Transferring to NYC

Transfer Students
1

When I first went to college, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. In high school, I knew I was good at STEM classes but not much more than that. After my first year of college (I attend the University of Michigan), there is a dilemma. Between extracurriculars and classes taken in the second semester, I realized that above all I would like to work in film as a director and writer.

This feeling began to form in around the beginning of February, while taking a screenwriting class and doing extracurricular videography. After actually attempting to make my own videos and stories in college, I looked back in my life to realize that film-making is my true calling (I know this sounds cheesy, but over the last few months this has moved from instinctive feeling to absolute certainty). I wrote, directed, and filmed an 8-minute short for one of my classes and loved every second of the process, including the triumphs and the struggles. Following my first year of college, I know exactly what I want to do, but Ann Arbor is not the best location for it. I feel that my goal of making and directing movies is best accomplished in New York City, the center of independent film-making. Because I now know exactly what I want to do and what my first priority is, I would like to move to New York City for the remainder of college. In New York City, it will be easier to find professional work outside of school and connect with people that are also passionate about film-making.

Beyond realizing my desire to make films, I also found a love for earth science in my second semester at college by taking an earth science class, especially lab and fieldwork. I applied to a few summer earth science programs, but those were understandably canceled. I now see geology as a back up to film-making. It seems much more reliable and I do like learning and practicing the scientific processes of the Earth. Additionally, I already have my science resume pretty well built up for a rising undergraduate sophomore, so I’m in a position to start research next fall or spring (if in-person classes happen). If film doesn’t work out for some reason or if I move to NYC and realize that it actually isn’t for me like I think it is before the end of college, I believe that I can switch to an academic earth science career (this might morph into environmental science if I move to New York City). I recognize that this isn’t possible for many people, but I think because of my background I have a decent shot at using research geology (if not academic, then environmental) as a fall back plan.

To summarize, here are my main reasons for wanting to transfer colleges and move near NYC:

  1. I will be able to know beyond any doubt if film-making is right for me. I really think it is right now, but I don't have any connections in the industry and don't even know what it's like. If I won't be able to get a job at all in New York, I would like to know that before finishing college.
  2. I will be able to work a professional-level job. In Ann Arbor, there are many student-run and university-sanctioned clubs and organizations dealing with film-making, but almost no professional opportunities in the nearby area. I even have concerns that I won't be able to get a summer internship or other work experience outside of the city because it seems that there is no place to start professionally in Ann Arbor.

I still have not completely decided on transferring, but I am trying to weigh my options and figure out the best path. The University of Michigan has good film classes and a strong academic earth science department, but is not located in the place that I eventually want to end up. I was able to make a short film on my own last semester and checked out a decent video camera from U-M, but there is no guarantee that I will be able to do this again in the future, especially without more technical training. I feel that this type of training is best learned on set. In the meantime, I also really enjoy learning about earth science and want to pursue it at least as a hobby for now.

As I see it, my options are:

  1. Stay at U-M for three more years to get a degree, trying to get internships in bigger cities
  2. Transfer to a less expensive state school within commuting distance of NYC where I can study for another four years (Purchase College SUNY)
  3. Transfer to a well-known film school located right in Manhattan (NYU, Barnard, Columbia)
  4. Transfer to an overall well-known school that offers film studies within commuting distance to NYC (Yale)

Between the transfer options, I think I have a relatively safe shot at getting into Purchase College and Barnard. Therefore, if I decide to go on this, it can probably go. NYU, Columbia, and Yale are definitely not safe options for admittance, but I feel that I can give the transfer shot a fair try. In any case, I am planning to spend another year at the University of Michigan and take full advantage of all of their film classes and get as involved as I can with many groups on campus.

Please let me know what your thoughts are, I am looking for other points of view.

2

Barnard would not be a guarantee.

You could always drop out, try to make it in filmmaking in NYC, then resume college if need be in the future.

3

Can your family afford NYU? Or a SUNY? Don’t assume you can get a professional film job in NYC. A lot of people with education and experience are out of work right now. Get an education at an affordable school. You can go to NYC later.

4

Are you in-state for SUNY Purchase? Otherwise it could be pricey. You also could look into a CUNY–they are very reasonably priced. Also FIT has a film department. It’s also a bargain relatively speaking.

Brooklyn College http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/academics/schools/mediaarts/undergraduate/film.php

City College
https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/film

SUNY FIT
http://www.fitnyc.edu/film-and-media/index.php

5

Consider USC (University of Southern California).

If in-state at Michigan, then stay and consider an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in Screenwriting.

This list of MFA Screenwriting programs is dated as it was compiled in 2014:

https://screencraft.org/2014/08/06/10-academic-screenwriting-programs/

6

@PurpleTitan I definitely understand that transfer admission to Barnard is not a guarantee. However, of the selective colleges that I am looking at, Barnard has one of the highest transfer acceptance rates of 40%, which is the reason I feel that I have the highest chance of getting into that school relative to the others.

The reason that I don’t want to just drop out is that I still have a lot to learn about filmmaking, and a lot of people to meet that share this interest. Trying film at college will give me a safety net to fall back on as well as a chance to enrich my worldview. Studying at college will likely give me more things to make movies about and give me the opportunity to meet more people.

7

@austinmshauri I am definitely not assuming that I can get a professional film job in NYC, especially without any current connections in the industry or a huge film portfolio (I do currently have one, but it has about four things in it). The reason I would like to go to NYC before finishing college is to make sure that filmmaking is really right for me. At the moment, it feels right, but I’ve just been doing things for fun without professional experience. New York City is where I eventually want to go to make my dream a reality, and I want to ensure that this dream is really right for me. In addition, I feel that I can get a leg up on meeting people in the city, the place where I want to end up living.

I’m out of state at Michigan right now, but would be in state at New York SUNY or CUNY schools. The expensive private schools that I’m considering have about the same price tag as Michigan does for out of state students. I do have some financial aid at Michigan that might not transfer, and that is definitely something that might limit options.

My current plan is to apply to all these places listed in my original post (as well as USC and Stanford). I am of the mind that I can succeed in all of these colleges, and probably if I stay at Michigan. Michigan has all the normal non-film-school student film clubs, but there isn’t much going on professionally outside of University-sanctioned organizations.

8

@Dustyfeathers I am in state for SUNY Purchase, and thank you for all the school recommendations! I had no idea FIT has a film program. These schools are all really good suggestions that I didn’t know about. My main concern about going to SUNYs is that their earth/environmental science departments are not as well regarded as they would be at Michigan, NYU, or other private schools.

9

@Publisher I was actually already considering USC, but didn’t add it to the original post, because I thought it was already very long. I will say that USC and Stanford are the only schools I want to apply to in California. Originally, I thought to apply to Cal Arts, USC, Chapman, and other film schools in California. The problem is, I don’t know California culture like I know New York. I’ve watched several YouTube videos about East Coasters experiencing culture shock after moving to LA (most notably the channel bestdressed, whose personality I feel very similar to). With New York City, I mostly know what I’m getting into. In California, the only reason I would move out there at this moment is to go to what I feel is a “secure” school that has both strong film and earth science programs (USC is definitely stronger than Stanford in the film department).

I think I’m actually more interested in directing (and producing if I have to, but I’d really like to direct) than writing. That being said, I do really love writing my own stories (in prose and script); the pressure of making a living from writing is probably a little too much for me, especially considering that I can more safely make a living from earth/environmental science.

10

@PurpleTitan @austinmshauri @Dustyfeathers @Publisher

Thank you everyone for your help!

11

Hi OP–

If you’re interested in Environmental Science and you’re in-state SUNY-- have you considered SUNY Environmental? It has a pretty good reputation. Many of the SUNYs do have really good environmental science, sometimes from angles you may not have considered. Stony Brook has very good marine science, for example.

The most important thing as you move forward is less the school’s reputation and more what you do with your degree once you graduate.