USC and Film

Nester
Sat, 20 Dec 2008 14:27:20 +0000

Seconding Faux Nom’s advice. Students applying in Production and Critical studies cannot submit samples of their work. (In other areas, such as animation, I believe they can.) Your S will be asked for a creative portfolio, which lists creative endeavors in any area. My understanding is that the film school really likes it when applicants are also creative in areas other than film, and that while a long-term commitment to film is obviously a good thing, a student who paints, or writes poetry, or does still photography, or writes songs for his garage band, will also be looked upon favorably. And given that the Production application centers upon a number of creative essays (beyond the standard USC admissions essays), and not on the reel, writing well is a key factor. The essays – particularly for Production – are different from other college essays, and it is definitely a good thing to take a look at the prompts sooner rather than later.

My kid applied in both Production and Critical Studies, and ultimately selected Production,which was designated as his first choice. Applicants who choose to apply in two SCA majors are asked to rank them, but it does not appear that the admissions committee for the #2 choice is prejudiced against the candidate. Students can transfer between majors once they get to USC, and they can also transfer into SCA after enrolling in USC as an undeclared or different major. (Rumor has it that this is difficult, but not as difficult as being admitted as a freshman, given that some of the SCA majors have a 4% admit rate.)