A little more than twenty-one years ago (Gasp!) I began my freshman year at Columbia University. My roundabout admissions process (previously detailed here) led me to a school that suited my personality, study habits, and interests like no other could. Without my time at Columbia, I would not have followed the career path that led to my career as a television editor.
When I chose Columbia, I planned to study my favorite subject from high school, Physics. Due to AP credits, I joined sophomores in my first Physics class, Optics and Thermodynamics. A week later, I no longer considered myself a Physics major. The demands of the class and, frankly, a lack of interest in the topic drove me to my second major, Mathematics. Same story. By the end of my first semester, I had moved on to English as a prospective major. However, at the end of my freshman year, a new major opened up to undergraduates: Film Studies. I never looked back.
The faculty at Columbia’s film school included highly respected filmmakers and theorists (and it still does). I took numerous courses with renowned film critic Andrew Sarris. I studied both Film Theory and the History of B-movies with James Schamus, who would go on to write and produce films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain. James Mangold, director of 3:10 to Yuma and Walk the Line taught me the basics of writing and filmmaking. In fact, the first edit I ever made, on my path toward becoming a professional editor, used footage from one of James’ short films.
Outside of the classroom, Columbia offered activities that enhanced my education both directly and indirectly. Because Columbia already had one of the top graduate film programs in the country, I had the chance to work on several short films and music videos, gaining valuable experience. Columbia’s student television station provided another opportunity to gain experience behind the cameras.
Still there was time to enjoy other non-film-related activities as well. I spent a semester as a member of Columbia’s marching band, despite having almost no musical ability whatsoever. Most importantly, I took advantage of Columbia’s Greek life, joining the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity at the end of my sophomore year. The teamwork I learned through my fraternity has been vital in such a collaborative field as mine.
Life at Columbia extended far beyond the campus gates, too. Living on the upper-west side of New York provided unparalleled opportunities to experience film, theatre, art, and music that I would not have had such easy access to in the pre-internet era. That exposure expanded my understanding of the arts, which greatly influenced my career path. I could not have found success in my field without the combination of classwork, extracurricular activities, and external influences found only at Columbia University.