<p>I have a lot of questions.</p>
<p>First off I would like to point out that I graduated in 2010 and am going to be entering community college in southern California. I dont have much experience in acting but I know its what I want to do, and would not be truly happy unless I become an actor. So here are some of the questions that I have. </p>
<p>1) What courses should I be looking to take in 2 years of community college in order to meet the requirements of a university? I have done research on this but its been very difficult for me to find the right answers. I have a general idea of what I need to take but any help would be appreciated.</p>
<p>2) I hope to transfer to USC or UCLA for acting, as they are obviously the 2 best schools in southern California for that purpose. Any advice on the steps of getting in there would be appreciated. And realistically, what are my chances? Im willing to put in the work and will do that to make sure I gain experience. Does it help or hurt my chances of getting into those 2 schools if I am a transfer student from comm college?</p>
<p>3) What other schools in southern California would be good for acting? And if I dont get into USC or UCLA, would it still be worth going there for acting major?</p>
<p>4) What advice could be given to help me become a better actor other then inside the classroom? Such as acting classes, etc. And are there any suggestions?</p>
<p>5) Realistically if I took acting classes both at college and outside of college and became good enough could I book an agent and potentially do auditions?</p>
<p>6) Any other advice?</p>
<p>I may have more questions to come, I have been thinking about this a lot lately, thanks for any help I receive. :)</p>
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<p>I saw that you haven’t had any replies on your thread and thought I would offer you my opinion. First, I think you cannot absolutely know for sure that acting is what you want to do without experience. I’m not an actor or involved in any creative arts…my S is. But I have watched him and his friends put in COUNTLESS hours into studying and preparing and auditioning and rehearsing and performing and dealing with egos and rejection, etc. There is a passion and a drive to be involved in all aspects of a production and as busy as they all are, they still go from show to show to show because they just can’t live without it! So first, my advice is to get some experience to see if you even like it and are cut out for an actor’s life. And DON’T decide now that you can’t be happy unless you are an actor…let yourself be happy with whatever you end up doing whether it’s acting or in an acting related field or something completely different that you didn’t even know you would like. </p>
<p>How can you get some experience? I recommend you take an acting class locally or at the community college you will be attending. Additionally, start auditioning locally as well for community theatre productions. If you don’t have the confidence to jump into auditioning or aren’t cast right away, then volunteer to help out with the production so you can get a feel for what goes into it. </p>
<p>I think it will be very difficult for you to transfer into any of the major acting programs as a Junior and if you really want to major in Theatre you should probably look for a non audition BA program in schools that fit your size, location and financial preferences. Then come up with a list of schools for which you are an academic match adding perhaps a reach or two and a safety. When you have some ideas you can better plan your course of study at the community college you will be attending. But keep in mind that MANY students change their major along the way and you may be one of them! You just might take a course that sparks your interest in something completely different so be open to that possibility as well.</p>
<p>As I said, I’m not an actor so I’m not prepared to offer advice as to how to become a BETTER actor but IF you are able to secure an agent…and that is a big IF, I think that how practical it is to audition professionally and continue your studies is a personal choice. I know a young professional actress who chose not to major in Theatre (she’s a minor) so that she could continue to audition and work. My S and I have also discussed his options…he will be a Freshman Theatre major at Fordham…and while we have not come to a decision on this yet and don’t really see the need to at this point, he might possibly audition only for local work when school is not in session. I even know someone who wanted to give up a full ride at a local university to start auditioning professionally but opted to wait until graduating. I’m sure his parents were glad they were able to talk him out of that! </p>
<p>So finally, Concerned824, while I hope that I gave you something to think about, I also hope that you can STOP thinking about all of this so much and jump into life at your new school! I wish you the best of luck with whatever course of study/career you decide to pursue! :)</p>