<p>Hey! I just got accepted to USC for the School of Cinematic Arts for the Spring 2013. I got in through an appeal so I have already committed to another school (Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY). I’m stoked cause USC is regarded as one of the top film schools in the nation (and possibly the world). However, I am also very hesitant. I have already started liking Vassar. I getting to know people and we are hitting it off. I also have a roommate and I would really hate to tell him that he has to find a new one. Plus, I really like Vassar’s community. It is known to be very supportive and accepting and progressive. And with a top university like USC, you hear horror stories of tough competition. But I would feel like a fool to deny USC for accepting me into their film program. Getting into USC SCA is hard enough already. But being denied, then sending in an appeal, I only had a 0.000000001% chance of getting in BUT I DID! </p>
<p>Everyone is happy for me and I am excited as well. I just don’t know. I’m scared. I scared of missing out on some crucial bonding with my fellow freshmen. I am scared of having to wait a semester. I am scared of having to turn my back on the friends I have made at Vassar. Can y’all help? I don’t know what to do. Should I follow my heart or should I follow the money?</p>
<p>Your chances to network with industry people and work on out of school projects is better at USC and Hollywood.
If you were my brother, I would tell him you will learn more about the industry in socal, with more opportunities and meeting people who can advance your career.
You want to know your competition and the struggle instead of being coddled in college.
If your Vasser friends are for real, you’ll be hearing from them soon when they come to socal to try to break into the film industry.
Go to USC and kill it in film.
Good luck.</p>
<p>Always follow your heart, because that is where you will do best. That being said it sound like you would make friends at USC just as fast if not faster than you have made them with students from Vassar. There are a number of spots are the internet that you can connect with other students from USC, who are SCA students, who happen to be spring admits, its all what you put into it. My D is a relatively shy girl and she has already made a numerous amount of contacts and relationships with other current and incoming students. So, my two cents…go with the school that you feel you will rock the program, everything else will fall into place. Best of Luck!</p>
<p>I would also have to agree with Batllo.</p>
<p>Competition?</p>
<p>You want to be a filmmaker. It’s about learning everything you can from the best available people. Might the students at USC be more fanatical as a group about film making than at Vassar? Probably. But isn’t that what you want? The competition is going to be there whether you face them in school or out in the real world. If it was me, I’d rather learn to run with the big dogs in college than trying to learn their tricks after I get out.</p>
<p>No offense, but being a star in Poughkeepsie is not the same as being a headliner in LA.</p>
<p>GoGoJosh: What is it you ultimately want to do? Work in the industry on studio films? Produce/direct those same films? If something in the “Hollywood” industry is your ultimate goal, you can’t do better than USC. It really is the preminent film school- the facilities courses and reputation are world renown in film. If you want to do independent work, maybe do less comercial, more artsy work- make films that are not driven by the hollywood vision of movies, you might be able to do that from Vassar. Vassar is much less of a film school, and much more of a top notch liberal arts college who happens to have a film department. Outside of New York, their film program is not widely known and is not discussed in the same league with the top programs (USC, NYU, Chapman, Emerson, LMU- are names in that top list). </p>
<p>It is tough to get your mind set on one school, then switch to another: but don’t let fear be your driver. Figure out why you applied to each school in the first place and what your ultimate goals will be. There must have been a reason you filed that appeal. And it must have been powerful enough for them to say “YES!” at USC. </p>
<p>And whatever you decide: congratulations on your admission to two fine schools.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of your responses!</p>
<p>And Batllo, you made a good point. I wanna make movies. I wanna be big and get an Oscar. It would be wise for me to go to USC cause I get my skin toughen. It is better to be fighting for a grade than for money.</p>