<p>Hi everyone, I'm new here and desperately in need of some advice/guidance of any kind, as I have no one in my life able to assist me with any of this. I'm a HS Senior from Michigan, and a prospective drama student. I want, and have wanted for as long as my memory extends to be an actress. I want to go to a drama school after I graduate, but am facing many obstacles along the way, and it's beginning to seem like a futile effort on my part to even try. First off; my grades are not good; I'm not completely sure, but my gpa is around a 3-3.2. Also, I have little to no acting experience. I have been taking classes in an acting school nearby for about 1 1/2 years, but besides that, I have done no acting work. To make matters worse, I didn't even participate in drama in HS, although I am joining the theater club this year. Now for those of you who are actually still taking the time to read this; please, give me your honest assessment, is there any chance in hell I could make it into an acting school, perhaps if I could nail my audition? I need to leave Michigan, as I know and have known for a very long time that this is not the place for me, and it has left me severely unhappy. I want to transfer to California preferably, as that has always been my dream location, and I have some schools picked out(UCLA,USC, AMDA, CalArts) but I am feeling so incredibly intimidated by everything, and would love if someone could provide me some, even slight, guidance.</p>
<p>Of the schools you have listed AMDA might be your best bet. Give them a call and explain your situation. They were very helpful with a friend of my D’s who is in a similar situation.</p>
<p>My S has a friend from high school who sounds very similar to you. He was a hockey player and a big partier who got talked into doing the fall musical in his senior year. He loved it (and couldn’t believe how easy it was to meet girls in the drama club!), and decided to go to school for acting. So no experience, and pretty low grades. He decided to audition at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC without telling anyone because he thought they’d talk him out of it. He got in and just finished his two year program. He lives in NYC (okay, he’s a waiter at present, but that is reality!) and hopes to do great things.</p>
<p>Go for your dreams. If you have obstacles to overcome, your success will be all that much sweeter. Good luck!</p>
<p>You can only fail if you don’t try. I had no theatre experience and my GPA was close to yours and I got into a great acting program. But apply to as many schools as possible. And if this is something you really want to do, embrace it and fully go after it with every inch of your being. And always be thinking deeply about if this is something you really want to do. Look at it through different perspectives</p>
<p>If you can knock your audition out of the park, the sky is the limit and the GPA would not exactly hold you back but out of the 4 schools you mentioned AMDA would be the only one I’d put my money on. You shouldn’t limit yourself to CA and instead head on over to Unifieds if you can and audition for as many schools as you can. I suggest you spend a few hours searching through the threads here and you will learn some valuable information on how to prepare for your auditions, get some monologues ready, and put your best foot forward. I recommend in your situation getting some coaching for the auditions. If you do not like where you get in on the first try, spend a year out of school getting some experience with acting in community theatre and student films and then try again.</p>
<p>I agree with mom2gals…My D started out with 4 schools in CA and one in NYC. After spending time on these boards and asking lots of questions and getting amazing advice she now has 3 CA schools and 10 East Coast schools. The skies the limit so don’t limit your sky…</p>
<p>I hope that you won’t limit your search to only acting programs (or even to California) – you can learn alot about theater and get training and performance opportunities in BA programs at so many schools. Importantly, you will also get a sense of community from participating in a theater program, whether it is BA or BFA, and the sense of camaraderie and commitment to putting on a good show will be just as great at a BA program!</p>
<p>justkeepdreaming, the first thing you need to do is take a deep breath and set your mind to working on this in a positive manner. You seem to be coming at this from a negative place. Take a page from the Monty Python song book and “always look on the bright side of life” (que the whistling). One and a half year’s of acting class is more than many kids have, and waiting to join the drama club senior year is not a sin. Work hard and keep yourself focused, and you will be fine. Take a deep breath and don’t sell yourself short. And most important…don’t let the negative factors or fear paralyze you as you go thru this process, because you will need lots of focus, hardwork and the ability to keep going even when things aren’t totally going your way. </p>
<p>Make a plan. Write it all down. Set reasonable goals, but don’t stray from trying for some reach schools. Make a list of schools that contains some safety options and make sure you get help understanding the financial aid part of this whole thing.</p>
<p>Keep up your acting classes, and take advantage of every opportunity to act (like drama school). Make sure all the information about everything you have done gets on all your applications, resumes, etc.</p>
<p>Many of the schools we talk about here emphasize audition much more than GPA. So don’t worry so much about GPA. (And really, people with GPA’s like yours get into college all the time, not just in theatre!) DO worry about giving a really incredible audition!!</p>
<p>Also think about this. If you really want to be an actress that badly, but when you go and audition for them they say “we don’t think you are ready yet”, would you be prepared to take a year or so off to get ready, get more training experience, and then audition again?</p>
<p>KEVP</p>
<p>Remember that you don’t have to get into a BFA program to study theatre. There are lots of BA programs you don’t have to audition into. The California state schools have some nice programs where your GPA wouldn’t be such a problem… like San Francisco State. Some of the UC’s have lower GPA requirements and have theatre programs where you could grow. There is something to be said for being in a smaller program where you’ll have more performance opportunities than going to a high end theatre program where you won’t step on stage until Junior year. Plus, often, the BFA programs in California have cut programs which means you could get cut from the program and not allowed to finish your BFA part way through your schooling.</p>
<p>If you really want to audition in, you need to really look into the requirements and expectations. Many kids use a coach who knows the ins and outs of college theatre admissions. You can do it on your own if that isn’t available. Just start doing the research carefully. Watch the dates and the requirements (some will want you to do specific material… others let you choose, some will accept video submissions, some require travel to audition, ect.)</p>
<p>I think you should consider a BA program though. You are very new to theatre and you haven’t done a lot of work yet. Theatre is exciting and fun but it can be a difficult lifestyle. Many, if not most kids who start college with the idea of theatre change majors and find other passions.</p>
<p>JKD - Do not stop working this year, keep your grades up, they are not horrible. The BFA schools tend to put more weight on the audition than grades. Work on your monologue, find someone who can help you find ones that you can knock out of the park. Be sure to read the requirements for each school carefully, each program has different requirements and you will want to have the right monologue for each school.</p>
<p>Research…read this forum carefully, use the search function and you will find programs you never even knew existed. </p>
<p>Get your applications in on time, and make your essays strong, grammar and spell check each one and then have them proof read again. </p>
<p>Do not give up if this is your passion.</p>
<p>Justkeepdreaming - of course you have a chance. You have as good of a chance as anyone. What is important to realize at this point is that researching and selecting the right colleges to apply to is a time consuming process. Applying is a time consuming process. Preparing for auditions is a time consuming process. And actually auditioning is time consuming. (Sorry to sound like a broken record.) But most students who are applying to start college next fall are going to be farther down this road than you are at this point. It doesn’t mean you can’t do it. It just means you have to make a decision soon, and then get to work, and be very, very focused.
As KeVP says, you can also decide you are going to take a gap year, gain experience, and then apply for admission for fall 2015. This could also be a great plan and still get you where you want to be. There is no shame in concentrating on your academics this year, and then spending next year gaining acting experience and preparing to apply.
Good Luck! :-)</p>
<p>If you want it, go for it! I am even worse off than you and I’m going to try. Take everything you read here with a grain of salt–people with a lot of experience have been rejected and people with little to no experience have been accepted and vice versa; it is not impossible!</p>
<p>Find out which schools in the geographical areas you are interested in have Theatre departments with either BFAs or BAs. Check their requirements for admission in terms of GPA and SAT and see if you fall within the spectrum. Be aware that some schools will lower the GPA minimum for a candidate that auditions well in the theatre department. Some schools such as Long Island U and Point Park will help that student along with special orientation programs if they feel you are a great acting candidate for their BFA program. I’m sure there are others out there. The key right now is to focus on that great audition. Do you have a mentor at the acting school that you are going to? See if he/she can recommend someone in your area to assist you with college monologue preparation. If you are near U Mich, an adjunct from there would be really helpful to guide you. They actually run programs teaching how to handle the application and audition process to prepare for college theatre auditions, I’m not sure how open to the public these are. Following the precise rules laid out for choice of monologues and every deadline. Schedule your auditions early because slots fill up. The admissions offices at these schools can be very helpful do not be afraid to call up yourself and ask for help. Attend theatre program information sessions at colleges that you can travel to. Best of luck to you, keep us posted.</p>
<p>P.S. Just because someone is an acting teacher does not mean they can be helpful to you in preparing for a college theatre audition monologue. They may think they can but it is a different beast, hire someone who has done this before successfully.</p>
<p>CalArts doesn’t care about your grades. They make the decision based on your audition (monologues + interview), rec letters and essay.</p>
<p>Milkshakespeare! You’re back! How is it going for you? Please be sure to post your Freshman Experience!</p>