I'm a first year grad student in production at UT Austin. This forum helped me a lot when I was applying, so I would absolutely be available to talk to anyone interested in UT.
I applied to and was accepted to a lot of programs which meant I had a lot of hard choices to make about where I wanted to go this year. I chose UT over some other more flashy schools because I really believe in this program. It's small (only 12 students in production each class) so it's very personalized. The filmmaking culture here is great. There's a strong focus on storytelling and on independent film, but there's also a lot of diversity in the interests of the students.
Sometimes UT is dismissed because it's in the middle of the country instead of NY or LA, but it can be a real boon if you're interested in innovation or independent cinema and you don't want to be constrained by the fatigue a lot of the community feels about filmmakers in those other cities. There is a genuine excitement and warmth toward filmmakers in this city.
UT DOES require the GRE, but don't let it scare you. Just study, take it, and then forget about it. It's a university requirement, not a departmental requirement, and I doubt the admissions people pay it much regard. That said, do study for it a little. If you're serious about wanting to go to school, you have to be serious about the requirements for applying, even if they seem inane.
Finally, UT is cheap. Since it's a public school, it already has low tuition, but the department also offers TAships to all second and third year students. If you want to be in a financial place when you graduate to go right into making your first feature then you need to find a program that won't send you spiraling into the sort of debt you won't get out of for twenty years.
Good luck with those applications, and contact me with any questions.
brittak.
I applied to and was accepted to a lot of programs which meant I had a lot of hard choices to make about where I wanted to go this year. I chose UT over some other more flashy schools because I really believe in this program. It's small (only 12 students in production each class) so it's very personalized. The filmmaking culture here is great. There's a strong focus on storytelling and on independent film, but there's also a lot of diversity in the interests of the students.
Sometimes UT is dismissed because it's in the middle of the country instead of NY or LA, but it can be a real boon if you're interested in innovation or independent cinema and you don't want to be constrained by the fatigue a lot of the community feels about filmmakers in those other cities. There is a genuine excitement and warmth toward filmmakers in this city.
UT DOES require the GRE, but don't let it scare you. Just study, take it, and then forget about it. It's a university requirement, not a departmental requirement, and I doubt the admissions people pay it much regard. That said, do study for it a little. If you're serious about wanting to go to school, you have to be serious about the requirements for applying, even if they seem inane.
Finally, UT is cheap. Since it's a public school, it already has low tuition, but the department also offers TAships to all second and third year students. If you want to be in a financial place when you graduate to go right into making your first feature then you need to find a program that won't send you spiraling into the sort of debt you won't get out of for twenty years.
Good luck with those applications, and contact me with any questions.
brittak.
