboration, but forbids flexibility, and UCLA seemed shocked that I was looking for either facet. The not quite exact words when I asked about collaboration:

A shared look of surprise. "Well, I guess, if you seek it out."

Repeat for my questions about production classes.