<p>@nswan0427</p>
<p>hi,</p>
<p>idreamofscreen provided a good insight - i will add my own as a current film student who almost applied to stern(business).</p>
<p>i understand your dilemma in the way that for a long time i was unsure of what i wanted to do in college. i really like writing and drawing and the arts in general, but i also recognized the reality of going into the artfield professionally. it IS hard, i sometimes joke, “of all careers, why do i love the ones that have some of the biggest troubles making a living” ;)</p>
<p>my first semester at tisch has been WONDERFUL, i can’t stress how much i love it. i can only say this for tisch but i think film schools’ communities are completely different from the ones you encounter in high school and in the past - from my experience, the majority of people i met here love what they do, and collaboration is such an essential part of the learning and social experience. i won’t deny, there are bound to be some jokers, slackers, or pretentious people here but i think they’re the minority, and i haven’t had an issue with them - you will find a great group of friends and collaboration on film projects will be something to look forward to.</p>
<p>several times throughout the semester professors have stressed that ultimately, film is also a business, and one of the most cutthroat ones around. there will be ridiculous competition, professionalism is expected, and knowing the right people at the right time can be a turning point for your career. there are a lot of talented people and everyone is striving to be in the spotlight so you will have to work your butt off to shine. the effort-reward ratio may be very discouraging at times. imo you really have to LOVE what you do, whether that be film or something else - for film, i think the passion aspect is particularly important.</p>
<p>i personally had zero experience directly concerning film before tisch - but i loved illustrating and creative writing, and i thought film would be a very good fit for me - i am considering director, screenwriter, and/or art director for now.</p>
<p>i wouldn’t put too much thought on your high school bad experiences - film school is not high school. you will be with entirely different people and in a different community. applying to film school - you generally ‘declare your major’ when you apply - because you’re applying to film school. for example, for NYU there’s a bunch of schools -ie. CAS, Stern, Gallatin, - and of course, Tisch(various departments in tisch: film/tv, dramatic writing, acting, MT, etc). to apply to tisch film/tv, you must select that choice on commonapp and cater all your application materials to tisch film/tv. there is a portfolio requirement and others, as listed on the tisch website. generally speaking, you learn the basics of film your first few semesters, and then you get to specialize in what you what to do - ie. directing, screenwriting, animation, sound, etc.</p>