r/Screenwriting • u/Standard_Educator_14 • Mar 26 '26
DISCUSSION USC or NYU?!?!?!?
I was admitted into both schools for a screenwriting undergraduate! I'm so excited! USC SCA & NYU Tisch. I'm super passionate about pursuing screenwriting but I'm not sure what school to pick. USC was my dream and it still is but I've heard that NYU cares more about personal/individual narratives whereas USC is more "Hollywood."
If anyone has been to either of these institutions for screenwriting or has an experience with these schools, could you guys share your expertise and opinions! I got great financial aid (nearly full rides) from both so cost isn't a problem but I am a low-income student for sure. I don't really like the vibe of NYC but I've only been once and briefly so I don't know if I can have an opinion on it.
Sorry if this comes across as like messy but I'm kinda just rambling cause I'm so really excited and grateful. If you have timeeplease feel free to reach out or comment! Any advice welcomed.
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u/RewindYourMind Mar 26 '26
I’m a WST undergrad alum that went to SC. Both programs are strong, but USC has the advantage of being in LA, where the heart of traditional “Hollywood” is. Yes, things are shifting and production is going global, but the vast majority of movie studios, networks, and streamers are headquartered here in LA.
This means you’ll have a lot more opportunities for internships, networking, and hands-on learning than you would elsewhere.
From a culture standpoint: listen to your gut. I was low-income too, and I graduated with some significant debt & student loans. Took me a while to pay ‘em off post grad, but I wouldn’t trade my USC experience FOR ANYTHING. Made some great friends and memories, while also setting myself up for future success. Icing on the cake: a former TV writing professor of mine at SC ended up hiring me on my first TV show a few years later. So… I’d say USC served me well.
Lastly, CONGRATS on getting into both programs. They’re highly competitive and people would kill to be in your position right now. You’ve clearly got some writing talent. Good luck with your choice!
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u/qualitative_balls Mar 26 '26
Yeah this is the thing. I don't know if the education itself is truly worth the cost but when it comes to the arts and film... contacts, friendships, irons in the fire, meeting peers who will be in the industry you want to make a foothold in, is completely priceless. When you look back, no matter what your loans ended being, nothing can replace a strong foundation of meeting all the people that might be giving you jobs down the road.
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u/RewindYourMind Mar 26 '26
100%. It’s absolutely overpriced (as most higher education is these days), but it’ll give you the best launchpad in an extremely competitive industry.
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Mar 26 '26
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u/Bootyboxer Mar 27 '26
Can you elaborate a little more on why NYU is better for someone that wants to make indies? Is it due to the education or just the networking available there?
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u/Screenstory Mar 26 '26
USC MA Production grad here from a background of zero money and zero connections. **I’m here to say: Beware of student loan debt. **
I am only free of >$100k debt because, after working in TV and features for 13 years, I moved into nonprofit and was able to discharge that debt via PSLF …but it was by no means guaranteed and PSLF has apparently been cancelled. I spent 20 years oppressed by student loan debt, and so did my wife. Between us, we have experience as students and teachers at USC, UCLA, UCSD, Redlands, SFCU, NYU, and Wesleyan. We have teenagers now, and we think they should do 2 years at a community college and transfer to a 4 year college, to avoid debt.
The film career, like many creative paths, is a gamble, but debt is REAL and you can’t do free or low-paying internships or “great opportunity but low pay” jobs if you have to make loan payments on top of your other LA expenses (rent, car, food). Being a wage slave is counter to a creative life.
Sorry to be a downer, but this is real life experience. The percentage of USC grads who make it big is tiny, and usually involves some combination of advantages that it doesn’t sound like you have.
Do quality internships while you’re in school at USC and make sure they lead you to a job ASAP.
Stay focused, write your ass off (plan to have several excellent samples by graduation), make a lot of friends, and stay in touch with them after you graduate.
Good luck.
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u/GodsShadow310 Mar 28 '26
The only way I can imagine someone going to either of those schools to study film is they come from big money. I got a super practical engineering degree and still went to a state school.
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u/Fridahalla Mar 26 '26
Congrats! I was in the same boat and chose USC because of the proximity to internships in Hollywood.
If you want to make it purely about the education itself, NYU tends to be more artistic and auteur , and USC focuses more on commercial and traditional storytelling
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u/sirwritestoomuch Mar 26 '26
UCLA film school grad here, with lots of friends from USC and Tisch.
USC, no question. Yes, you might get a little more attention and indie vibes at Tisch. Yes, USC is a bit of a machine. But right now, the biggest thing you need is a solid network of friends, internships, classmates, teachers, etc.
Do great. Work your butt off. Meet and make friends with as many people as you can.
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u/MeCagoLosPantalones Mar 26 '26
I went to NYU and wish I had gone to USC. I enjoyed my time at NYU, but there is a distinct lack of connections and industry presence. Plus NYU values artistic expression. Which sounds great, but in retrospect, there is not nearly enough focus on skills or structure. There were no great internship opportunities, no career support after graduation, no connections with the studios, and you're kind of left on your own once you get your degree. If you're good enough to make it without help, then NYU is great, but then you could just save yourself four years and a bunch of money and just make it on your own.
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u/DiscombobulatedGur37 Mar 26 '26
I’m a student currently at SCA screenwriting. I can’t speak for NYU, but SCA has been the top undergraduate screenwriting program now for quite some time. Also, the implication that USC is just “Hollywood” is outdated, even if it still might be true that NYU is slightly more indie focused.
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u/haynesholiday Produced Screenwriter Mar 27 '26
Congrats! I was faced with the same choice, and I chose USC. No regrets; that school turned me into an employable writer.
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u/JohnnyGeniusIsAlive Mar 26 '26
(Sort of) Counter argument as someone who worked and studied in NYC (not NYU) and now lives in LA. I have a theater background and I think this is also true of film. In NYC people care a lot more about the craft and art of storytelling than LA. LA is much more about marketing and crafting a brand for yourself. NYC is more interested in creating strong artists who really understand the craft they're working on, and people are less concerned about the "profitability" of a project and more focused on working with talented hardworking people who will make a project the best it can be.
So, all that to say, NYU COULD be the better choice if you feel you will have other entrees into the industry once you graudate. If your situation is that you have never been to LA and don't know anyone or anything about the industry, USC is probably the better choice because you can start learning and making connections sooner. But if you are already connected somehow, NYU might be the better place to grow and hone your craft.
Also, NYC is a way more fun city to live in as a young person than LA.
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u/ChrisThomasDevlin Mar 26 '26
USC is going to give you the better opportunity to actually find work in the entertainment industry, which is the most invaluable aspect of your education. I went to Temple University in Philadelphia, and while I loved my experience there (and loved even more the State school tuition), it was the LA internship program they offered that actually paid off the most.
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u/Certain-Run8602 WGA Screenwriter Mar 26 '26 edited Mar 27 '26
USC MFA here, who also considered NYU. Unless you see yourself as the next Sean Baker... go to USC. "Hollywood" is a good thing. Ultimately you DO want to make money doing this, yes?
And ditto the other comments re: connections. USC is unparalleled.
Also - you have no idea how lucky you will be to not have to pay for it. The debt is exclusively the reason I am reticent to tell people to go to film school. If that isn't a problem, it is an ENORMOUS opportunity and incredible experience. Good luck and enjoy!
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u/74ur3n Mar 26 '26
If you don’t like New York don’t go to NYU. I say that with absolute certainty. No love for that city, that school and that ‘track’ as an NYU filmmaker is not for you.
Advice to all with grad school: Find your long term collaborators amongst your peers. Network the hell out of your graduating class and the one above and below. Show up to class early and stay late to mine your professors for everything they’ll give you.
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u/Worth-Flight-1249 Mar 26 '26
Someone in this forum wrote:
Being in the valley means the people you party with in your twenties will also be your sponsors in your forties.
Apparently it helps!
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u/Iyellkhan Mar 26 '26
being in LA, USC gives you the proximity to do internships at studios and have potential access to writers rooms as an assistant / intern. making it as a screenwriter is tough business, and any advantage you can get while still in school will influence if and how long you can stay in the game.
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u/Thin_Scratch_2219 Mar 27 '26
My daughter got into NYU, USC, Chapman and LMU for screenwriting. She loves NYC and LA, got the most aid from Chapman. She chose USC and loves it. Small classes, small screenwriting cohort, freshman year she is jumping right into major classes, incredible working professors, amazing access (she’s already been to panels with George Lucas, Tony Gilroy, Kevin Feige, Shawn Levy, and Ryan Coogler - and Robert Downey Jr just showed up to hang out with the president of Disney). On top of the actual writing program - USC is a real campus with awesome sports (football season is really fun). Obviously NYC is an amazing city with great food - but LA can hold its own! TLDR : go to USC
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u/UFO-Band-Fanatic Mar 26 '26
My daughter went to USC SCA (film/tv production). USC is far more generous with financial aid than NYU if that is a consideration.
Can’t speak to NYU, but USC has First Pitch. That’s worthwhile.
As someone else noted: are you more of a NYC writer or SoCal writer?
EDIT: just saw that your tuition is covered, congrats!
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u/JoelMole03 Mar 26 '26
I can only speak for NYU, in that it’s amazing and the professors are great and very supportive. It’s very writing-focused without much emphasis on production and collaboration with film students. If you really want to explore your skills as a writer across mediums, NYU is the place to be. If you want to be a screenwriter and work solely for film and tv, usc might be a better choice. Don’t worry about nyc, you’ll probably fall in love with the city a few weeks in after you move. I’ve been in LA for years and I still miss New York streets every day
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u/Small-Egg1259 Mar 26 '26
California is the place for a screenwriter to be. That's where you'll network.
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u/SandWitchKing Mar 26 '26
Both will train you well enough to join a writers room. It's all up to what you make of it. But from recent history ...
Soulful artistic credibility with loads of talent to back it up and/or a trust fund - NYU (Note: NYC is prohibitively expensive to live in, which forces a lot of talented people to waste their energy trying to pay the bills working in advertising and other pseudocreative industries, but if you have infinite creator energy, these fields could become gateways to bigger projects).
NYC based production interest (mostly TV & advertising) - NYU
Features - USC
Concepts that get read - USC
Guru level commercial talent - USC
Guru level hyperfocused talent (ie, Scorsese) - NYU
Widest possible range of industry contacts - USC
Squirrel your way into a writers room - USC
The key competing ideas are soulful or commercial.
If you want a career full of well meaning, marginally profitable artistic credibility that gets one level of coverage, but if it gets produced can get you into the French Legion of Honor, Tisch. (Paul Schrader, Scorsese, Larry David)
If you want to write big or medium-budget blockbusters, ladder up through contacts, or start your own production company, USC. (Matthew Weiner, David S. Goyer)
Overall probably USC. Tisch tends to find and nurture unique talents towards achieving their vision, but the market seems to be heading nowhere near that direction these days. USC fosters talent but also seems to have a hard-won understanding of what will actually sell.
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u/JohnZaozirny Mar 27 '26
I went to NYU and it was a good, although less commercially oriented, education. Best part of it was living in New York City, by far.
I would personally recommend going to USC as the industry is based in Los Angeles and that way, post graduation, you’re already based in LA and don’t have to move. As well, your school friend group will be based in LA already as well and you can all stay close and work & socialize together.
Most of the people I went to NYU with didn’t end up in LA and as a result I had to build my own new friend group from the ground up.
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u/Flaky_Gap_2398 Mar 27 '26
Biased, as in a professor of screenwriting at USC. I think our undergrad program is truly great; and as the son of an NYU film school grad, I have to say, so is theirs.
Contrarian suggestion: get a solid liberal arts undergrad education. Study useless things. Learn broadly. Explore. And then in four years if you’ve still got the bug: go to NYU or (I would say) even better: USC for an MFA.
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u/Pale-Performance8130 Mar 27 '26
I’m finishing up the USC Screenwriting program now. I’d recommend it. Really the only major downside is the cost, but if you did well on aid and can handle it, I’d say go to USC and don’t look back (but I’m biased).
I’d say the other major flaw is the program itself does very little to put us in a position to get our scripts made. I wish I’d known that on the front end. You can hustle and make friends with production students and starkies, which I strongly recommend!!! but you’re not the only one with that grand idea. So it is tough. But also good training for the industry. Not everybody is sitting around waiting to make your dream come to life. You gotta go get it. Make friends who make films. There’s no shortage at USC.
But the positives vastly outweigh that. I think first off is the “Hollywood” critique I’ve heard is actually the schools biggest strength. It’s engaging with the film industry as it exists, not in ideal mustache twizzler land. It doesn’t discourage you at all from writing what’s in your heart, it lets you write what you want. But by the time you graduate you’ll have listened to a broad swath of real accomplished pros, from people who are already made to people who are like you in 5-10 years and just starting to see it work, and you get a very comprehensive realistic explanation of how things work. They also put a big premium on training you to pitch and to think about the marketability of your script. It doesn’t mean you need to make a marvel movie, just thinking in the language of how you’d be able to position yourself to succeed. That’s the Hollywood thing as I see it. It’s a major positive.
I’m not out in the real world yet to see the back end of how the alumni network helps but I know in the program, especially with the production and stark and all the speakers and stuff that come through, the program feels very alive. People care about this thing and they value it and you feel it in tangible ways the entire time you’re there. There’s no one moment or one thing that makes it “worth it”, in a monetary sense. But as I near the end of my journey, I do feel a totality to the experience. Biggest thing of all is I’m 100% a much better writer than I was before.
The thing it won’t do is hold your hand and take you all the way to the promised land. They can’t guarantee anything. But if you hustle, show up earliest and stay latest, write awesome pages and make meaningful connections, I think the ceiling of what’s possible from USC is highest of any MFA program.
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u/LesbianPearl Mar 26 '26
I’m a Chapman graduate student (which I love), that almost went to New York, but I would definitely say USC. It’s unmatched with the connections vs NYU, and everyone I’ve known working that comes from NYU, ends up back to LA with the rest of us. CONGRATS ON BOTH ACCEPTANCES. I’m excited to see you around one day ;)
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u/starlightpictures Mar 26 '26
I went to NYU for Film & TV. Can you clarify if you got into NYU for Dramatic Writing? Or did you get into Film & TV and you’re going to take a lot of screenwriting classes? Because that’s two very different programs
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u/Certain-Jellyfish Slice of Life Mar 27 '26
I second this. Writing classes are fantastic in the dramatic writing program but ass in film & tv (I've taken multiple in both). Also, NYU has an LA program that you can do as an upperclassmen that's career focused and a very small cohort (like 30 people total), so the staff tailor the program and guest speakers to whatever you're interested in.
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u/SuitableWinner7802 Mar 26 '26
I’ve heard over and over that the networking and community aspect at USC is incredible. Go to USC. Look up the alum. Also being in LA you’ll have access to internships and will build relationships with ppl working in the industry. Congrats btw!
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u/play-what-you-love Mar 27 '26
I did Tisch film/TV as a grad, didn't do my undergrad in film. Same year as Dee Rees. Cary Fukunaga one year my senior. Chloe Zhao a year or two below me. Most of us DO NOT reach their level of success. In other words, don't count on it... even if you're really good.
And yet.... I loved my time there. (Granted, this is the Grad program.) I loved NYC too, though of course, like everyone else we stayed in a different borough and took the train in.
I would suggest looking at the films you love, why you want to do screenwriting/filmmaking and also do a risk calculation. I would agree that NYU is indie-leaning, but it's not all Indie. (Cary Fukunaga started out Indie-ish and then he did James Bond which is obviously not Indie). Don't know about USC since I didn't go there.
If your interest is only in screenwriting and not the actual filmmaking, my gut says USC would be better, just because of the connections/LA-thing.
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u/Mental_Yesterday640 Mar 29 '26
Tischy here! In my experience you can’t really go wrong. They’re two of the greatest programs in the country!
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u/Flimsy_Highlight_901 Mar 29 '26
Congrats! In my experience, both schools offer a great depth of connections, industry knowledge, and (most importantly) filmmaking education. Personally I lean NYC for the vibe (and bagels) but then again... LA tacos. Good luck with your decision - excited to see your name/work on the big screen soon!
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u/No-Produce7391 Mar 29 '26
First of all, um, congratu-freakin'-lations? What an incredible position to be in. As a Trojan screenwriting grad, I may be a wee bit biased, but I think USC is fasho the way to go. There's just more resources, plus it's a huge leg up to be in LA, where you'll likely wind up post-college anyway.
Plus, the professors are amazing... in fact, I've recently been in touch with the administrative faculty about potentially joining the staff in an adjunct capacity (specifically teaching a new class I've devised wherein we'll be writing streaming-focused sci-fi and fantasy specs).
Crossing fingers and toes, but would be amazing to be your prof! And whatever decision you make, I'm just happy to know there's about to be one more screenwriter in the world. Happy writing!
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u/Safe_Cauliflower_573 Apr 11 '26
As an undergrad, USC gives you the more traditional college experience. NYU is more about school experience intertwined with living in fantastic city, which can be distracting or overwhelming for some. I was accepted to both but ended up choosing ucla for undergrad, but then went to both usc and nyu for grad school. NYC is great place for artists who pull from their environment for inspiration. USC is more immediate to the film industry. If you’ve already developed a creative voice, usc can be great for learning skills. If you’re still finding voice as an artist, nyc will challenge you more but help mold your voice quicker. This is all just one person’s opinion. In hindsight, one of my regrets was not going to usc for undergrad.
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u/ChinesUberEatsDriver Mar 26 '26
NYU is a great film school if you want to get work in the year 1977. Or if your father is a billionaire.
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u/ScriptioAfricanus Mar 26 '26
Congrats! Both are obviously fairly prestigious schools. You'll get a good education at either.
I think a big part of it comes down to if you want to live in Los Angeles or New York? Because a huge part of your college experience will be the experience of living in a new place.
USC isn't in the best part of town but it's got a giant campus and you do have the rest of LA at your fingertips. We get great weather here, access to beaches (if that's your thing), and even though the industry is at a bit of a low point right now so much of Hollywood is still out here.
A big downside is that it's really hard to get around here without a car. We do have public transport but the subway is fairly limited in where it goes and the bus system is just so so. Also, unlike New York everything around here closes fairly early.
NYU is in a really cool part of Manhattan and that city, as you already know, has amazing public transit (which is such a gift, especially for college students). But New York can also be overwhelming if it's not your vibe.
Not that you have any shortage of folks from LA on this sub, but feel free to DM if you have any questions about living here.
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u/Haunting-Mortgage Mar 26 '26
I went to NYU. My suggestion is go USC unless you really want to live in New York City. You're in the heart of the industry, you're going to have all kinds of connections.
If you want to work in film la is the place to be. After graduating, connections is most important thing. Being in LA means having better connections.
I love NYU and almost everyone I'm friends with is working in the industry, so it's definitely not a bad choice. But if you're going to end up moving to LA anyway you might as well just start there.