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Problems with College
VoproSTEIN
howdyRegistered User regular
howdyRegistered User regular
So I'm going to a local community college to get the basics of my degree out of the way before going on to university. I have 32 hours total after one semester (dual-credit). Before going to community college I took a semester break which probably caused the confusion I'm going through now. The degree I'm going for is a Film degree and can only realistically get one from the University of Texas, and even then I'm told my GPA should be a minimum of 3.8 (which is pretty much impossible with my 3.5 now).
The problem I'm having is that I don't know whether I'll actually need a bachelors degree for Film. After the semester off I did a lot of thinking, and while in community college I talked to the head of the film department. They told me that they're probably on par with UT in the film area because they have teachers with no less than 15 years of experience of film related work, some still doing field work. That they're more intensive because they don't have to focus on a well rounded curriculum and can instead just focus on things like audio, video, editing, lighting, script writing, etc.
I'm in the process of wondering whether I should just stay 3 semesters getting an Associates in film and then using the built networks to hop right into being a PA, or simply get the basics out of the way and try to transfer to UT.
Another thing I always consider is that my dad's previous army affiliation gives him or his kids a 70% tuition decrease for 3 years used in a public state school.
The only reason I'm considering community college is because I've been told by the teachers it'll teach me more overall. My mom agrees with this, saying she learned more getting an Associates than she ever did after earning her Bachelors or Masters.
It's just all so confusing (and I'm sure my jumping and terrible communication didn't lay it down any better for understanding) and I don't know what to do!
The problem I'm having is that I don't know whether I'll actually need a bachelors degree for Film. After the semester off I did a lot of thinking, and while in community college I talked to the head of the film department. They told me that they're probably on par with UT in the film area because they have teachers with no less than 15 years of experience of film related work, some still doing field work. That they're more intensive because they don't have to focus on a well rounded curriculum and can instead just focus on things like audio, video, editing, lighting, script writing, etc.
I'm in the process of wondering whether I should just stay 3 semesters getting an Associates in film and then using the built networks to hop right into being a PA, or simply get the basics out of the way and try to transfer to UT.
Another thing I always consider is that my dad's previous army affiliation gives him or his kids a 70% tuition decrease for 3 years used in a public state school.
The only reason I'm considering community college is because I've been told by the teachers it'll teach me more overall. My mom agrees with this, saying she learned more getting an Associates than she ever did after earning her Bachelors or Masters.
It's just all so confusing (and I'm sure my jumping and terrible communication didn't lay it down any better for understanding) and I don't know what to do!
VoproSTEIN on
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Ignore the "Oh, we've got just as much blah blah blah" lines. They just don't want to lose your free government cash they get from your dad's military program, and it's essentially a guilt-trip to get you to stay.
I can has cheezburger, yes?
Do some research on what you actually need to be a PA at the places you'd like to work most. Don't forget that when teachers advise you to stay, they sometimes have vested interest in you doing so. It might actually be your best option, but you don't know till you look around and get some other opinions.
Not to mention "I got a Bachelor's in Film from UTexas" sounds better than "I got an Associate's degree from some Community College!" to the guy hiring you.
I can has cheezburger, yes?
The only problem with getting the Associates is that, because it doesn't include the basics, and because the bachelors requires you to take all the Film intensive courses at their school, I'd have pretty much wasted 2 years and then have to go to college for another 4.
Also, from the blogs and articles that I've read created by people who're "in the business", it certainly seems like experience is much more required than education. Like, even if I knew everything there was to know about making a film, nobody would let me do anything until I'd spent years in the field working with professionals. And it seems like I could simply learn a lot from getting an associates, and then picking up more while working as a PA.
And this is a good thing? These are alarm bells which say "bullshit easy ride degree that future employers will see right through."
That being said, I have horrible biases about university education and whether certain degrees are worth the expenditure vs their earning potential on your graduation.
1. My understanding of film is that its about portfolio. You don't need to go to university to do that, you just need to do. It may be better to get on the bottom rung of a film studio somewhere. You will have to research this, and be damn sure that you want to do film for the rest of your life. If you think it might not be, don't get a degree in it, it simply isn't transferable.
2. If you were to try and get a higher education certification, you should try all you can for it to be at a university, and if you are dead set on doing film, you should try and pick up a minor that might help your employment chances. The way I communicate it to high school students is to invert the idea that a degree opens doors. Degrees don't open doors. At this point in your life, all the doors are open. All possibilities exist. Decisions you make will start shutting doors on you, and its in your best interests to try and keep as many open as possible.
3. It might make more sense to take film as a minor and a more employable degree as your major, if you can stomach it.
4. Do your damned best to get into UT. Talk to UT, not your BSing career people at your community college. UT is a great school with a great rep, but you don't need me to tell you that.
First, the GPA requirement is likely just a baseline they use to weed out people with below a 3.0, which is usually the standard for most competitive programs. Second... there is almost no instance on this earth where an associates will be looked at more favorably then a 4 year degree. That science, math, and history? Yeah, those are the courses that make you a well-rounded employee worth having on the payroll.
Also, experience will always trump education. But experience and education together will be everything. That's why you do internships during your 4 year program.
Anyway, my final piece of advice is this. You've heard from your community college. Now schedule an appointment with an advisor in the program you want at UT and go hear their side of it.
This is something that I really haven't thought of doing yet. I don't know why it didn't come up in my thoughts, as it's such an important yet obvious thing. That being said, I guess that I'm now leaning towards going to UT rather than taking the courses at community college.
A lot of "art" degree programs are padded with psych, history, english etc. courses, which are great and interesting and make you a better person etc. but which the people hiring you might not give a shit about.
If you're getting into a field that will hire you on the strength of a portfolio, reel, or whatever then you really need to look at the field specific courses you'll be taking, your exposure to industry connections, and the least possible amount of distracting bullshit. Work experience trumps almost everything else in this kind of industry so you should lean towards whichever program can offer you the best assistance in that regard.
If you're looking at a university degree as a safety net so you can "go into teaching" or something if your chosen career doesn't pan out then you're already hobbling yourself.
Theatre, and, by extension, film, are disciplines that encompass the whole of human experience and delve into the deepest bits of the human psyche. The courses you have mentioned are not "padding". They are actually necessary to the theatrical/film-making process. In theatre, there is no such thing as useless knowledge.
The advice about getting an interview with the UT Film advisor is a good one. The OP might also see if it would be possible to sit in on a class or two.
It would also be a good idea to find out what the course equivalencies between the two institutions are. Sometimes the credits don't transfer quite as well as you would expect them to. When that happens, you end up spending more time in the university than you would have if you'd just started there in the first place.
Here's a bunch of speculation on my part: if the OP wants to be a camera operator, the community college route may be the way to go. If you want to direct, or "put your vision on the screen", you may be better off with the full uni route.
Also, is UT the state's land-grant institution? or is it a private university?
If you go to film school you'll get as much out of it as you put in. Going to film school IS NOT a guaranteed way to get a job. And for me, going to film school has been less about the classes than just taking the time to learn a few things on my own.
Given, I'm doing Film in England, at a fairly small university so I ONLY do film without the extra credits that drove me crazy in the states.
The interesting thing about film is realizing how many professional practices and people are actually involved in the whole thing. It's definitely a collaborative thing, and film school can help you narrow down your job profession to something you actually want to do as opposed to going in blindly saying "I want to be a director" and not realizing you need an actual job first.
At the end of the day, employers in the industry might look at your degree, but they'll be more interested in what you've worked on. So whichever route gets you the better portfolio is best, I think. And going to a bigger film school does not instantly get you more chance at a job, but it probably gets you more opportunity to get into contact with people in the industry but whether you do that is up to you!
That's all I can think of off the top of my head. If you have any questions that I could help with let me know!
This is why he needs to talk to people in the industry, previous students, current students etc. While he's busy for an extra two years becoming a renaissance man his peers might be getting much more valuable work experience. Unless the paper he gets at the end of the endeavour helps him get work he's better off working his ass off in more directly related classes and expanding his breadth of knowledge in his own way.
So far all the classes I've taken at the community college are transferable credits (according to the recommended transfer classes from the school's site). It's one of the reasons I'm stuck deciding between the two. They don't do anything for the associates degree, so I'd have to stay another 2 years with 32 wasted credits.
I can't stress enough how much this actually pertains to me. In actuality I don't even realize what I want to do in film. All I can think of is "I like to come up with the ideas, but not write them. I like to oversee the production, but also love the technical aspects of shooting with the camera." Pretty much anything that's not being the writer is what I'm interested in.
UT is one of the two largest public state schools in Texas, probably the largest one in the US actually!
Like I said before, I really do need to focus my sights on something as a career. It's a major problem that's keeping me from deciding what to do.
I still need to do this as well.
Sorry for the extra long post that really doesn't elaborate on anything! Although I think I'm starting to lean towards university now (which I think I mentioned in my previous post). Everybody here is so helpful!
I'd say if you're unsure of what to do but want the instruction, go the full on university route and as long as you put a lot of effort in you'll definitely figure things out.
Hope my vague advice helps @_@
I am literally one class (tv lighting II) short of a 2 year in it.
I worked at ESPN during school and realized real quick it's a trade, like plumbing but with a ton less formality and a ton more old boy network. I have been told film is very similar.
The only way to work in the industry is to be in the industry.
I am not sure that degrees help honestly.
But if the school teaches you how to properly do lighting basics or run final cut then you have skills that will help once in.
Of course, I plan on studying TV/Radio production because I want to learn those skills.
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