LMU

Today, I want to write a quick review of Loyola Marymount University, but first a few recent happenings:

After Wednesday night practices in the summer, the cross country team hangs out at Eat'n Park - a chain of family friendly diner-like restaurants that are famous for its Smiley cookies. Last night was our last Eat'n Park adventure. It was fun. A few friends and past runners dropped by to say goodbye before they left for college. That will be me in a short year.

Speaking of college, I am still working on finalizing my list. My parents are worried because I haven't begun to apply yet. They are now clocking my time. Yesterday, my mom yelled at me because I watched America's Next Top Model for twenty minutes while I ate lunch. This means I might have to do some secret blogging.

Finally, I keep hitting dead ends with my short film. On Tuesday, my faithful french teacher gave me a list of possible male actors. Two days later I still haven't found someone. Sigh. Summer feels as if it has been over for awhile.

And now introducing Loyola Marymount University.

I'm pretty sure that Loyola has schools across the country. LMU is a small Jesuit school in LA. My cousin Danielle went there. I'm not sure of the differences between the Jesuit and Catholic faiths. They seem similar.

Danielle and Erica took me on a little tour of LMU on the Saturday after film camp. While there, we got locked outside on a dorm roof. It also rained (drizzled actually). Rained in LA - I told said the weather was weird while I was there.

I went back later that week with Carol Anne, and we got a personal tour of the film building. The student who gave us the tour had some good information, but he also talked a lot of trash about other film schools in the area. He came off as a bit biased and arrogant. He also mentioned that he was attending LMU and his brother was going to attend USC because they had "connections." Which is what it's all about folks.

LMU sits in the middle of LA on top of a mountain. The location really is beautiful. It's in a safe environment - a residential neighborhood. It's also a short drive away from LAX and Manhattan Beach - one of my favorite areas of Los Angeles.

The school seems religious. Each dorm has an in-house priest. Although from what Danielle tells me, that doesn't stop the students from having a good time. As a whole LMU reminds me of a local college - St. Francis University. A ton of kids from my high school, Bishop McCort, go there. It has earned the nickname 13th grade.

After attending a small Catholic school for my whole life, I am anxious to break out. I want a big school in a big city. Just visiting LMU makes me feel chrostophobic, and I worry that I might go crazy there.

The film school itself is a tiny, and I mean tiny, little building. It is pretty hard to get accepted into the school. LMU has a two sound stages, a nice theater, and a cool editing suite. It sits in the heart of the action and seems connected to the industry. A bunch of cool people come to talk to the film students. Advanced film screenings are sometimes held. Plus, students can break out and explore opportunities in the city.

All in all, LMU is not my top choice. But the campus is very nice. LMU just got a brand new library that was probably one of the nicest buildings I have ever been in. The film school is reputable and connected to the industry. It serves as a good backup school if USC and Chapman don't work out.

I want to end by introducing you to Pratley. I know it's random, but my good friend Christina introduced me to his music. He's a student at USC. Listen to Fall Wind. After all, Autumn is around the corner.

http://pratleyproject.com/