Hartt School vs. NYU (BFA Acting)

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
1

This audition season has been a struggle! I have auditioned for 11 schools (BFA, conservatory style) and got no after no after no. Finally, a yes from Tisch! All you need is one! I auditioned at LA Unifieds and did a bunch of walk-ins, but mostly the schools did not interest me and I decided that unless I got into one my original 11 (all of which I would love to go to and are amazing, top-tier programs) that I would take a gap year, grow, work, and reaudition. Then an NYU acceptance! One of the lower on my list but still considered one of the best acting training in the US. Then today, I received a packet in the mail. University of Hartford! I did a walk-in for them during LA Unifieds, and they seemed very good when I was at the information session but they do not have as large name recognition. I have looked through their website and am kind of surprised that it is very close to what my original goal was - small class size, class study abroad in London, conservatory-style, senior showcase, and proximity to New York.

I have not been able to find any statistics on the amount of people that audition, however. Is it in the range of 200 or 1000? I heard in one place that the AT group is 14-18, and somewhere else 25 - can someone speak to the graduating sizes and perhaps what they were hoping to yield this year?

My dilemma is this: I had the mindset that I was going to NYU (since I did not expect an acceptance letter from Hartt at all; I got the impression it is a very small program and I was a walk-in). Although it is much more liberal than what I originally wanted, I grew to like the idea of so much freedom in your 3rd and 4th year and a rounded education. It is in the HEART of NYC, which is where I want to end up, the alumni network is vast, and the name recognition is “Wow. You got into Tisch?” which is important, I think, for a career in theatre and acting. Hartt, on the other hand, sounds kind of perfect for me. But it is not as central and not very well revered as an acting school from what I can tell. But I also like the feeling that I would gain much more focus, being part of such a small troupe, and that in a way it would be more special because we were the hand-picked few chosen ones, as opposed to NYU’s total 375 drama acceptances every year.

Money is not an issue for me (thankfully), though it is a factor, and NYU is extremely expensive (I received no aid, very small PA scholarship from Hartt).

I am putting up this discussion because I am looking for any insights from any parent, student, or professional who feels they have good advice. I will be visiting the schools during mid-April but right now feel very stressed. I have no idea which program is best in the long run and have to decide by May 1.

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It’s really a personal decision - they’re both excellent schools. I think visiting the two schools in person will help you better envision yourself at each one and you’ll have a gut feeling which is a better fit for you.

From your comments, it sounds like you feel Hartt is a better fit (you even said “it sounds kind of perfect for me”), but you’re torn because of NYU’s “name.” That shouldn’t be a big factor. Casting directors don’t care where you went to college. The important thing is to get excellent training at a place that feels right for YOU, since you’ll be spending four years of your life there.

Here are some differences to think about:

  1. NYU - strong academics along with acting training (I believe you spend two days a week in academic classes and three in acting).

    Hartt - conservatory program focused almost exclusively on acting, very few required gen eds.

  2. NYU - urban school in New York City.

    Hartt - “traditional” college campus (large self-contained area with buildings set among grass etc.) The performing arts center where the arts classes are held is a mile off campus but a shuttle runs back and forth all day. Hartford is a small city with a nice downtown area of shops and restaurants etc., but it’s not NYC.

  3. NYU - you are assigned to a studio (Stella Adler, Atlantic, etc) and the classes are conducted by that outside studio (i.e. Stella Adler conservatory has a partnership with NYU to teach classes there).

    Hartt - has its own faculty teaching students, uses a “toolbox” approach.

  4. NYU - I don't know what the performance opportunities are there. Maybe someone who goes there can talk about that?

    Hartt - beginning in sophomore year, the class becomes a repertory company, putting on multiple shows back to back with guaranteed casting.

  5. NYU - although each studio has a small number, as you noted the school itself has a large number of acting students altogether.

    Hartt - a few years ago, someone posted that they aim for 12-15 acting students, but recently someone else said 20. So let’s say 12 to 20 - a very small group, so faculty know each student well. I would imagine there’s possibly more mentoring and less chance of “falling through the cracks” (not in terms of acting class, but in a general sense, like if you’re having personal issues etc.)

  6. NYU - "big name" school, large alumni network and connections.

    Hartt - has partnerships and connections with Hartford Stage, Goodspeed, and other professional theaters, and Hartt students audition and often get cast at those theaters. Hartt students always are cast in Hartford stage’s annual production of “A Christmas Carol” and gain EMC points by doing so. Hartt also owns a summer stock theater called the Monomoy Theater, and students are cast there for summer stock alongside several Equity actors. Also, many of Hartt’s faculty are also professional directors, involved with theater companies, etc., so good connections there.

Those are the main differences that come to mind off the top of my head. My D didn’t apply to NYU because she wants a conservatory experience totally immersed in her acting training with minimal gen eds. She was accepted to Hartt and is thrilled, but we’re terrified we won’t be able to afford it (we got the same $9000 scholarship as you, but it’s still out of our price range).

It’s wonderful that you can afford either school without a problem, so you don’t have to use cost as a factor in deciding! Don’t stress or panic. Just think about the differences between the schools and try to picture yourself at each one to see what appeals to you most. I do think visiting in person will help you decide.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide!

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There’s no guarantee of casting at NYU.

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There is guaranteed castiing at NYU within your studio - but not for what would be considered mainstage productions. Tbh - the idea of “mainstage” has become less and less of a thing as my D has been there. This year they didn’t do ANY normal shows. NYU has essentially decided that their mainstage efforts will be used in creating new works, showcasing new voices etc. It’s a different approach, which they can do because the studios are doing the Shakespeare, Ibsen, Wilder, Shaw, et al.

@mrsborle - A thought about the idea of the “chosen few” idea. You are going to spend a LOT of time with the people in a BFA group. Having there be a wider mix of humanity in that group might not be a bad thing. My D also liked that Tisch is such a large part of the university as a whole, whereas in some schools where the conservatory is a tiny element - the rest of the college may not even know it’s there. (No idea if that is the case at Hartt - but have seen it at other places)

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apologies, i thought i’d heard of people not getting cast repeatedly, but perhaps it was just not getting cast the way they wanted. (which is something to bear in mind about guaranteed casting, no guarantee you’ll like what you get).

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@Jkellynh17 - excellent point, no way to “guarantee” how things will turn out :wink:

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@mrsborle , how is your decision-making process going? Are you leaning toward NYU or Hartt?

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@actorparent1 - Thanks for all the super helpful information! It really helped. I visited both schools a few days ago, NYU first and then Hartt. I have to say, I was going into the trip with a strong leaning toward Hartt, but I was unimpressed by the school. I did not vibe with the campus (although I have to say it was absolutely beautiful). The day I happened to be visiting I was supposed to be sitting in on a Voice class (among others) but the junior acting students had just returned, so they did 30 minutes of their Shakespeare projects along with the senior NYC showcase! Needless to say it was perfect, except I was not impressed by the performances. The male actors were very strong, but there was only one female acting student I believed in the shakespeare at all. And she was absolutely amazing! One of the acting students couldn’t stop smiling every time the small audience laughed. Very subtle, but I was in front row and I was watching the acting very closely (trying to get an accurate gauge of the level at the school) and I saw her hide her smile every laugh. Another actress simply was mediocre - she was just saying lines and her voice was very weak; could barely project to the end of the small room. The senior showcase was a mixture between amazing! and huh. My mom and I had to hunt someone down to discuss my options and opportunities in person with, and even then the person we found (I believe she was the admissions counselor for AT & MT) did not seem to know much, just gave me a sheet of the curriculum. Overall, I think it is a strong up and coming program, and they have solid opportunities and foundation, but I didn’t feel it was the most efficient place for me. I love NYC and liked (not loved) NYU’s vibe, and their endless wealth of opportunities and connections is hard to beat. I decided I would take the riskier option of Hartt if I loved them and felt that it was a strong program, because as I’ve said, hypothetically they are a much stronger fit. It simply wasn’t that way. I was eating dinner with my mom after the Hartford day, and she looked at me and said, “I think you know which one is for you”. She felt my reactions to each school.

I will share more details of my experience below for anyone who finds this thread in the future and maybe this information will help:

I also sat in on an MT acting class (Acting 2) and, again, was unimpressed. It was very basic. They were sophomore second semester MTs, who were obviously the lacking in acting of the MT students, because at that point in the curriculum AT students are all in Acting 4. So not necessarily negative, it was just I was hoping to learn something in sitting in on a college level acting class but I could tell both the students in the scene that the teacher was coaching were struggling with intermediate acting concepts such as transitions and the building energy of a scene. Good actors - just felt that I was at their level and I had critiques that I had a hard time not raising my hand and adding to the teacher. (I don’t mean that in the way that the coach was bad or I am amazing - I have just done a lot of coaching for festivals and such at my high school and enjoy collaboratively working on acting, so I’m used to sharing my thoughts on a scene - I was just hoping that I would hear the teacher say something where I would go wow, that was amazing advice.)

This was contrasting with NYU, where I unfortunately did not get to sit in on classes, but had a one-on-one meeting with the academic counselor for the Stella Adler students. It was not originally one on one, but we were the only ones signed up! She was incredibly helpful and answered all of our questions positively (I could take directing, individual singing, dance, guitar, screenwriting, and more as elective, I could test out of 12 gen ed credits automatically with my AP credits, she answered questions about Atlantic and their opportunites, etc). The campus is beautiful and there is so much to do and learn constantly. At NYU, you make your own path, and I am definitely a project-maker and a go-getter, so that attitude is very intriguing for me. However, I talked to an Adler student, who says you have to seek out the teachers if you feel you need help with something, and they won’t help you sometimes even if they see you’re struggling because they want to teach you to pursue things. I think this is a little weird because sometimes you can’t tell if you’re struggling - you may feel like it’s right when it looks wrong. It also seems easy to slip through the cracks if you just go to your classes. You have to pursue things and work hard, but I do not mind that at all.

Needless to say, I am basically decided on NYU, just letting it mull over for the next few days before I make any concrete decision. All of your responses were very helpful and thank you for putting thought and time into my post!

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@mrsborle - I think my D would disagree with the characterization that the NYU teachers won’t help you if they see you are struggling. I would characterize it as - they won’t give you the answer straightaway, they will point you in a direction, and let you find the answer. It may not happen as quickly, but it will be more meaningful.

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@mrsborle congratulations! based on what you say you are looking for, I don’t think you will be disappointed in NYU. Please feel free to ask any other questions you must have!

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@mrsborle - Congratulations on having such great options to choose from! Fit with any program is a very personal thing, and different students place emphasis on different aspects. It sounds like NYU “speaks” to you more, which is great! There are multiple good things going for NYU for sure! Your review of your visits to Hartt and NYU is very thoughtful and it is obvious you are not only talented but also very observant and bright. For the benefit of other prospective Hartt students who may be reading your post this year or in future years I wanted to correct a couple of misperceptions that came through your post.

First of all, the Acting 2 class you observed is a freshman class and not a sophomore class. This class is composed of both MT and AT students (they are together in acting classes in their freshman and sophomore years). My daughter is a freshman MT at Hartt and is in Acting 2, and yes, they are working on scenes now and her scene partner is an AT student. All second semester sophomores (AT and MT) are in Acting 4, which I don’t think are doing scene work at present. It is wonderful that you are already familiar with the techniques that were being practiced by the freshmen students, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be familiar with every single concept taught throughout a 4-year training flow.

As for students being amazing or not, I will say that every class of every program will have some students who are amazing and some who are less so. My D and I saw either a show or a rehearsal at her acceptance schools (Hartt, Ball State, Illinois Wesleyan, and UArts) and at her WL schools (NYU and Baldwin Wallace) and in each school we were impressed with some students and less impressed with others. That being said, I was amazed that in the rehearsal we saw at Hartt the cast (which was composed mostly of senior MT students) totally transported me from the classroom where the rehearsal was held because their acting was so real that I was totally absorbed! I was so moved by their authenticity that I was sitting in the back of that classroom with tears streaming down my face throughout most of the rehearsal, really connecting with the story of the characters as if they were real (it was a rehearsal for Spitfire Grille, without set or costumes, just actors in a small classroom running through the show start to finish, accompanied by a pianist). In addition, with senior and junior students regularly being cast in professional regional theaters in Hartford while still in school, and with two current students booking Broadway roles before they even graduated I can’t imagine that the acting classes at Hartt are lacking in any way.

I will say though that Hartt is much much smaller than NYU and therefore opportunities to study things like screen writing or directing are more limited.

Wishing you the best of luck!

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@toowonderful I understand - it was an Adler junior that told me that students will not be as engaged / helpful - I was surprised! But I think it could also vary from studio to studio.

@DefyingGravity2 I asked the class and they said they were all MT students, a 1/4 of their class. Are you certain that no sophomores are in Acting 2? I am aware they were mingled freshman year, but the students said they were all MT, so I assumed they were sophomores.

I also understand that there is a variation in talent levels - there were just some glaring things that turned me off. For example the girl who could not project: she was a junior and it was evident she was struggling to reach the end of the room with her voice. Taking voice classes is very important to me, building my voice and creating a foundation is something I really value in my college education, and that a junior had such a weak voice concerned me. And this was still right after their 10 weeks in London. She was a good actress (not great), and some of the acting showcase and one female shakespeare really blew me away, there were just other issues (as I mentioned) that as a whole I felt NYU was the stronger choice.

I also would like to add that I saw the Age of Innocence at the Hartford Stage and it was amazing! Beautiful work making clear to an audience the story, as is usually the struggle with old-timey shows.

Thank you all for the helpful comments!

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@mrsborle - different students will have different perceptions of any program. My D was an Adler junior last year - and couldn’t have been happier. BUT - I do know she had at least one classmate (and former significant other) who was NOT happy… He spent much of the year talking about leaving NYU altogether to start auditioning, feeling that he was ready. (He ended up taking summer school classes and graduating early). And of course, different people will also have different perceptions of what “engaged and helpful” might mean…

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@mrsborle - I double checked with my D regarding the Acting 2 class you observed. It turns out that her boyfriend is in that class you saw… My D knows all the students in that acting class, and also her boyfriend confirmed that they are all freshmen in that class, no sophomores. However, it turns out that you are correct that this particular Acting 2 class is composed of only MT students. My D explained that there are four Acting 2 classes: this Acting 2 class which has only MT students, a second Acting 2 class which has only AT students, and the remaining two classes of Acting 2 (including the one my D is in) are mixed with both AT and MT students. She is not sure why the composition of students turned out this way, but is guessing it is due to scheduling conflicts, since the curriculum is identical in all 4 of these classes. I hope this clarifies! :slight_smile: