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BrainySmurfette

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    Film Studies

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  1. On another note- does anyone have information on starting salaries (adjunct and TT) in our field? Most surveys on this topic give Humanities and Social Science info, but I've never actually seen film/critical studies listed, presumably because it's a newer, more niche area than English. One survey a saw a while back said Cultural Studies ranks highest among Humanities/Arts/Social Sciences salaries and my focus has a cultural bent, but I don't think Cultural Studies necessarily includes film. Any insight on this would be appreciated.
  2. Congrats on the fellowship! Living in NY is crazy expensive, but the best advice I can give is to research it the way you probably did grad programs before applying. The great thing about NY is that everyone knows someone who is from or has moved here so hit them up for as much intel as possible. It's very socially acceptable in NY to point-blank ask anyone about how much they pay in rent, if they like their place, etc. New Yorkers are obsessed with housing the way Angelenos are with their cars or Texans with high school football. Take advantage of the delight/misery and milk it. The NYTimes has interesting articles about larger housing trends but they assume that everyone has at least a lesser trust fund, more useful will probably be Craig's List, The Village Voice, various neighborhood blogs, personal connects, etc. Also everyone (not just poor grad students) embraces the freebie in NY which helps a little to defray 'fun' expenses. In addition to free cultural events, through my crew of journalists, film folk, publishers & business types I've gotten into big film premieres, Broadway opening nights, Daytime Emmys, swanky restaurants, fabulous people parties & Yankees games and gotten free books, DVDs/CDs, beauty products, accessories, etc. And I'm not particularly special or lucky in this regard. On the slightly upside, the housing bubble has burst big time. The outer borough (most student types only live in Brooklyn or Queens) prices are still pretty stable but Manhattan is dipping. It's now possible to negotiate with landlords on prices and have them pay brokers fees for you. BUT AVOID BROKERS FEES if at all possible!! They're typically 15% of a year's rent (in addition to 1st, last & security), and frankly savvy people who start early can totally find a place/roommate through word of mouth channels. NYU housing may be a possibility too. The Pros are that it helps to foster a sense of community, it's very convenient to the school and most exciting areas of the city usually beyond a grad's reach, and some (not all) of the buildings are hooked up with amenities. The Cons depend on the building, but if you're past the stage of sharing a studio with a random, RAs checking in on you and the partying rituals of 18 year old freshmen drunk for the 1st time (some buildings have grad & undergrad or are next door to undergrads and their hangouts) then they probably aren't for you. Also, they are waaaaay too expensive and usually much smaller than what a lesser amount could get you in say Williamsburg, Astoria, Ft. Greene, Jersey City, etc.
  3. I can't speak to USC, but I did get my MA in NYU's Cinema Studies dept. (albeit a few years ago, so things may have changed). Not sure what's meant by traditional or why that'd be bad, but they do provide a comprehensive background in cinema fundamentals. I liked that in comparison to other departments I've heard about they are as concerned that students understand about the art and commerce of film as they are about theory. (Personal caveat- I've always found it odd that so many film studies people/depts. are proud to know little about making, distributing, exhibiting film. You don't see dramaturgs or Art History people who are ignorant of how a play is written/produced or who disdain galleries. But I digress...). As an MA student they were as supportive of the pure theorists as they were of those who wanted to take a screenwriting course, make an ethnographic doc or intern with Martin Scorsese's production office. Obviously Ph.D. workloads will make some of these parallel pursuits impossible, but I loved that they were really open to someone studying montage by supplementing their scholarship with actual editing bay experience, or a scholar of musicals taking classes with the Musical Theater Writing department under the team that wrote Spring Awakening. In my time there they were particularly strong in Hollywood cinema, avant garde, docs, Asian cinema, national cinemas overall, cultural theory (feminist, race & LGBT) and they were fairly good in theory, genre, spectatorship, auteurship and aspects of physical production (role of sound, editing, music, subtitles, etc.). They didn't really have strength in television studies, film as it relates to American studies, youth culture, non-Eisenstein Eastern European (Western Europe, Asia & Latin America dominate), but again that was a few years ago so please take this with a grain of salt. I don't know what your areas of interest are, but if you like a department where half of the professors do exactly what you're interested in it may not be for you. However, if you like knowing that no matter what obscure interest you have at least one person there probably co-authored the proverbial book on it (or dated the co-author), then NYU is an option. In terms of faculty & administration they are not a department of enablers, but on the flip side it's not political at all. By that I mean Cinema Studies, NYU as a whole and all of NYC respect a hustler, a child who's got his own if you will. I came from a small liberal arts college where everyone loved you like you were a grandkid so I had to adjust to a more impersonal place, though those from large universities were not phased. They won't roll out the red carpet and tell you every single step you need to be the most successful you you can be. But if you show your hustle and determination, they will definitely answer all questions and help wherever they can. You need to be proactive to make sure they know who you are, but once you make one step toward them they will certainly make 2 or 3 to you. And there were no landmines of "this prof hates that one so I can't be seen with him" or "they'll hate me if I change my research focus." No sabotaging, no BS, no envy, no drama, no pissing contests or dick measuring, just scholarship. NYU is a stingy wench, so good luck on that (I think I got the largest scholarship in my cohort though, so dreams do come true). On a quirky note, most of the department's grad classes are in the evening from 6-10 so it allows a lot of freedom for those who work full time, crew on films, or have family obligations. Personally I loved the free in the day, class at night set up. I've got to be honest though, when you've had a long day, the film you're watching is, shall we say, subdued ("Jeanne Dielmann," I'm talking to you!) and the lecture is droning on, more than a few students take an unplanned siesta. Thankfully you can Netflix or rent most screening films from one of the obscure art house video stores in the area, just DON'T fall asleep on the foreign, out-of-print, 4 in existence films or you will be screwed. I hope this helps.
  4. Now that more acceptances/rejects are in, is there any more info on Ph.D. cohort sizes at various programs? Also, if you've been accepted at a program and have decided to decline please let us know. Us waitlisters need all of the rays of hope we can muster!
  5. Actually, like everything else in this process, it depends on the program. I found out about being waitlisted because I was mailed an official letter from the department. The letter also included a mandatory form I had to return to formally accept my position on the waitlist. If there is doubt about your waitlist status you should definitely contact the school and try to get some more concrete assurance.
  6. I need help understanding this whole waitlist madness. I'm currently one of 4 people waitlisted at my top choice school and their list is unranked (or at least they don't admit to ranking). I was told by the department coordinator that in previous years they typically admit 1 or 2 people from the waitlist, but this year is very atypical because of the high volume of applicants and the reduction of their cohort from 8 to 5 due to the economic crisis. The coordinator basically told me that if this were last year I definitely would have been one of the 8 admits. In speaking with her a few times she's been exceedingly positive and each time she recognized me immediately before I even had a chance to give her my last name or my program. The last time I called she even happened to have my documentation in front of her at that moment and quoted back my specifics like my address, etc. and she invited me to attend the upcoming new students reception, albeit with no guarantees. My inner seventh grade girl wants to read all of our conversations and interactions as cosmic signs that I am so totally going to move up from the waitlist ("Johnny's bag brushed my shoulder in the hallway and last week he ignored me in homeroom, so he must love me, right?!!") If I take the Pollyanna, rose-colored glasses view of the situation, including previous stats and my personal interactions, I have a 50-50 chance--sweet. However, we all know that Pollyanna don't know nothing about the evils of the application process and 'signs' are about as worthless as M. Night Shyalaman's movie. The world-weary cynic in me thinks they're just stringing me along and no one will decline admission to this awesome program anyway. 50% of nothing is still nothing. Ok, now that I've vented like a junior high schooler to her BFF, I have the real questions. How the hell do I proceed with this waitlist deal? My dream school won't be able to officially notify me of my status until after April 15th, unless all 5 admits miraculously decline this week. But I have to notify my other school by the 15th. Is it ok to accept an offer by the 15th only to renege if I get admitted from the waitlist school on, say, the 18th? Is that even allowed, or would I be blackballed or something for accepting, then promptly, declining an offer? Or does the waitlist school honestly expect me to turn down my bird in the hand on the 15th while just awaiting their yay or nay patiently? Arrrrrrghh! I feel like I'm about to turn into the Incredible Hulk at any moment over this whole thing! Somebody, anybody- please advise!
  7. When can we expect to hear back about the Fellowship? It would be great to know about outside funding before making decisions on offers. Heck, it would be nice to let the place where I'm currently waitlisted know if I get it prior to their final decision too.
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