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The signs that spring has arrived are all around us. Birds are chirping. Winter frost has turned to winter slush. Productions are in full swing at Columbia College Chicago. And the latest group of Film & Video MFA students arrived on campus for Admitted Student Day. Students came from all over. We had homegrown talent from Chicago and students from as far away as scenic Utah and exotic Belgium.

This is one of my favorite department events, and not just because of the free lunch. (They had Lou Malnati’s Pizza… Yum.) It’s because I’m reminded of the nervous enthusiasm I had when I first received my acceptance letter. You open the envelope, and there in black in white is your Oasis ID number. At that point, it just got real and you have important decisions to make. Now that I’m in, is this the right time? Do I really want to study film? Will I get a job? Do I want to deal with winter?

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The students I met today are in a similar place. The door to Columbia has been opened, and now they have to decide if this is the right time to walk through.

So after an initial meet and greet with current students, the admitted group were treated to two films by Columbia students. The first was the sweet and hilarious film The Honeypot, written and directed by first-year student Hadeel Hadidi. Can you ever go wrong with obsession in the closet? I don’t think so. To decipher that comment you need to figure out a way to see this film. (That’s my challenge to you.) The other film was a thesis level film called Voice Lessons. This was about a young female singer that makes a difficult decision when faced with an unscrupulous vocal coach. Both films were great examples of the talent at Columbia.

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After seeing the films, students were given a tour of the Media Production Center (MPC). I gave the whole MPC rundown last week, so I’ll spare you another description. I will say that the students were impressed by the building… as they should be. Students were then given the chance to mingle with faculty and more current students. The questions were interesting, but it was difficult balancing a Panera brownie in one hand and an engaging conversation in the other—difficult, but not impossible.

So overall, I would say Admitted Student Day was a success and accomplished what it set out to do—help students make their final decision.