Swagato

If anyone has received good news from Emory and will not be attending, or if you are on the waitlist and will not be waiting it out, PLEASE, please, please let them know. Soon, if you can.

I'm from India. My earliest memory is watching a black and white film whose angles and lines seemed all wrong. I ended up having nightmares for almost a month. And then, I threw a tantrum till my grandfather put on "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" for me again. The images were just so magnetic. I don't know what perception you guys may have about the state of college education in India. I lived there for 18 years before I came to the US for my undergrad. I don't have a future there for film studies. I've had endless debates with various well-wishers about the wisdom of pursuing a field whose golden age is long past. I know, I know. Bergman, Antonioni, Hitchcock, they're all gone. Kael, Truffaut, gone too. No epic critic duels around. No glitzy future. So why, why would I risk my entire life -- and trust me, right now, it would be VERY difficult for me to re-establish a career back home -- for something so uncertain? Because film is all I've ever known. Images moving on screen...sometimes I turn the volume off and just watch. The first time I went on a date, I naively invited the good lady over to enjoy "The Virgin Spring." It wasn't a long relationship. I come from a family comprising professors on both sides. Maybe it's in me. Analysis, heated discussion of absolutely arcane points, discovering outrageous things in everything and conjuring perfectly preposterously plausible cases for them...sorry, I think I just popped wood. This is one of the worst times for me, and others like me. We're hemmed in by a brutal economy, starkly downsized university budgets, and an overage of applicants. And we're stuck in the humanities and no way to break the spell. I applied to most of the top film programs this time, and a few other lesser ranked ones. I'm anticipating a round rejection since I just have Emory and WUSTL to hear back from. I see posts describing Fulbright scholars and academic phenomenons getting rejected. I worry for the next round of applications. As it is, I fear I shall have to return home at least until I can reapply. The resources available to me won't really be much. Film studies is practically unheard of in modern Indian culture. I have GradCafe to thank for a lot of ideas I now have for refreshing and overhauling my application. I didn't mean to make the thread about me. Guess I just wanted to say you're not alone in the pot, Branwen.

I guess I can relate here. I didn't graduate from a highly-ranked place, but barring my GPA every other stat is pretty much flawless. I suspect (since I applied to Film Studies PhD programs -- and one MA) that my SOP fell short. I'm not extremely shocked that I'm likely not going to get in anywhere. This is a ridiculous economic situation made complicated by an overage of highly qualified applicants and shrinking resources. You shouldn't knock yourself too badly. It isn't that you're not qualified, but there are so many factors to consider that it seems almost pointless to outguess admission committees. Personally, I will be working on my SOP, learning two languages (I saw most Film Studies programs recommend knowing French, Italian, or German -- I know none), and working on my letters of recommendation. Although my recommenders are not famous, they know me extremely well and I am lucky in that I have a very close and personal relationship with all of them. My undergraduate history is not good and my GPA is short of the cutoff at some places that have such cutoffs. My junior and senior years provide evidence of my level of scholarship, but selling my first two messed up years to grad committees will not be easy. I can't really upgrade my GREs any further, but I shall be working on the 'soft' parts of the application. You should try and gain any experience you can find that even slightly ties in to your intended PhD desires. Your MA issue is not of your making, so I don't think that is an issue. While you should of course discuss your past work, think of it this way: How does the work [literal and academic] that you have done so far tie in to what you plan to do during and after your PhD? Basically, how has your past prepared you for your future? What can you offer the university that admits you? What can you offer the field in general with the PhD the university awards you? I don't think it would be a waste to reapply. I believe universities with reapplicants would look at what has changed between your previous and newer applications.

Thanks for confirming Chicago. Per Dr. Bernstein's memo, I emailed him last Wednesday. I haven't heard anything yet. The trend shows Emory decides rather late.

Does anyone know if the following schools are still deliberating? I haven't heard anything from them. Emory (MA) Harvard (PhD) U. Chicago (PhD) U. Florida (English - Film track PhD) I don't think this year is my year, heh.

It's a brutal season. I'm waiting on Brown as well -- I see a few people have received notifications in response to emails. Guess I might email as well and see what happens. Also waiting on Harvard but err..I might die of shock first if that turns out to be positive news. U. Florida's silence is grating on me. Wish I knew whether they're done with admits already.

Just got Northwestern's reject letter via website. Not a surprise there I guess.

Any film updates, people? The Brownocalypse came and went and I don't think Modern Culture and Media was included. I've seen a few UF admissions for English and English(Film Track) on the board, but I've no idea how close they are to being done, or otherwise. I haven't received a reply yet (I emailed a professor I'm interested in working with). There's been no update on Northwestern (I'm almost certain they're done, so why not update the site? >_>) or Chicago (perhaps Cinemaaa can tell us if Chicago is admitting any more?). Currently I'm waiting on Harvard, Emory, and Brown -- these are the places there's been not a peep from. I may have more information on Emory as early as Tuesday/Wednesday *shiver*.

No word on Modern Culture and Media, by any chance?

Congratulations on the Chicago admit. Would you mind PMing me your stats? I'm really curious... As for Yale, I received an email from Dudley Andrew recently. It doesn't look good for them. He said they're admitting just one student this time to the Comp Lit/Film Studies program (and that's not me, naturally). I'm not too bothered because Yale would've been a long shot -- it's just that my entire senior work in film centered around Andrew's stuff. Waiting nervously for Emory now.

Film_Freak: I don't know that Bernstein implied Emory itself will be able to send out any news. He was responding to a personal question concerning my own application, pretty much. I got the feeling his answer was along the lines of "I'll probably be able to give you an idea of where you stand next week-ish." Of course, if the general news comes out, it's just as well. Hate waiting. It's kind of funny how top guys like Andrew and Bernstein responded so promptly, while my email to the Dir. at CMS, U. Chicago and U. Florida have gone unanswered so far :s Do we know if UF is completely done with their admits? I've seen at least 3 admits to the English program on gradcafe itself.

I had an email update from Dr. Bernstein just this morning informing me they are running a "bit behind schedule" -- I interpret that to mean they have a large applicant pool -- and that he'd be able to have some sort of answer for me early next week regarding Emory admissions. In other news, I emailed Dudley Andrew at Yale and received a wonderful email from him. I think it's the nicest rejection I've ever faced. It seems the Comp. Lit. current cohort is unusually larger. On top of that, budget cuts and excessive applications means the Comp. Lit./Film Studies pairing will only admit -one- student this year. o_O Film_Freak, thanks for that bit of research!

Sorry, I've really no idea. Fingers are crossed that Emory's program may take a more generous cohort due to being an MA. Dr. Bernstein is a really amiable man though, so you could try contacting him? Right now I'm biting my fingernails because of the flurry of Brown-related posts on this board's results page. I didn't receive the email they're all agog over, and I'm wondering wtf that could mean.

Hmm. Undergrad BA in English from a small college (though within top 100). Two independent studies in film, summer research as well. All on Wong Kar-wai. Mainly interested in auteur theory via semiotics. A lot of emphasis on Dudley Andrew and Christian Metz. Also Matthew Bernstein. Overall GPA is, frankly, low. Fresh/soph years messed me up. I'm not from the States, and wasn't really ready for the wide scope of a liberal arts program. Recovered rapidly once I found my strengths in film and English though. Heavy course overload in junior/senior years, and A's in every film course taken. Short film made during independent study screened at local indie festival. GRE: 800v/680q/4.5. I have (hopefully) very strong recs from three professors who've known me very closely and know my best and worst qualities. No publications or conferences though :/ Applied to: Emory MA U. Chicago Northwestern Brown Yale [Comp. Lit/Film Studies] Harvard U. Florida I've seen 2 admits for UFlorida and 1 for UChicago, and one interview for Northwestern on this forum. UFlorida assistant grad coordinator said they won't be done until 3-4 weeks from now. Bernstein had mentioned Emory may take upto early February before any decisions are made. I saw a flurry of Yale Comp. Lit. rejections some days ago here, but no Film Studies combo. Edit: I've heard from my advisor, who teaches at the U. Iowa Writer's Workshop, that UI's Cinema Studies program is "possibly on the chopping block." I do remember Corey Creekmur of UI mentioning heavy budget cuts this year.

Oh, wow. Finally an active film studies thread! Well, let's get the stats out of the way. 1) MA or PhD? PhD 2) What do you want to do with your degree? Research/teach. 3) What is your undergrad degree in? English/Film Studies interdisciplinary major. My college doesn't have a film studies major, but allows you to design your own major. 4) What topics do you want to study? Auteur theory via semiotics. Mostly focusing on contemporary directors. Haneke, Wong Kar-wai, etc. I'd love to focus exclusively on Wong Kar-wai, but that's not certain. 5) What's the #1 thing you concentrated on when working on your apps? Spreading my choices according to departments I felt were suitable fits; personal statement. 6) What's the thing you fear the most about being accepted and if accepted are you going to pimp up your dorm or apartment like a true movie diva? I fear that I'd actually spend hundreds of hours watching films I love, and ending up losing their magic. 7) Do you like making movies or just studying the history, theory and criticism of films? Latter. 8) Do you even like going to the movies? No. I prefer watching films alone so I can focus on them completely. 9) When people know you want to study film don't you always hate it when they ask you, "What's your favorite movie?" I do dislike it but I've come to accept it as an instinctive reaction. I don't actually have a favourite movie because I love different movies for different reasons. 10) Tell me a story about talking to someone about applying and them "not getting you". N/A I don't have many friends, but the ones I do enjoy film as much as I do. That being said, I've applied to U. Chicago, Brown, Emory (MA), Yale (Comp. Lit/Film -- my senior thesis centered on Dudley Andrew's studies in semiotics), Harvard (lol), Northwestern, U. Florida. I have a feeling Chicago and Northwestern are out -- I think Northwestern invited for interviews a while ago (haven't received any word) and I saw someone post an accept from Chicago a day or two ago. I have a 1480/4.5 GRE (800 V, 680 Q), excellent LORs from three professors who've known me extremely well for 3 years, and I'm hoping to hell my writing samples/SOPs make up for my less-than-desirable GPA.

Hi everyone. This is cross-posted from another post made in the Humanities -> Film Studies thread. I figured some of the content applies here too. Please read the following and give me your opinions. Brief intro: I'm an international student from a very average background. Middle class family in third world country, etc. I got here on my own merits. I had excellent SAT/SAT2 (1490 SAT, 800 SAT II English) scores. Always been excellent at anything to do with the English language or film. Graduated from a very small college [Coe College, Iowa] with an English major. I'll admit my first two years were absolutely miserable. Massive cultural shift, switching streams [math -> psych -> econ -> business -> english], just so happened to have an ill-advised advisor as well. Not the partying kind or anything. Just made some pretty horrible choices. First two years were bad – next two years were salvage work. I kept working at English because I loved it, and that's pretty much what I did best. Graduating GPA is nowhere near anything to make me feel safe about graduate admissions. Junior and senior years spent doing massive salvage work. Bad news in short: Crap GPA: 2.36. Final year GPA: 3.40 in both semesters. Plus points: Junior and senior year academic work = consistently much better. Extra courseloads every semester. Independent work completed with two professors [one in film, one on semiotics in visual advertising]. Highest level (offered at Coe) courses taken both in English and in Business and had A's all through. Completed two independent studies in lieu of a senior thesis in film [Postmodernism in the works of Wong Kar-wai // Christian Metz on Wong Kar-wai]. I have three professors, all high up in their departments (2 Eng 1 Bus) who know me and my case very intimately. They know where I come from, why my transcript is not the full story, and the calibre of my work. I am completely confident that they will do their best when it comes to LOR's. Summary: Crap GPA. Excellent work in film [Coe does not offer Film major] and English. Multiple independent projects in film. Junior/senior year = much better. LOR's = no worries there. GRE: Will take in October. Very confident about 1400+ score. So here's the rub. I badly want to get into programs that will allow me to go directly for the PhD. Now I'm not quite sure how this works. My friend graduated with Chemistry and was accepted to the PhD program at Iowa State directly. He says it is possible for BA -> PhD admissions in his field. My research hasn't really indicated that to be possible for film. Most places require me to apply to the MA first. The reason I'm balking at that is finances. I noticed only Emory offering a full-tuition MA program. Everywhere else it isn't so rosy. Some even state clearly that funding for MA is not a guarantee. Obviously I intend to pursue the PhD. I need help figuring out where, though. I have a few choices. U. Chicago, U. Iowa, U. Wisconsin, Columbia, Emory, U. Indiana. But those are not set in stone and I'd love it if any of you can help me make the right decisions. Despite my GPA giving me night chills about being tossed out due to not meeting minimum Cum. GPA requirements, I want to believe when I'm told graduate committees look at the entire application. My GPA is the one [very bad] weak point in my application. I'm confident about everything else. But I need to choose the right places because finances are a major factor. And I'm also worried that places might do a pre-screening based on GPA alone. If that happens, my application would be tossed out without anyone ever getting a chance to read my statement or my LOR's.

Hi everyone. I've been following this thread for a while now, and I have had several questions answered before I had to ask them