IN 500 WORDS OR LESS FAQ
HOW ARE MOLLY, LINDSAY, LEO and MICHAEL DOING NOW?
We plan to have follow-up interviews with the four characters posted on the website this spring, but we check in with them from time to time and they are all doing very well at the colleges they chose.
WHAT KIND OF FEEDBACK HAVE YOU RECEIVED ABOUT THE FILM?
Click here for praise about the film.
SALES
1. Can I buy the DVD?
We’re currently selling Institutional Use versions of the film only. The cost is $199 (plus S&H), and that includes a license for unlimited screenings within a school/organization, as well as a discussion guide (PDF file sent via email upon purchase of the DVD). Click here to purchase the DVD using a credit card or to download a purchase order to have your school pay by check.
2. Can I purchase a DVD for my family?
Home Use DVDs will be available soon. Go to www.In500WordsOrLess.com to sign up for our email list. We’ll send an email out when Home Use DVDs are for sale.
3. My school is Title I and we can’t afford $199. Do you offer discounts?
Discounts are available for public schools serving low-income communities. People interested in the discount should send an email to info@pointmade.com describing your school’s demographics and budget and someone at the Point Made office will contact you and work with you on a discounted rate.
DISCUSSION GUIDE
1. How do you recommend the discussion guide be used?
The discussion guide has four sections based on audience:
- Parents whose children will be first-generation college applicants
- Parents who attended college and are familiar with the application process
- Students who will be first-generation college applicants
- Students whose parents have college degrees
The guide is designed for a group discussion that lasts for at least one hour and at most two hours.
2. Can I see a sample of the discussion guide?
Click here to see an excerpt
RENTALS
I just want to show the film once. Can I rent it?
If you would like to pay for a one-time screening, we can offer a rental fee. Anyone interested should send an email to info@pointmade.com describing your school/organization and how you plan to screen the film. Someone from Point Made will contact you to discuss the rental fee. The one-time rental also includes the discussion guide.
SCREENINGS
How will I know when the film is coming to my city?
Go to www.In500WordsOrLess.com to sign up for our email list. We will periodically send messages out about upcoming screenings, film festivals and other updates.
What grade levels do you recommend watch the film?
This varies depending on the school’s college prep program. We’ve shown it to students from all four grades of high school and they all seem to enjoy it and learn from it.
Some schools discuss the college application process very early with their students and want to show the film to freshmen and sophomores to start the conversation about college applications. Some schools want to show it to juniors and seniors who enjoy watching the film’s four characters experience the same anxieties, achievements and setbacks that they’re currently experiencing.
Should parents and students watch together?
Well, they can watch it together, but we’ve found that having them discuss it together isn’t productive for the students. The parents tend to talk and ask questions more than the students when the audience is mixed. However, we really encourage parents to watch this film and as a group, separate from their kids. We’ve shown it to parents of middle school students, high school students and even to parents whose kids are now in college and they all seem to benefit immensely. Most of the parents say the film has prompted them to think about what they should and should not do as their teens go through the application process.
Many of the students in my school are first-generation college applicants and will be applying to community colleges, state schools and/or schools that don’t have big name recognition. I’m concerned they won’t be able to relate to the film’s characters, who all apply to highly selective colleges.
We understand that concern, but we have screened the film with first-gen students in similar situations and have found that ADULTS are more concerned with this; students don’t seem to focus on the names of the schools in the film. We have found that students of all backgrounds with a wide range of schools on their “list†relate to the PROCESS and all of the emotions that go along with it. Names and rankings don’t seem to matter as much to them.
Is the film effective for professional development purposes?
Absolutely. The film has been an effective professional development/continuing education tool for admissions professionals on both the high school and college side. High school counselors use the film’s characters as examples when discussing various scenarios they may encounter with their own students. College admissions deans find the film useful in understanding and discussing the kind of stress, anxiety and parent pressure experienced by applicants.