Snyder School of Cinema & Media Arts Application for Admission

Admission to Biola University is required prior to being considered for acceptance into the Snyder School of Cinema & Media Arts (SCMA). While both applications can be filled out at the same time, Biola admittance precedes Snyder School admittance.

Instructions for an effective SCMA application:

Be thoughtful and thorough. This application is designed for us to get to know you as an individual, as your story matters to us. We want to understand who you are, including your faith, your uniqueness, your creative voice, and your ambitions. If someone else (or A.I.) writes it for you, it prevents us from seeing you and hearing your voice. Answer all questions fully and in your own words.
Prepare your answers in advance, then copy/paste into the application. Trust us, this will help, as you cannot save progress in the application itself. We have provided you with a downloadable template for this application. You can create your responses on this template and then copy and paste them into the application.
Work samples must reflect your major/concentration. For example, those interested in editing must submit an editing sample; directors a directing sample; screenwriters a writing sample, etc. If you do not have a work sample, the application will guide you to create one. As we are looking for your potential, show us your creative voice!
Letters of recommendation are encouraged, but not required.This is another way for us to get to know you better.

If you have any questions, please contact the Snyder School of Cinema & Media Arts office at 562-777-4052 or cma@biola.edu.

First Name

Middle Name

Last Name

Mailing Address

Country

Street

City

Region

Postal Code

Birthdate

Email Address

Mobile Phone

Home Phone

Which school term do you plan to attend?

What are you coming in as?

Select your intended Bachelor of Arts Major:

Cinema and Media Arts

Writing for Film and Television

Game Design and Interactive Media

Which concentration will be your focus?
You are not locked in to the concentration you choose now. You may change your concentration at any time if you feel that your area of interest changes later.

How many college semester academic units will you have completed by the time you begin this program?

Please provide your unweighted high school GPA or college GPA if you are a transfer student. (If you are an international student, please write N/A)

Please list the other film schools to which you are applying.

Essay Questions

At Biola’s Snyder School of Cinema & Media Arts, your story matters here. In 500 words or less, tell us about your story and how it has led to your interest in a media career. Share what makes you a unique candidate for our program.

Biola’s Snyder School of Cinema & Media Arts is the #1 ranked Christian film school in the world, offering a top-tier media education grounded in faith. In 500 words or less, tell us why you chose to apply to this program. What do you hope a faith-based media education will develop in you—personally, creatively, and spiritually—and why does that matter to you?

The Hollywood trade publication Variety praised Biola’s Snyder School of Cinema & Media Arts for its unique culture of “collaboration over competition.” In 500 words or less, describe what collaboration means to you as a Christian and as a content creator. Share a personal example of how you collaborated with a team and what you learned from that experience.

Create a Top 5 list of your favorites in one of the following categories: movies, directors, TV series, film franchises, video games, or something similar. Tell us why these made your list.

What is something unique about you—whether it’s a hobby, experience, skill, talent, or something unexpected? Tell us the story behind it and how it reflects who you are.

Work Samples and Experience

All applicants will be asked for creative work samples.

Please provide a link to a work sample that demonstrates your interest in game design and interactive media. Depending on your interests and experience, this might be:

A digital game – This can be a full game or a single level. Create a Windows or Mac executable, place all necessary files into a ZIP file, upload to Google Drive, and submit a link.*
A design document for an original game idea – Please describe the game as completely as possible, including a step-by-step description of how a typical level would play out. Upload a PDF or DOCX to Google Drive or Google Docs and submit a link.* (Please refer to this document as a guide when writing your document)
A mod for an existing game – Please record a screen capture of your mod, upload the video to YouTube, and submit a link.*
3D game artwork – This could be an entire 3D scene, buildings, props, etc., including textures. Submit a YouTube link (video), or a Google Drive link (still images).*

*Note: Be sure to test your link before submitting your application: Ask someone you trust to download or access the file. If it’s a ZIP file, have them unzip it, and then attempt to run the game on their computer.

Game Design and Interactive Media work sample link(s)
Under each link, include a one-sentence summary explaining what your creative sample is about, your role in it, and what is notable or unique about it.

Creative Resume & Work Samples

Your story matters here—and so does your creative voice. Please share a portfolio containing 1–5 film or video projects that you worked on that you feel reflect your talent, vision, experience, and are relevant to your selected concentration. For each project, include the following:

Title
Synopsis
Date of Production
Your Role
Link to the work

As you prepare your application, please double-check that links to your work samples are accessible to external reviewers by granting all permissions. Since multiple reviewers will need to view your work, it's essential that your links are not restricted or behind a firewall—especially if you're using a school account. To avoid any issues, we recommend uploading your samples to publicly accessible platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive or a personal website to ensure reviewer access.

If you do not have work samples, please select “0” from the dropdown menu below and follow the alternate instructions provided.

How many work samples will you provide?

Create an original project, no longer than three (3) minutes in length, which demonstrates your ability to tell a visual story. With no dialogue, show the journey of a character who overcomes a challenge or conflict. Please include link, title, synopsis, date of production, and your role.

Title

Role

Date of Production

Synopsis

Link

Work Sample 1

Work Sample #1 Title

Work Sample #1 Role

Work Sample #1 Date of Production

Work Sample #1 Synopsis

Work Sample #1 Link

Work Sample 2

Work Sample #2 Title

Work Sample #2 Role

Work Sample #2 Date of Production

Work Sample #2 Synopsis

Work Sample #2 Link

Work Sample 3

Work Sample #3 Title

Work Sample #3 Role

Work Sample #3 Date of Production

Work Sample #3 Synopsis

Work Sample #3 Link

Work Sample 4

Work Sample #4 Title

Work Sample #4 Role

Work Sample #4 Date of Production

Work Sample #4 Synopsis

Work Sample #4 Link

Work Sample 5

Work Sample #5 Title

Work Sample #5 Role

Work Sample #5 Date of Production

Work Sample #5 Synopsis

Work Sample #5 Link

Write a creative vision statement for you and your writing. What kinds of projects are you interested in writing, what genre, what subject matter, and what makes you passionate about this type of material?

Writing Samples

You will submit two writing samples, one original and one based on the prompt below. Please complete both of them.

Creative Writing Sample

Please submit an original creative writing sample of your choice. You can submit a short story (1-3 pages), or a short script (3-6 pages). Make sure to put your name and title on your sample and include a cover page if it is a script. Your sample can be a story you’ve already written or a new story. There are no parameters other than the work must be original to you and it should reflect your voice as a writer.

Creative Writing Sample

Screenplay Sample

Creative Challenges - (Choose between A & B): Read both challenges below, choose one, and write one scene with the assigned parameters. Screenplays must be written in screenplay format using Final Draft, Celtx (free), Adobe Story, or comparable screenplay software. Please do not use WORD with tabs. After writing your screenplay, convert to PDF and upload in PDF format. Writing samples that do not comply with the assignment parameters will not be accepted. Choose one:

A. Write a 2-5 page scene between two very different kinds of people who get stuck in an elevator on New Year's Eve. Please use screenplay format.

B. Write a 2-5 page scene between two people (e.g., a parent and child, roommates, spouses, etc.) who live together. The first character strongly desires to go out; the second desperately wants the first to stay home. Emphasize visual elements as well as dialogue. Please use screenplay format.

Screenplay

Writing Projects Summary

Summarize 5-7 projects of what you consider to be your best creative work. These projects should demonstrate your create writing and/or filmmaking abilities and can include other forms of writing such as journalism, poetry, short stories, class assignments, projects from jobs or internships, or your personal hobbies and freelance work. Please use the following format when summarizing a project:

• Title of the project:
• Date of the project:
• Description of the project: (A brief description of the piece, the inspiration or objective, and your specific role in its creation.)
• List any awards or special recognition for the project.

This summary should be a maximum of one page.

(If one of your scripts has been produced and you would like to share it with us, please provide a link to the video on YouTube or Vimeo)

Writing Projects Summary

Share any extracurricular activities, participation, awards or recognitions that demonstrate experience, leadership or character.

Letters of Recommendation

While not required, you may include 1-2 letters of recommendation to accompany your application. These should be completed by persons who can speak to your academic performance, character, potential and creative strengths. Letters may be from teachers, pastors, academic counselors, job supervisors or similar. They may not be from family members or peers.

Letters of recommendation sent separately from the application should be sent to cma@biola.edu or to parchment exchange before you submit your SCMA application.

Would you like to upload letters of recommendation at this time?

Yes, 1 letter of recommendation

Yes, 2 letters of recommendation

Yes, letters of recommendation have been sent independently to cma@biola.edu

No, I will not be submitting letters of recommendation

Recommender 1 First Name

Recommender 1 Last Name

Recommender 1 Email

Recommender 1 Mobile Phone Number

Letter of Recommendation 1

Recommender 2 First Name

Recommender 2 Last Name

Recommender 2 Email

Recommender 2 Mobile Phone Number

Letter of Recommendation 2

I acknowledge that my letters of recommendation must be sent ahead of my application. If not received in advance, applications will be processed without the letters of recommendation, which could affect my acceptance.

Additional Questions

Please list any family members who are employed by Biola University.

Please tell us how you first heard about Biola’s Snyder School of Cinema & Media Arts.

How did you first hear about Biola?

Agreement & Signature

As an institution, Biola University reserves the right to refuse admittance and/or dismiss any person who does not abide by the Biola Community Standards or the principles, policies, and expectations of the University. Biola University has a strong Christian commitment and requires that to be accepted, an applicant must also possess an active commitment to his or her own Christian faith. Biola does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability in the admission of students, employment, or the educational programs and activities it conducts. For more information, the complete published Biola Community Standards are viewable online.

I have read, understand and agree to uphold the Biola Community Standards as summarized above.

The electronic signature consists simply of your name, typed by you on your keyboard. The signature is your confirmation that the application you have filled out is your own work and the information is factually true. Once you type in your name, this will count as your electronic signature.

Signature