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Q. What is the best school for premed: Cornell, Duke, Northwestern or Dartmouth?A. Why rankings are meaningless, followed by rankings. All four schools you listed are outstanding, highly regarded and have excellent record of sending well-prepared (well credentialed) successful applicants/matriculants to medical schools. And you stand a better chance of getting admitted into their own highly ranked medical schools (except Cornell’s is in NYC, not Ithaca). Choose one that fits you.Undergraduate medical school acceptance rate stats are meaninglessCM’s Top 10 Universities for Pre-Med Students (College Magazine)Top Premed Colleges (college.lovetoknow.com)by MCAT and GPAby Student ApplicationsBest Universities for Pre-Med Students: List of Top Schools (Student.com)Colleges That Produce the Most DoctorsPre-Med Choice of Undergraduate College Does Affect Med School Chances: What to ConsiderTop 20 Pre-Med Schools in America - Education AmericaUndergraduate medical school acceptance rate stats are meaninglessMany parents of aspiring doctors have asked me how they can choose the optimal college for medical school acceptance. The answer is simple -- there is no answer.By David Thomas, Photo by Damon SacksRecently, the mom of a high school student asked me if I could, as an educational consultant, supply her with a list of colleges and universities that had high rates of acceptance to medical school. She had found a number of them via Colleges That Change Lives. She stumbled onto others via internet searches.In my capacity as both a college and medical school admissions consultant, I have been asked to supply lists like these many times. The problem is always the same; it's impossible.Why? Many colleges boast high medical acceptance rates that are practically meaningless, since each school uses its own methodology to calculate the statistics, creating wildly misleading results.Some colleges only calculate the number of students who were accepted to medical school using the college's officially sanctioned Pre-Med Committee. So if 100 students declare freshman year that they are applying to medical school, 50 drop out after not doing well on prerequisites, 20 get a high-enough GPA to qualify for a Committee Letter, and 18 of those 20 get into medical school. So the school claims a 90% acceptance rate, but could as easily claim a rate of 18%. Cornell is a great example of a school like this.But wait, it gets more complicated. Some of the students apply without a committee letter -- let's say 30. And 10 of those get in, meaning out of the ACTUAL APPLICANTS to medical school, 28 out of 50 got in, which yields a 56% acceptance rate. So depending on how you look at it, 18%, 56% or 90% of Cornell applicants get into medical school.And of course, some colleges do not have a Pre-Med Committee. In those cases, schools usually publish simple acceptance rates. Because of the statistical gamesmanship, these schools can appear to have worse rates of acceptance but actually have BETTER rates!The sad truth is this; MED SCHOOL ACCEPTANCE STATS ARE UTTERLY MEANINGLESS. Medical school admissions usually starts with a computer-screening process, and computers don’t weight GPAs differently (at least, not yet). In other words, a 3.9 GPA from Fresno State will always trump a 3.5 from Cornell in this process. Once the Secondary Essays are received, and humans begin to get involved in the screening process, then the subjective factors are considered (as in all admissions).So what is important? DO WELL AS AN UNDERGRAD—wherever you are. How well you do in college is more important than where you went to college. And the existence of a premed committee doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll get better advising there. In fact, the advantages and disadvantages of a premed committee can balance each other out.Medical school admissions is incredibly nuanced and tricky, and I've just barely given the tiniest example of its complexities. But first and foremost? Ignore the acceptance-rate stats. They are meaningless.CM’s Top 10 Universities for Pre-Med Students - College MagazineBy Alyssa Aguero |March 21, 2016As exciting (and scandalous) as Grey’s Anatomy may be, becoming a doctor is no walk in the park. But before you even begin thinking about what medical schoolyou want to go to, you’ll have to survive undergrad first. While pre-med isn’t exactly a major, many universities offer a track that’ll prepare you for med school. Pre-med clubs, shadowing opportunities and special programs should be considered when you’re deciding how you want to begin your medical career. College Magazine took some of the load off your shoulders (you guys have a lot of work ahead of you) and ranked the top universities for pre-med students.1. UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILLNinety percent of UNC’s students who apply to medical school get in…let that sink in for a second. One of this university’s gems is their 9-week Medical Education Development (MED) summer program. This rigorous program allows students to shadow physicians and participate in lectures and seminars for professional development. MED also mirrors a first-year medical student curriculum—it’s like getting a little taste of med school. Although there is no specific pre-med track at UNC, these students still receive a lot of guidance. “I think that the way all pre-med students, regardless of their declared majors, are accommodated and assisted throughout the process is [unique],” said Danielle Jamieson, a psychology and Hispanic linguistics senior.2. GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITYThe pre-med students at GWU aren’t limited to studying within the U.S. The university offers a study abroad program in the United Kingdom where students are given the option to either study at Kings College University of London or Oxford University. GWU also offers an all-in-one program where students can earn their bachelor’s degree and medical degree. However, this is a selective program. Only students who have demonstrated leadership and academic excellence, and have healthcare experience are permitted in this program. These lucky students get their MCAT waived and are admitted into GWU’s Medical School at a fixed tuition (big emphasis on lucky students).GWU offers an all in one program that leads to BA/MD. Program is based on academic excellence, healthcare experience, community service and demonstrated leadership. Incoming freshman are admitted into George Washington Medical at a fixed tuition rate; MCAT is waived.3. HARVARD UNIVERSITYEver wish you had a mentor who was also a doctor and always available for you? Well, Harvard does for their pre-med students. “At Harvard, we have three separate pre-medical advisers, one of whom is a doctor, available at any time, in addition to a pre-medical advisor who lives in the same dorm as you once you get to sophomore year, which is not common at other colleges,” said Bryan Peaker, a freshman studying human developmental and regenerative biology. And the advising doesn’t stop there. Harvard has a handbook for students on the pre-med track that tells them what classes they need to take, when to take them and how to get into medical school.4. BOSTON UNIVERSITYRemember when Charlie got a golden ticket to get into Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory? This is a similar case for the students at BU, except instead of a chocolate factory it’s med school. With their Early Assurance Program, students are guaranteed a ticket (provisional admission) into BU’s Medical School. This university also offers a duel liberal arts and medical degree path that gives students the chance to earn both their Bachelor of Arts and medical degree in seven years, as apposed to eight. To get into their accelerated program (different from the early assurance one) you need to complete the SAT or ACT plus Writing and SAT Subject Tests in Chemistry Math 2 and, if you’re feeling brave, Foreign Language. This place keeps sounding more and more like a chocolate factory.5. GEORGETOWNImagine finding out you got into medical school during your sophomore year of college—that’s what we call a stress reliever. The pre-med students at Georgetown get this privilege with the university’s Early Assurance Program. This program is for students who want to attend Georgetown’s School of Medicine and have excelled in their studies and have completed four semesters and classes in biology, chemistry, organic chemistry. These brainiacs can apply at the end of their sophomore year if they have completed four semesters at Georgetown and have taken four pre-med courses. Another plus from this program is that the students’ MCAT is waived. Georgetown also has a few pre-med clubs like the Pre-Medical Society and the Pre-Dental Society. The Pre-Medical society not only provides advising for pre-med students, but also sponsors mock interviews and brings in guest speakers from the medical field to talk to the student members.Georgetown allows undergraduate students to gain the training needed to meet medical school criteria; program is part of the degree curriculum. A Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical program is also available for bachelor degree holders who lack core Pre-Med Science courses.6. JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITYSome say the best learning happens outside of the classroom, and that’s the case at Johns Hopkins University. Occasionally the professors let their students into their labs for research. The students here can get even more outside learning by taking a 15-minute shuttle ride to Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, where they can shadow doctors and conduct research. With all these opportunities, the pre-med students here don’t feel the need to compete with each other. “As undergrads, we encourage and assist each other in all of our coursework. [It’s] definitely not a cut-throat, competitive environment like some say,” said George Bugarinovic, a public health and natural sciences senior.JHU offers a Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Med program for all medical specializations. Program is offered on the undergraduate campus, School of Medicine and at the School of Public Health; students are able to carve out their own area of study.7. UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIAIf you’re in no rush to start med school, you’ve stumbled upon the perfect university. U Penn doesn’t believe in giving their pre-med students a fast track path into medical school. They want their students to complete their degree in four years so they can take additional classes that will make them more prepared for med school and beyond. U Penn is also located near several large medical institutes, like the Pennsylvania Hospital, which provide them with opportunities to shadow doctors and volunteer at hospitals. Clearly, this university knows what it’s doing since 76 percent of U Penn students get into medical school.U Penn offers a few Post Baccalaureate programs, two are relevant to the study of medicine; these include the Pre Health Core Studies and the Pre Health Specialized Studies. Both programs are very selective and pave way for further medical studies.8. UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTONAs one of the top medical schools in the nation, it’s no surprise that the University of Washington has one of the best pre-med tracks in the nation as well. With a large number of premedical clubs (Alpha Epsilon Delta is a big one) and numerous shadowing opportunities, these students will be wearing white coats in no time. “The shadowing opportunities and your ability to get into research your freshman year is unreal, it’s [one] you can’t get everywhere. My winter quarter of my freshman year I got to shadow a mitral valve replacement [surgeon],” said Alec Sullivan, a competitive history of ideas sophomore.9. CORNELL UNIVERSITYHere’s a shocker: another Ivy landed on our list. With its two-year pre-med track program, Cornell prepares students by offering courses—introductory biology and chemistry courses to name a few—on sciences that are related to medicine. Students also have the chance to volunteer at the Cayuga Medical Center—a non-profit hospital right by the university. One of Cornell’s greatest resources is their PATCH club—a student-run organization that brings together pre-med and pre-health students. PATCH welcomes all pre-health students and offers a supportive environment and beneficial opportunities for its members such as bringing in guest speakers to talk about their experience in the health care field.10. NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITYThe pre-med track is not an easy one, and Northwestern University gets that. Its pre-med peer mentor program (NU PPMP) selects upperclassmen with a strong academic standing to guide and support underclassmen on the pre-med track. This university is also big on research. Students are allowed to conduct their own independent study.“I joined a lab for two years and was able to take a really active role in research and actually got a Nature publication out of my time there,” said Jane Wang, biology major and 2014 graduate.NWU offers study abroad programs in the United Kingdom; students may elect to study at Kings College University of London or Oxford University. A Post-Baccalaureate Certificate is also offered to those hoping to complete the course work required for medical school.Top Premed CollegesBy Joe ThomasTop premed colleges can be ranked several ways, but the title of best academic program is indicative of the overall quality of medical students that a premed college produces. There are several ways to rank top premed colleges, such as MCAT and GPA, United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores or applications received, but the fact remains that you should find a school that is a good fit for your personality and in a location you would enjoy attending. Some feel that for many students, their success, or lack of it, might be largely unrelated to the individual medical school.Using Student Scores and GPAWhen you consider MCAT scores that are greater than 31.5 and GPAs of greater than 3.5, the list gets narrower and can give you a better indication of competitive med schools that turn out the highest achievers and therefore, get more prestigious academic acknowledgement. The average USMLE scores are better statistics to consider than USMLE pass rates, but med schools don't publish board scores for confidentiality reasons. There are some premed colleges that have high pass rates, but lower average USMLE scores. It is a combination of several factors that make up the top premed colleges on this listing of colleges.The Ten Top Premed Colleges by MCAT and GPAWashington University St. Louis: 1 Children's Place, #4S20, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, Phone (314) 454-6120, http://www.medschool.wustl.eduHarvard Medical School: 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, Phone (617) 432-1000, http://www.hms.harvard.edu/hmsJohn Hopkins University School of Medicine: 733 N. Broadway, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, Phone (410) 955-5000, Home | Johns Hopkins UniversityVanderbilt School of Medicine: 215 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, Phone (615) 322-2145 Vanderbilt University School of MedicineYale School of Medicine: 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 06510, Phone (203-785-2696), Yale School of MedicineDuke University School of Medicine: DUMC 3710, Durham, North Carolina 27710, Phone (919) 684-2985, Office of M.D. AdmissionsStanford School of Medicine: 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, California 94305, Phone (650) 723-4000, Stanford MedicineMayo Medical School: 200 First Street S.W., Rochester Minnesota 55905, Phone (507) 284-2316, Mayo ClinicNew York University: 550 First Avenue, New York, New York 10016, Phone (212) 263-7300, Education and TrainingUniversity of Pennsylvania: Suite 100, Stemmler Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, Phone (215)898-8001, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of PennsylvaniaRankings of Premed Colleges by Student ApplicationsThe number of student applications gives an indication of the most popular choices made by premed students, but a larger portion of students will not be admitted due to admissions limits. Harvard and Stanford also make this listing, but the other eight choices are not in the top ten that are ranked by MCAT and GPA scores.University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine: 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90095, Phone (310) 825-4321, University of CaliforniaUniversity of California: 110 Sproul Hall, #5800, Berkeley, California 94720, Phone (510) 642-6000, University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of Michigan Medical School: 1301 Catherine Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, Phone (734) 763-9600, Michigan MedicineUniversity of Texas Medical School: 6431 Fannin Street, MSB G420 Houston, Texas, Phone (713) 500-5116, http://www.uth.tmc.eduUniversity of Florida Gainesville: P.O. Box 100235, Gainesville, Florida 32610, Phone (352) 273-7500, University of FloridaUniversity of California San Diego: 9500 Gilman Drive, LaJolla, CA 92093, Phone (858) 534-2230, University of California San DiegoHarvard School of Medicine: 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, Phone (617) 432-1000, http://www.hms.harvard.edu/hmsUniversity of Wisconsin Madison: 750 Highland Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, Phone (608) 265-6344, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public HealthUniversity of Virginia School of Medicine: P.O. Box 800725, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, Phone (434) 924-5571, UVA Health SystemUniversity of Illinois Medical School: 601 S. Morgan Street, Chicago, Illinois, Phone (312) 996-7000, http://ww.uic.eduStanford School of Medicine: 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, California 94305, Phone (650) 723-4000, Stanford MedicineChoosing a CollegeThere are many fine colleges for premed students and while some names are more recognizable than others, there is a good selection in a variety of regions across the country. The best advice when searching for the premed college choices that offer the best programs, is to find the ones that are best suited to all facets of your life and your medical education goals. Accredited colleges offer similar basic programs, but some might offer more specialized courses that are tailored to different healthcare fields. This is a consideration that most premed students use when determining the best premed college to meet their medical career goals.Best Universities for Pre-Med Students: List of Top SchoolsAlthough medical schools are often indifferent to an applicant's major, they usually look for prerequisite coursework in general and organic chemistry, biology, English, and physics. A strong undergraduate grade point average and competitive Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) scores can also help students gain entry to a good medical or dental school. Some of the best universities for pre-med students include Harvard University, the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and the University of Pennsylvania, all of which are highly ranked by U.S. News & World Report.Harvard University in Cambridge, MAHarvard University was ranked as the best medical research school for 2015 by U.S. News World Report. It is an Ivy League institution and has over a dozen groups for pre-med students, such as the Harvard Premedical Society, Harvard Hippocratic Society, and Latinos in Health Careers. The Office of Career Services provides pre-med planning for undergraduate students who want to apply to medical school upon graduation. Harvard also assists students in planning for careers in dental medicine, public health and advanced nursing.University of North Carolina in Chapel HillAs designated by U.S News & World Report in 2015, the University of North Carolina's medical program ranked second in primary care. Pre-med students get assistance from the Health Professions Advising Office in choosing programs and classes, applying to medical schools, and preparing for the MCAT. UNC also offers the Medical Education Development program (MED), a rigorous 9-week summer program for select students that mirrors a first-year medical school curriculum. Of the MED students who apply to medical school, 90% are accepted.The University of North Carolina has an active chapter of Alpha Epsilon Delta, the pre-professional health honor society.University of Pennsylvania in PhiladelphiaIn 2015, US News & World Report ranked the University of Pennsylvania eighth among national universities and fifth for medical research. A member of the Ivy League, this university offers advising and planning for undergraduate students preparing to attend allopathic or osteopathic medical schools. It also offers guidance for students interested in dental school. Through the College of Liberal and Professional Studies, Penn also provides a post-baccalaureate, pre-health program for students who have earned an undergraduate degree in a non-science major or who want to be better prepared for advanced medical study.The University is home to several medical research institutes studying Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and AIDS, as well as cardiovascular health, developmental biology, and head injuries.Top Schools for Pre-Med StudentsLet's take a look at some of the other top schools for pre-med students.Columbia University in New York, NY provides a comprehensive pre-medical handbook for students planning a pre-med curriculum. Columbia University offers a Post-Bachelor Premedical program that is considered the oldest and largest in the United States. Students from the program make up 90% of placement in American medical programs; program provides linkage to Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.Cornell University in Ithaca, NY was named 11th best university in the world by the Center for World University Rankings.Johns Hopkins University encourages students to take a year off between undergraduate and medical school to gain additional experiences or conduct research. The school is located in Baltimore, MD.Northwestern University, located in Evanston, IL, has an undergraduate research grants program that provides pre-med students with funding to conduct independent research.The University of Minnesota - Twin Cities in Minneapolis, MN offers an online interactive workshop for students called Planning for Medical School.The University of Washington in Seattle, WA has an online guide to help students prepare for medical school admissions.The University of Wisconsin - Madison advises students wishing to pursue studies in physical or occupational therapy, pharmacology, physician assistance, and nursing in addition to medicine and dentistry.The best university for pre-med studies really depends on what you want from a school, because each of the top-ranked schools has unique aspects that help to make it one of the best.Colleges That Produce the Most DoctorsBy Nick Selbe on September 24, 2015In the coming months, pre-med undergraduates at colleges across the country will be preparing to apply for medical school.But where are most of the medical school applications coming from? StartClass set out to find which undergraduate schools produce the most medical school applications.The data comes from the Association of American Medical Colleges. The AAMC notes that the data is for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as an assessment of an institution's pre-medical educational or advisory programs.Another caveat for this list is that schools with larger overall student bodies will obviously have more medical school applicants than smaller schools. Though the list is not a ranking of the best premedical schools, it is helpful to know which schools have the most aspiring doctors.#1 UCLA (919)#2 Michigan (825)#3 UC Berkeley (769)#4 UF (760)#5 UT Austin#6 UCSD#7 Cornell (509)#8 U Georgia (481)#9 Ohio State (473)#10 U Wisconsin - Madison (456)#11 BYU (450)#12 UIUC (427)#13 UC Davis (427)#14 U Washington (417)# 15 Texas A&M (411)#16 UNC (394)#17 JHU (390)#18 Duke (387)# 19 Emory (386)# 20 Rutgers (385)#21 UVA (368)#22 U Maryland - College Park (365)#23 Wash U (354)#24 U Arizona (353)#25 U Miami (348)#26 U Notre Dame (344)#27 Michigan State (343)#28 NYU (339)#28 U Penn (339)#30 Harvard (323)Pre-Med Choice of Undergraduate College Does Affect Med School Chances: What to ConsiderPosted on January 27, 2017 by Cheryl — 22 Comments ↓(Updated 2016) Some maintain that it doesn’t matter which undergraduate college you go to, as long as you get a top GPA and MCAT score. That’s wishful thinking. While high numbers are essential no matter where you go, once med schools look beyond their MCAT/GPA cut-offs, their decisions are impacted by where you attend undergraduate college, just as residency decisions are affected by which med school you attend. It’s not so much the school’s name, but the resources that it offers, that make the choice of undergraduate college so essential.This post is a long one because there are many things to consider. So, get comfy and read on.Look Closer When You’re Pre-MedPre-meds have to consider more than the basic college selection criteria — a good fit socially, the right size, talented professors, a decent location, etc. A pre-med also needs tools and opportunities that the average college undergraduate doesn’t, such as chances for research and publication, guidance from a knowledgeable pre-med adviser and, if possible, a letter of evaluation from a pre-med advisory committee. In fact, my son, AC, was so convinced the undergraduate college mattered, that he decided to transfer from his good, solid state university to a more pre-med focused university. That new college had the resources to better prepare him for the demanding medical specialty and top research med schools he hoped to (and eventually did) attend. Here’s what he considered:History of Med School Admissions. Even as a freshman, AC had an idea of what specialty he wanted to get into, and which med schools would help him get there. But after doing research, including discussions with his college advisers and professors, and Internet searches on class profiles for various med schools, he found that almost no one from his college had gone to those schools. It could have been that no one from his college had applied – that wouldn’t have been surprising considering how few pre-meds were on campus. Or, it could have been that those from his college who had applied had not gotten in. Either way, that lack of a connection between his undergraduate college and his target med schools was a concern. Such history, or lack of it, is one factor to look at in considering an undergraduate college.2008.11.25 – The physician by Adrian Clark (Flickr Creative Commons)Availability of a Comprehensive Pre-Med Advisory Committee Program. While many undergraduate colleges do not have pre-med advisory committees, there is a significant benefit to those that do. An established pre-med committee program offers expert advice and guidance as to course selection, application development, and application processing throughout the undergraduate years. An experienced pre-med adviser will protect you from rooky mistakes such as taking your organic chem classes during the summer (most med schools don’t like that) or assuming your high school AP chemistry credits will satisfy the pre-med chemistry requirement (it probably won’t).Most valuable are those committees that provide a committee letter of evaluation, which med schools prefer over only individual recommendation letters. The pre-med committee letter is given after the student provides information on his activities and research, sometimes a draft of his med school essay, and even a med school style interview with one or more committee members or other faculty. Some medical schools have relationships with certain pre-med committees, which could make a great letter from one of those committees have greater weight. Overall, an experienced pre-med committee can be invaluable, and whether your potential undergraduate college has one is an important consideration.Availability of Pre-Med Living-Learning Communities. Some colleges offer pre-med living-learning communities, much like honors communities, where pre-meds are grouped together in dorms and offered medicine-related programs. AC’s first undergraduate college did have one, and it was one of the most valuable aspects of his freshman year there. Although it had just a handful of pre-med students, the learning community offered AC exposure to other pre-meds and health professionals, presentations about and by some med schools, and community service or clinical opportunities.Pre-Med Honor Societies.. Alpha Epsilon Delta is the national honor society for pre-meds. Check to see whether your prospective college has a chapter. AC was a member of a chapter in his freshman year, and found it helpful both in meeting more pre-meds and in planning events of interest to aspiring physicians. Just be careful not to spend too much time attending meetings that won’t necessarily advance your goal to become a doctor. While groups like this can have value, especially for people who aren’t positive they want to commit to medicine, if you must choose between going to a meeting and taking part in another meaningful activity that you love, choose what you love. Being passionate about something is attractive to med schools, which seek students who will become passionate doctors.National Eye Institute : Documenting Research Findings (Flickr Creative Commons)Availability of Research Opportunities. Pre-meds, especially those planning on a research (as opposed to a primary care) medical school, need some type of research experience, preferably in an area that relates to medicine. Undergraduate schools with significant research money and a willingness to get their students into research early on, are much more valuable to such pre-meds than colleges with only small pots of research money.Potential for Publication. In addition to research opportunities, a pre-med planning on attending a research medical school benefits from a chance to publish. Generally, universities with significant research money have more publication opportunities than universities that aren’t heavy on research funding.Availability of Clinical Experience. Pre-meds, especially those interested in primary care, need opportunities to get clinical experience. Colleges with nearby hospitals or clinics could offer that potential.Rigor of the Curriculum. Top med schools often list a rigorous curriculum as a selection factor. When looking at colleges, ask these questions: Are the hard science courses strong enough that they will help prepare you for the MCAT? Are high-level science courses such as genetics or neuroscience offered? (Small, humanities-focused liberal arts colleges may not offer them.) Is the college recognized by inclusion in chapters of highly selective honor societies? Does it actively promote and advance its students to become scholars for exclusive programs such as the Fulbright or Goldwater? Med school committee members, like everyone else, are impressed with those types of honors. Does your potential undergraduate college nurture them?I can’t read a word of this essay of yours. Excellent WorkOther Considerations. There are plenty of people who want to chime in on which universities are the best for pre-meds. Online Colleges, Schools, Universities and Scholarships reviews by America edu - compiled a list of its “Top 20 Pre-Med Schools in America.” College Magazine published a Top 10 list in its 2015 “CM’s Top 10 Universities for Pre-Med Students.” And there are endless discussions about which are the best pre-med schools on forums such as College Confidential.But there are many very personal questions you need to answer before choosing your school. For example, becoming immersed in a predominantly and aggressively pre-med culture could narrow and skew your view of the world. How would that impact you as a person and an aspiring doctor? Also, the top pre-med colleges sometimes have a very competitive, almost cutthroat atmosphere, and some schools are very harsh in their grading. Will you will be able to thrive and pull the top grades you need from such a college? Consider seriously that your plans to be a doctor could end if you can’t get the grades you need for med school acceptance from that top pre-med college. You must know yourself well when choosing your pre-med college, just as you must in making the decision to pursue a career in medicine.Interview Groups told AC the Real Story: Your Undergrad College MattersGotCredit: College (Flickr Creative Commons)There are numerous debates on whether the undergraduate college you choose is important to your success with getting into med school. Some people charge that it’s all about “name dropping,” and that private schools perpetuate the myth that their degrees hold more value than less expensive public universities. The subject has been hotly debated in the college and student doctor forums. For example, see The Student Doctor Network’s “The Effect of Undergrad School on Med School Acceptance,” and “Theory: Admissions at Medical School DO Care Where You Went to Undergrad,” and Student Doc’s “Does Undergrad Prestige Carry Any Weight in Admissions?”But for AC, the tale was told when he did his interviews at a half-dozen of the best med schools in the country, and found one similarity: “I was meeting kids from the same schools over and over. They were from the Ivys, the public Ivys, and other top, very selective undergraduate colleges. I almost never met applicants from regular state schools. I know this isn’t a scientific way to make the conclusion, and I know so many of the best doctors and minds come from state schools and community colleges, but what I saw repeatedly in my interviews convinced me that coming from a top-ranked university with a lot of resources seemed to be a prerequisite for interviews at the top med schools.”Maximize the Resources of Your CollegeCollege Gameday by Phil Roeder (Flickr Creative Commons)All of this advice is valid and (I hope) valuable. But the reality is, circumstances (money, grades, scores, personal obligations, simply personal preference) may dictate you attend a college that doesn’t have a big pre-med focus. Yet, that does not mean you won’t have a chance of attending a good — or even a top — medical school. The most important way to make it to med school is to be knowledgeable and fully prepared for the journey ahead. Read all you can about different med school programs, what the schools are looking for, how to prepare for the MCAT test, even the possibility of doing a post-baccalaureate program if needed to boost your preparation for med school. Figure out how to get that clinical experience, research, community service, and leadership background that will prepare you for medicine.Learn about any and all activities your undergraduate school does have for pre-meds, and take full advantage of them. Even if it doesn’t have a pre-med advisory committee, it may have a pre-professional honor society such as Alpha Epsilon Delta. If your school’s chapter isn’t very active, join it and lead it into new and more productive directions. If there is no chapter, look into starting one, or check on whether there are chapters at nearby colleges.No honor society chapter? Start a less formal pre-med club to bring in speakers and doctors for education and possible mentoring. How to do that? Check with your school’s student activities office about the process for starting a club. Then talk to one of your professors, perhaps one that teaches a pre-med course such as biology or organic chemistry, about being your club adviser. AC was able to start an organic chemistry club at his school. It took a couple months to figure out the process, find an adviser, and then organize and publicize meetings, but the school was supportive and it eventually did happen. Your college wants you to succeed because it makes it look good, too, so let it know what you need, and ask for help.Aggressively look for a mentor who can guide you and, when the time comes to file your application, can speak personally about the qualities you have that will make you a good doctor. If you want to end up at a good med school, search out your college pre-med adviser early on, and talk about your goals. Ask for ways to help prepare you for what will be ahead as a pre-med, a med school applicant, and a med student. If your adviser is not very knowledgeable about med school preparation and the application process, ask him who is. Have him direct you to other possible resources, such as a local doctor who might take you as an intern. Or, talk to your university health clinic about letting you shadow its doctors. And, do your research on what is needed for a competitive application, then work hard to get the experience that will make you stand out in the crowd.Finally, keep in mind that, in some ways, being at a less pre-med focused university or a smaller college can have benefits, because you are more likely to stand out among your peers. You also may end up with much closer personal relationships with your professors, who will want to help you meet your high goals, and promote you in every way they can.The key is to be a knowledgeable self-starter, to ask for help and opportunities, and then to run with them. In fact, that is an essential characteristic for being a good doctor, so you might as well start building it now.TEDx GeorgeMasonU:George Mason University’s First TEDx Conference (Flickr Creative Commons)Parental Assist: Of course, there is the normal preparation needed for any kid considering colleges — take him to the schools to check them out, consider the big issues like location, costs, etc. Urge him to see whether there are any admissions talks specifically for pre-meds, and to attend them with questions ready to ask. Suggest he focus on issues such as med school admissions information, strength of any med school advisory committee, whether the committee does letters of evaluation, etc. Ask if he has specific med schools in mind yet, and offer to help research information such as med school admissions data for those schools. You could also offer to create files for each school, and/or charts to facilitate comparisons. But remember to also gauge how much your student is invested in these preparations. You should be a helpmate, not the driving force. If he isn’t interested in doing prep work himself, he probably is not ready to embrace a medical career.If it’s clear your kid is committed to pre-med, but won’t be going to a great pre-med school, be sure he understands that does not mean he will lose his dream of getting into a good or even a top med school, and becoming an excellent doctor. Plenty of exceptional doctors have come out of lesser- known undergraduate schools. It’s all about working hard to accomplish the goal.Top 20 Pre-Med Schools in America - Education AmericaMarch 8, 2011Top 20 CollegesTop 20 Pre Med Schools in America, listed by School, Average Verbal MCAT Score, Average Physical Science MCAT Score, Average Biological MCAT Science Score and Average GPA (unraked).Ø Cornell University offers a two year Pre Med track; program prepares students for entry into the four year medical degree program. Course focuses on sciences that are related to medicine; no degree is awarded.Ø Creighton University offers a 4 or 5 year Pre Med Nursing Track; a bachelor’s is awarded in both programs. A Post-Baccalaureate is also administered through the School Of Medicine; program prepares students intensively for medical school.Ø Boston University offers a Pre-Medical program in Pre-Dentistry, Pre-Medicine and Pre Veterinary Medicine, program allows students to create specific areas of study; a post baccalaureate certificate program is also offered.Ø Dartmouth Medical School offers a pre-med program in conjunction with Dartmouth College, an arrangement also exists between Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) and Dartmouth College. Health professionals advise and help students applying to medical, veterinarian and medical schools.Ø East Tennessee State University (J.H. Quillen) prepares students for the 4 year Doctor of Medicine degree through its Pre-Medicine Program. Students must complete courses required by most medical schools; these include Biology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physics, English and Communication.Ø Baylor University provides a Pre-Med curriculum that emphasizes all areas of course work; medical pre-professionals are recommended to take Biology Chemistry, English, Mathematics and Physics.Ø George Washington University offers an all in one program that leads to BA/MD. Program is based on academic excellence, healthcare experience, community service and demonstrated leadership. Incoming freshman are admitted into George Washington Medical at a fixed tuition rate; MCAT is waived.Ø John Hopkins offers a Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Med program for all medical specializations. Program is offered on the undergraduate campus, School of Medicine and at the School of Public Health; students are able to carve out their own area of study.Ø Georgetown allows undergraduate students to gain the training needed to meet medical school criteria; program is part of the degree curriculum. A Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical program is also available for bachelor degree holders who lack core Pre-Med Science courses.Ø Saint Louis University’s 4 year Pre-Medical curriculum provides a foundation in the courses required for med school. Courses include Biology, Chemistry Physics and Calculus; program allows students to complete courses across disciplines.Ø Mount Sinai School of Medicine administers a Humanities and Medicine Early Acceptance Program, program was designed to prepare students for medical school. The 8 week summer program includes studies in Physics & Organic Chemistry, as well as other health disciplines.Ø Northwestern University offers study abroad programs in the United Kingdom; students may elect to study at Kings College University of London or Oxford University. A Post-Baccalaureate Certificate is also offered to those hoping to complete the course work required for medical school.Ø Ranked as one the Best Medical Schools (US News), Ohio State’s School of Allied Medical Professions Division of Medical Technology offers a Medical Science Track that leads to a BS in Science. Program was designed for pre-pharmacy, pre-dental, pre-vet and pre med students.Ø Howard University offers a dual degree in BS/MD; program allows students to earn both degrees in six years. Program makes an easy transition from undergraduate to graduate study; an overall G.P.A of 3.5 and an MCAT score of 24 must be satisfied. Students must also meet the minimum G.P.A of 3.25 in science.Ø Temple University offers two tracks of study for students who intend to study medicine, tracks include BCMS and ACMS. BCMS-Basic Core in Medical Sciences Program was designed for those lacking the core requirements needed for medical school. ACMS is for students who wish to enhance their credentials so as to pursue a career in medicine.Ø University of Iowa administers a Pre-Medicine track that includes math, chemistry, biology and physics. Students must declare a major in a specific area, program has led to high medical school acceptance rates.Ø University of Miami offers a Pre Law Undergraduate Program as well as a Post Baccalaureate Program; the Post Baccalaureate Program helps bachelor degree holders who feel they need more preparation prior to applying to law school.Ø University of Pennsylvania offers a few Post Baccalaureate programs, two are relevant to the study of medicine; these include the Pre Health Core Studies and the Pre Health Specialized Studies. Both programs are very selective and pave way for further medical studies.Ø University of South Florida offers programs to help prepare students for professional schools of medicine, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, and many other health related fields. Students must choose another major besides the pre-professional requirement.Ø Columbia University offers a Post-Bachelor Premedical program that is considered the oldest and largest in the United States. Students from the program make up 90% of placement in American medical programs; program provides linkage to Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Interestingly, at least in New York and the New England and Midlantic states area, there is not at all a direct relationship between how well a school is ranked academically and at the rate at which its students pass the bar. In fact at times it is an indirect relationship, and students from some of the lower ranked schools in New York for example, have a higher passing rate then the top three schools in New York, Columbia, NYU and Fordham. Almost every other law school in New York which are numerous, have better bar passage rates then those supposed three top schools. I believe the same is true with a lot of the Ivy League schools in the area and I don't really know what the reason is other than that I have been told from friends who went to these other schools, and I went to Fordham where we don't have a good passenger rate, that especially in their last year their professors spent a lot of time going over the exact things that you need to know for the bar exam, which in the real life practice of law is not generally practical, but you can't get into the real life practice of law without first passing the bar, so these so-called lesser schools certainly did a better job of preparing their students to actually become licensed attorneys then they did at many Ivy League schools.The reason, I really don't know. All I can tell you is that two people who I knew who went and graduated from Harvard Law school told me vastly different accounts of the scholastic program there. Someone who graduated in the mid-70s told me it was easiest three years of his life, with his opinion being that professors there seemed to think if you were able to get in there, then you really didn't need to be pushed because you were already extremely smart and gifted. Someone who graduated in the mid 80s, gave me a description of the scholastic rigors there that I would've expected. I don't know if anyone can shed light on this who has gone there in the 90s or later. I will tell you that Fordham, when I went there was 19 in U.S. News & World Report and now has dropped I think to the mid 30s, still in the top tier, was quite challenging scholastically. But I also found out from World News and World Report upon further investigation that their rankings are only slightly more than half based on scholastics, the rest being cost-of-living expenses, tuition, campuses, and other things that schools in Manhattan particular would not do well in. I have a lot of pride in my law school, and the fact that NYU and Columbia have also remained in the top 10 as Fordham has dropped I honestly think is political. I haven't looked at it in a couple of years, but our mean GPA and LSAT score is in the top 10 and I think still is, so I'm not completely reassured by whatever ranking we are given by U.S. News & World Report anymore. But my pride in Fordham is mostly from the fact that I believe the professors there were incredible and worked tremendously hard to teach us whatever area of law they specialized in and I honestly think it was a fabulous law school.My first year legal writing professor, Denny Chin, was then a United States District Federal Court Judge for the SDNY. There was already talk among the very astute professors he would be the first Asian American on the Supreme Court. And that may have happened very recently if we did not have an obstructionist Senate and if we had a true liberal president. But there was no way that was going to happen under the circumstances and may only happen if Bernie Sanders get elected and carries the Senate and the House with him or if Hillary gets elected but Sanders has created such a wealth of support in this Country that she will not be able to function unless she abandons her true centrist self, and becomes a true progressive, and then she probably will be in the position if she is in office for eight years to nominate four judges.Judge Chin, in 2010 was nominated to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals by Obama, confirmed unanimously, and yet still teaches that first year legal writing/moot court class at his alma mater. In fact, when I was there and had him as my professor, I had an accident which eventually caused me to have to start my first year over again. But when I had missed two classes, he had looked up my parents phone number in the actual white pages and called them not once, but twice, to check on me. Someone he had only known as one of his students for about 10 weeks. No other professor did that. And he continues to keep a schedule of community work that I don't know how he does it.It's not just because of him that I found that school to be such a great law school. After the first year, when you are all together with the same students and your professors are dictated to you as well as your schedule, the second and third years are mostly up to you to choose classes which I found surprising. I mean I loved it because I was able to focus on areas and take classes that I truly wanted to work in and learn more about, but I never based a class I would take on what the academic history of the professor was. However I then looked back in my third year at the dozen plus professors I had had my first two years and was quite surprised to see everyone had graduated from an Ivy League school. It truly made me wonder that if we have all these Professors at a very good law school, but not a top 10, how are we able to have professors who only graduated from top 10 schools? Who was teaching at the top 10 schools? I mean there are only so many available professors. So I never really found out the answer to that. But I do know that in general, we had some amazing professors. I'm not talking about amazingly intellectual people. That's not nearly as important. I'm talking about people who really knew how to teach and had very practical real life experience in whatever they were teaching.However, I looked at the bar passage statistics in New York after I graduated and found that we were near the bottom, as well as Columbia and NYU, and the schools at the very top, were the law schools that most people would not have bragged about going to. First of all, I truly believe anyone who graduated from any accredited law school and passed the Bar exam should be very proud of that and I explained what I was told went on in Harvard and I had a cousin who graduated from a not very well-known school in California who did far better on the Bar exam than me. And the New York State bar, it is extremely difficult. Some of it does depend on some luck, depending on which areas you get your main essay questions on. Property has always been a nightmare for me. For a lot of people. There are two areas of property law in general. One area, I think most people have a fairly easy time grasping which is basic landlord-tenant law and everything revolving the sale of property and rental of property and everything in that genre. The other half is, in my mind is archaic post-graduate calculus (and I did well in calculus) that I could not come close to grasping. I have been a lifelong underachiever, at least if you base that on my IQ, but when it came to this area I stretched and studied more than I ever could and I just could not get this. Anyone who is a lawyer knows what I'm talking about(or like many people unlike me, just had no problem with this area and never even thought twice about it) and anyone who doesn't, well, just imagine the hardest subject you ever had in your life and no matter how much you studied, you simply could simply not grasp it. That was how I felt and still feel about my knowledge with regards to this other part of that deals with words that I don't even know if they still are in the dictionary to this day, and I get sick just thinking about it. And was fortunate that after I failed my first bar, completely because there was a major essay on this area which I probably did not get a single point for and I failed that exam by less than 1%, my next one I took had no essays on this area.And I knew that at this point I was never going to be able to understand it. No matter how well I could memorize things, this was useless in this area because it wasn't that I could not recall particular facts, I had no clue how to apply them to a question. So it came down to taking the exam as many times until I got an exam that did not have this type of question is a major component, which fortunately was the next time I took it, and I was able to pass the exam then. And my whole opinion of the bar exam is that I think it is pretty idiotic, because there really is nothing you would ever do as a competent attorney that you would not first check with what the legal books said exactly, before actually doing something concrete with it. And I think graduating from an accredited school should be enough to allow you to practice, and in fact you can practice with a law degree if you have a cocounsel who has passed the bar. In my opinion the whole system is screwed up and it's probably apparent but personally I think unless you want to specialize in property law, it is absurd that you should have to learn this crap that has no real use in common day and anything other than property law and even within property law, I don't believe is used that much. I mean you could have a world-class doctor, who understands everything in his field, which may be gastroenterology. But he just can't grasp something about a particular area of neurology that has absolutely no effect on his ability to be an excellent gastroenterologist. Now most states when dealing with both law and medicine, do not grant a license based on a certain discipline, but in medicine for example in New York State, no matter what your specialty, once you pass the boards are granted A licensed to practice medicine and surgery in the state of New York. That means a psychiatrist, who basically spent one year in medical school with everyone else learning anatomy, etc. and then spent all of the following years and internships, specifically in psychiatry, is actually granted a license to practice surgery. If that's not more insane, then letting someone who is taking the bar, who is a criminal law genius and wants to be either a prosecutor or criminal defense attorney, to keep them on licensed because they cannot grasp one archaic area of the law in general which they will never use in their career, then I don't know what it is?I did find that I have this feeling of loyalty to the two different colleges I went to or where I got my Masters or where I went to high school. There was something about Fordham, maybe the first year when we began an exchange program during the summer and spent about 14 weeks, half of that time at Queens University in Belfast which was something I could write a book on, and the other half in in a law school in Dublin, was such an amazing experience with my classmates and especially getting to know my Dean, John Feerick about as well as any law school student could ever get to know their Dean. He had come with us and would take us out nightly to the pubs, especially in Belfast, and I was able to build a relationship with him then, which 16 years later I can call him my friend (end it is interesting that, in that first summer of 2000 we were barely able to scrape together 30 students from mostly for them, to go. Even five years after that, it became the most popular program on the campus and still is today, and John still goes). And he was a true legal giant in New York over the last 50 years. I am sure he is on Wikipedia although I would be very surprised if it is a comprehensive article about what what he has truly accomplished because he has gone out of his way to be out of the public eye. I know for a fact at one point he was offered to fill in a Senate seat by the Governor and didn't need five seconds to think about it before he turned it down.Maybe his greatest achievement was not only being the main author of the 25th amendment, arguably as important as any amendment since the Bill of Rights, and yes I am including slavery abolition, and some further massively important amendments regarding voting rights and other things, because without the 25th, which more than any other amendment has been in the story lines of major movies and television shows over the last 15 years because of its enormous power, which mind bogglingly took almost 200 years to implement, which was done in 1967, if only 4 years earlier, JFK had survived that last shot and instead wound up in a coma, during a very tense nuclear time in the Cold War, the United States of America would have been without a functioning President.Without the 25th amendment, the only way the President could be removed from office was death, resignation, or conviction in the Senate after impeachment. With him alive, not being able to resign, and their being no grounds to impeach him (although I think insanely that is what would have happened eventually), we would've been without a president indefinitely, possibly for as long as 14 months until 1965, when in January the next president could have been sworn in.I would've thought that after Woodrow Wilson being shot, which was during the pre-nuclear age when everything was very different, and it was his wife, the former Edith Gault, who would wind up running the country, that something like the 25th amendment would have been a top priority for this country after that debacle, which actually wasn't a total debacle as far The country falling apart, but it was a debacle as far as us not having a real elected Chief Executive making decisions.I know I have gone way off the question here, but this is a man who should be a household name and be revered no matter what your party is. In fact, I don't even know what his party affiliation is, after all these years. He wrote a great book, self titled the 25th amendment about the procedure he had to go through to get this enacted and drafted and ratified. It was for some reason still fought with resistance, and the exact wording is very interesting, especially in section 3 and four. And that is probably the most important and interesting part of this fairly short book that is now in paperback and probably very cheap on Amazon. Since he stepped down as the dean of the school during my graduating year, which cost me his signature on my diploma, he has been teaching and running the center that the school name for him. Simply an amazing legal scholar and human being, another reason I have such devotion to that set of buildings near Lincoln Center.

Q. What is the best rated university for film education?USC - THR Ranks the Top 25 American Film Schools 6:30 AM 8/18/2016Illustrations by Rami NiemiLearning to become a filmmaker used to be much simpler: All you needed was a 16mm camera, a few scraps of film stock and an inspirational teacher. But these days, film schools are considered useless unless they offer state-of-the-art augmented reality labs, high-end digital Steadicams and at least one course taught by James Franco — all of which makes applying to these institutions more confusing than ever before.To help, THR presents its sixth annual ranking of the 25 best U.S. film schools (and a list of 15 of the best foreign film schools). As always, the magazine assembled the list by consulting with academic experts, industry professionals and scores of film school alumni.Reporting by Ashley Cullins, Rebecca Ford, Mia Galuppo, Borys Kit, Kendal McAlpin, Pamela McClintock, Brian Porreca, Tatiana Siegel and Rebecca Sun.25 Yale University Film and Media Studies ProgramTuition: $45,800 (undergrad)If classes like World Cinema — which explores the "coexistence of globalization and the persistence of national identities" — are your cup of tea, then Yale is the school for you. Its film program also boasts impressive partnerships: You can study abroad at the Czech Republic's FAMU. And while James Franco doesn't teach any courses, he plans to get his Ph.D. here.NOTABLE ALUMNI New York magazine film critic Bilge Ebiri, The New York Times film critic Wesley Morris24 FSU's College of Motion Picture ArtsTuition: $3,880-$7,760 (in-state undergrad); $12,980-$25,960 (out-of-state undergrad); $14,380-$21,589 (in-state grad); $33,321-$49,982 (out-of-state grad)Tucked away in Tallahassee, Fla., FSU recently unveiled a 5,000-square-foot visual effects lab and will launch a VR storytelling curriculum in 2017. Some alumni feel the school's greatest asset is its remoteness. "You're out of New York or Los Angeles, so you have pure instruction and pure filmmaking," says Spotlight exec producer Jonathan King ('92). "Florida State is a conservatory. You get away and create."NOTABLE ALUMNI The Maze Runner director Wes Ball, It Follows director David Robert Mitchell23 Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing ArtsTuition: $43,440Upstate New York's other film school also focuses on international filmmaking, with exchange programs in Bosnia, Peru and Italy (where students get to work with the great Bernardo Bertolucci). It also has a strong presence on the festival circuit, sending students for internships at Cannes and Sundance.Says alum and Princess and the Frog screenwriter Rob Edwards, “Barely a day goes by when I don't think about the principles I learned as a film student at Syracuse. Many schools focus on theory but Syracuse puts it into action. I made 6 films during my Freshman year and the practical experiences made me fearless and eager to take on the challenges of the hyper-competitive Entertainment Industry.”NOTABLE ALUMNI Pixar's Jim Morris, producer Thom Oliphant, Coraline director Henry Selick22 Cal State University, NorthridgeTuition: $6,582 (in-state undergrad); $7,848 (in-state grad), $15,510 (out-of-state undergrad), $15,660 (out-of-state grad)A $2 million grant from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is helping spruce up this San Fernando Valley campus — half the money is being used to update equipment and facilities. The school also is fighting the good fight for diversity, devoting the other half to scholarships for students from underrepresented populations.NOTABLE ALUMNI Actress Joan Chen, My Cousin Vinny writer Dale Launer, Screen Gems production president Glenn Gainor21 San Francisco State UniversityTuition: $6,476 (in-state undergrad); $18,380 (out-of-state undergrad); $7,742 (in-state grad); $19,646 (out-of-state grad)In 2014, it had 800 undergrad and graduate students; this year, enrollment has ballooned to 1,200. But its masters programs remain exclusive: Only 15 students are admitted each year for MFAs and only 10 for MAs. "My favorite experience at SFSU was walking around the city with a 16mm Bolex and only a loose idea of what I wanted to film," recalls Ethan Van der Ryn ('85), who went on to become sound editor for the Transformers and The Lord of the Rings franchises.NOTABLE ALUMNI Steve Zaillian, producer Jonas Rivera (Inside Out)20 Art Center College of Design, PasadenaTuition: $40,046 (undergrad); $42,324 (grad)Courtesy of “Under” director, Javier Barcala(Pictured: Students at Pasadena's ArtCenter College of Design set up a shot.)It's one of the few schools that lets students retain rights to the work they make on campus. "The school doesn't baby you," says filmmaker Saman Kesh ('11), attached to direct Cube at Lionsgate and Controller at Fox. "It's like a mini-industry when you're there." ArtCenter recently signed a partnership with China's Huace Group for a $300,000 scholarship fund, and it's adding augmented reality facilities to a new Immersive Media Lab in spring 2017.NOTABLE ALUMNI Michael Bay, Pulp Fiction co-writer Roger Avary, The Vow director Michael Sucsy19 Rhode Island School of DesignTuition: $46,800It's an arts school — arguably the arts school — so it's hardly surprising that half of the film program's students focus on animation. A partnership with Laika, the Oregon studio that made the Oscar-nominated film Coraline, has turned the school into a pipeline to Hollywood animation studios.NOTABLE ALUMNI Seth MacFarlane, Gus Van Sant, Martha Coolidge18 Ithaca College ArtTuition: $41,776Come to upstate New York and see the world. Ithaca offers students more semester-abroad options than just about anybody — you can study in London, New York, Los Angeles and now Cuba. Three students are in Brazil, assisting NBC Sports as it broadcasts the Rio Olympics. Back on campus, the new Innovation Lab, filled with 3D printers and eye-tracking devices, is set to open in the fall. "My best friends in L.A. are IC grads," says TLC president Nancy Daniels ('94). "They've become my West Coast family."NOTABLE ALUMNI Bob Iger, David Boreanaz, producer Bill D'Elia17 Savannah College of Art and DesignTuition: $35,190 (undergrad); $36,045 (grad)The only school on this list that produces its own streaming sitcom; every quarter a new episode of The Buzz — about a bunch of college grads hanging out in a coffee shop — gets produced, directed, edited by a different set of students and streamed on the school's website. The show is produced at SCAD's new 22,000-square-foot filmmaking complex, but the school also has a digital media center in Atlanta. "It had such a rounded curriculum — you could just bounce around," says video editor Alex Hammer ('06). "It was an entire visual effects program."NOTABLE ALUMNI Sicario associate producer Emma McGill, Zootopia animator Zach Parrish16 Ringling College of Art & DesignTuition: $39,510 (undergrad)The youngest film school on this list — the 48-acre Sarasota, Fla., campus launched its film program in 2007 — it will open in December a 30,000-square-foot soundstage and postproduction complex, the Gulf Coast's first such professional film facility. And Ringling's Studio Lab program, a partnership with Semkhor Networks, continues to lure talent, collaborating with directors like Kevin Smith, who will shoot his next film on location there in November.NOTABLE ALUMNI Oscar-winning animator Patrick Osborne, YouTube star Michelle Phan15 Columbia College of ChicagoTuition: $24,590 (undergrad); $28,950 (grad)The largest film school in the U.S., offering about 200 specialized courses, is located 2,000 miles from Hollywood. But that's a plus, according to Eric Freedman, the new dean of Columbia's School of Media Arts. "Our students engage with and learn from one of the nation's most dynamic media ecosystems — Chicago." A few other pluses: There's a $100,000 annual fund for student films, a partnership with the Beijing Film Academy and — in Hollywood — a five-week studio immersion program.NOTABLE ALUMNI Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, The Lego Movie editor Chris McKay, Barbershop producer George Tillman Jr.14 University of North Carolina School of the ArtsTuition: $8,930 (in-state undergrad); $24,400 (out-of-state undergrad); $10,556 (in-state grad); $23,963 (out-of-state grad)This small school in a picturesque patch of Winston-Salem is transforming into a cutting-edge tech hub. This fall, it's offering a new track in immersive entertainment and augmented reality as students create a VR movie with help from Jacquie Barnbrook, producer of The Martian VR Experience. In 2015, the school completed its 30,000-square-foot digital media building, housing state-of-the-art equipment for digital design, gaming, animation and effects. Enrollment has skyrocketed, up nearly 37 percent compared with 2015.NOTABLE ALUMNI Vice Principals creators (and UNCSA classmates) David Gordon Green, Jody Hill and Danny McBride13 Boston UniversityTuition: $49,176 (undergrad); $49,176 (grad)The film program got new digs this year: It has taken over a 3,000-square-foot space on Babcock Street that used to store dorm-room mini-fridges and transformed it into a production beehive for cinematography and directing classes. The university picked up the bill for the renovations, and Chinese venture capitalist Hugo Shong provided cash for a slew of state-of-the-art cameras and other equipment.BU also is known for its outpost in L.A., on Wilshire Boulevard, where 200 students come to learn from industry pros. "BU is about finding yourself as a filmmaker," says director Henry Hughes ('06), who got an Oscar nomination for his 2015 short Day One.NOTABLE ALUMNI Lauren Shuler Donner, Bonnie Arnold, Joe Roth, Nina Tassler12 Stanford UniversityTuition: $47,331 (grad)This MFA program focuses on documentaries and only documentaries. And now, thanks to the new $85 million McMurtry Building — home to the Department of Art & Art History, where the program resides — every student gets his or her own editing room. Not such a tight squeeze, considering only eight MFA applicants are accepted to the program each year.The intimacy tends to keep students bonded for life. "Six years after graduating, I still work closely with my classmates," says Jason Sussberg ('10), co-director of the upcoming The Bill Nye Film.NOTABLE ALUMNI Leah Wolchok (Very Semi-Serious), Mike Attie and Meghan O'Hara (In Country), Mark Becker (Art and Craft, Pressure Cooker)11 University of Texas at AustinTuition: $4,977 (in-state undergrad); $17,621 (out-of-state undergrad); $6,362 (in-state grad); $12,436 (out-of-state grad)Where else can you learn at the feet of Matthew McConaughey? "In the Script to Screen class, students get to follow the journey of a film I'm working on through a semester," says the Oscar-winning actor ('93), who delivers lectures on campus and through recorded videos. "Students become privy to the choices and changes we make during the process."Aspiring writers participate in a writers room workshop, with their scripts shopped around to network and cable outlets. Plus there's the Austin Film Festival. All right, all right, all right!NOTABLE ALUMNI Director-producers Mark and Jay Duplass, DreamWorks Animation's Jennifer Howell, Sony Pictures Classics' Michael Barker10 Emerson College, Visual & Media Arts SchoolTuition: $42,144 (undergrad); $1,251 per credit (grad)For a school in Boston, it has great industry connections. Its internship program is super-aggressive, placing students with Hollywood producers, networks and studios. New Regency production president Pamela Abdy ('95) did her internship at Jersey Films then landed a gig as the company's receptionist."The internship program gave me access to Hollywood," she says. "And honestly, being from New Jersey, I had no Hollywood connections whatsoever." Emerson also has a satellite campus in Hollywood, which recently upgraded to cool digs on Sunset Boulevard. But back in Back Bay, the college that graduated Jay Leno and Norman Lear launched a BFA program in comedic arts in 2015.NOTABLE ALUMNI DreamWorks' Holly Bario, Sony's Andrea Giannetti, Viacom's Doug Herzog9 Wesleyan UniversityTuition: $50,312 (undergrad)Wesleyan's College of Film and the Moving Image is a liberal arts college as much as it is a film school, meaning students are not only educated in the practical side of filmmaking but also steeped in critical and historical analysis. Beloved faculty icon Jeanine Basinger all but invented the discipline of film studies — and we mean discipline. "We were not allowed to be late — if you were late for her class, she locked the door," recalls The Purge franchise producer Brad Fuller ('87). Adds Chuck & Buck director Miguel Arteta ('89), "Jeanine puts into your mind that your own greatest weapon is the screwy way you see the world." Other teachers at the Middletown, Conn., school include The New York Times film critic A.O. Scott and A24 executive David Laub.NOTABLE ALUMNI Michael Bay, Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, Matthew Weiner, D.B. Weiss, Paul Weitz, Joss Whedon8 Loyola Marymount University School of Film and TelevisionTuition: $43,526 (undergrad); $20,916 (grad)Producer Effie Brown ('93) couldn't get in to LMU's School of Film and Television, so she enrolled as a theater major but then cornered the film dean and begged him to let her switch."He said, 'You had me when you started talking about your heart,' " recalls the Project Greenlight star. The school, based in Westchester, Calif., remains smallish — 12 students per teacher — but its curriculum continues to grow. It's launching a facility in neighboring Silicon Beach and new certificate programs in documentary and digital storytelling and media.NOTABLE ALUMNI Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Parts 1 and 2 director Francis Lawrence, American Horror Story producer James Wong, Bond producer Barbara Broccoli7 Chapman University's Dodge College of Film & Media ArtsTuition: $24,155 (undergrad); $24,180 (grad)There's a reason Ted Sarandos, Steve Mosko, AMC's Ed Carroll and even Hugh Hefner have sent their children to this school — and it's not only because the Orange County campus is close to home. Chapman's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts is equipped with a $42 million, 76,000-square-foot facility designed by Bastien and Associates, the same firm that has built soundstages for Paramount, DreamWorks, Universal and Warner Bros. Say Matt and Ross Duffer ('07), who recently hit it big with the Netflix horror series Stranger Things: "The kids are smart and passionate. And it's not too pretentious — our senior thesis was about a shape-shifting cannibal, and the students and faculty loved it."NOTABLE ALUMNI Dear White People director Justin Simien, BoJack Horseman staff writer Kelly Galuska6 California Institute of the ArtsTuition: $45,030Naturally, the school Walt Disney built in Valencia, Calif. — he introduced it to the public in 1964 by screening a short during the premiere of Mary Poppins — is famous for producing top-notch animators. In February, Pete Docter ('90) became the latest to pick up an Oscar, for Inside Out.But cartoonists aren't the only ones who go there: Zackary Drucker ('07) and Rhys Ernst ('11), co-producers on Amazon's Emmy-winning series Transparent, are CalArtians (yes, that's what they call themselves). "I wish I could go back," muses Jorge R. Gutierrez ('98), the Mexico-born director of animated movie The Book of Life. "To be surrounded by such diverse and incredible talent was inspiring." This fall, students can be inspired by One Act to Cinematic Event, a class James Franco has taught at CalArts for about five years.NOTABLE ALUMNI John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Kirby Dick, Tim Burton, Brenda Chapman (co-director of Brave and the first woman to win an Oscar for an animated feature)5 Columbia University School of the ArtsTuition: $52,478 (undergrad); $57,296 (grad)Without Columbia's MFA program, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2016, Making a Murderer would not have happened. The crime doc series was hatched a decade ago when two graduate students — Moira Demos ('08) and Laura Ricciardi ('07) — began tracking the Steven Avery case.When they went on to make the show for Netflix in spring 2015, they chose one of their former professors, film program chair Maureen Ryan, to serve as production adviser. "Columbia is so focused on story, character and narrative — it played a major role in helping us turn thousands of hours of footage into something a layperson could follow," says Demos. Other faculty moonlight for Netflix as well, including Frank Pugliese, who in February was promoted to co-showrunner on House of Cards.NOTABLE ALUMNI Nicole Holofcener, James Mangold, James Ponsoldt4 UCLA School of Theater, Film and TelevisionTuition: $15,457 (in-state undergrad); $16,405-$26,917 (in-state grad); $42,139 (out-of-state undergrad); $31,507-$39,162 (out-of-state grad)There was grumbling when the undergraduate film program shifted from a two-year to a four-year program in 2014, but UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television remains the first choice for a huge number of aspiring filmmakers (only 2 percent of undergraduate applicants are accepted). Part of the reason is its free-spirited approach to filmmaking, encouraging students — and graduates — to experiment.When Francis Ford Coppola ('67) recently came up with his Live Cinema concept — a combination of live theater, film and TV performed in front of an audience — he tested it at his alma mater, with 75 students as his crew. And when Courtney Marsh ('09) came up with the idea of "traveling to a foreign country and filming a documentary in a language I didn't speak" — that would be her 2015 Oscar-nominated short Chau, Beyond the Lines, about a 16-year-old Vietnamese boy disabled by Agent Orange — UCLA guided her as she planned her trip."They even helped me in getting the funds," she says. When not lecturing at USC or NYU, James Franco sometimes teaches here as well.NOTABLE ALUMNI Frank Marshall, Justin Lin, Dustin Lance Black, George Takei3 New York University Tisch School of the ArtsTuition: $53,882 (undergrad); $56,804 (grad)NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, the best, most prestigious American film school east of the Hudson River, is alma mater to such cinematic heavyweights as Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone and M. Night Shyamalan. Ang Lee ('82), after studying drama at the University of Illinois, arrived on the NYC campus barely speaking English but discovered the universal language of 16mm."Making movies was easier than every other thing I did in America. It's just sight and sound; I could speak broken English and make it work," says the director, who in November will release his experimental 120-frames-per-second film Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. NYU students create more than 5,000 movies a year — some on old-school celluloid — and can pick the brains of David Fincher, Sofia Coppola and scores of other A-list filmmakers as part of the recently launched Chair's Workshops series. James Franco not only sometimes teaches here, it's also where he got his MFA.NOTABLE ALUMNI Spike Lee, Jim Jarmusch, Cary Fukunaga, Joel Coen, Colin Trevorrow2 American Film InstituteTuition: $47,030 (first year); $58,216 (second year)AFI made history at this year's Student Academy Awards, becoming the first school to sweep the medals — gold, silver and bronze — in the narrative category. It can add those to the pile of trophies its alumni have collected during the past year, including prizes at the Cannes and Venice film festivals, and display them in the school's newly renovated library on its woodsy campus overlooking Hollywood.AFI's efforts toward gender equality also are awards-worthy: In 2015, for the first time, the incoming class for the directors program included more female students than male. The school's editing track is getting a boost with the hiring of Oscar nominee Matt Chesse, and students' thesis films are guaranteed distribution through American Film Institute, where they are available for rental or purchase. "The biggest lesson I learned at AFI was the challenge of executing a vision that you have to defend and get other people to collaborate on," says Patty Jenkins ('00), director of Warner Bros.' upcoming Wonder Woman. Jenkins' AFI thesis, by the way? A female superhero movie.NOTABLE ALUMNI Darren Aronofsky, David Lynch, Terrence Malick1 University of Southern California School of Cinematic ArtsTuition: $51,442 (undergrad); $46,454 (grad)USC's School of Cinematic Arts has been around since 1929, but THR's No. 1 film school — for a fourth consecutive year — always is one step ahead of its time. These days USC is betting big on virtual and augmented reality, with VR content company Jaunt announcing in January that it would fund a VR incubator at the school. The Jaunt Cinematic Virtual Reality Lab, under construction next door to the Zemeckis Center, will be home to courses like Directing in the Virtual World (taught by Oscar-winning visual effects artist Michael Fink).But the school is ahead of the curve in other ways as well, pushing Hollywood toward diversity: In October it received a $10 million endowment, partly from alum George Lucas ('67), earmarked for financial support for students from underrepresented communities. Says The Birth of a Nation producer Jason Michael Berman ('06), who teaches a course, "Filmmakers from diverse backgrounds have really incredible and important stories to tell, so to be able to offer those students these scholarships is going to be amazing and so important." USC's location — in Exposition Park — also keeps the school on top, providing easy access to many of the best brains in the business … and James Franco, who teaches one of his far-flung film courses here.NOTABLE ALUMNI Judd Apatow, John August, Susan Downey, Kevin Feige, Doug Liman, Shonda Rhimes, Bryan Singer, John Wells10 Best Film Schools in America of 2017 | TheBestColleges.org(Image Source)What is it that makes one film school superior to another? The process of creating a film, regardless of whether it is art, cinema, documentary or an event, or regardless of where it is filmed – Wyoming, Wisconsin, West Virginia – requires knowledge in a variety of areas. Camera operators must understand the theory behind film, the technology necessary to capture events on film and the knowledge to produce a meaningful series of images which convey the intended meaning behind the film. A good film school will teach students the skills and knowledge necessary to perform the functions required to accomplish this. An excellent film school will produce graduates who have developed an inherent understanding of what must be done, the creativity to produce unique projects and the ability to successfully implement their ideas. Developing a curriculum which matures each student’s natural abilities and cultivates an advanced understanding of what makes great film is essential to significant success in the commercial or private film industry.Camera operators will need to understand the foundational premises of a number of subject matters. Attaining an understanding of the areas of journalism, communications, marketing, graphic design, computers and photography are all valuable. Each field provides knowledge essential to the production of meaningful films. Students may need to develop a more in depth understanding of certain areas based on the type of film in which they intend to work. Certain schools may provide a general overview of the field but may concentrate more in one area than another. Schools which offer strong degree programs in film will provide sufficient training in each area to ensure graduates are equipped with a comprehensive understanding of the entire industry, not just small segments which barely cover the vital areas. By encompassing all of the subjects relevant to the film industry as a whole, students will be given the opportunity to explore the various areas of focus and make an informed decision as to where their strengths lie and which specialty is most relevant to their abilities.With the high level of competition expected for individuals vying for positions in the film industry, choosing the right school will be important. Graduates entering the film industry will need to rely substantially on the reputation of the school where the degree is earned to provide an advantage over other applicants applying for the same position. A limited number of entry level positions are expected to be available over the next several years. Competition for the available positions will be fierce. With limited practical experience, the quality of the education received by a candidate will be the factor employers will consider most when making a decision. Selecting a school ranked among the top in the nation will provide the advantage needed.1. Vanderbilt UniversityVanderbilt University was established in 1873 as a small private institution with ties to the church. Throughout the next century, Vanderbilt University grew exponentially in geographical size, student enrollment and in academic regard. Vanderbilt University has earned membership to the Association of American Universities and has placed among the top twenty private universities in the nation. The private research university possesses numerous degree programs which consistently rank among the top ten in the country. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, students are in close proximity to one of the main a cultural hubs in the nation. The flexible curriculum affords students the opportunity to tailor the degree programs to their educational goals. Alumni of the university boast leadership positions in the industries for which they studied. The University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.The interdisciplinary film studies degree programs provides a comprehensive education in the cinema arts. Students learn about the cultural, historical, theoretical and aesthetic aspects of the field. The students learn through academic exploration and practical experience and training. Required courses for the program include film studies, film theory, communication, culture and consciousness, cultural rhetoric of film, culture and society, history of art, America on Film. In addition to the major specific courses, students will be expected to complete general studies courses in communications studies, philosophy, psychology, Asian studies, art, and European studies. In addition to the curriculum, students have the opportunity to participate in the film festivals and contests hosted by the University where they have the opportunity to compete and showcase their work.2. University of ChicagoThe University of Chicago is a renowned research institution with a highly regarded curriculum. Considered a pioneer in education and research, the University of Chicago is credited with developing programs which have been duplicated across the nation. The college boasts more than 80 Nobel Prize winners among its faculty members and students as well as a Pulitzer Prize winner. University of Chicago has a history in film dating back to the late 1800’s when the institution provided one of the first public viewings of motion pictures. Since these early beginnings, the established Department of Cinema and Media Studies has evolved into a leader in the field. The challenging, interdisciplinary curriculum encompasses the central areas of theory, history and criticism, but also placing emphasis on video production and performance studies. The University of Chicago houses the oldest and most prominent student film society in the nation.The degree programs offered at the University of Chicago include both undergraduate and graduate programs. The degree programs examine the various cinematic forms and techniques and how cinema is affected by production. Students also analyze the method by which cinema conveys a story. The cinema studies courses will explore the aesthetic perspective of films, film culture and the styles of film. Additionally, the curriculum will include studies in narrative contexts, racial and national identity, transnational media production and circulation, commercial and leisure entertainment forms and consumer culture. Students will concentrate on American films with some examination of European, Russian and East Asian films. The curriculum requires students to complete coursework in general studies as well as cinema. Students take courses in Anthropology, art history, music, history, philosophy, English and Comparative Literature. Students will also be expected to complete a research paper3. University of Southern CaliforniaThe University of Southern California has earned its reputation as one of the top ranked film programs due to its high caliber degree program, central location, extensive resources and expert instructors. The university is dedicated to developing the creative and leadership abilities and skills in students through the study of film and interactive media. The concentration on experiential learning provides ample opportunity for students to gain practical experience. Students create their own short films; assuming the role of camera operators, writers, directors, scriptwriters and exploring the various other critical function of the film industry. The school is located in the cinema capital of the world, Los Angeles; in close proximity to motion picture and television companies. The University of Southern California offers unparalleled state of the art facilities which include sound stages, animation facilities, mixing theaters, digital classrooms, screening rooms, and post-production suites. The award faculty members are working professionals in the field; comprised of directors, screenwriters and a number of other professionals.The School of Cinematic Arts offers interdisciplinary undergraduate, graduate and doctorate degree programs in the creative field of film. The school is composed of six divisions and includes two research units. Students study the theory and practices of the film industry as well as fields with creative and cultural relevance. The curriculum provides exposure to all aspects of the various mediums of moving video including film, television and interactive video. Students, regardless of their area of focus, study all aspects of the field to develop an inherent understanding of the importance and impact of each and to expand their abilities into other areas. Students are provided with consistent opportunity to implement theory with substantial practice. Concentration areas include critical studies centering on the processes behind creating film and he effect of film on culture and social, political and economic facets of society; film and television production where students concentrate on scriptwriting and storytelling, editing, sound design, producing an directing; animation and digital arts, interactive media, producing program and media arts and practice.4. New York UniversityThe department of Cinema Studies at New York University was one of the earliest departments dedicated to the film discipline. Film studies at NYU concentrate on the traditional areas of history, theory and film aesthetics through interdisciplinary study. The impact of the international and cultural influences on film as well as the technologies and central mediums utilized to produce the finished results are also analyzed. The study of film at New York University isn’t limited to only the traditional scopes though; instead including the areas of video art, online projects and broadcast television. The program is consistently updated to include the various evolving aspects of the discipline, taking into consideration the changing nature of film. The 300 plus instructors within the department are professional artists with extensive experience in the profession. New York University offers an extensive library of videos for the use of its students. The weekly cinematic provides opportunities to participate in film screenings. Located in New York City, NYU provides substantial opportunities for cultural enrichment.New York University offers a number of degree options in the film major. Students are required to compile and submit a portfolio for admission into some of the major programs. Degree programs include the Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in cinema studies, a double major option with the second major in humanities, social sciences or arts, the Master of Arts in cinema studies or in moving image archiving and preservation and the PhD in cinema studies. Three areas of study are required for the major; core curriculum, small lecture courses in cinema studies and large lecture courses in film aesthetics, directors and genres. The curriculum includes an intensive expository writing requirement, courses in language, literature, dramatic literature, theater history, world through art, foreign language, world cultures and social science courses including journalism and linguistics and a quantitative reasoning and natural science course. The special programs offered at the school to enhance the experience include a study abroad option in places such as London, Prague, Shanghai and Dublin and summer internship opportunities.5. Cornell UniversityCornell University, labeled as one of the elite Ivy League schools, offers a long history of excellence in quality education, research and alumni success. The department of Theatre, Film and Dance at Cornell provides flexible degree options with an extensive range of opportunities. Students are afforded the opportunity to take courses in film without committing to the major. The major can be declared in the sophomore year, permitting students the time to decide which course of study they prefer to pursue. The interdisciplinary film studies programs encourage students to explore courses in many other related disciplines including history, romance studies, psychology, anthropology history, German studies and Asian studies. The Cornell Cinema Exhibition is an opportunity for students to explore and to screen a range of film samplings and participate in film workshops. Guest filmmakers come to the campus to participate in the events. Students are able to joint film making clubs where they can organize screenings of their work and receive funding for equipment and various projects.The students pursuing a film major at Cornell University are afforded exceptional flexibility in developing their degree programs. Both undergraduate and graduate degree programs are offered in film studies. Students can choose to complete a double major with another discipline or to create their own major developed from the film studies curriculum. Students can pursue a program in film studies or film production. Film studies centers on the history, theory and criticism of film. Students examine the various genres of film, the cultural contexts and the artistic and creative aspects. Film production concentrates on creating and developing ideas and learning the various techniques of filming including audio editing, using software tools and video editing. Students study the various genres of film; documentary, animation, narrative and take courses in directing, play writing, screenwriting and acting. All students are required to complete a senior project which provides the opportunity to create and experiment with their own film. The study abroad program allows students to spend their junior year in Paris at the Center for Film and Critical Studies.6. Columbia UniversityIn addition to being regarded as one of the top ranked national universities, Columbia University is considered one of the premier film schools in the country. At Columbia, the various forms of art, including film, are researched as vigorously as other disciplines. Students together with expert faculty members collaborate on intense and innovative research projects to create and discover new processes and techniques while still adhering to the curriculum studying the traditional concepts of history, theory and criticism. Columbia University adheres to a distinctive perspective of the study; endeavoring to develop unique methodologies from which to view the field. Students learn to and are encouraged to develop their own style and creativity through studying and analyzing the experts from the past and present, learning the history of the field and exploring related disciplines and how they impact and affect the discipline. The intellectual aspects of the field are emphasized as much as the creative.Students are able to pursue both undergraduate and graduate degree programs in film studies. The curriculum permits students to explore the discipline from varying perspectives. Students can choose a program which focuses on art, technology or even cultural significance. The program includes coursework in the arts and humanities. Students will create a program with the assistance of an adviser comprised of twelve required courses. Courses include introduction to the study and theory of film, auteur studies, genre studies, national cinemas, film theory, lab in fiction film making, script analysis, narrative strategies in screen writing and non fiction film making. Intense concentration on writing, seminars in screenwriting and film making are also part of the curriculum. Internship opportunities with film companies are offered to students. Other opportunities to participate in film projects can be found with the student run film organization.7. University of California – BerkeleyThe University of California Berkeley campus is a part of the renowned California University system. Film studies at Berkeley encompass the traditional, historical forms of moving-image as well as the most recent, cutting edge developments in the industry. The degree programs emphasize theoretical and historical analysis of films in humanitarian and interdisciplinary studies context. Students are able to attend the Pacific Film Archive, a highly regarded internationally recognized cinematheque where film makers are able to visit the campus to screen films. Located in one of the cultural hubs of the world, the University of California provides extensive opportunities for students to explore the various aspects and settings of the film industry. The advisers help students develop a plan to ensure all requirements are met and to answer any questions concerning courses and internships.The students majoring in film studies at the University of California Berkeley have the opportunity to pursue undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Students are also offered the option of pursuing a double major. Students will complete courses including history of silent and sound film, documentary and the avant-garde film, film theory, film genres, introductory film and video production, screenwriting, and a variety of courses centering on specific film makers and various national cinemas. The curriculum develops the student’s skills in analytical thinking, critical thinking, communications and visual literacy. Students also study political science, anthropology, ethnic studies, women’s studies, comparative literature and foreign languages. Hands on production opportunities are sometimes offered as are internship opportunities with local film and video production companies and the Pacific Film Archive and journal Film Quarterly.8. University of PennsylvaniaAs one of the top ranked Universities in the nation, the University of Pennsylvania is a premier institute of higher learning. The university offers superior degree programs, expert faculty instructors and an advantageous location in the cultural center of Philadelphia. The university has a pioneering history in cinema studies, beginning with controversial performances in the late 1800’s. Cinema studies at the University of Pennsylvania center on the essential areas of history, theory and criticism, but also encompass the vital aspects of production and screenwriting. The University of Pennsylvania boasts among its alumni DreamWorks CEO, former presidents of CBS and Warner Home Video, current president of Columbia Pictures and directors from the renowned Sundance Film Festival; evidence of the quality of its cinema program. The University of Pennsylvania possesses extensive film library within the department from which students are allowed to borrow. Students are offered the opportunity to participate in the study abroad programs which enables them to attend festival screenings or experience the preservation and archiving of the National Film Archive.Cinema degree programs at the University of Pennsylvania are offered at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Students are also offered the option of pursuing the field as either a major or minor course of study and of pursuing a certificate program in graduate studies. Studies incorporate a traditional humanities program framework; studying theory, history and aesthetics. Students will analyze national cinemas, international film movements, legal and political forces governing film industry practices, various film makers and film and media theory. The curriculum for the cinema studies degree programs are interdisciplinary; drawing substantially on a variety of methodological approaches from varying subjects for studying the discipline. Students will evaluate the relationship between film and other various forms of art. Coursework can include such diverse courses as languages and literature, women studies, romance languages, fine arts, communications, anthropology, English and history. Other required and elective courses will include world film history, introduction to film theory, Soviet montage theory, French auteur theory, and a range of enema courses in various cultural areas.9. Yale UniversityYale University is ranked among the top universities in the nation and has earned international recognition for the superior quality of its degree programs. The Film Studies programs offered at Yale University are no exception. Film studies are considered as an artistic expression with significant cultural and social import. The programs concentrate on the history, theory and criticism of film. Both undergraduate and graduate degree programs are offered in film studies. Students are offered the opportunity to create films or videos as part of the curriculum and possibly gain admission to either the fiction or documentary film workshops. Students are encouraged to develop a collaborative relationship with other departments; utilizing resources which are relevant to film studies and completing course within the department which will complement the area of interest which they want to pursue. The lecture series offered at Yale University in Film Studies provides opportunities to hear renowned experts discuss various aspects of the film industry.The interdisciplinary degree programs in film studies encompass all of the essential elements of the discipline. Students are permitted to develop a curriculum tailored to their interests, pending approval by a committee within the department. Students are expected to complete certain prerequisite courses including introduction to film studies. Other required courses include Close Analysis of Film, Film Theory and Aesthetics, Issues in Contemporary Film Theory and studies in international, cultural films. The production seminar courses, theater studies, creative writing and art concentrate on the creative aspect of the film process. An area of concentration is expected to be chosen by each student in history of art, literature, philosophy, social sciences, film theory, productions, race and gender, photography, or national or regional cultures and their cinemas. All students are required to complete a senior essay or project which incorporates all of the knowledge and skills gained throughout the student’s years in the film degree program.10. University of California – Los AngelesThe University of at Los Angeles has long been regarded as one of the premier institutions of higher learning in the nation. The School of Theater, Film and Television within UCLA maintains that reputation continuing with the tradition through rigorous and dynamic degree programs, award winning faculty members and advisors and extensive resources and network connections. The curriculum concentrates on the traditional areas of theory, practice and criticism; with a strong emphasis on experiential learning, analytical thinking and creative development. UCLA prepares the future leaders of the industry by encouraging innovation and risk taking. Students enrolled at UCLA have access the school’s renowned film and television archive; the largest of its type in the world. UCLA hosts workshops credited with developing exceptional skills in various areas of the field of cinema. UCLA also offers summer programs for high school students, college students and professionals. The online film program offers the opportunity to complete courses at the convenience of the student.The University of California at Los Angeles offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the field. Students intending to enroll in the Bachelor of Arts in Film and Television will only be able to do so in the last two years of their undergraduate program. The first two years of the program will be dedicated to general educational studies. Coursework include foundational arts and humanities, society and culture, scientific inquiry, writing, foreign language, literature, American history and institutions. The curriculum provides a comprehensive overview of the field. Students learn all of the relevant areas of the field; the conceptual areas of history and theory as well as the technical and creative aspects. Storytelling is a main focus of the field as it is considered the central element of film. Additional areas meant to expound the students abilities and understanding include special effects for film and television, digital library research and archival restoration, computer animation, interactive television and web based media arts.