California State University - Northridge

Date: Dec 06 2009
Major: Video/Media (This Major's Salary over time)
I'm a film student, so I can only speak about the Cinema and Television Arts program at CSUN. I can say with all honesty that this place is a mixed bag. The education you get is okay. The film school likes to think CSUN is on par with UCLA and USC. In reality it's really not but that doesn't mean it totally sucks either. There's a lot of hands-on activity so film students are actually applying what they learned in the classroom and producing their own works. It's a great place to go if you want to learn the skills needed for filmmaking.

With that said, there's a lot of things wrong with the CTVA department. First off, the entire portfolio thing is messed up. When I applied to the film program you had to submit a series of photographs that tell a story and write an essay about a moment that changed your life. Now I hear all applicants have to shoot a commercial instead of shoot photographs. In case you're wondering, once a pre-CTVA major hits 60 credits they have to apply for the specific CTVA program they want to get into. Usually, everyone applies for film production which is extremely competitive. If you don't get into film you usually apply for screenwriting and if you don't get into that you either do television or multimedia. The problem is the way the portfolios are evaluated. The students who get into the film program almost always have parents in the industry or really, really kiss up to the faculty. I know of some extremely creative students who didn't get in because they didn't brown nose enough.

There are a few other things that suck about CSUN like the amount of GE classes they make you take. These classes are a joke and there's no point in taking them because you won't learn anything. CSUN isn't a liberal arts college its a school for people who want to major in business/fianance, deaf studies or film. About half the faculty doesn't speak fluent English which is annoying. I know America is a melting pot but if you're going to teach a mostly native English speaking population you cold at least learn how to speak English clearly so we can understand. The real problem with going to CSUN is that you're one of 30,000 so don't expect any individual attention (I mean it). In most of my GE classes the instructor didn't even know my name much less cared if I was learning. I think the only reason for all the GE is so the school can make more money off the students since there's no other reason to have them. Social life here sucks because everyone goes to work or goes home after class. The only place you can make friends is in the classroom or if you're the right ethnic group you'll find a club with 20 people of the same ethnicity who look and think just like you.

One more thing that I think CTVA students should know: yes CSUN is in LA meaning there's job opportunities next door in Hollywood and Universal but the part of LA it's in is pretty gross. The San Fernando Valley is a huge ghetto with lots of rapes and stabbings. If you live in the Valley and need to get anywhere for an internship or job you need a car since public transport in the city is terrible. Also hook up with people from the Valley who know it well enough that they can steer you clear of the bad parts especially when you're looking for an apartment off-campus.