@marg928, I agree with @uskoolfish for similar reasons.
My own take is that your D should settle in LA and choose a program that not only would be ok with her leaving if necessary, but whose schedule would enable your D to self-tape and submit, and, if necessary, attend a physical audition. This might mean no college for this year. I mean this depends on how serious the agent is about getting her work, but from what you’re saying they feel she is poised to land work. I guess my own game plan would be to defer for a year and see if the LA plan works. If she does end up landing jobs, then if she wants, she can get her academic education through online classes or physical part time classes. Or simply delay her academic education, depending on how much work she is getting. For acting education, LA has zillions of top notch choices for classes and coaching. She could take these classes.
What she does depends a lot on where she is in her career and how independent she is. There is definitely something with momentum–if you and her agent feel that she has a momentum, then I do feel it would be a mistake to interrupt that for 4 years. Also, sending tapes in from the East Coast is not the same as from LA. And again, she could simply do the auditioning/acting classes/possible academic classes for a year and see if it’s a good idea, then go to college if not. She can’t do the other way around.
Again if she goes to college, you also have to budget in her ability to do the self-tapes while in college. A good agent should be getting her several auditions per week. Right now it seems like you are involved a lot in her auditioning (which is normal)–but in college, she would be 100% responsible. So when she got an audition notice from her agent, she would then take care of the self-taping, submitting etc all by herself–hopefully several times a week. You would know if she can do this, but just putting it out there that it’s not something every 18 year old can do–begin a rigorous acting program in college, live alone, make new friends, and submit regularly.
Also, if she did land something, it’s not so easy to take leave of absence. Taking a leave is a good idea for something big with advance warning. But many films and commercials might involve only a few days’ work–this work could fall right in finals, say. She’d then have to leave at the end of a semester, which would make that whole semester a waste, just for a few days of filming. So she’d always be wondering whether she should do something or not. This would easily get her agent to dump her, because agents definitely do not like when a client doesn’t predictably take a role.
But again, this advice is based on what you’re saying about her momentum and what her agents are telling her. I guess I’d personally delay college for a year, take acting classes, and see if the submissions work and she gets work, then take it from there.
