Man-Facting Delight

On Edge in Oklahoma writes…

I'm planning on applying for an interdisciplinary program next year in screenwriting and fiction. Since my primary area will be in screenwriting, I'm required to submit a feature-length screenplay or screen adaptation as my writing sample. My question is: do you think I would be hurting myself by submitting a screen adaptation of existing material (such as a novel or video game) instead of submitting a completely original screenplay? Or do you think it doesn't matter as long as the screenplay is well-written?

Oklahoma, it’s like your question was especially designed to elicit a man-fact, and guess what? You’re (eventually) going to get one. Hey, I really don’t know. If the guidelines say that you can do either, then I’d encourage you to do whichever one works best for you. It’s been my experience that adaptations are easier to structure than original material. i.e. It’s always easier for me to cut up other people’s material than it is to cut up mine. That’s your daily man-fact, Oklahoma. Let us know what you do.