Hi. I've kept an eye on these forums for some time, but this issue has provided me with enough motivation to register. The deadline is coming up for college registration and I'm in a bit of a pickle. I have two major choices: UNC - Chapel Hill (which is close and inexpensive for me) and the FSU -Film School (which I have been accepted to, but it is very far away and costs a bit more money).

Can anyone tell me what its like in the film school at Florida State? I've been fighting to get in it for a long time and film is what I want to do. UNC does not have any film or video program, but it is more prestigious than FSU and I do plan to go to graduate school. Am I more or less likely to get into a good film graduate school if I go to FSU as opposed to UNC?

Anyone who has gone to FSU could help me out wiht my questions. I know it is a highly selective program, so is it my best option for breaking into the film industry?

Thanks.

Your applying for undergrad is my assumption. When did you receive your acceptance to the film school? I applied for the graduate program and was just wondering what I should expect (size of envelope, content, etc.) and also when you got it.

Yeah, I applied for undergrad. I had an interview April 8th and then I got a phone call a few days later that told me I was accepted. I know the 8th and 9th were the last days for interviews. They mentioned a letter in the mail, but I don't think I've gotten it yet.

I had my undergrad interview April 8th and I also was accepted. I haven't received a letter in the mail yet either. Maybe they haven't sent them out yet.

Oboe, what time was your interview? We might have been in the same group.

Mine was in the morning before lunch. I had only three other guys in my group. I don't remember an Alex.

What was your 'story' about? We did something about how the South would rise again called Redneck Revolution. Ha ha...good stuff.

I was in the afternoon with six other people. Our story was about this new preacher who gets involved with an extremist pro-life organization and ends up blowing up an abortion clinic. The theme we chose was "ruthless ambition leads to self destruction".

Oboe, have you received anything in the mail from FSU yet? I am still waiting for a letter or something.

No, no letter yet. I think I've decided that FSU is where I'm going to go, though. I look forward to meeting you there.

Congratulations on getting into the Film School. I have some advice regarding your “pickle.”

If you are certain that you will attend a graduate film school, then I encourage you to forego your opportunity at the Film School and instead pursue a strong liberal arts undergraduate education at UNC. UNC is a strong university with several highly regarded undergraduate degree programs, and given that you have the opportunity to attend as an in-state student, it sounds like UNC is your best bet. In my opinion, an undergraduate education should be about learning to think critically, speak clearly, write persuasively, and explore the human condition through a variety of academic perspectives. Such an undergraduate experience will profoundly inform the stories you hope to tell someday as a filmmaker, and will certainly make your graduate education a much more fulfilling experience.

If on the other hand you are not certain about grad school, and you definitely want to attend an undergraduate film school, FSU can’t be beat. I’m sure you’ve read about how our students have won more Student Oscars in the narrative category since 2001 than any other film school, and more Student Oscars and Collegiate Television Academy Awards in one year than any other school (7 in 2004). But the untold story is about how many of these winning films come from our undergraduate program, which is unusual considering that graduate students normally win such awards. Because FSU pays for the productions of all of our student films, we must limit our enrollment to only 30 undergraduate students per year, or 60 total in the program. That the other top programs each have more than 1000 undergraduate students (and therefore many more opportunities for winning films) makes the FSU undergraduate program even more remarkable.

If you want to hear more about the program, just email Meryl Warren at mwarren@film.fsu.edu and ask her to post your question in the Warren Report. You will certainly hear a variety of responses from current and past students.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Frank Patterson, Dean
College of Motion Picture,
Television and Recording Arts

Well, this here is my first post to this forum, so here goes:
I am choosing FSU to be on the top of my list for the film schools I'm trying to get into after I complete my sophomore school year ('06-'07) at community college. What kind of overall GPA do you have to have in order to have a chance of getting in? I mean, math isn't my strongpoint, and I'm worried that that will hold me back (I am really good at english and humanities though).... I'm also wondering if taking any current film-related courses could help my chances of getting in better? Because so far I have taken an Intro to Film and Screenwriting class, and next semester I'm gonna be taking a Fund. of Motion Picture Prod. I class, then followed by that a class called Directing for the Camera.