<p>I am a freshman at Tisch in the Atlantic Acting Studio. All my life I have always wanted to be an actor, and I think I still do, but I am so miserable at NYU. I feel depressed, I cannot connect to anyone there, NYU is just so overpriced and full of themselves, and I feel like they really do not care about their students. I was thinking about changing majors and when I decided I wanted to, it felt like a giant burden was lifted off my shoulder and I had hope and felt happy about my future. Later that day, I decided I wanted to stay and be an actor and literally it felt like my world and the lights just dimmed down. I am so lost right now. Acting has always been my dream, and now I hate it; and if I don't do acting I would not want to stay at NYU. I wanted a cute little liberal arts school that actually cared about their students (which is the opposite of NYU. But I also really like the prestige of NYU, and I am just so lost right now. I feel like I need to make a decision about my future (if I am going to stay an acting major, if I am going to transfer to a new school all together) really soon, and I just feel really lost. I feel like I just do not fit in at NYU, and I am not sure if I am just depressed and anxious and that is what is making me give up my dream of acting or if I've just matured and the dream faded on its own. </p>
<p>@twiddler I hope you have shared your feelings with family or friends. If not, is there a counselor or teacher there you could confide in? I’m sure if you are talented and bright enough to be at NYU, you have plenty of options for your future! Please don’t despair. No one really knows exactly what they want to do at your age, and indecision is completely normal. I don’t know anything about NYU and I’m not qualified to help, but I do know what it’s like to be in college and feel depressed and anxious. I had the same experience in art school-- feeling like it was the only thing I wanted to do, and then finding myself hating it. All I can say is what my daughter’s grandfather tells her: “Don’t let the bastards get you down!” Please let someone know how you are feeling and try to take control of your situation. You can have more than one dream. And nothing is permanent- especially what you are feeling. You are not alone. </p>
<p>My daughter was a student at Tisch last year and while she loved it–she was not in drama but her roommate was–I would say that from my perspective as a parent your assessment is perfectly valid. It is overpriced and huge and almost prides itself on not helping students. If I had a dollar for every time I heard “we help our students become independent” as an explanation for indifference to students’ pretty basic concerns…anyway, I think Tisch has a lot to offer, and certainly has a lot or name recognition but I think the institution of NYU overall is more of a giant real estate conglomerate with an educational component than what I think of as an educational institution. And I’m not saying that many people don’t love it there and that a great education can’t be gotten there. </p>
<p>I would suggest to you that you don’t need to give up your dream of acting just because Tisch isn’t the right fit for you. It isn’t for everyone, and there are any number of nurturing liberal arts colleges that can give you an excellent grounding. You may have even been accepted to some of them. You can contact those and see if they are open to admitting you as a transfer with a more streamlined process. Also, freshman year is a harrowing experience for many students, and you may feel quite differently by the end of the year. Spring in New York is pretty great. But it wouldn’t hurt to open a few options for yourself for next fall. Part of the process is figuring out what is right for you.</p>
<p>Good luck, and let us know what happens.</p>
<p>@quilll Thank you for posting this. My daughter has applied to NYU and I’m not sure it’s the best fit for her based on what I’ve read. The point is probably moot because it’s too expensive anyway. The key thing here is that college students still need help figuring things out. I’m glad you provided the information about the transfer process, because for kids, wading through all that can be so daunting. Some schools are so much more helpful (and organized) than others. We have have been really impressed with the administration at Emerson and Chapman. I think it’s a great for @twiddler to look back at schools and check on a transfer. What other schools did you originally consider?</p>
<p>Happy to help, @mrssoffel. Only your family can determine whether nYU is the right thing for your student. In our case, it was a long held dream, and when she was initially accepted with a 25% scholarship, we strongly considered allowing her to attend. However, she received full tuition at another fine program and so went there her first year. NYU remained the dream, though, so she transferred second year. Despite loving it, and getting an RA position which would have eliminated the room and board costs (which are huge), she decided that the first school was really a better fit so she returned there with great NYU friends and memories. NYU was not at all supportive of her second major, although she did eventually find an advisor and a path to completing both programs. They were right, she did become more self sufficient, especially when the superstorm Sandy closed the dorms and the University for a week and the students were pretty much left to their own devices, but as a parent I did not enjoy the process. Still, lifelong skills and memories. I just don’t like being part of a conglomorate’s profit center in such an obvious way. It’s one way to run a school, I just don’t happen to particularly care for it. </p>
<p>When making her final decision, my daughter contacted the schools she had been accepted to to decline, and two of them, Carleton and Kenyon, responded wishing her well and informing her that if she changed her mind to get in touch and reapplication would be simple. And of course the program she left made it easy to return, as, to their credit, did NYU, telling her she would be welcomed back should she wish to return.</p>
<p>Thank you @quilll. All good things to know. Do you mind telling me what school your daughter chose and what she is majoring in? If you prefer to send a private message, that’s fine. My daughter applied in Film, but she is also interested in Theatre. </p>
<p>No question that you get a great deal of personal attention at small colleges like Emerson. Having been at huge universities and small, there is a completely different approach to student services. I’ve enjoyed reading people’s views of the conglomerate atmosphere of NYU. There is no question that DD will NOT be attending NYU if there is no FA forthcoming. </p>