Part two of my story will bring us to a love affair I never intended to have. I did not want to love Chapman University, but just read what happened next! We were choosing between two competing universities for the very same program. Chapman won over our whole family.
As mentioned in part one, Chapman hosted a new student day, and it turns out it was springtime. The purpose is to give one last “sell” for undecided students. I did not go; as I thought for sure on appeal, my daughter would be accepted to USC. Why oh why I held on to this hope, I will never know. Here in my daughters’ words are what I missed that incredible day!
Every spring, Chapman hosts an Admitted Students Day to give prospective students the opportunity to visit the campus and learn about various programs that are offered at the University. Declared Film Majors could visit Dodge College and sit in on a mock seminar. There were presentations geared toward both students and parents in attempts to connect Chapman to the hearts and minds of the accepted high school seniors before the decision deadline.
Dad and I went to visit the film school. After I had gotten out of the mock screenwriting class, I was waiting in the lobby for Dad to get out of a parents seminar. The Film Festival Coordinator was standing at booth advertising a Cannes Film Festival opportunity. So I struck up a conversation with him. He asked me what I wanted to do with Film Studies and asked what I thought of the welcome day. I jokingly told him I wanted to be Robert Osborne (of Turner Classic Movie fame) when I grew up. He paused, for a minute and said, “I read your admissions essays…” And he went on to connect the first essay with the second and remembered what I talked about without my reminding him. He also said that my review of a children’s film made him think about it in a different light. That is a story I still tell today and positively impacted my decision to go to Chapman. And I bet I wouldn’t have found the person who read my essays at USC!
After that, we went to the closing remarks where Chancellor Struppa spoke. Because he is Italian, Dad thought it would be obligatory to introduce us.
… And so it goes. With stubborn heels dug in the sand so thick, it was I the mom that missed a glorious day at a school that was welcoming my daughter with open arms. Can you imagine that of the hundreds of essays that man read, he remembered hers just like that? She came home with the smile that seemed to stretch all around the head. How could I not love this school? That day I sent an e-mail to the Chancellor and thanked him for the fantastic day the school hosted and reminded him that he met my husband and daughter. I figured he met hundreds that day and thought that would be that and who would ever hear back? WRONG again! He wrote back immediately, and we have since spoken on many occasions.
As you can guess, it was that day, that sealed the deal. My daughter accepted Chapman’s offer, and thus the unintended love affair between Chapman and me began.
When choosing schools and having your child go through the grueling application process, sometimes as parents we lose sight of what is best for our kid, vs. what is best in the minds of our culture and society. We need to step back from our prejudices and preconceived notions. What was thirty years and more ago when we graduated from high school is not so today!
The first time I stepped on the grounds of the Dodge Film School, I had to catch my breath. The state of the art school makes students and the honing of their craft its top priority. It is the most beautiful building, and thanks to very generous donors, more buildings are being added as we speak.
Now a third-year student, my daughter has had opportunities that most likely would not have happened at the elusive east side school in Los Angeles. Just a few weeks ago, she was invited to a meeting at the Directors Guild in Los Angeles. Just like that, it happens. The ignorance of choosing a name over the sheer excellence of quality still haunts me a bit.
My daughter has worked with real directors, producers, and writers who want to mentor. She has had the opportunity to learn from real Hollywood working professionals who are invited by Chapman and come to the school ready to share wisdom, and some quality time with any student who desires to succeed. The women who have shattered the proverbial glass Hollywood ceiling have been exceptionally gracious. They openly share the hardships they endured and have set the stage for up and coming young female talent to succeed.
It is amazing! I know for sure my daughter who has held a steady spot on the Chancellors list, has had her mind opened, and she has been challenged beyond her self-vision. She has dreams now she never knew she could dream. She was not lost in a sea of 30,000 but found in a much smaller sea, where you are not only seen but heard.
As for me, I have a whole new respect and admiration for the small Liberal Arts University that I judged too fast, and much too harshly. Chapman University Film School is up and coming at warp speed, and is ranked right up there with USC. The rest of Chapman boasts equally outstanding programs in other majors. They attract some of the best in education. The small town of Orange is the best place to spend the day walking in old town as if out of another time.
Chapman’s President Doti is just as likely to be found roaming the campus as he is participating in the many activities offered in the Chapman community. A world-class Economist, he does not possess the self-inflicted arrogance that says, “don’t talk to me, I am too important.” He welcomes the student interaction, as my daughter has experienced unscheduled on several occasions. He and the Chancellor are avid mountain climbers, and often write articles in the OC Register. Like the Chancellor, President Doti answers his e-mail. They make students their top priority, and often stop to speak to a student and find out their well-being. Chapman is a small community where your teen will develop (if they choose) into a super productive ready to get into the world adult!
I have no doubt that the opportunities my daughter has had at Chapman have given her the “chops” she needs to walk into any production set in Hollywood or anywhere in the world and without pause, get straight to work!
So here it is, and so rare for a stellar mom like myself (I jest), I was WRONG! I judged this school based on a desire to be one of the popular parents with a kid at the most prestigious of schools, but I now know the secret. One of the most prestigious institutions in the world is right in my backyard!
I love Chapman University!
Happy Parenting!
Disclaimer: The above is not an endorsement to any one college or university. This is a personal story of my family’s journey in the college process.
First published: 2008
Update 2014: The daughter that chose Chapman, graduated magna cum laude and went on to study in a prestigious film program at UCLA. Highly selective, they only take 13 students for the two-year program. Chapman prepared her well, and she received her MFA in producing from UCLA, this past spring. And that up and coming law school? Our eldest selected Chapman above at least six other choices, and just received her Juris doctorate this past spring. Chapman turned out to be a double win for our family. And perhaps, even a triple, as the application process begins for our 3rd daughter this fall.