<p>Hi everyone! I'm so glad I've found this forum where I can share all my doubts and hopefully find some answers. I'm an Italian student who finished high school a year and a half ago. I wasn't quite sure what to do with the rest of my life at that time, so, while I was trying to figure out what to do, I decided to study Economics in Italy. Now a year has passed and I've finally made up my mind.
Acting has always been a passion of mine and I've always been involved in small productions both at school and in our local community. I've never had any type of professional training though, because I was so focused on studying my subjects at school, but I really love and enjoy it. In other words, I think that this is what I really want to do. It took me a while to understand it, but I'm really happy about this decision.
I speak English quite well and I've always wanted to go study abroad. So what a better chance to move to the US and apply for a Theatre/Drama Major? I don't know much about how universities work in the US, but I've understood that I should apply for an undergraduate course in Drama. My dream would be going to study at Tisch. I love their program and the fact that it is located in NY, but I understand that it is extremely selective. What are my chances of getting in? Which other schools should I apply to (preferably on the East Coast)? Any tips?</p>
<p>By the way, I don't have the TOEFL yet, but I'll be taking it in a month. I took the FCE four years ago (grade A) and my English has considerably improved since then.</p>
<p>I’m also curious why you are only interested in the USA, and no other English-speaking country. Since Italy is EU, you can attend school in the UK at EU rates, and some of the best acting schools in the world are in the UK.</p>
<p>@bisouu Thank you for your answer! I’ll have a look at USC and UCLA sites tonight and learn more about their programs.</p>
<p>@TheRealKEVP I fell in love with NY when I went there for a month two years ago, so I’d really love to study there. But I’m considering other options as well. I don’t know much about these types of schools in the UK. What do you have in mind?</p>
<p>By the way, I took a practice TOEFL test two days ago and I scored 107, but I had no preparation and had no idea how the exam worked. Is it good? I’ll be taking the real one at the end of August and I’ll try to do better. SAT is on 5th October and I’ve already started preparing.</p>
<p>Thank you @dramamom for pointing out this thread. There is a lot of information on this forum, so it’s easy to get lost. I had no idea where to start reading! :P</p>
<p>Pinchy, start researching the actors you admire. American actors tend to study in the US, British ones in the UK. But there are exceptions. Perhaps you already know you definitely prefer the American “style” of acting to the British one. If so, then you probably should focus your attention on the USA.</p>
<p>TheRealKEVP,
How would one know which style they prefer? Can you briefly explain the difference between the two?</p>
<p>I am asking because my daughter has decided to look into some of the British schools. One of the reason’s is because of the three years, no academics, intensive acting training across the board; TV, Film, Radio, Theatre. This very much intrigues her and is more of what she wants. Of course we do understand how difficult it is to get into one of these, the high cost of living, etc.</p>
<p>We are currently doing alot of research on some of the ones recommended.</p>
<p>Thanks @TheRealKEVP I’ll start researching British Schools as well. Hopefully I’ll get to visit some of them before making a decision.</p>
<p>By the way, does anybody know if Columbia (NY) has a BFA or a BA (with a Theatre/Drama program)? I visited their site, but it’s so vast and I can’t find the information I want. I read about Barnard, but it is only accessible to women.</p>
<p>I am pretty sure Columbia has a BA program. They are trying to build their program up. Most of their classes for theater are at Barnard. We had gone to their open house last year. Their claim to fame is Julia Stiles<br>
By the way my daughter has committed to the London Academy of Dramatic Arts (Lamda) after a long year of auditions and decisions. We are going through the process of figuring out the move now. If you have any questions, I can see what I can do to help.</p>
<p>@Actingmom18 Is it for women only though? Every time I try to find some information about their BA program, I get redirected to the Barnand site. I’m not eligible for that, since I’m a guy
Thank you! I’ve made some research and learnt about the LAMDA program: it’s impressive! I’ll take it into consideration as well.</p>
<p>Basically, go and watch British and American actors in movies and films, and plays if you can, and see in general which you prefer, the British actors or the American actors. You should be able to see the difference in “styles”. As I keep saying, research the actors you admire, the ones whose “style” you like, and find out where they trained. If you notice more than one of the actors you admire trained at the same place, that is probably where they gained their “style”.</p>
<p>If you are looking at a specific British acting school, find out which actors trained there and rent their movies and tv shows. You should get an idea of what the “style” looks like.</p>
<p>Since Pinchy is a citizen of an EU country, he will get a HUGE break on tuition in the UK (which is also an EU country).</p>
<p>Also remember that the cost of living is very high in London, but there is more to the UK than just London. There are a couple of acting schools outside of London that are worth looking at which will give you some savings in living expenses simply by being outside of London. But there are also some really incredible acting schools in London, and they may be worth the extra cost of living.</p>
<p>The undergraduate theater program at Columbia is through Barnard, but it’s not all women. I wish my daughter was able to get the EU break in tuition but our feeling is the training to her is worth the expense. It’s still less than NYU! Hope this is the right decision. We shall see! Good luck in your search.</p>
<p>Pinchy - The Barnard theatre department serves both Barnard and Columbia students, and offers a B.A. in theatre, which can include quite a bit of performance training. Columbia (together with Barnard) also has a robust student-run dramatics program, so there are plenty of performance opportunities to be had.</p>
<p>Thank you for your answer. I’ll be visiting NYU, Columbia and BU in the following days.</p>
<p>I’ve also decided to keep studying Economics this year in Italy and get my degree in July, so that I’ll be able to apply as a Freshman and not a Transfer for the fall 2014. I’m not sure which of these universities will accept me, since I’m seeking a second bachelor’s degree, but I’m trying to book appointments with the admissions’ officers to find out.</p>
