UT Austin MFA 2016

[sdotkdotn]

Thank you! I'm not sure yet. I did apply to a few other schools and still want to hear back from at least AFI. UT is looking really good at the moment due to cost, location and the small size of the program. I'm planning on visiting Austin now since I've never been. Hopefully that will give me insight(I'm bi-coastal between LA and NYC so a change would be nice).

Very cool! That sounds like a good plan. I think Austin's a great city. GL with AFI and the others too!

 

[Lawrence Crowne]

@sunshine CONGRATS!

@CBurfict thanks again for the info! I visited Austin in November and loved the Hyde Park area. Do you happen to have any info about 1st semester directing assignments for screenwriting majors? What type of equipment is provided, facilities, number/length of projects, etc? Sorry to bombard you with questions but I'm very excited and curious

 

[sunshine]

@Lawrence Crowne thanks! are you attending for sure? how will you go about looking for housing? And would you bring a car? I was just browsing craigslist and it seems complicated haha...

 

[loho]

@sunshine when are you planning to visit? I got accepted to the Screenwriting program and have the very same questions you have about housing etc...

 

[Lawrence Crowne]

@sunshine I will bring a car.

I've been looking into housing but won't be moving til late July/early August so I suppose it's premature to do anything but get a feel for the options/neighborhoods/market looks like. I am thinking I'll reach out to buildings or postings before I move, then check some out the last days of July, and make a decision.

How about you?

 

[HernanGiaggio]

Hi, all. It's been about a month since the last post, and I was just wondering if there were any more who will definitely be attending. I know some are still waiting to hear back from USC and others before making final decisions, but I thought it would be cool to have a place to discuss things.

I actually currently attend UT (undergrad), so I can field some questions about the campus, department, and Austin.

 

[Lawrence Crowne]

@HernanGiaggio Thanks!

I have some questions about Austin the city and the university... What neighborhoods do you recommend to live in? Where do most students live? How is the commute? Is it bikeable? What is the parking situation on campus?

Regarding the living situation, in your opinion is it necessary within walking distance of things like bars, restaurants, coffee shops or is it easy enough to get around so that proximity doesn't matter as much as having a nice home.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[HernanGiaggio]

@HernanGiaggio Thanks!

I have some questions about Austin the city and the university... What neighborhoods do you recommend to live in? Where do most students live? How is the commute? Is it bikeable? What is the parking situation on campus?

Regarding the living situation, in your opinion is it necessary within walking distance of things like bars, restaurants, coffee shops or is it easy enough to get around so that proximity doesn't matter as much as having a nice home.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Most grad students live in either North Campus or Hyde Park (I've heard the former is cheaper than the latter if that's an issue), I think. If you have no pets, I would look into university-owned housing, which is dirt cheap for Austin. I have a dog that I'm mildly attached to, so I couldn't do it.

Austin's rush hour commute is pretty brutal. Like, I think that particular corridor of I-35 is rated as one of the worst for traffic. So living close is ideal. But there are pretty good bus routes for north-south travel. Biking is definitely an option, especially since the buses have bike racks. But keep in mind how hot it gets 9 months out of the year. I live a few miles south of downtown and I don't really have much trouble getting to things when I need or want to. But I do try to avoid 9 and 5 when possible.

Parking passes are available for on campus parking, and it's actually not too hard to find metered parking when necessary. Now that I'm committed to three more years of UT, I'm going to be moving to an apartment near the river that's a 15 minute bus ride.

Hope any of that helped. Feel free to ask any other questions and I'll do my best to answer. Another place to check out is r/utaustin. Those guys are usually pretty good about answering questions without too much snark, and there's tons of old threads to search through. r/austin is another story, though...

Have you definitely decided you're coming?

 

[loho]

Most grad students live in either North Campus or Hyde Park (I've heard the former is cheaper than the latter if that's an issue), I think. If you have no pets, I would look into university-owned housing, which is dirt cheap for Austin. I have a dog that I'm mildly attached to, so I couldn't do it.

Austin's rush hour commute is pretty brutal. Like, I think that particular corridor of I-35 is rated as one of the worst for traffic. So living close is ideal. But there are pretty good bus routes for north-south travel. Biking is definitely an option, especially since the buses have bike racks. But keep in mind how hot it gets 9 months out of the year. I live a few miles south of downtown and I don't really have much trouble getting to things when I need or want to. But I do try to avoid 9 and 5 when possible.

Parking passes are available for on campus parking, and it's actually not too hard to find metered parking when necessary. Now that I'm committed to three more years of UT, I'm going to be moving to an apartment near the river that's a 15 minute bus ride.

Hope any of that helped. Feel free to ask any other questions and I'll do my best to answer. Another place to check out is r/utaustin. Those guys are usually pretty good about answering questions without too much snark, and there's tons of old threads to search through. r/austin is another story, though...

Have you definitely decided you're coming?

NINE MONTHS OF HEAT?!?!?!

 

[Lawrence Crowne]

@HernanGiaggio Thanks again for the useful info!

Yes, I'm definitely coming.

I've heard Riverside is nice so I'm kinda zeroing in on that as well as East Austin and Hyde Park.

I've thought about university-owned housing and the proximity is tantalizing but is that the same as dorms? I'd rather have a bit of a commute than live in a building full of freshman/sophomore/undergrads (no offense, just not what I'm looking for).

 

[WriteBrite]

Congrats to everyone who was admitted! I'm wait listed for the MFA Screenwriting program and am hoping to hear an update in the next week, especially with decision deadlines coming up!

 

[TL21xx]

I'm in the same position WriteBrite, but for the Film Production MFA program. Hanging in there too, and congrats to everyone that's in!

 

[HernanGiaggio]

Lawrence: Nah, not the same as dorms. It's specifically for grad students and a few undergrads with families. It's not near the undergrads who are mostly West Campus. And I don't blame you at all. I wouldn't live near dorms either. I'm currently an undergrad, but I'm a super-duper-duper non-traditional senior. Not, like, elderly...but not in my twenties.

WriteBrite: Does it tell you where you are on the waitlist? Were you waitlisted back on February or more recently? The reason I ask is that I originally accepted a spot in the RTF department because I was mistakenly rejected from another area. Once I got accepted in the latter, I informed the RTF department of my intention, but my mystatus hasn't changed. Anyway, just curious how waitlists work.

loho:

 

[WriteBrite]

@HernanGiaggio I was waitlisted back in February. I emailed the program coordinator towards the end of March and she said that at that point, there had been no change in anyone's status and they were still waiting to hear back from the original admitted applicants. Hoping to hear something before April 15th! I should check into MyStatus and see if there is any change, thanks for the idea!

 

[WriterGirl]

@HernanGiaggio How good is the area and school contacts for pesky things such as internships? Have you liked the school as a whole?

 

[HernanGiaggio]

@HernanGiaggio I was waitlisted back in February. I emailed the program coordinator towards the end of March and she said that at that point, there had been no change in anyone's status and they were still waiting to hear back from the original admitted applicants. Hoping to hear something before April 15th! I should check into MyStatus and see if there is any change, thanks for the idea!

Good luck!

@HernanGiaggio How good is the area and school contacts for pesky things such as internships? Have you liked the school as a whole?

From what I can tell, it's excellent. We have Austin Film Festival (which is apparently the biggest festival with a screenwriting primary focus) and Austin Film Society (Linklater's group). Both take on several interns per semester. Then we have local filmmakers like Linklater and Rodriguez (among many others who shoot here like Malick and Jeff Nichols) whose films take on interns. I believe both The Leftovers and American Crime shoot here as well. And maybe a couple other shows, but I'm not sure. Then of course local stations and things like that. Plenty of those.

I've only been on this campus for two years, but it has been great so far. I have mostly been impressed by the faculty. They do far more than the bare minimum with respect to being helpful. The screenwriting professors specifically have been my favorite part of the school. Most are working screenwriters so they have a lot of insight. We also have indie filmmakers like Andrew Bujalski and Kat Candler if those types of films are up your alley.

 

[loho]

Lawrence: Nah, not the same as dorms. It's specifically for grad students and a few undergrads with families. It's not near the undergrads who are mostly West Campus. And I don't blame you at all. I wouldn't live near dorms either. I'm currently an undergrad, but I'm a super-duper-duper non-traditional senior. Not, like, elderly...but not in my twenties.

WriteBrite: Does it tell you where you are on the waitlist? Were you waitlisted back on February or more recently? The reason I ask is that I originally accepted a spot in the RTF department because I was mistakenly rejected from another area. Once I got accepted in the latter, I informed the RTF department of my intention, but my mystatus hasn't changed. Anyway, just curious how waitlists work.

loho:

How were you mistakenly rejected from another program?

 

[WriteBrite]

@Lawrence Crowne I just got my acceptance as well!! Congrats to you!

Have you decided if you'll be attending UT-Austin? Congrats on your acceptance!