<p>I have another comment about debt that might be a consideration for some acting graduates who are considering having their own theater company, as my son and six of his classmates have done. They are doing very well in NYC, with several performances, a CD coming out, and other theater related activities. I and the parents of the other members all feel they have a good chance at making a living at this. But there are costs involved with getting started - they hired an entertainment lawyer to help them with contracts, formed a business plan, etc. They are also putting some of the money they earn into an account so they can help produce some of their own shows. They are also so busy with their own work that it is hard for them to hold down survival jobs like waitering. If they had to pay off serious debt at the same time, I don’t think they would be able to pursue this path.</p>
<p>OP: I absolutely would not recommend being $100,000 in debt. No way. It is a bad decision for any school, and certainly for Marymount in which you are getting a degree that would -in the best case scenario - necessitate you living on the cheap so you could hustle out there and audition.</p>
<p>I would very much recommend that you take a gap year and next year reapply with financial safeties in mind. It is not true that the better the school, the better the aid. For example, Rutgers Mason Gross is an excellent BFA program, but has minimal aid. Yes, it is a state school, but if you went with no aid (I mean grants), you’d have $100,000 in debt–for IN state. Same thing for Purchase, also an excellent school. Even many very expensive schools can have minimal aid. </p>
<p>Many schools simply do not have the money or funding or support needed. The money is just not there. Asking them for more money and expressing your interest <em>may</em> get you a few extra thousand, but it would not be significant. </p>
<p>Working during school is VERY hard when you’re doing your BFA. And in NYC, it’s very competitive. My own son applied for every work study he coulld find in NYC, but never landed a job. Even if he could have gotten it and could have found the time, he wouldn’t have made much more than pocket money, eg for transportation, museums, eating out with friends. </p>
<p>Suggestions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>One poster is correct. Make sure you are still a Freshman next year. Many scholarships apply only entering Freshman. There <em>are</em> scholarships that apply to transfers, but they are rarer. You can take community colleges courses but less than half time with less than 12 credits for the year. </p></li>
<li><p>Next year, do the research on colleges with excellent merit and financial aid (grants). Obviously also look at costs. I tell my own kids they have TWO hurdles: one is getting in, and the other is affording it. My older daughter could not go to RISD because they offered her NO aid, only $55,000/year in LOANS. THey just don’t have the money or backing. </p></li>
<li><p>Keep an open mind. Look for excellent BFA programs that fit you AND that are affordable. Look all over the country. Some programs are really excellent but are in, say, the Southwest. If you can, apply all over. This will broaden your chances. Look for both BA and BFA programs.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Good luck, keep your chin up. Again, I don’t think it’s ever a good idea to have that much in loans. Work study cannot cover it and you can’t depend on it. Take a gap year, broaden your resume, work, and then reapply next year, that much older and more mature and knowing yourself that much more. At least, that would be my advice.</p>
<p>Something else that you can consider: Clepping your gen Ed coursework. It’s very inexpensive in comparison to tuition per class even on the cc level. There is a website dedicated to Clep testing… Many students in pricey schools or in degree programs that are pricey ex: pre-med, choose to Clep some coursework. Some colleges have a limit to how many that you can Clep, so check with Marymount and their policy.</p>
<p>Lulusmom2, what a great suggestion–I actually had no idea what “clep” was and had to look it up! But what colleges accept this? I looked at their own site, but of course they’ll promote it. Many colleges require a minimum number of credits and core courses. And many colleges won’t even take AP credits anymore, or will use it as a way to opt out of a 101 class, but they’ll still require to take the next level up. Would you recommend just calling up each college to find out?</p>
<p>My D was able to use AP credits to place out of 30 hrs of gened credits. She is in a BA MT program and will be able to graduate in 3 years. That saves a bundle! One advantage of a BA program.</p>
<p>You can probably go to most school websites and just search CLEP to get the answer. I know CCU does:
[College</a> Credit by Examination](<a href=“http://www.coastal.edu/registrar/creditbyexam.html]College”>http://www.coastal.edu/registrar/creditbyexam.html)</p>
<p>My D can’t graduate in 3 years, but she has used her AP exam credits and community college coursework to knock out some of her core classes so she can be more flexible with her electives. It would also allow her to take a “light” load one semester if for some reason she needed to do so. She continues to take community college courses when she is home, usually online. We get the benefit of very inexpensive tuition for those. She makes sure she gets the course pre-approved so there is no question about her getting the credit. So far it has been a breeze. We were actually texting today about this as she is planning to take another online course this summer - just trying to decide which one.</p>
<p>Almost every college takes some CLEP credits. It depends college to college how many you can take. I actually Clepped my foreign language recently and got 12 college credits, more than the 6 credits I needed. A CLEP exam runs about 85.00 I think? And there is a message board I found that students from different colleges talk about how many credits they have Clepped, what to expect on each test, how to prepare for a CLEP, etc. it really is a great alternative to cut back on tuition costs. I’ll look on my laptop for the message board name I went on, but it’s broken down like this one is; different majors, colleges, efc. I’d search CLEP on here and see what they say as well.</p>
<p>Lulusmom–</p>
<p>Certainly I do not know the circumstances for your friend’s D withdrawal from her NYC school–but is it possible that you have not heard the whole story either?</p>
<p>If my child shopped too much or saw too many shows, I would give her a debit card with a limited amount of money or make her live on cash only and an ATM card. I certainly would not pull her out of college. College is a time for teaching life skills and independence.</p>
<p>Perhaps in addition to all that shopping, your friend’s D failed a bunch of classes. That would be a more realistic reason for her withdrawal from college.</p>
<p>It might be easier for your friend to blame NYC and preserve her daughter’s reputation than to tell the whole truth.</p>
<p>No one else can tell you what is right for you, but you need to sit down and figure out what the monthly payments would be on a $100,000 loan. I think that in itself might be enough to make you think twice. I can’t imagine living in NYC after graduation, and trying to pay for rent, food, transportation, clothing needed for auditions, voice lessons, dance workshops, headshots, etc. on top of a student loan payment. You will be working so much at a regular job, that you won’t have time to audition. </p>
<p>You also need to consider that you will not be able to take out a loan on your own- someone will have to cosign for you, so if your parents are not in a position to do so, you will not even be able to get a loan. </p>
<p>I think you really sold yourself short by applying to only 4 schools within NYC. There are so many good programs outside of the city that have successful graduates. When you are applying, you need to consider not only your chances of acceptance academically and artistically, but your ability to pay for any program. The more programs you audition for, the better chance of getting a program that will help pay your costs. It may not always be your top choice, but you really need to have a variety of options that will work for you.</p>
<p>If you were my D, I would not co-sign for such a huge loan. I would recommend taking some time off, working to save money, taking classes to stay skilled, and auditioning wherever possible. When auditions for school roll around next year, make sure your list is larger and more realistic.</p>
<p>I’ve considered just taking Gen Ed’s online, while going ahead and pursuing my career. I can always get a degree in something else later on. My friend was told by Texas State that she was better off pursuing her career, because she was that good. I’m not as good as she is, so I might take voice and dance classes for a year, get a job to save up money, and start auditioning.</p>
<p>BroadwayKing - That is certainly an option for you. My D considered going to NYC and going the conservatory route. She had been accepted to Stella Adler so had that option. She had been on a few open calls in NYC, but always with one of her parents in tow and as a part of an audition/take classes/vacation trip. She went up for a weekend on her own and did some open calls. That helped her decide that she did want to take the BFA route and continue her training in a college setting. I don’t know if doing something like that would be an option for you, but I know it was worth it for her to go experience that.</p>
<p>As many people have pointed out, there is no single, right way to approach this career. So best of luck with whatever path you decide to take!</p>
<p>Lulusmom2-</p>
<p>I hear you and I worry about my kids all the time- but remember that plenty of kids who go to schools NOT in nyc- and even in really small towns- end up having problems from too much socializing and not enough working. I don’t think it is a nyc or even city phenomenon.</p>
<p>BroadwayKing, my d has a couple friends that are going this route; one is renting a studio in the city and going to take advantage of all the sit in classes offered city wide, going to BDC for dance classes, and just doing open calls in between. For what her parents are paying per month for her studio, they are probably going to get off cheaper than I will paying tuition and room and board for my d; it was definitely something we toyed with, but as a teacher myself I am kinda of the mindset that one should have a degree and college is important, though I definitely saw some kids at auditions that could prob walk into an audition and be hired now.</p>
<p>Another option we kicked around was Manhattan Community College. You won’t have a dorm so you would have to find off campus housing… But there are economical options believe it or not; you could get your gen Ed credits done, while taking advantage of all the classes city wide, and auditioning. It’s a little higher to attend as a non resident but is cheaper than MM.</p>
<p>If you want to go to school in Manhattan and save money, I would look into Hunter College if you want to focus on the humanities. As a CUNY school, you would save lots of money. I think you would get higher caliber courses than at a Manhattan Community College.</p>