General information about what it's like at TISCH

Hi there,
We’d love some details about TISCH. Anything anyone wants to share. What’s great about it? What’s not so great about it? From classes to social life to the general culture.
Thanks!

My D is a junior Tischie - Stella Adler Studio, but has lots of friends in New Studio on Broadway. What’s great about it? Location location location. I probably don’t have to say much more than that. Students learn from amazing instructors and professionals and get exposed to the real world of professional theatre in NYC. It’s challenging and never boring. The coursework required for the BFA is not terribly challenging (IMO), but that probably works out for students who are in rehearsals or working on projects constantly. The student body is diverse and there are too many learning opportunities to count. My D has never looked back, even though she has had moments where she felt super overwhelmed. She joined a sorority so she could meet others outside of her acting classes and that has been really good for her. She has taken voice lessons through Steinhardt and Tisch instructors and learned & improved each year (if you are an NSB student, I think you have to take from Tisch instructors).

What’s not great about it? Do I even have to say the price? Also, some people really don’t like the studio system & the fact that most kids will have to travel away from campus to go to studio (NSB is at Tisch, but Adler and most others are spread out around the city). Also, some will say the size of the program is not awesome - I don’t know exact numbers, but NSB alone has significantly more students than other conservatories, and forget about the numbers when you consider all of the studios that Tisch students attend (my daughter’s freshman year, I think there were almost 60 in her class at Adler split amont 5 or 6 groups - I think between transfers to other studios and leaving NYU altogether there are less than 30 left in her year at Adler). So there may be some argument that personal attention is lacking, but others will say that’s the real world and better to get used to it sooner than later. You really have to get in there and work to get anywhere. Students who are used to being a big fish in a little pond might feel a bit lost. There are very few “main stage” productions to spread around the talent, so although performance opportunities abound, it is usually through smaller, often student directed, productions. The one thing I have been really disappointed with about Tisch is the lack of counseling/support for students to find their way in the industry. No one is helping them navigate the world of summer stock auditions or performance internship experiences the way other programs do (I’m thinking of kids in programs with 12 or less students who have dedicated advisors, reminding them of deadlines to submit video prescreens for Strawhats or SETC, or even coordinating travel plans to those type events). Yes, they can get help with these things, but if you need someone to hold your hand, this is not the place for you. Independence and self reliance are definitely learned in this program, but sometimes I wish there was a better structure for developing mentor/mentee relationships. But that’s just me. My D has not complained. Also, once you go to NYU, transferring to another school without having to start completely over is a challenge. And did I mention cost? Getting that BFA is super high dollar, and there’s not a ton of scholarships to go around (there is some, but just be prepared for sticker shock).

It looks like most of what I have to say is negative - that’s not really accurate. D loves it and we are super proud of her hard work. But bottom line - the price you pay for the NYU Tisch BFA may not be worth it in the end when you compare the similar training and opportunities at other programs w/more reasonable price tags.

One more thing to note: much has been said about being “able” to transfer to a different studio after the first 2 years of primary training is complete. This is SUPER rare - especially if you are wanting to transfer to NSB or ETW from the other primary studios.

My D is a freshman in NSB. It’s a great fit for her and most MT programs would not have been. She wanted pre-professional training in an urban school but she also wanted a school where double majoring in an academic subject was possible, a diverse school and a school where the average student was as mature and focused as she is. Her “dream” schools were NYU, Northwestern and BU. But her dream location was NYC so she lucked out.

Great: location, location, location. LOL - I sound like @WTXMom, but it’s true. It’s an amazing location to go to school in and she loves it. She’s grown enormously as an artist in a few months and she’s kept super busy with freshman classes in music theory, group performance, vocal performance and dance (etc). Her teachers and mentors and speakers are all artists themselves and exposure to the inside world of professional performing artists is an education in itself. No complaints about the NSB program at all and she has loved her academic classes as well. Also being part of NYU means she has unlimited opportunities for coursework in the performing arts and outside the performing arts, as well as opportunities outside of class. It’s a huge school and it’s truly overwhelming how much it has to offer.

Not-so-great: Cost. It’s expensive. My D is getting through without loans but I think most students are borrowing money to attend and that’s scary because a performing arts degree isn’t going to give you a guaranteed salary to pay off those student loans.

“It Depends”: Some aspects of the school could be great or not-so-great depending on who you are. NYU requires a lot of independance and no one is going to hold your hand on just about anything. Tisch is HUGE for an arts school - classes are small but the overall class is really big - there are about 65 students in the freshman class at NSB alone. NYC is always there so you have unlimited room to play - but you need to be disciplined enough to keep your play level at the point where it doesn’t impact school - going out clubbing until 4am will make your 9am-6pm studio days pretty rough. Some students really wouldn’t do well or be happy. The location and endless opportunities come at a price - you need to drive your own career and figure out how to make the school and work/play balance work for you. You can skate or you can dig in… it really is your choice.

Thank you both so much for the input. Really appreciated

“The one thing I have been really disappointed with about Tisch is the lack of counseling/support for students to find their way in the industry.”

Tisch Drama recently hired a Career Development Administrator to help with this issue:
https://tisch.nyu.edu/about/directory/drama/108376341

My D graduated from Tisch last May. We experienced many of the same things @WTXMom and @CaMom13 talked about. But here are more thoughts.

My D went to a Performing arts HS where she spent 14 hours a day with the same 15 kids for 2 years. They took class together all day, did shows together all night. At first - it was wonderful, they were inseparable family etc… by the time they graduated it was toxic. Unlike so many kids looking for that ultra small cohort - she wanted the OPPOSITE. Enough people that she would experience diversity etc. That was a HUGE priority for her. For example, a respected school close to home is Otterbein University - but they only take a class of 8 kids. She wouldn’t even LOOK once she saw that - no way. So NYU’s size was a positive for her.

As noted above - they offer an insane number of opportunities. In her 4 years there - D studied at 2 different studios: Stella Adler, Stonestreet (film) and also went to London and spent a semester at RADA. WTXmom talked about it being rare, most of my D’s friends did multiple studios - there are some you can’t even DO until after your 2 years of primary.

While there is not the hand holding of getting kids scheduled for summer stock etc - the fact that you are IN NYC is a massive advantage. Others schools have to make plans b/c they have to GET you places.

One thing that was a factor for ME (not D) was the lack of a true “campus/traditional” experience. There are no football games etc… I wondered if she might miss that - she couldn’t have cared less.

NYU is expensive. College is expensive. Perhaps it was just the schools we were looking at (Northwestern, Boston, and Syracuse were her other primary choices) but NYU didn’t seem much different than the others. I’m a “you get what you pay for” kind of gal…

Hope all this helps

My daughter is also a freshman at Tisch/NSB with @CaMom13’s D. It was her #1 top school (along with Northwestern) and she loves it there! My D didn’t go to a performing arts HS like @toowonderful’s D, but did have the same “small group turned toxic” drama club experience and was NOT looking for a small program. She also didn’t want a small campus and could care less about the “traditional” college experience. It can be lonely at NYU if you don’t bond with people immediately, but she is doing much better socially second semester than she did last fall. She doesn’t find the (required) freshman course load too difficult, and is taking a tap elective this semester on her academic days so she is dancing 5 days a week. The freshman class is broken up into 4 color groups of 15-17 students, so she is with the same small group of people for most of her studio classes. She loves her teachers and feels artistically challenged, and she loves being in NYC. I agree that there isn’t much hand-holding, but NYU definitely has people in place if you reach out to them, whether it be academic advising, housing, or wellness.

@toowonderful has been my sounding board & helped me keep perspective since my D got into to Tisch - listen to her!

My D is actually super happy w/the fact that she has different people in her groups every semester. She has friends in the smaller programs who talk about all of the drama (even when they are close knit at times). So that can be a big plus if it suits your child’s personality.

I should also clarify - my comment about I being rare to transfer studios should have more clearly stated that transferring the NSB and ETW is super rare, and that’s based only on my D’s experience last spring where both studios took less than 10 transfers each (dozens auditioned). However, several of her friends transferred to Stonestreet, Classical and others (and she is leaning toward Stonestreet next Fall or Spring before she graduates EEK!), so I didn’t mean to say that transferring is rare as a rule…just to those 2 studios, and especially NSB, statistically speaking.

My D is planning to stay in the city this summer to really try to get her hands dirty in the industry - either interning w/a theatre company or a casting agency (she interned with a talent agency last fall and it was really interesting, though she knows that’s not a field she want’s to pursue as an alternative to performing).

Funny story though, about living in the city. D has a really good friend from high school who is a year younger than her who got into Steinhardt. He took this past fall off, but then returned this spring. She is always super busy & it’s been impossible for them to get together. Fast forward to a couple of nights ago - she came home from a date and walked into the lobby to see her friend who was getting some takeout. He lives in her building. And they had no idea. (never mind them being terrible communicators). NYC is a crazy place. But she loves it.

And we’re just puttting in our post-scripts here but I was thinking as I watched the Oscars (there were 6 nominees and 3 winners that attended NYU-Tisch) you can’t underestimate the importance of the artistic community at NYU. My D is being taught by Broadway veterans and current stage and TV performers. She was asked to be in a student film for T48 and for the first time ever when she saw the result she said the film was really good! The filmmaking students are really GOOD and she loved working with them because they are all about the art. You don’t go to Tisch just to train - you go for the opportunity to be part of this wide-ranging community of artists. I’m hoping she’ll have a chance to work with their new musical development and/or play-writing studios next year. There’s just so much creativity there - probably more than any one person can take on but I think there’s a fairly unique and wonderful opportunity at NYU for learning from fellow artists that goes well beyond the published curriculum.

@CaMom13 -SO true!! in a month or so my D will be performing off off off bway in a piece that began in playwrights horizons studio. And a NUMBER of her friends are out creating all types of new works based on collaborations that started at NYU. There really is no other community of artists like it!!

My daughter is a junior at Tisch - primary studio Meisner for 2 years; now in Classical and my nephew is a film major there. It’s been an incredible experience and my daughter has had wonderful opportunities and made great connections. Her only regret is that it hasn’t been a “typical” college experience. She does feel like she’s missed out a little on the more “rah rah” things about college - tailgating, going to football games etc… and I think that’s a consideration a kid has to make when deciding to go to NYU. It’s a tradeoff - perhaps a small one for some kids, but we had one child go to Penn State and my Tisch kid saw things like THON and football games and feels a little wistful about missing out on those kinds of things.

That’s a good point @4gsmom - the uber-urban “city is your campus” is really not for everyone. My oldest is at Purdue and she’s had such a good time going to games and doing the big college events. My younger daughter just shrugged at that stuff - in fact she became biased against Rutgers because they kept sending her marketing materials showing football games and rah-rah stuff - it seemed (to her) like she wouldn’t fit in there if she didn’t like sports. She’s all for school spirit but she didn’t really care about the traditional college experience. I think it’s important that applicants know what schools offer as well as what they do not because “fit” is really what it’s all about.

Can anyone comment on when studio assignments come out? My daughter was accepted ED2 and selected Musical Theatre only so we are assuming she’s in NSB but, of course, until we see it in writing the anxiety continues… :-S
Also, anyone else attending Weekend on the Square??

Last year, RD admissions were notified 3/28, with studio assignments being sent out 2 weeks later via e-mail on 4/11. Good luck - and feel free to ask any questions!

@kittysmom12 - if she indicated on her application that she only wanted to be considered for MT, and she was admitted to NYU, she is in NSB. Otherwise, she would have been rejected outright. Congrats!

I’m sorry if this was already discussed - but how many total theatre students does Tisch take to fill the studios??

@citygirl529 - I don’t know that anyone has that number. Tisch is has 300-350 spots for freshmen drama students and “yield” is kind of a mystery. A guess would be 400-500 students are accepted and/or waitlisted. MT is much smaller as the NSB studio has 65 slots and I assume their yield percentage would be higher than Tisch Drama overall.

Thank you! @CaMom13

My cousin has been accepted to Tisch as part of the 2023 class. Can anyone give us some information about how easy/hard is it to do a double major with a major like Psychology?
Is it possible to graduate in 4 years with this kind of arrangement?

Hi @cricketfan - my D is a freshman and planning on a double major with an academic second major. NYU’s curriculum allows you to flex so the BFA can have more or fewer academic classes depending upon how you choose your electives. A lot of people do minors. It’s not “easy” because you still need to work around your studio days to select your academic classes but it’s possible and the Tisch advisors will help to make sure the degree work is completed in 4 years.