Do I have a chance at all at these schools??

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
1

<p>NYU
UCLA
LMU
MMC
Pace
Chapman
Adelphi -safety</p>

<p>I'm an international student from middle east- I speak both my native language; which is Turkish, and french. I'm fluent in french. I came to NY for a college prep school in my junior year and boarded here.
I've taken acting classes in my sophomore year,outside of high school which was 6 months and 12 hours total saturdays and sundays. Since I didnt have a chance to do theater at my old school, cause we didnt have theater, I couldn't .. it sucks and im worried about that. Although in my american school I got the leading parts for 2 years.
My GPA is quite weird, and I dont even know what it is since my old school system was strange and half of my class failed etc. I was considered a good student but I think my average is 2.7 or so. and in american school, it is 2.9
my SAT is 1670... I guess its hard for someone to be great in SAT when english is their 3rd language. and I didnt study to SAT at all.
But here it is... I'm scared, but I have confidence at the same time. If you were the admissions office, what would you think?</p>

2

<p>Well I think what a lot of people on this forum would tell you is that as far as the auditioned based programs are concerned, your audition has to be very good. There’s a lot of really helpful people on this forum that can give you loads of info but when auditions are a part of the admissions decision, it’s really hard for anyone to give a very thorough and accurate opinion.
I’ve heard (but I could be very wrong with this) that UCLA would consider people who aren’t as competitive in terms of academics but who absolutely ace their audition. In fact that’s probably true with a lot of BFA/BA auditioned programs. </p>

<p>From your list, the only one I’ve heard that gives academics as much attention as auditions when considering admissions is NYU. </p>

<p>As far as stats go, I think you’d be fine with Pace and MMC and maybe even Chapman and LMU but I’ve also heard that their BFA programs are highly selective. On the other hand, I’ve heard that Adelphi’s BFA is not quite as selective as others but I have no clue how selective the school is as far as academics go. </p>

<p>But honestly though, all of this information has come from what I’ve heard others say on this forum. There are definitely a few parents with kids going to NYU and Adelphi and I recall a few current students of MMC and Chapman posting on this forum in the past so hopefully some of these people will be able to give you better info than I have. </p>

<p>Best of Luck! :)</p>

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<p>Also, a lot of people will probably tell you to have a few more safeties cause no auditioned based program can really be a safety.</p>

4

<p>You probably won’t have trouble getting into Adelphi academically, but they accept fewer than 20% of the kids who audition, so please don’t consider it a safety. NO auditioned program is a safety. But I hope you have a good experience there, and feel free to ask me questions about the program if you like.</p>

<p>I definitely agree that you need at least one non-auditioned school. If you are absolutely sold on a BFA, and want to be reasonably close to NYC/Boston, I recommend applying to the University of Rhode Island.</p>

5

<p>Thank you so much both of you. My friend is in UCLA with 1640 SAT but I guess he aced the audition. Also, I know I need more safety schools but I really don’t want to be anywhere except NYC or LA… So I was considering AMDA if I don’t get accepted by ANY of the schools I listed.
I’m also applying to Hunter College for Theater BA, I’m more into BA <em>with acting focus</em> than BFA to be honest.</p>

6

<p>If you are into a BA degree with acting focus you might consider Fordham (it is an auditioned program, but it’s a BA), Barnard, and Sarah Lawrence. The latter two are not auditioned. Barnard might be a reach with your GPA, but could be worth a look. SLC is outside of the Bronx, but just a quick train ride into Manhattan.</p>

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<p>Hofstra has both BA and BFA programs. It is on Long Island, so a train ride to NYC.</p>

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<p>Will you need any financial aid? That could also have an impact on where you choose to apply, and particularly to what constitutes a safety school.</p>

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<p>No, I don’t need financial aid. Also since I’m international it is unlikely that I will get! :)</p>

<p>Anyone heard of LMU or Hunter college’s theater programs?</p>

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<p>Hunter College has many respectable graduates. For that matter, so does AMDA. Your choice should come down to the day-to-day experience that you want, how you will spend your time, the curriculum, etc. That is a personal choice (once you get your acceptances). I am very glad to hear that you have some good non-auditioned options. I, too, am a little confused about what you might like more about BAs over BFAs. Talk that out with us here, if you’d like. You can get a lot of good advice and more school suggestions.</p>

<p>I do have a problem with the expression “acing” an audition. An audition is much more subtle and complex than a test; there is no generalized scale that auditors use in evaluating if they want you in their program. Your friend could have fit a type they were looking for, or may or may not have appealed to them in any number of ways. Yes, prepare your auditions the best that you can, but do not second-guess what you could do to have better results. There are just too many variables.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>If LMU is Loyola Marymount, then I’ve heard that it’s film-acting program is excellent.</p>

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<p>Hunter is very much a “commuter school.” It is part of City University of New York, and so its tuition is reasonable, but you will almost certainly need to find housing in NYC. That is a serious consideration. It’s an excellent college, nevertheless.</p>

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<p>Your statistics make you wobbly for Chapman, but your extenuating circumstances and skills (trilingual, etc) make you intriguing to an adcom. Ace the audition and you’ll be fine.</p>

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<p>Thank you all!
What I like about BA is I can study directing and writing on top of acting. I want to be a director and screenplay writer too. Also, I am busy with music so I will need more time for that and BA is a better choice overall for these reasons</p>

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<p>Many Acting BFAs do include quite a bit of directing courses, and several of my D’s fellow students are studying writing as well. It depends on the school. </p>

<p>I will say that my D has had very little time to pursue music because of the BFA. Her evening commitments for tech and rehearsals have pretty much dinged being in the choir, the jazz band or anything else. She does take private voice lessons, but she’s having a hard time fitting in even a non-credit dance class. That is a big consideration, and if you do want that freedom, you really should think twice about at BFA. </p>

<p>I don’t think you’ve told us your entire BA list - you should probably have 4-5, with a spread of selectivity, if you do think you’ll end up taking that route. My D did, and considered several excellent BAs until the very end.</p>

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<p>Hmm… I’m glad to be sure that BFA requires a lot more time. MMC, Pace and Hunter are where Im applying for BA. In NYU, UCLA and LMU, there is no BA that leaves more tiem for yourself. UCLA is BA, but it is as intense as a BFA… If I get accepted to UCLA or NYU, I don’t think I would go to the other schools… I’m still worried about that, since I won’t have much time for my music work. (I have a serious band, and we need rehearsals and shows). </p>

<p>So overall, a BA leaves more time for the student, right?</p>

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<p>In most cases, the BA leaves more time for the student. It depends on the curriculum, the number of credits, and the other requirements (your example of UCLA’s BA is a good one where there is not much time for other activities). You’ve done good research, and I would guess that the MM and Pace BA programs would leave you more time for other things.</p>

<p>However, these are still auditioned programs. You currently have only Hunter College - which is very nice, but an unconventional school in terms of residential life and other college aspects - and AMDA as non-auditioned options. Be prepared that those may be your only choices in the end. I know you have received suggestions about schools near Philadelphia, too (such as Temple).</p>

<p>I’m concerned that you might still want to consider one more good, solid likely admit at a regular college that has a fine BA in Theatre. Sarah Lawrence is a good suggestion that has already been made. Hofstra is another. They are very different schools, so you would have to do some research. I don’t have suggestions near LA, but I know they have come up often on these threads. If you are intent on being in Manhattan, there aren’t many conventional schools with less selectivity (Barnard and Columbia are very selective, and the New School looks very interesting, but isn’t conventional). Drew University in NJ (near the train) is also a nice college with an excellent theatre dept and a non-auditioned BA. Montclair State (also in NJ) has a BA which requires an interview but no audition. </p>

<p>Another consideration that some people think hard about is doing a BA where there are students in a BFA program (this would be true at Pace, MM, and Montclair State). You don’t sound like this would bother you immensely, since you appear to be very focused and confident, but some people feel like outsiders - either the BFA students seem to get more attention, or to have more privileges, or just generally to be the focus of the department. We have heard here many stories about casting policies that favor BFA over BA students (this is also true at schools where there are MFA students). </p>

<p>I’m not trying to worry you more, but this is an important point that needs considering. </p>

<p>I know you really like NY and LA, but I would urge you to do some reading about Brandeis and Goucher. They have wonderful theatre departments, do not have BFAs, do not require auditions, and are near very exciting cities with lots of theatre.</p>

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<p>Thank you so much! I can’t say enough how great of a help you are. I’m applying to more schools that doesn’t require audition now. Thank you for keeping my eyes open. This process seems really critique…</p>

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<p>AMDA must do a heck of a marketing job because that is the one non-degree NYC program that most comes off people’s tongues but I doubt it makes even the top 10 of where someone in NY seriously looking for high quality acting training would go. If you decide to consider a non-degree option, I would strongly advise you to do your homework. There are much more reputable progams including Circle on the Square, Atlantic, Stella Adler, William Esper to name just a few. </p>

<p>My Junior year daughter has a managern and, while she does not have a ton of work under her belt, has had lot of exposure to folks in the City where she can get a more inside scoop on what people think who are in the business in NY. AMDA does not have a particularly good reputation. My daughter’s “safety” schools after the BFA programs she likes are non-degree schools that she thinks provides comparable training. AMDA is not one of them. However, keep in mind that the better acting schools are also quite selective so you still have to audition to get in but at least academics do not play any part of the decision. </p>

<p>"</p>

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<p>AMDA does offer a degree. you can choose to be in the NEW SCHOOL after one or two years in AMDA</p>