video / film production majors only for grad students?

Colleges & Universities Wesleyan University
1

<p>I noticed on the break out of majors on CC 's site that Cinematography and Film/Video Production are only available to grad students. </p>

<p>My first and immediate impression of Wes is that it is a ‘classic LAC’ (its meat and potatoes is the undergrad experience), and , further I heard of Wes’s ‘prestigious film program’. But am I right to interpret from the stuff I think I just found that a significant part of the film discipline is not available to the undergrads?</p>

<p>[School</a> Facts for Wesleyan University](<a href=“http://www.collegeview.com/schools/wesleyan-university/majors]School”>http://www.collegeview.com/schools/wesleyan-university/majors)</p>

2

<p>Not sure what CC site you’referring to, but the link you gave clearly has a check mark under the “bachelors” column for Film Studies.</p>

<p>Btw, don’t be confused by the more formal name for the department, the College of Film and the Moving Image; it’s a uniquely Wesleyan use of the word “college”, used to designate an unusually distinctive, usually interdisciplinary, approach to a subject. Beside the CFMI there’s also the College of Social Studies, the College of Letters and the College of the Environment. At graduation, however, you’re still awarded a B.A. just like everyone else</p>

3

<p>the cc site I was talking about was linked to above. Yes, I saw that Film studies is under bachelors, but another part of the program, “Cinematography and Film/Video Production” is only available to grad students. </p>

<p>So it looks like an undergrad Wes student could not avail himself or herself of the Cinematography and Film/Video Production.</p>

4

<p>I’m fairly certain that the CC site is false. Wesleyan’s film program is undergrad only. No graduate programs. There is no separate Cinematography or Film/Video Production. I would advise that you work with the primary source material: [Film</a> Studies - Wesleyan University](<a href=“http://www.wesleyan.edu/filmstudies/]Film”>Welcome - Wesleyan University)</p>

5

<p>thanks for the link. always best to go to the real deal instead of a 3rd party for info. I still am trying to wade through the site to get clarification on the above question. </p>

<p>However, I did find something almost as disconcerting as not being able to consume half of the program in the undergrad yrs as I had perceived from that 3rd party run up, and that is that there wd be a distinct chance of going to the considerable trouble and expense to go to Wes for the film pgm, and not even getting into the film program as a major.</p>

<p>The following page says that you have to have a certain gpa (at Wes) and approval to be a film major. The film major would be the biggest reason to seek enrollment to Wes. ouch.</p>

<p>If this occurred, I guess I 'd have to sidle up to a gin joint and say, </p>

<p>I came to Wesleyan University for the film program.
But there is no film program at Wesleyan for gpas less than 3pointsomthing.
I guess I was misinformed.</p>

<p>[Prospective</a> Students, Film Studies - Wesleyan University](<a href=“http://www.wesleyan.edu/filmstudies/prospective/major.html]Prospective”>Getting into the Film Major - Wesleyan University)</p>

6

<p>I know this may not be of much comfort to you, but FWIW, UCLA has the same requirements:
[UCLA</a> New Student & Transition Programs - Study Area - Film and Television B.A.](<a href=“Study Area - New Student Academic Programs”>Study Area - New Student Academic Programs)</p>

7

<p>I love it when a place of education demands that you exhibit a finished educated state before letting you in. Sort of like the bank that will only lend you money when you dont need it and when you need it , will not lend you money. ho hum. I assume there are other places that might presume to teach you.</p>

8

<p>To be fair, Wesleyan expects all of its students to attain at least a 3 point something average. You may come solely for the film studies major but to get in you must be a well rounded student with high grades in individual classes and overall.</p>

9

<p>[Grade</a> Conversion Chart, Wesleyan Career Center - Wesleyan University](<a href=“http://www.wesleyan.edu/careercenter/grad_school/letters_recommend/conversion_chart.html]Grade”>http://www.wesleyan.edu/careercenter/grad_school/letters_recommend/conversion_chart.html)</p>

<p>Oh, for heaven’s sake… A 3.0 is like a B average.</p>

10

<p>idic5:
I’m not sure where there is an issue here.
You get into Wesleyan, you take a few film classes, you either do well enough and continue or you don’t and you can’t. If you don’t do well enough, this is a classic “washing out” of a major which can pretty much happen with any major at any school.</p>

11

<p>soze, maybe it 's the drama queen in this dad that made me overreact and interpret the following as restrictive. When looking at this again, I agree that the grade of B and the three courses are not the issue that concerned me (assuming there is reasonable enough access to these classes in the window that is prescribed - and that will be another question to the brain trust, I suspect), but it is the application for membership and the evaluation of faculty that conjures images of subjectivity and bias. </p>

<p>Since we are in the middle of this application - better word, SUPPLICATION :slight_smile: - process, when I heard of yet another such application, oy!</p>

<p>Plus there was a whole lot of words on the webpage describing arbitration. So what is worse than application? Arbitration of the application - giving me an overall sense of you gotta be steven speilberg or something-- yes, yes, we all know that spielberg was rejected at USC. hmmm</p>

<p>"To be accepted into the Film Studies major, students are required to have completed two of three prerequisites, </p>

<p>Film 304: History of World Cinema to the 1960s,
Film 307: The Language of Hollywood: Styles, Storytelling, and Technology,
and Film 310: Introduction to Film Analysis, with a suitable grade in both. </p>

<p>These courses introduce students to the film history canon and provide them with a foundation in narrative and stylistic analysis. </p>

<p>In addition, students applying for the major must have an overall grade average of B (85.0) or better at Wesleyan, </p>

<p>and must complete a written application at the end of January their sophomore year. </p>

<p>Film studies faculty will evaluate applications based on performance in film studies classes (including but not limited to grades) and any other factors deemed pertinent."</p>

<p>"…If students considering the major believe they may be an arbitration case, they should consult with the chair or departmental advisors.</p>

<p>Arbitration involves submitting a letter of interest, written work completed in Film Studies classes at Wesleyan, and additional materials as requested for review and discussion by the Film Studies faculty. </p>

<p>Faculty members evaluate the arbitration materials, performance in Film Studies classes (including but not limited to grades), and any other factors deemed pertinent to the case. </p>

<p>Arbitration decisions are made on a case-by-case basis and are not based on precedent or cutoff limits. All arbitration decisions are final. "</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.wesleyan.edu/filmstudies/prospective/major.html[/url]”>http://www.wesleyan.edu/filmstudies/prospective/major.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>On the typical wash out found in many majors, yes, I have seen this - my son is in the computer engineering program at a large state school , UIUC, that has this washout methodology – and I always thought that was a sort of ‘cop out’ at teaching and a ‘feature’ of the research oriented institutions vs the teaching oriented LACs. There was another word used at UIUC than wash out…</p>

12

<p>…weed out</p>

13

<p>Wesleyan is one of the very few universities in the.country where it can honestly be said, the arts are on as strong a footing as the “hard” sciences. That’s a good thing. Gone are the days when all you needed was your own equipment (bought with Dad’s money) and a dilletante interest in throwing together a film with your friends. Competition has made film and music and theater much more excting departments than when even Michael Bay, Dana Delaney and Avi Goldsman (to name just a few) were undergraduates. The candidates come from all over the country with a wide variety of personal experiences and perspective.</p>

<p>Yet, all of that progress Is in the face of a very real statistic: that only a fraction of all performing arts graduates will ultimately “make it” in the business. Wesleyan does its best. I think CFMI is the only department at Wesleyan that actually puts seniors in touch with industry employers. But, if you think the weeding process is bad now, you haven’t got a clue what awaits in just a very short horizon.</p>