<p>@fairverona Experience and recommendations are definitely important components of the Tisch portfolio - but keep in mind that those two are not the only things considered. I don’t work in the admissions office or anything, but from what I can tell, NYU admits well-rounded students. But specifically for Tisch, they look at both your academics and your portfolio. I think the two are weighted pretty equally. Lots of students in my class have experience and probably had great recommendations, but your recommender can only get you so far. Also, referring to experience, the dean of film said something during an orientation event that really stuck with me. A kid asked how the admitting process worked and if prior experience really mattered. The dean said that it was more about potential and the passion you showed through your portfolio than a list of everything you’ve done. The dean also said that sometimes you can’t teach anything else to the kids who have done it all.</p>
<p>That was not to discourage you by any means. If anything, experience will help you build an amazing portfolio. Definitely use these camps to your advantage and grow as a filmmaker there. Also, ask the grad students and prospective film students questions and have them review and better your projects. I’m just going to say that experience and recommendations will not tip the admissions officers in your favor. It just depends on if they like your portfolio or not. I had recommendations from teachers that aren’t in the film industry at all and I hardly had any experience. But like I said, a lot of people in my class do have those things, so all I can say is that those factors help, but not enough to guarantee anything.</p>
<p>A 30 is very good for the ACT! You’re in the range for NYU. Definitely don’t slack the rest of your junior year and your senior year. Keep up the grades and continue working on your portfolio, and I would say you’re a good candidate!</p>