<p>Although not Tisch, DD wanted to go to NYU Steinhardt. We knew we could not afford it and that we would not qualify for any aid. We explained to her that if she did not get significant merit money it would not happen. We would not co-sign for any loans at this stage of her education. The decision to try was hers. She applied knowing the financial constraints and was accepted with very small merit award. And that was the end of that. She went on to her other options and is very happy in the school she chose, which, BTW, I think was a better fit all along :)</p>
<p>I would explain the rules you are comfortable with and let them decide. I would never prohibit my child from trying.</p>
<p>Thank you to all who have provided feedback about this touchy issue. It has been my gut feeling that I did not want to prevent her from trying for whatever she dreams to do…if we do not take a chance we never will know. I know my D has appreciated the opportunities that she has been provided with so far and she knows it is not a bottomless pit. I think having a dollar amount pre-set will make the process more tolerable for all of us–that is a great suggestion. I just don’t want her to be starting out her life in debt…that makes no sense. We will have to determine what my husband and I can swing as we have a son to follow in 3 years who is also in the arts (trombone player and quite good-maybe he will get a scholarship-who knows)
Luckily my D and I have visited other schools such as Syracuse, Baldwin-Wallace, Wagner, and a few others where she can also see herself, as well as some local state schools that we know she will likely be accepted. NYU is so appealing because not only is it great artisitic training but academically challenging as well. She really doesn’t want to attend a conservatory only type school. She has also visited a few schools that she didn’t really connect with as much with so we feel we are developing a diverse list that will give her a range of possiblities. CC has been so helpful in this process!!!
Having family somewhat near is a factor for her so that has influenced the cities we visited and I feel confident that although she is fairly independant she will handle the distance just fine…I on the other hand am dreading it a bit. I am thrilled for her to pursue her dreams, I am just not looking forward to her being so far away. At least if she is at NYU or Wagner I have another great reason to visit NY…LOL. I guess I have my practice run this summer as she will be gone for 4 weeks at Tisch.
THanks again for your feedback, it really does help.</p>
<p>The other night I took a guest to see “Legally Blond” on tour. As I read the Playbill, I noticed where the cast went to undergraduate school. What a verity of colleges! Mentioned as alma maters were Elon, Suny Buffalo, Harvard, Howard, Baldwin-Wallace and NYU (1). I talked with a niece who is on national tour with another MT show and she told me that many are like her, a history major and mt minor! So if NYU was more likely to ensure employment one would think Playbills would reflect that! I truly believe that keeping debt to a minimum ensures staying power for a young person in any unstable career and staying power in a place as expensive to live in as NYC.</p>
<p>I don’t think ANY college can ensure employment. I think one should pick a school that best fits what they want in a college. And if cost needs to be consideration, then it should be one factor as well. I also don’t think a student should incur a lot of debt for a degree. A parent incurring debt to pay for college who cannot pay it all in a lump sum is a different story, however.</p>
<p>The 2008 investment market collapse has changed the landscape for so many parents who spent years scrimping and saving, cutting back their lifestyle, so that money could be put aside and invested for college. And then wham, if you were lucky you only lost 25% in 2008 - and many lost even more. It’s a situation that requires new strategies and approaches and often requires changing your plans.</p>
<p>One of the lessons that has come to roost for me, involving my son who is going to law school next fall, is that it never hurts to ask for assistance. He had applied to 5 law schools, 1 state related and 4 private. The 4 private gave him significant merit scholarships that brought the cost down to the same neighborhood as the state related. The state related gave him nothing and the cost of tuition even at the state school and his living expenses where still in excess of what we could afford. He called and followed up with an email to the state related advising of the scholarships he had received at the others, explaining that the state school was really his first choice and asking whether there was anything the state school could do. Much to our surprise, the state school came up with a 1/3 scholarship for the first year. (Whether there will be money the second and third years we will have to see - but we certainly won’t hesitate to ask!) So, if the aid package is not sufficient, ask for more. You never know…</p>
<p>A strategy we are also using is to apply for the maximum subsidized Stafford loans available for both out MT daughter and for our son. Subsidized Staffords do not accrue interest until the student is out of school (unsubsidized Staffords accrue interest from the date money is disbursed but payment is deferred). Our thought is to use “free” money to help pay the costs of school in the hope that over the next few years the market will come back to a significant degree and money that at the present is no longer there will be available to pay the Staffords back upon graduation before interest starts to accrue. There are limits to this, however, since there are caps on the subsidized Staffords of, I think, $3500 the freshman year and $5500 thereafter. For graduate school the cap is $8500 per year.</p>
<p>These are tough times for for meeting the costs of education.</p>
<p>I could be wrong, but I think it is very unlikely that a student whose family EFC would not qualify that student for ANY needs-based aid would get enough scholarships/grants, etc. (based on talent alone) to make NYU affordable.</p>
<p>MichaelNKat…we also have taken out the maximum Stafford and Perkins Loans for both our girls for undergrad and grad because the interest rates are lower than Parent loans and the payments do not start until they are out of school. However, we are paying these as the parents but just took advantage of these very good loans. We took additional Parent Plus loans out as well. But people should start with the Stafford and Perkins loans even if the parent is paying and not the kid. It may have our children’s names on them but we consider these our loans, not theirs. </p>
<p>NMR, I agree with your assessment with regard to NYU. I have to say IN MY OPINION that if someone does NOT qualify for any need based aid according to FAFSA, there should be a way to come up with financing the education over time because we qualify for aid, which means we earn less money than those who do not qualify for aid and have found a way to finance it over time. However, it is a big hardship and may not be something others may wish to incur in terms of paying for education.</p>
<p>Secondly, it’s always fun to look at playbills and see what else people have done and where they trained. One thing I’ve noticed in the past year is the increasing number of actors who do not include their college details in their bios. There have always been <em>some</em> who have chosen not to include that info but it seems like it’s becoming much more common. I wouldn’t place too much importance on the number of actors from any particular college in a playbill. A case in point could be illustrated by a show I’ll be seeing next week. We’re travelling to meet up with a few friends who are currently in a national tour. About half of the cast didn’t attend any college and three others are Ivy grads. I wouldn’t want anyone to draw the conclusion that you either should forget college altogether or, conversely, you need to attend an Ivy if you want to be successful. </p>
<p>Lastly, on the topic of playbills and bios, one of the most entertaining ones I’ve read recently was the one for Hair. If any of you have seen the show, have a look at the bios. If not, you can read them on playbill.com. </p>
<p>To get (sort of) back on topic, as I’ve said before, I would not recommend students get themselves in too much debt. That goes for any college major, really, but particularly for theatre. As to whether parents should take out loans, well, that’s a personal family decision and should be handled with open communication with the student so that there are no surprises. Each family has to decide how to pay for their kids’ education. We’ve paid it all (and continue to pay) for all of our Ds, and we’re fortunate enough to be in that position. Some parents are willing to take out loans, some parents save for their kids’ college expenses, some parents loan their kids the money, some parents pay nothing. My suggestion is that you have the conversation about $$ early with your children so that they know what will/will not be available. Be an informed consumer when it comes to the colleges on your child’s list. If you all go into it with the full understanding that the decision will be made when all the f/a packages have been compared, then I don’t see a problem with allowing your student to audition/apply to a range of schools pricewise. However, when the list is compiled, make sure that there are a couple that are not only academic safeties but financial safeties as well.</p>
<p>As AlwaysAMom wrote, some actors are not even putting their alma mater in the Playbill and I notice that is true of the nature of some of the Hair cast bios. For example, my D’s friend who was in her college a cappella group and has graduated from NYU/Tisch, does not list his college in his Hair bio.</p>
<p>Just saw the National Tour of Jersey Boys in South Florida. It was, once again, a very large range of schools (and no schools) listed. The BFA’s mentioned were CMU,CCM,UCF,Wagner, NCSA (those are the ones I remember) alongwith LOTS of BA’s from terrific schools: Cornell, Yale, Stanford…
It is NOT the school, but the experience that will best help you grow and nurture who you are and your special gifts that, I think, make for the “best fit”.</p>
<p>It seems that many young actors are no longer putting their alma mater in the playbill bio… I wonder why not? I love to read where they are from and where they trained, not just a laundry list of recent shows. Those “bios” at the playbill site for Hair seem very contrived, as though they were told to write up something sort of goofy to fit the show. I noticed that all those I picked at random included their horoscope sign, and I rarely see that in bios in playbills for other shows.</p>
<p>skipsmom, I think it’s pretty obvious that the Hair castmembers were either coached, or decided as a group, to write their bios ‘in character’. That’s the nature of Hair, from the cast wandering through the theatre interacting with the audience, down to the age-of-aquarius bios. I didn’t find it contrived, I found it entertaining but maybe that’s because the kids I know in that show are definitely not their characters.</p>
<p>I’ve seen the musical and enjoyed it back in the Pleistocene age and am looking forward to seeing the new incarnation at some point. The playbill may be more fun but I do wish it contained more information about the actors! </p>
<p>My son dictated his first bio to me as a preschooler when he played the youngest prince in The King and I… he said, “say I am a boy, and am going to grow up and be Simba or a Power Ranger.” Ever since I have loved reading the bios—love the hometown and school info and the lovely personal messages to parents, teachers, etc. That’s why I keep all these darned things forever :)</p>
<p>I’m with you, skipsmom. For years, my son has been closing his bios by thanking me for all the schlepping, love and support. The first time he did it I thought I would lose it. Now, it’s become a tradition, and even thought I don’t schlep him much anymore since he’s been driving, I schlep FOR him…picking up costumes, lights, dance shoes…dropping off flyers, programs, etc., so it’s still apropos. Of course, the love and support will always continue for all of us, long after the schlepping ends!</p>
<p>It’s been remarked that those of us who qualify for no aid according to fsfa numbers should be able to repay loans since those who qualify for some aid can repay loans.
I live in a college town where those who have pensions and health care supplements provided for them and their spouses until they die are in a very different position for retirement than those of us with 401ks who must fund it almost entirely ourselves. Those of us who had children late have fewer years to work and repay these loans and allow for our investments to recover before retireing. I didn’t fill out fsfa so I’m fairly well off, (or was) but I must consider that my husband and I have five working years left,(mandatory) before I consider loans for the most expensive schools. I feel I owe it to my daughter to be independent financially when she has her own career and family. I would also like to have resources always available for her emergency needs. So all this may require some sacrifice on her part, we can’t always have our dreams, even dream schools.</p>
<p>thecheckbook, my husband and I are self employed and we have no pensions and no health care provided. We also have no 401Ks. I don’t know the age of you and your spouse. My kids are currently 20 and 22. The youngest is about to graduate college and the oldest graduated college last May but is in a 3.5 year graduate program that we are also funding (part is loans, not all). I am 52 and my husband is 54. Our kids will not be paying any college loans themselves. As well, our kids are expected to support themselves as soon as they finish their schooling. That means my youngest will start supporting herself starting this May 15! </p>
<p>Each person has to do what feels right for them. Yes, we have poured a ton of money into education but that’s what we believe in doing as a gift to our kids and what was done for us years ago. It does mean that we may not have other things like savings for ourselves and what not. But I don’t mean to say this is right for others. It is very much an individualized decision making process. However, those who do not qualify for any financial aid tend to be somewhat “comfortable” and so it is not such a bad place to be in! I’m sure there are still many sacrifices that have to be made too.</p>
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