<p>Is there anyone who can speak firsthand about their experience in London with Fordham's LDA program? Our D is very interested in FLC and is trying hard to gain more knowledge about their BA acting program to help her make her decision on whether to accept their offer of attending FLC. Specifically, does attending the program in London place a student behind the curriculum in any way that would prevent one from say, taking extra courses in Playwriting or what have you? In other words are you sacrificing much by going? Also, the cost of the program.... Is it contained within the normal tuition or is there an extra fee above the normal FLC tuition? And room and board costs? Thanks!</p>
<p>There is some very good info on the website for this program; <a href=“Fordham University”>http://www.fordham.edu/academics/office_of_the_provos/international_educat/international_partne/london/london_dramatic_acad/</a></p>
<p>It is for a semester, it is by audition only, it is 16 credits and applied towards your degree.</p>
<p>PER TERM PROGRAM FEE IN ACADEMIC YEAR 2013-2014: $27,522.50. Of course for this semester you would not be paying Fordham’s tuition as you are paying for this tuition.</p>
<p>Comments from two students who were in the program:
“LDA gave new meaning to Stella Adler’s words: "Growth as an actor and a human being are synonymous."The fourteen weeks I spent at the London Dramatic Academy proved to be one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. The dynamic and rich city of London is the ideal setting for a term of endless artistic growth and personal discovery. The outstanding faculty nurtured me as a student while pushing me to flourish into a more grounded and complex artist. I wholeheartedly recommend this program for young actors who are looking to open their hearts and minds to a delightfully challenging and incredibly rewarding conservatory program. The growth as an actor I experienced in the classrooms at LDA fed my growth as a person at home in the world.”
-Shea Kelly</p>
<p>“LDA was an incredibly fulfilling and enlightening experience for me. Every class, faculty member, and fellow classmate helped me grow into a better and stronger actor, student, and person and I will be forever grateful. LDA is more than an excellent acting program, it is a family away from home.”
-Minou Clark</p>
<p>For the serious drama major (or even minor), this is a fantastic opportunity!</p>
<p>Thanks, RamRay… I have looked at that website and another college that sends students to the LDA… it sounds like it is Fordham that is in charge of the program overall and that other schools piggyback off that effort. The other school’s website was The Catholic University of America. They seemed to imply that housing was included in the cost of tuition and that the extra cost (non student fees) of $6000 was for food and misc expenses. If that is the case then financially the program is affordable. As far as the academic and cultural experience it seems that there is a very solid foundation of rigorous study as well as local theatrical exposure. So… we think the program sounds great overall and hope our D will be able to attend if she does in fact select Fordham. One other parent was telling me that they thought by attending the program the students would not be foregoing too much back home… that unless they were taking a double major the England program would be very doable. it seems that there are Fall and Spring sessions for Fordham students at least, (not CUA…Spring only) so that flexibility would allow for best timing the program with coursework at NYC.</p>
<p>Outside the US, Fordham maintains a small campus at Heythrop College, the Jesuit philosophy and theology school of the University of London. The campus is home to several undergraduate business and liberal arts programs as well as Fordham College at Lincoln Center’s London Dramatic Academy. I believe this includes residence. And yes, this program is also accessed by other schools, but is primarily a Fordham service for drama students.</p>
<p>I have learned that other catholic colleges access this program through Fordham (i.e. Loyola) and that this is similar to the Beijing, China MBA program in that other Jesuit school’s also go to through Fordham.</p>
<p>Here is a facebook page for the Fordham London Dramatic Academy
<a href=“Fordham London Dramatic Academy Alumni”>https://www.facebook.com/fordham.lda</a></p>
<p>Also, your D may enjoy seeing some actors who attended Fordham: William Windom, Emmy Award-winning actor , Denzel Washington, two-time Academy Award and three-time Golden Globe Award-winning actor, Hunter Tylo, actress, best known for her role as Dr. Taylor Hayes on the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, Amanda Seyfried, actress, Mean Girls, ABC Family’s Wildfire, Les Miserables, John Scurti, actor, plays Lt. Ken Shea, on FX (TV Channel) drama Rescue Me, Taylor Schilling, actress, plays the lead character, Piper Chapman, on the Netflix original drama Orange is the New Black, Annie Parisse, actress, best known for her role as assistant district attorney Alexandra Borgia on the TV series Law & Order and The Following, Brianne Moncrief, actress, best known for her role as Colby Chandler on the soap opera All My Children, Lara Jill Miller, actress, best known for her role as Samantha “Sam” Kanisky on the TV sitcom Gimme a Break!, Michaela McManus, actress, best known for her portrayals of Lindsey Strauss on the television series One Tree Hill and A.D.A. Kim Greylek on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Dylan McDermott, Golden Globe Award-winning actor, best known for his role as defense attorney Bobby Donnell on the TV series The Practice and the leading role in “American Horror” and “Hostgages”,
Susan Lucci, professional actress and Emmy award winner, Robert Sean Leonard, Tony Award-winning actor, currently plays Dr. James Wilson, head of the oncology department, on Fox’s medical drama House, Lou Liberatore, Tony Award-nominated actor for Burn This, Raúl Juliá, actor, The Addams Family, Elizabeth Hendrickson, actress from the daytime dramas All My Children and The Young and the Restless, Jonathan Harris, actor, best known for his TV work as Bradford Webster in The Third Man and Dr. Zachary Smith in Lost in Space,
Dan Grimaldi, actor on the TV series The Sopranos, Patricia Clarkson, Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated actress, Hilarie Burton, actress, best known for her role as Peyton Sawyer on the TV series One Tree Hill, Thomas Calabro, actor, best known for his role as Dr. Michael Mancini on the TV series Melrose Place
and Alan Alda, six-time Emmy Award and six-time Golden Globe Award-winning actor</p>
<p>Wow, sounds like an amazing opportunity. I just wanted to kick that in, having done some acting myself, had my girlfriend go to acting school at SUNY Binghamton (I went to Purchase for visual arts) and a former Director of mine annually goes to London for a marathon of live theater. If was going to do it over again, and major in theater I would be jumping through hoops to go the London to learn! </p>
<p>It does sound great! RamRay, I assume by your name and knowledge that you are either on the faculty or a student at Fordham?.. Either way, or not, thanks for the info. I have been to the website for LDA many times and learned a lot but there is still a few questions to ask. I’ve called the director if the program at FLC but not connected yet. Good to know that F has an actual campus there… Sounds more stable and a great place for the kids to be assisted in times of need if be. Our D has decided that FLC is her first choice but still awaiting good news about the FA. Crossing fingers and biting nails while watching the pennies … 
I’ll forward the list of actors to our D. She will enjoy that, Thanks!</p>
<p>Hi MosDad, To answer your question, I did my undergrad work at Fordham in the '70’s and have remained loyal and passionate about the school since…so much so that while my D sort of resented it growing up due to my going to games and HS college fairs as an alum rep, she wound up making it her first choice and graduated last year.</p>
<p>RamRay,</p>
<p>It’s great that you take the time here on CC to help others. Many thanks for all your inputs. I hope we will be able to do the same. </p>
<p>Hoping to hear from any FLC grads about their experiences with staying over the summer at FLC and working, internships, etc. Anyone care to comment? </p>
<p>My S never came home after moving in freshman year! He lived in McMahon for three years and stayed both summers in between. The first summer he took two core classes and performed Off-Off-Broadway with a theatre company primarily composed of Fordham alums. The second summer he worked (his job was across the street at St. Paul’s) and one of his plays was produced with Fordham students acting, directing and designing in a One Act festival…and sorry, but I gotta say it…it won Best Play! He also performed in a Fordham Alumni Theatre Co staged reading which was performed on campus and later as one of the Target Free Thursday performances in the David Rubinstein Atrium at Lincoln Center. Last summer he moved into an apartment four blocks from campus. He continued to work at St. Paul’s and served as dramaturg for another Off-Off-Broadway play, same theatre company he has been involved with since his freshman year.</p>
<p>We live about an hour away so when I say he never came home, I mean he never moved back in…he came to visit and for holidays but I don’t think he ever stayed longer than a week! And why should he when he thrives in NYC???</p>
<p>My daughter will be staying at FCLC this summer for the first time. She has had a few interviews and one offer so far but she is hoping to hear from the place where she interviewed on Friday. She applied for a research grant to work on her senior thesis and was approved, so Fordham will pick up the tab for housing for part of the summer, plus expenses and a small stipend. My daughter has had internships since freshman year. What specifically do you want to know, MosDad?</p>
<p>Congrats to your D @LeftyLou! Fingers crossed for the position she wants!</p>
<p>Thanks! It’s always so hard because the one that offered her a summer job wants to know today. The one she interviewed with on Friday may not make a decision until middle of the week. She doesn’t want to turn down the one job until she hears from the other one, that she really wants (and it pays better). Hoping that she hears something today before she has to let the other one know. This always happens, everyone has their own time frame and the poor kids are caught in the middle.</p>
<p>Lefty,</p>
<p>Just curious about whether there are many kids staying over in the dorms. Is the food service active? You said the school picked up part of the tab… This due to the connection with their studies? If a kid gets an internship will the school also reduce the fees? The cost seems reasonable enough. I was told the first session begins June 1st. Can the kids stay right after school is out and if so what is the cost for those two weeks of May? Thanks LeftyLou! BTW has your S thought about living off campus or getting an RA position to defray the costs? </p>
<p>My daughter applied for and was awarded a research grant to work on her senior thesis, a requirement of the honors program. I know some kids stay because they have internships. You have to apply for the grant and not everyone gets it. She said there were fewer granted this year but I don’t know how many. In the fall, she will have to turn in a report of what she accomplished, I think maybe make a presentation. They cover room and board for one month plus an interim couple of weeks, probably what you are asking about. My daughter will have to pay for the other month. I really don’t know all of the ins and outs of it since my daughter has handled it all herself. Maybe if you have an internship and write a great grant proposal, you can get approved.
She will be moving right from her current room into wherever she is being housed for the summer, she is hoping they will put her right into the apt she will be in for next year, so she won’t have to move again in August, but she doesn’t know about that yet. The internships start right away, so she can’t come home at all.
She briefly considered becoming an RA for next year, she went to an info session, but decided against it. She’s too busy, and it requires a lot of hours to be an RA.
She had no interest in moving off campus, she loves that it only takes a few minutes to get from bed to class. She is commuting back and forth to her internship and various things, she didn’t need to live off campus and have to commute to school too. Plus, financially, it’s easier for us to borrow what we need to pay Fordham than to come up with rent for her every month. I’m sure it doesn’t make the most sense, if you have enough kids you can save on some money, but it works for us and she likes the convenience (and the free laundry!).</p>
<p>I assume the cafe is open all summer, but I don’t know. It was open when we visited on a summer day, so I’ll say yes.</p>
<p>There were students from all over staying in the dorm for the summer, not just Fordham students, but there seemed to be fewer people than during the academic year. And there was some food service but food at Fordham has been nothing to write home about. It will probably be much better for the incoming class!</p>
<p>They break the costs down into Summer Session I which did include housing for those two weeks in May after the Spring semester, Session II and Intersession which is through the start of the Fall semester. The first summer we moved my S from his freshman year apt on the 2nd floor to his soph and junior year apt on the 17th. But that was all the moving that was done until he moved off campus last June. It was approx $2400 for the entire summer and last year we paid about $900 for Session I to give him time to look for an apt without interfering with finals. </p>
<p>If anyone has a kid staying for a summer internship/job and is looking for an off-campus sublet, PM me because my family has one available. </p>
<p>@MosDad was your D able to commit to Fordham? We got our FA package from Fordham on April 28 and were able to commit and pay the deposit on May 1st. My D got off the waitlist at Syracuse a few days ago, but I really think that she is excited to go to Fordham as a Theatre Performance student and that she won’t change her mind. </p>