The battle rages on...

Question:
Which is better and why?

Choices:
USC Film School
NYU Tisch School of the Arts

 

This is a hard question.

For me, they're both good schools, and well-known. {And both have alumni and faculty that are well-known in the industry}.

USC: George Lucas, and a lot others...
NYU: Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, Ang Lee....{Spike Lee teaches, and usually has Scorsese and Lee, and others as guest speakers}...

Still, they're private colleges, and probably expensive. {Especially if one were in international or out-of-state student}.

It depends on what one is after, I guess.

You could still get to where you want with a state school...and pay less money..and possible financial aid help for those in-state students; and get your networking and experience.

I never studied at NYU, and I've just started at USC, so I won't express an opinion, it's worthless anyway.

I just chose to go to USC because it was better FOR ME. They're very different programs, and thus attract very different applicants, and I have only one classmate that I can think of who applied to NYU....

But Joel, since they're private universities, it doesn't matter where you live. The residency issue only applies to state schools, such as UCLA, Florida State, or UT-Austin.

quote:

Originally posted by Jayimess:

But Joel, since they're private universities, it doesn't matter where you live. The residency issue only applies to state schools, such as UCLA, Florida State, or UT-Austin.

You're right...

I think I confused the private colleges with the state.

quote:

Originally posted by Jayimess:
I never studied at NYU, and I've just started at USC, so I won't express an opinion, it's worthless anyway.

I just chose to go to USC because it was better FOR ME. They're very different programs, and thus attract very different applicants, and I have only one classmate that I can think of who applied to NYU....

But Joel, since they're private universities, it doesn't matter where you live. The residency issue only applies to state schools, such as UCLA, Florida State, or UT-Austin.

The residensy issue? What does this mean?

If you're a resident of a particular state you can get greatly reduced tuition costs for state schools. This applies to UCLA, FSU, and UT-Austin. I believe you have to have established residency in the state for around a year, though I'm not 100% sure.

As previously stated, this is not an issue with private universities.

quote:

Originally posted by Cinematical:
If you're a resident of a particular state you can get greatly reduced tuition costs for state schools. This applies to UCLA, FSU, and UT-Austin. I believe you have to have established residency in the state for around a year, though I'm not 100% sure.

As previously stated, this is not an issue with private universities.

Well, I am internation student, so I doubt I'll be allowed to estabilish residency (or maybe I am, don't really know). UCLA requires it (and I will most likely apply for their film school after receiving bachelor), but I haven't found any information on thei web site about tuition and housing costs for graduate international applicants yet

State schools are the only ones that always charge you based on where you live.

Cine, you would need US citizenship in the state you are attending school to receive in-state tuition.

Otherwise, you're paying more.

However, UCLA takes international students...I've yet to hear of a school in the USA that doesn't.

quote:

Originally posted by Jayimess:
State schools are the only ones that always charge you based on where you live.

Cine, you would need US citizenship in the state you are attending school to receive in-state tuition.

Otherwise, you're paying more.

However, UCLA takes international students...I've yet to hear of a school in the USA that doesn't.

Thanks for the info. What you think, is UCLA as expensive as USC and NYU or it's affordable like FSU?

I graduated NYU with honors in 1999, and have since worked in the business. Before investing six figure and four years of your life in any program, consider the fact that:

1. Film is a blue collar industry. Many of the most successful directors and producers have little to no secondary education, nor is a degree required to work as a director of photography, writer, actor, or anything else in the field.

2. NYU, like other film schools, requires you to pay for your films on top of tuition

3. You wil be required to take liberal arts classes while you are making your films. These classes are not particularly relevant to making movies and add unnecessary stress to the process.

4. People in the biz do not really care about where you went to film school. They care about past work experience and your reel. If you can get the job done. If you're willing to work your butt off.

I have more to say, so i wrote a book about NYU, with a class by class breakdown of each year including the cost and what you get out of it, plus an account of the post grad support and the real deal about the kind of "inside tract" goign to a name film school will get you.

Even if you don't read the book, please think twice before investing hundreds of thousands of dollars to make a few short films that would cost you much less to do on your own, and risk going into debt. There is no compelling reason to attend a 4 year film school. It's not like going to med school or law school.

Plus, do you want to have to kiss the ass of a professor to get permission to make your movie?

If you're curious about what it's really like to go to a top name film school, then check out
www.filmfooled.com. Keep making movies and dreaming and you will be successful. You don't need a name school to do that.