Cinema/Media Studies for 2012

[JCoe Wants to Go to School]

I applied in conjunction with East Asian Languages and Literature to Yale.

[nyfilmfest]

Duke,

It's obviously impossible for any of us to give a firm sense of your chances, as this is such a subjective process...

That being said, your stats seem fine, and I don't think they will present any issue. I think your background, which is unusual for a Film Studies applicant, is probably likely make your application stand out (I say this as someone with an undergrad Management degree).

The most important things are probably going to be the way that you've positioned your research interests in your statement of purpose and the quality of your writing sample. We can't judge that, really, but those are probably the most important parts of any application.

For what it's worth, MA programs often take a little longer to notify, which is excruciating, I am sure, but it's best to have that expectation.

[DukeofEarl]

NYFilmFest,

I appreciate the quick response. As this is my only access to information / discussion about the subject, I wanted to find out where I stood in this process. As you can guess Cinema/Media studies are not a popular water cooler topic. Thanks again for your input. Just out of curiosity, when you say that the notification takes a little longer, do you mean late March - early April?

-Duke

[nyfilmfest]

No problem... I remember going through this process myself a few years back.

I only applied to two MA programs, but I got news from NYU the 2nd week of March and from Columbia on April 1. Check the results search on this site to get a sense of your other programs' notification patterns.

[Swagato]

DukeofEarl:

nyfilmfest has already provided most of the essentials you're looking for. I shared your situation fresh out of undergrad as my undergraduate institution didn't have resources/facilities for much work in foundational film studies. As a result, I didn't really have much by way of academic work in the field when applying to Ph.D. programs. It's a good thing you're looking at MA programs as they can really help polish your academic profile in preparation for future Ph.D. applications.

In addition to what you listed, I would mention Emory University's MA program in film, and an interdisciplinary MA program at the University of Chicago. The former is noteworthy because it is, to my knowledge, the only fully funded Master's program in film studies in the nation. The latter is noteworthy because it allows full-fledged graduate work across the entire Division of the Humanities at the University of Chicago. There are several threads on this forum about the MAPH (Master of Arts Program in the Humanities), and you're welcome to find out more about it. I can say that my time there definitely improved my applicant profile this time around.

All that being said, your numbers place you in the upper-average level of competition (bear in mind that at the graduate level, the numbers often rest at the highest possible or nearby; full GRE/GPA scores are not uncommon). So what will really distinguish you is your research proposal, demonstration of academic work (writing sample), and the most important factor of all: fit between your interests/approach and that of the department you're targeting.

[JCoe Wants to Go to School]

Heard from UCSB today. Sent me an email asking me to open the website and check status. If you haven't heard from them yet, could be a good thing...

[ci1717]

I found out officially yesterday that I was accepted to UCSB via email to check status (I knew unofficially a week ago). No word on funding yet.

Edited February 2, 2012 by ci1717

[JCoe Wants to Go to School]

Got rejection from UCLA in the post today. I guess decisions from there should be forthcoming.

[maxfischer]

Yeah, I also got a rejection from UCLA a few days ago, and I have a friend who got in about two weeks ago, so UCLA should have notified most people by now (for the PhD, at least). Also got an unofficial admission notice from U Chicago, so ppl should hear about that soon as well...

[JCoe Wants to Go to School]

hi max,

by email from your POI? or directed to the website, etc.? i'm assuming that if i haven't heard from them, i'm probably off the list as well.

[maxfischer]

Email from dept. Chair, followed by email from one of my POIs. No idea what their notification schedule is for waitlists/rejections, but I assume I'm not the only one notified of being accepted... The email said they had over 30 applicants / spot, btw... absolutely insane app year.

[nyfilmfest]

Good to see we're starting to hear some results around here... Congrats to everyone who's in thus far, and good luck to those still waiting.

My current standings are:

Admitted - Indiana, USC, Wayne State

Interview - Northwestern

No word - Berkeley, Chicago, Concordia, Iowa, Michigan, NYU, Pittsburgh, Texas - Austin, UCSB, University of Florida,

Wisconsin-Madison

[Swagato]

Email from dept. Chair, followed by email from one of my POIs. No idea what their notification schedule is for waitlists/rejections, but I assume I'm not the only one notified of being accepted... The email said they had over 30 applicants / spot, btw... absolutely insane app year.

Great news and congratulations on that, max. May I ask about your general background in the field/stats/research directions? Also, did your email make any reference to a likely incoming cohort size?

[JCoe Wants to Go to School]

Hi Everyone,

I noticed that the results survey says that Berkeley has admitted someone. Has anyone else heard from Berkeley? I just wanted to steel myself for the disappointment if they've already sent out their acceptances. Thanks.

[maxfischer]

No word on cohort size...

I'm a bit reluctant to discuss my personal background in this public a forum, but I have a BA in Art History and Political Science from a top LAC, and getting a master's in Film and TV studies now from a pretty good school. Interested in visual theory across disciplines (visual studies, film, media, art history, architecture) as well as intl. and independent film (currently working on a thesis on a newly reemerging national cinema), and have also done some work on tv comedy. If you have any pointed questions, PM me, but again, I am pretty concerned with letting go of too much personal info on something completely open...

[maxfischer]

Saw that too, JCoe. I got no word from Berkeley either.

[tonimacattack]

Hi everyone. Well, I think I had my first panic attack of the application cycle when I saw on the results board that people are hearing from Pittsburgh's English department. My question is--the Film Studies PhD at Pitt is run through several departments with the Film Studies Dept. Just because my associated department is English, and I haven't heard anything and some English PhDs have, I shouldn't quit on Pitt yet, should I?

Thanks!

[Swagato]

Looks like two posts for Berkeley now. Does this mean all the Berkeley positive notifications went out today (Feb 3)? Or do the rest of us have reason to hold on just a bit longer?

[nix]

I managed to steal one of those Berkeley acceptances. The weak thing about site-check/letters vs. phone calls is that letters can't accidentally give you inside information that would be useful for people still waiting (or even useful to you like, "We are seriously broke" or "Doane just quit tonight," for example).

Based on a conversation with someone who onced worked in admissions at Berkeley, most acceptances might go out all in one day with a spot or two still in question. But it may be different from year-to-year. It's pretty unlikely that I'm going to end up there so, to anyone that ends up waitlisted, there's a good chance another spot will open up.

[JCoe Wants to Go to School]

thanks for the info Nix. can i ask what your research topic is? it's okay if you don't feel comfortable.

[Swagato]

Can any of us confirm that Berkeley, UChicago, and Northwestern have sent out their admit emails? (For Northwestern, this would be their interview invites.) It'd be nice to know which places to knock off our lists, at least for this time around.

[maxfischer]

I can (re)confirm U Chicago (unless they got to me early and didn't email other ppl, which sounds unlikely). No word from Berkeley yet, and I didn't apply to Northwestern.

[JCoe Wants to Go to School]

Thanks for all of the info everyone! I know that my anxieties might be getting the best of me, but that's no reason to pressure other people for information. Anything people feel comfortable sharing is more than enough and is much appreciated.

[Swagato]

Just noticed a Pitt admit posted. Could someone claim it and clarify what the joint dept. was (German/English/etc.)? Any more details would be appreciated!

[tonimacattack]

Yeah I saw the Pitt notice too. I wonder in the case of PIttsburgh whether we are informed by the Film Studied dept or the associated depts. If so, I think I may be in trouble since it seems the English dept has done all of its accepting, however, I haven't received a rejection yet, either...