@Lindagaf I understand what you’re saying, and I am grateful that I have somewhere to go. I think @PurpleTitan summed up my situation best, in which my safety (UCSB) would be better than most matches from a cost perspective. My parents discussed with me that I would likely be staying in-state for financial reasons unless I made it into a tippy-top school, so there was no reason to find lots of matches. The only matches I applied to were ones where I thought I could qualify for merit aid (Emory, USC, Tulane).
@jym626 I applied for both, but I didn’t really know much about Oxford at the time. I just wanted to keep my options open.
@Postmodern I am so grateful to have a response that is not critical. Thank you for your kind words.
@websensation I very much appreciate the kind words. I decided film would be impractical to major in, but I’ll definitely take a lot of film classes in college for fun.
@PurpleTitan “Then chill in the serenity that nothing is promised in life and that you should only worry about things you can control.”
That is a great quote.
Don’t assume that something is impractical if you have the chance to be great at something, you have the passion for it, and that something also amply rewards those who are the best at it.
@ambitionsquared, @PurpleTitan Film study is not impractical if you are talented in that area, and it seems you are. There are so many people’s stories to be told by a good film maker like Ken Burns. It would be a loss for you and the world if you did not pursue that area imo. That’s what you love to do. Heck, if my kid was talented in this area, I would support him all the way to the best film school he can get into and forget Stanford. Looking at it the other way, my kid is going to Stanford because he’s not as talented as you are in the film making area. lol Another example: If my kid was a very good cook and interested in becoming a chef, I would say forget about Stanford and go to another college. Who needs Stanford or Harvard when you are a great cook?
As a mom, I highly doubt your parents are disappointed in you for not getting into a few colleges or not getting merit aid. I’m sure your parents love you to pieces and are very proud of your accomplishments. Please don’t get so down on yourself!
OP, if you feel that you are at the bottom now, the only way for you to go is up. My kid has similar profile like yours with high stats and very spiked ECs. He loves making films too, but not anywhere close to what you’ve achieved. He got differed at Harvard, rejected merit at USC, got in Emory with Oxford scholar finalist and Vanderbilt with merit. Maybe Stanford didn’t see a fit for you there? Maybe USC would like you to apply to their film school?
You will do fine at the end and get in most of the schools you applied to. Relax!
Lucas and Spielberg both have buildings named after them at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. It is probably the best school in the country for what the OP wants to do, and he/she was accepted. Frankly, if I were the OP, I would have USC SCA at the top of my list and be very happy to have gotten in.
Man, I really feel for you, OP. You’ve honestly done incredible and ridiculously passionate work throughout high school. Even though I’m a physics guy, I love love love film and the talent and the toil and the frustration and unpredictability involved in it. I seriously, seriously admire you for all your accomplishments. You’ve got one of the coolest profiles I’ve read here.
I got into Stanford REA - this stuff really is a crapshoot. I honestly have no clue how they rejected you. I really do hope Harvard, Penn and Brown wake the hell up and realize what they’ve got on their hands. Same for USC too (did you apply to their film school?).
Keep us updated fam! And please, please please, go easy on yourself the rest of this month. Let the decisions come in, but liberate your mind from obsessing on it - it’s simply out of your control at this point.
Tulane is just bc they think you won’t come. So it’s not an indicator of much.
Only God knows why anyone is denied or accepted to Stanford. Not an indicator of much.
Carry on as planned. Don’t let anything shake you. You went for it. Just wait and see. Don’t throw in the towel after the first round just bc the crowd cheered for someone else! Get back out there, keep your head up and continue on until the end. And let us know what happened! Good luck to you!
@Zinhead As @GnocchiB said, I haven’t been admitted to USC. I actually didn’t apply to SCA, even though I really loved it (especially the Business Cinematic Arts program). It is very difficult to get merit from SCA, and after a lot of deliberation, I realized that I would rather go to USC Dornsife at a partial price (since it’s easier to get merit there) rather than SCA at full price. However, now I feel like I’m getting the worst of both worlds, since I’m applying to my third-choice school at USC with no merit money to show for it. I suppose hindsight is always 20/20.
@TimeUpJunior Congrats to your son about Vanderbilt. Based on your threads, he is certainly a phenomenal applicant, and I wish him the best of luck in admissions. Maybe I’ll meet him at Oxford Scholars Weekend!
@PurpleTitan@websensation While I love film and would enjoy it as a career, I really would want to do something more stable and reliable for a living. Besides, I’m no “Scorsese/Lucas/Spielberg/Coppola” haha; I’m just a kid who likes making movies.
The thing is, what is “stable”? What is “reliable”?
You see kids killing themselves to get on Wall Street and MC, for instance, yet the turnover on both the Street and at MBB is high (that’s why they are hiring at colleges all the time). And almost everyone I knew in high finance hit a speed bump and had to look around during the financial crisis period.
“Besides, I’m no “Scorsese/Lucas/Spielberg/Coppola” haha; I’m just a kid who likes making movies.”
I am sitting here wondering if Coppola ever said that same thing (but without his own name on the list). Now of course I watch his movies and drink his chardonnay. Of course ten other people who went into film and got nowhere probably also said the same thing.
@ambitionsquared, @PurpleTitan I agree with PurpleTitan. If “stability” and “reliability” was the goal for my kid and me, I would not be supporting his desire to TRY to become next U.S. Secretary of State or Ambassador to China by majoring in IR at Stanford. You have to dream big. To me, if you just want to make a stable and reliable living, you don’t need to go to a very prestigious college. That’s just the way I think. I know all dreams don’t come true, but life is so much more fun when you have a dream. That’s what watching all these soapy movies taught me. lol
You got one life to live and it’s gonna go fast. I say do something you might end up failing. Then, you can do something “stable” and “reliable”.
Agree with @websensation. If you just want a stable reliable job, enter an accounting program recruited by the Big4 (they hire from all sorts of podunk places), get good grades, and work hard.
This is why I only applied EA to one safety… an acceptance with merit to boost my ego lol. When you get RD acceptances you will feel so much better when you have options and all offers in your hand.
Colleges are becoming increasingly selective. In the end, you’ll know how things turn out within the next month. I hope that you get the best but honestly so much of your college experience is what you make of it (give that the school has the program you want… can’t exactly create ancient sumerian profs out of nowhere sometimes) so I believe that with your drive you’ll get the most out of wherever you are. Also may I ask what museum you have experience at??
@a20171 I agree ego is important. One reason my kid didn’t apply to any Ivy League college after he got in via Stanford REA was there was 95+% chance he would get denied, so he wanted to preserve his ego. Besides, if he were accepted to one of top Ivy, he or I would had to post another thread with a title “I got into Stanford, Harvard and Yale. Which one should I go to?” and then waste so much time and energy choosing one.