Majoring in Debt: A New Film Looks at the Bankification of Higher Education

   by Ted Hamilton  

 

 

'Collegetown' Gives Students Something to Think About

   by Natalie Brooks

 

The Calm Honesty of Collegetown

   by Katie Sims

 

Film by Alumnus Depicts Experiences of the ‘Modern College Student’

   by Yoon Sun Kim  

 

 

"Collegetown depicts the horrors of campus life and the Wall Street afterlife for the students who are finance wannabes. No punches pulled, it’s a terribly painful watch and well worth it – for understanding who/what one has to become to succeed in business. This is one potent way to see the depravity of the capitalist class as told by a dropout from the race and a fine filmmaker."

      - Jill Godmilow - Filmmaker - Sundance winner, Academy award nominee

                                  http://www3.nd.edu/~jgodmilo/liberal.html

 

 

"Every high school senior applying to college should see this film!"

     - Kelly Anderson - Director, Producer, Editor - Writer/Director of My Brooklyn

                                       http://www.mybrooklynmovie.com/?page_id=8

 

"Neither a documentary nor a feature film, Collegetown is a remarkable hybrid that searingly goes to the heart of the twisted culture of higher education. It's a disturbingly entertaining film that exposes the dark side of the educational dream factories. A must see."

      - Timothy Corrigan -

Director of University of Pennsylvania Cinema Studies and author of The Essay Film.

“Collegetown examines the pressures confronting college students who are increasingly told, in subtle and unsubtle ways, that they must monetize their college education.  The view is through a gimlet eye, but the critique of how market values and priorities are influencing students’ choices is never captious or hyperbolic.  The film instead depicts the lived experienced of many college students in a narratively compelling but never anything but bracingly accurate manner.  College students can certainly profit from seeing this film.  College administrators, however, should also view it to remind them that the drift toward an ethos that places a premium on specialized study in response to market demands is more fatuous than fruitful.”

- Ronald Seyb, Associate Dean of the Faculty for Student Academic Affairs Skidmore College

 

“Hugo Genes’ film “Collegetown” brings together various themes, narrative strategies and fiction-  documentary styles into a solid critique of student life in America and its aftermath - young adults facing the harsh realities of finding a job in a society that values greed, competiveness and lack of scruples over idealism, humanism and utopia. It’s a thoroughly satisfying and deeply disturbing film.”

     - Chaim Litewski, Filmmaker - United Nations Chief of Television

 

 

 

"This film is a must-see for students, college administrators, and faculty. We hear about the stress our students face, but this film shows it to us in such an unvarnished and direct way that there is no escaping it. While at times dark and disturbing, the film's message is clear: we need to wake up and pay attention to the experiences our students are having. Together we can make a difference in students' lives as well as in our communities."

     - Leslie Meyerhoff, 

            Director of Assessment and Planning Student and Campus Life,  Cornell University

 

 

“This film is an authentic portrayal of the job search, career decision making, and stress common among students. It’s an excellent tool for opening the conversation among students, parents, faculty, and university staff so we can better collaborate to support students in their career and life decision making.”


      - Christa Downey, 

            Director, Engineering Career Center, Cornell University

 

 

"Collegetown bridges the borders between narrative, documentary, and experimental film as it explores the university-to-Wall Street pipeline and the rippling affects it has on campus and Greek life.  As the film begins to interrogate the often myth-like narrative of finding success in the financial district, the layering of these generic elements invites audience members into the meaning-making process.  This invitation proved powerful, as discussion following the screening revealed how it inspired students who found themselves in that pipeline to question it and seek alternatives to it."


      - Jane Vecca, 

            Student, Chemistry/Performing and Media Arts '17, Cornell University