<p>Hello! I had auditioned for USC, Rutgers, SUNY Purchase, Marymount Manhattan and NYU Tisch last month for BFA acting. I was fortunate enough to get accepted to SUNY Purchase, USC, Marymount Manhattan with a scholarship in acting, and NYU Tisch. I got a callback from Rutgers which I unfortunately won't be able to attend as I am an international student with final exams coming up. Anyway, I am was wondering if any of you have any insight into these schools and any recommendations before I start making decisions! I still have a chance of sending my video to Rutgers and I don't know if I should just be withdrawing it.
I would really appreciate your help! Thank you</p>
<p>Wow! Congrats on all! They are all great schools. Where will you be coming from? Are you closer to New York or Chicago? Is money an issue? Do you want a full college experience with football, Greek life, etc.? Do you want a large school or a conservatory? It would be easier to give advice if we knew some of these things. My son is a sophomore and absolutely LOVES it. We are from north Florida and he loves the fast pace and opportunities. My daughter would have loved to have applied to USC but with a son in NYU and all the travel costs that would have been involved- it was way out of our price range. USC would have given my daughter the full college experience she wants but it’s also almost as expensive as NYU and the academic requirements for out of state were way up there! We have a friend who is a junior at Purchase- that is always considered one of the top acting schools. She loves it there but she does not get the full college experience. I don’t think Marymount has as high as a reputation as the others and NYU is full of international students so they have great groups for them. Good luck. You have been accepted to very impressive schools that most kids would kill to get in to!</p>
<p>Thank you very very much Supportive!! I will be coming from Turkey. I definitely want an intensive conservatory training in a very small class and want to focus more on getting an amazing education to make me a well-rounded actress so I’m not that interested in the Greek life and the full college experience. I know that from what I told you Purchase and Rutgers are the best options, but I still want to make sure that I receive the best training possible which leaves me indecisive between the two. Again thank you very very much, I really appreciate your help!!</p>
<p>Congrats EasternActress! Many, many people would LOVE to be in your shoes!
The schools you mention are VERY different, all have their positives and negatives.
If money is not an issue, I agree with Supportive, to eliminate Marymount. </p>
<p>At USC, did you get into the BFA program? If not, eliminate that one as well.</p>
<p>Since we don’t know if you will be accepted to Rutgers, let’s just talk about Purchase or NYU/Tisch. Were you accepted into Purchases BFA Acting program? Many get confused and apply to their BA theatre program, which is NOT a conservatory.</p>
<p>Let’s assume you are in the BFA conservatory at Purchase. It is a small college in the suburbs of NYC. Approx. 30-40 minutes away from the city. It is a VERY prestigious program, a very small program (ends up being about 12 kids per year, because many leave) so that sounds like what you are looking for. It is pretty much an “arts” school. It is not a university. You said you want to be well-rounded and have an amazing education- does that mean you want to also take liberal arts academic classes? Because at this school you will not be doing that. It will be all theatre from 9am to 11:00pm. And you will not be around all strong academic students. I don’t know if this is important to you.</p>
<p>NYU is very different. Also very prestigious, but not a true conservatory. 3 days a week you will be trained in acting and 2 days a week you will take academic courses. It is a large program (around 300 kids) although class size is supposedly capped at around 18 kids. It is in NYC in Greenwich village which is considered by many as the best part of NYC for young people. It does not have the big sport teams and a campus like a USC would have, but it is a university with some of the best academic programs and students in the country. The business students for example would be some of the brightest kids around.</p>
<p>Purchase is probably one of the cheapest programs and NYU is the most expensive. Many will tell you Purchase is better for acting training, but it all depends on what you want. Big, small, academics, no academics, city, suburbs? </p>
<p>Hope that helps. Obviously if you could visit both, you would get a feel which fits you better.</p>
<p>Thank you very very much MOMMY5!! To answer your questions, yes I did get into the BFA acting program in all of them including USC and Purchase. I also applied to the BA in Purchase accidentally at first and later changed it to BFA Acting. After my audition for Purchase I was invited to attend their classes and absolutely fell in love with their training and friendliness. Some forums here say that Purchase does their auditions like a cattle call, but it was the exact opposite for me, my auditors Ronni Stewart and Dean Irby were great people. Like I said in my earlier post, I definitely want a small, intense, prestigious conservatory training so I would definitely agree that Purchase is the best option for me.
However do you think, I should just withdraw my application from Rutgers and not send a callback video? Or I might just as well ask the question of Rutgers BFA Acting vs Purchase BFA Acting…</p>
<p>You’re welcome! 
Purchase sounds perfect for you then! It is up to you if you want to continue looking into Rutgers. From my research (and I’m sure I will be attacked for this!) I think Purchase is even more prestigious than Rutgers, which is also considered a top program.
Maybe others can tell you more about Rutgers program.
Congrats again and good luck!</p>
<p>Purchase is almost always in the Top 5 schools for acting. Based on what you have said, it appears that Purchase is the perfect place for you. Plus, it’s close enough to the city to get there for more vibrant city adventures. Rutgers has a new department head this year so I don’t know much about how that will affect their program. I do know that juniors in the Rutgers program spend a year at The Globe in England. Anyway, good luck and congrats again!</p>
<p>Rutgers has been undergoing some changes, so you would be facing a few unknowns there perhaps. In addition, Rutgers focuses on teaching the Meisner technique, whereas Purchase offers more of a toolbox approach to instruction…something that many people find desirable.</p>
<p>Purchase and Rutgers are not very different when it comes to access to New York City.</p>
<p>Congratulations on your fabulous acceptances and best of luck to you.</p>
<p>Thank you so much NJTheatreMom! Everyone has been very helpful on this post, I am very grateful! Purchase has been my top choice all along and with all of the insights you provided me, I believe it will be my final decision!</p>
<p>Many of the instructors at Purchase also teach at NYU. I have heard more than one student say “why pay for NYU when you have many of the same teachers at Purchase”.
For the price, go with Purchase. You can hop on the train and be in the city in about an hour.</p>
<p>Dear international student,</p>
<p>USC’s BFA program is very small. The university is a large research university, but the School of Theatre freshman class is just a bit over 100. That includes those who are majoring in design, stage management and technical direction. The BFA program is around 25-30.</p>
<p>USC has a real campus. The campus is filled with flowering trees, courtyards and fountains. Photos and videos are available on the website.</p>
<p>Los Angeles is a very important center for entertainment. The Center Theatre Group has an on-going partnership with the USC School of Theatre. They offer internships to selected students. Other internships may be available with film and TV production companies. There is interaction by theatre students with the USC School of Cinematic Arts and the USC Thornton School of Music.</p>
<p>Continuing students are eligible to be selected for awards given by individuals known in the world of drama. Among the awards given are: Jack Nicholson, Stanley Musgrove, David Dukes, James Doolittle, Nancy Kehr Reed, James Pendleton and the John Ritter Memorial Award.</p>
<p>USC has the largest number of international students of any university. There are support programs in place for internationals and a long history of students in large numbers from countries around the world. </p>
<p>Alumni can be found both in NYC and in other cities. Here are a few alumni:
Forest Whitaker-Academy Award
Kyra Sedgewick-Golden Globe and Emmy Award
LeVar Burton-Emmy Award
Stark Sands-Tony Award nominee
James Snyder-Cry Baby
Kate Russo-Tony Award nominee
Trojan Bellisario-Pretty Little Liars
Michael Prichard-Nominated for two Audie Awards
Kristen Guenther-Richard Rogers Award for Musical Theatre
Tate Donovan, Ryan Eggold, James Lesure, Grant Heslow Swoosie Kurtz, Sophia Bush, Eric Stoltz, Deborah Ann Wolf and Kevin Mambo</p>
<p>The school was founded by director, Cecil B. DeMille, in 1945.</p>
<p>go with your gut instinct. honestly, none of us here know enough to tell what is the best option for you, BUT everyone has been giving wonderful info and insight into each school.
it already sounds like your heart knows the direction it wants to head but you’re just looking to validate the feeling!</p>
<p>Georgia Girl, USC sounds wonderful! Thanks for describing the program. If only I was 30 years younger…</p>
<p>It’s never too late to follow your dreams, Mommy5 . . .</p>
<p>Thank you very much everyone, you have been great help! I really appreciate it!!</p>