What tier schools should I aim for?

Transfer Students
1

<p>Long story short: I’m a sophomore at a California community college with a cumulative 3.2 GPA (two Cs in math and science courses balanced out by a bunch of As and a couple Bs in English and humanities courses), an extremely low EFC from a single-parent household (though of course my noncustodial parent is still ALIVE, so it’ll probably take some arguing with the admissions offices to even get them to look at my application without my father’s info on the CSS). I want to go to a school that will either offer a good film/media studies/screenwriting program coupled with awesome internship opportunities (so preferably located in either the NY or LA areas) OR a school that has a mainline into the comedy/standup/TV writing community (i.e. the Harvard Lampoon, the improv scene and alumni in that side of the business at Northwestern).</p>

<p>I don’t have stellar grades and a list of extracurriculars a mile long. I do have a really interesting life story full of experiences both tough (growing up extremely poor without a father, getting involved in this big brouhaha about a band in junior high that made the national news and ended up with me getting death threats from white supremacy groups) and interesting (leaving school via the CHSPE at 15 to become an actor; getting a writing tryout for SNL at 17, etc.). I’m an extremely good writer and public speaker, I may also have dyscalculia (math dyslexia, in a nutshell - my statistics professor suggested I get tested this spring and I’m having it done before the fall semester) which might count in my favor when it comes to explaining that lousy math grade. I got into Chapman University’s screenwriting program but couldn’t afford to go. My composite score on the ACT was a 28 (I think I had like a 32 and 31 on the English and writing sections and a 26 and 24 on the science and math ones). All in all, I’m not the model college student, but I’ve got a few good hooks and would probably make a great “mobile home to Mount Holyoke” PR story for whatever school decides that they want me.</p>

<p>My question is this: what schools would be a waste of time to apply to? I do have a close family friend who went to Harvard who is willing to put in a word for me at the school, but honestly, do I have a chance at any of these top schools or would it just be a waste of an application fee? Do decent schools ever accept long-shot transfer candidates like me? I’m not stupid or unmotivated, just had a few ups and downs in my life, and would really like to get into a school that won’t ultimately get me anywhere but producing a local news segment in the midwest. Any kind of help is appreciated. Thanks.</p>

2

<p>I would try Gallatin School of Individualized Study or Dramatic Writing in Tisch or Media Studies at Steinhardt, all of them at NYU. </p>

<p>Gallatin: They would really embrace a non-trad background and you would be able to take classes in different divisions of NYU. You essentially declare your own major and you define your academic and professional goals, and NYU helps to make it happen.
Tisch: We consistently have students end up in internships or working for Comedy Central, NBC, etc. NYU alums are all over the entertainment industry in NY. Many Tisch students end up at The Colbert Report or Saturday Night Live.
Steinhardt: Our media studies department (my department) is fantastic and we also have alums in various media outlets in NY. </p>

<p>The only catch is, our financial aid isn’t the greatest. It sucks. A lot. </p>

<p>But NYU does acknowledge and appreciate students who have had ups and downs in life, and if you’re willing to give it a shot, I highly encourage you to check out some of the programs at NYU.</p>

3

<p>As far as the CSS, you can almost always get waivers for the non-custodial parent’s info, just be sure you request the form early enough that you still have time to meet priority deadlines for financial aid.
NYU sounds like it could be a good match for you, but the aid is terrible, even for those with a low EFC (with an EFC of 0, I still had over $20,000 in loans a year as a first year student, even after getting additional state aid and outside scholarships to cover what NYU wouldn’t). If you aren’t alright with so much in loans, start applying for outside scholarships early, and that could make it more affordable.</p>