Two Roads Diverged

Okay, so I know I just posted a horrendously long blog entry the other day, but as I said in it I didn't have time or space to go into some exciting news about grad school - which was originally my whole point in writing. So, now that I've given people a couple of days to read my other entry if they were interested, I thought it'd be okay to come back and update about grad school.

Here's the first part of the exciting news: I think UT is my new #1 choice. It has been down to UT and Chapman for awhile, and I still love Chapman and am strongly considering it, but recent developments have moved UT into the lead.

I was looking at my Film School Confidential book the other day and I finally sat down and read the entire chapter on UT's film program. I hadn't realized that I had never read it in full because I had lent my book to Tim before I had even begun to consider UT.

But as I was reading the other day, I found out that most students that attend UT's film grad school get most if not all of their schooling paid for. I know that this is often the case in many disciplines for which you would pursue a graduate degree, but because film is kind of an... unnecessary degree most people end up paying for it out of pocket and suffering under the weight of enormous debt. However, because UT has such a small grad program (19 students) and such a large undergrad program (hundreds?), there are apparently enough TAships that nearly everyone that applies for one gets one. And a full time TAship is 20 hours/wk with free tuition and a living stipend. Hallejujah, amen!! This is just too good to be true... and if I can only get a half time one, that's still half tuition and half the stiped. Woot! And if I'm one of the unlucky few that can't get one at all, I still qualify for instate tuition and will have a $5000 AmeriCorps scholarship. So financially, UT is looking better and better all the time. The one big money downside? No funding for films - that's Chapman's biggest saving grace. Then again, Chapman's tuition is 30k/year.

Other things I love about going to UT:

* Staying in Austin - as much as I love the idea of moving to California, Austin really feels like my city and I'd love to know that I'll be here for a good while. And while it's certainly a gamble, the film industry here is growing quickly and there's a good chance (I'd wager) that getting entrenched here now could put me at the core of a sizable market 10 years from now. Not to mention that Austin is a much better city for non-profit work than LA (more on that later).

* Semester in LA - since no amount of love for this city can change the reality that isn't the best place to network for a career in film - that might be enough to make UT not a viable option. However, the school is well aware of it's isolated position and is working hard to make up for it. The best thing they've done? Opened a satelite campus ON the Universal Studios Lot in LA where you can spend one semester. So I could go there 2nd semester of my second year, set up a summer internship in LA and potentially network for a job for the following year! Another great thing they do is take 2 hours worth of the best footage from a given year and screen it for major studio execs in LA every spring. And of course... there's always the alumni network.

* Small size - while a smaller class means less future connections - it also means a closer knit community, more personal attention from professors, and less competition. Woo!

* Documentary program - given my growing interest in film as a means for advocacy (Invisible Children being my primary example) it seems almost fated that I would end up in the same city as one of the only graduate film schools renowned for both it's documentary and narrative film programs. As a first year grad student everyone learns both documentary and narrative filmmaking. They choose to specialize in one in their second year, but continue to work with students from both specialties. Yay!

* Minor requirement - as a true liberal arts school, UT requires all of it's film grad students to have a minor outside their area of study. The best part? They have a program I can minor in that's Nonprofit Management. What what?!

* Requirements more up my alley - while most film schools focus on applicants' writing ability over filmmaking experience (yay me!), UT is one of the only ones that heavily weighs GRE scores. While this is bad news for most people, my strong standardized test skills mean this could be key in getting me into this school

* Established network and connections - having only been in Austin 6 months, I've already established firm connections in both the nonprofit and film worlds in this city. And with my continuing campaign to convert everyone I know and love to Austinism, my own intended longevity here can only help that cause. And it gives me 3 more years to meet my cowboy.

So yeah, I'm more and more excited about the prospect of going to UT film, and I can't help but feel like I was led here by something bigger than myself. College Forward came along like an answer to a prayer, and rather than taking me away from either film or non-profit work, it's actually brought me to a place where those things seem to go together as well as peanut butter and jelly. How's that for a sign?

Not that I've completely ruled out Chapman. It has it's own benefits. Just as I was falling completely in love with UT, I read the chapter on Chapman and was reminded of what brought it to the top of my list in the first place. Alike so:

* Location, location, location - in my dear beloved California, with all the easy access to LA but none of the danger. A small town vibe on the edge of a big city and only 15 miles from the beautiful Pacific coast. And man oh man I do miss the ocean.

* The name - Chapman doesn't yet have the reputation of USC or NYU, but anybody who's anybody in LA knows that it's dancing on the verge. It's just waiting for the right student to come along and do something spectacular - pulling the school into the spotlight and themselves along with it.

* School funded films - while a 30k/year pricetag is a hefty bill to handle for tuition, the school's practice of funding all student films in nearly unheard of in the film school world. While I loathe the thought of taking out 90 grand in loans, it would be easier to get money for school tuition than to fund my personal films. And sicne all students get the same amount of money, I know Richie Rich and Darla Daddy's Girl aren't going to get ahead in the competition for best thesis just because they have a bigger trust fund.

* Scholarship potential - If I don't qualify for the TAship at UT, there may not be much in the way of scholarships given that it's a public school. But Chapman has a heck of an endowment and I even know a friend of a friend who got a full scholarship just by threatening to attend USC instead. Talk about your ace in the hole.

* Conservatory style - Both UT and Chapman embrace the idea of collaborative filmmaking, but Chapman actually structures it's whole program around it. It's conservatory style of learning, which means that you're fully immersed in the filmmaking process and learn all that goes into it by actually working in each different position. You come out of film school with guaranteed knowledge of the whole scope of filmmaking jobs. And what with the intensive schedule that starts off the program with a week of parties and meet-and-greets, along with a list of summer reading and movies to watch - this place is a veritable Hogwarts of moviemaking. And as far as I'm concerned, film is the next best thing to magic.

* Student-owned films - another wonderful trait pretty unique to Chapman is that - on top of funding all student films - they also let their students retain ownership over their work. This means that you're free to enter your films into festivals as you wish, and reap whatever financial and career benefits come from it.

Not bad, eh?

What this means is, if I can work my butt off building a portfolio and studying for the GRE and get myself into either one or both of these schools - I will pretty much be guaranteed a fantastic, life-changing, career making experience. This will happen.


I will make things like this:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI_suOg7Awc


And this:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuN0Z65sp5c


And this:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSiQn_NALnE


Life will be grand. :D