Is AMDA a bad school

College Majors Musical Theater Major
1

<p>I had audition for 3 schools (well 2 if you don’t count AMDA) and out of all 3 of them I made it into AMDA along with a 5,000$ scholarship. It seems to me that some feel the school is a scam and in fact there are some great things about it.</p>

<li>I can still get a BFA through the New School in NY, since AMDA’s credits can be used towards the degree in the school (however I have to wait until I graduate).</li>
<li>It is right in New York City.</li>
<li>They too have a show case of some sort for the seniors.</li>
<li>They have there own theater (off-off- Broadway)</li>
<li>A lot of the teachers are from well established Colleges and Theater backgrounds.</li>
<li>There Alumni include many working and employed actors.</li>
<li>A BFA at Boco (or any other college) and a certificate really mean nothing on the street of professional theater (Unless you want to Teach).
Please me tell me why AMDA is so bad?</li>
</ol>

2

<p>Well, I dont know if it is a BAD school persay, but I dont think it has as good of a reputation as many of the other conservatory acting programs around. There have been several actors and actresses who have come from AMDA and have gone on to be successful on Broadway and elsewhere. So , its hard to say whether it is a bad school or not. I am sure some people love it and get a lot out of it. But not everyone is going to like every school they attend.</p>

<p>I forgot to mention that I have a friend who is attending AMDA and she loves it. She did mention that she was not very happy with the dance classes that they take because I am not sure if they were challenging enough, but for the most part she loves it, and is hoping to be asked back next year.</p>

3

<p>Payne,
How do YOU feel about the school???!!!!! Is it what YOU want? You will always find people who did not like a school for one reason or another. My d visited about 15 different schools before narrowing her selection down to 7. Some of the schools she took off her list are some of the "most popular" on this site. One of her favorites ended up being one that is not mentioned much. You have to go with how you feel. Just like all schools, you will hear good and bad. You obviously liked it since it was one of three schools you auditioned for. Unless a criticism is truly justified, do not take it to heart. Well, that is my opinion for you...and enjoy you acceptance into the program!!!!!!!!</p>

4

<p>My son went to UNLV (Las Vegas) last year but they made changes and put their Music Theatre program under Theatre. He liked the school but felt the program wasn't strong enough in Music Theatre. He was one of 19 accepted back for his Sophmore year. However, he is at AMDA this year and he loves the school. Most of the staff are performers, directors, etc. and know their stuff. It is extremely demanding though and some kids leave after the first semester. They also want you to do a lot of "outside the school" classes such as additional dance, voice lessons, etc. In other words, if you aren't in class, you are taking a class so It can get expensive but he feels it has really helped him. The down size is that their housing isn't the greatest. Their "dorm" is old apartments about 100 years old, not anything like a nice regular university. They also do not have a dining hall so you have to be self reliant as far as feeding yourself. But I guess if you want to be on Broadway, you might as well get used to cheap New York apartment living early - especially if you can't afford the high rents. My son has met several people who went to AMDA and are doing well on stage now and they loved the school. I guess you just have to decide for yourself.</p>

5

<p>bumping for boatrigs</p>

6

<p>im in the SAME boat as you, and i decided against everyone else. Like, i know plenty more people go to AMDA than go to other schools, but they have an impressive alumni list to say the least. I'm auditioning on dec. 9th, and hoping that because its not AS difficult to get into as the other schools im applying to, it will make the whole process ALOT less stressful. I know that I would be happy there, I have a couple friends who go there and they absolutely adore it. I mean , i know it doesn't have the best reputation, we've all heard (sc)amda, lol, but how couldn't we have fun? Its musical theatre all the time, and we can still get the b.f.a. I know i want more than AMDA, but for some reason it gets more appealing looking the more I look into it, i think that the jokes cracked on it by those around me just make me look at it differently, and I'm assuming you too! So I saw, screw people, AMDA looks totes fun : P</p>

7

<p>I thought that AMDA was a 2 year conservatory. Do they have an affiliation with a four year college that allows them to offer an BFA option?</p>

<p>As far as reputation goes... I have worked with some incredibly talented people from AMDA and some not as incredibly talented people from AMDA. Being on the upper west side in NY is certainly an advantage and an experience, and many very well qualified professionals teach at AMDA because it is in NYC. In the end... just like everything else... you have to decide what is going to be the best environment in which to nurture your talent and encourage your personal growth. </p>

<p>I will say that the more polished just out of AMDA grads I have worked with were the students who had spent 2- 4 years at a more traditional college or 4 year conservatory before attending AMDA... but that may have simply been because they were a few years older and were maybe more ready to handle the stress of living in NYC on their own in a less structured environment. Meaning.. that at traditional colleges (like NYU for example) there is a more structured freshman year living experience and more support services than a 2 year conservatory such as AMDA might offer.</p>

8

<p>AMDA is affilated with New School University. For those who wish to receive a BA or BFA you may choose to have your AMDA credits transferred to New School where you can create an individualized course of study for the following 2 years (probably with various liberal arts and more theatre courses). It's actually a pretty cool thing. AMDA is one of my back up schools, although I'm hoping it won't come down to that. I do not think it is the place for me to be quite honest.</p>

9

<p>AMDA has been suggested to my daughter by some people who work with professionals as a good way to go. They have said you can make connections that you couldn't possibly make on a suburban campus and that making connections in these early years is what its all about. Does anyone agree with this?</p>

10

<p>I have mentioned this once before. There are universities and conservatories that account for much of the training that is discussed here. AMDA represents a third alternative I would hold akin to "trade school" training. Each genre of training would have its own appeal to various students.</p>

<p>Concerning making "connections" - that is an important element as one attempts a life in the performing arts. It is possible to make connections with the part time instructors at AMDA. However, I feel that many of the accredited programs discussed here also have connections to the professional world of theatre - this includes programs off the eastern seaboard and those in suburban settings.</p>

11

<p>My daughter attends AMDA and is just thrilled with the program. I would like to clarify some missinformation, however. AMDA is, contrary to belief, NOT an easy school to get into. They accept about 175 students per year, however over 4000 apply. Also, the caliber of the professors who teach there is top-notch, in fact one of her professors is a very well known Broadway actor (many supplement their earnings with teaching gigs when they are in between shows). The program is intense and those that don't give 100% are not asked back. AMDA shouldn't be considered anyones "fallback" school. AT $30,000 a year it's a serious investment and requires serious commitment.</p>

12

<p>30,000 a year? For some reason, i was under the impression that it was 10,000 a year.</p>

<p>haha I was WAY off.</p>

13

<p>Boopster's mom-- I think that number is a little off... but if it isn't also remember that there is 2 campuses, LA and NYC, as well as 2 programs.. The musical theatre studio and the acting/film studio. Personally, I have yet to meet a person who HAS NOT been accepted to amda. That is not to say that those who go there are untalented or the training is not up to par. It just means they are not as restricted as far as how many they can accept. So since they do accept more, it is a back up-- for me at least. Also because it is not a school that is anywhere near my top choice at the moment.</p>

14

<p>Can someone who goes to AMDA or knows someone who has please give me some really good advice on the school. I'd like to know if this school perhaps in conjunction with another college program i.e. Hunter or Queens College might be a viable option for my d who feels like these next four years after graduating high school may be important years to get out there and audition, model etc.</p>

15

<p>I have been accepted to AMDA with a huge scholarship. I toured the campus and was not impressed. I was getting a little scared that it was just like the previous college I attended (I'll just say a school in Chicago). The day of the audition I got a completely different feel for the school. It was very profession and it made a much better impression.</p>

<p>I too had/have my doubts about this school, I have heard so many bad things from people, like "don't go there, if you can avoid it" so I asked what they think is so "bad" about this program. They said it's because you don't get anything on your resume. Which I understand, but if you think like a casting director, the casting director isn't going to take someone who is less talented but has a bigger resume than someone who is more talented and has a smaller resume.<br>
This business is a lot about connections. My cousin (who works in the industry) has talked to his friends who are working in musical theater and they all say it's a good program for people who are very dedicated. They did say that it's not such a good program for people right out of high school because it's so strick. </p>

<p>Most musical theatre schools are going to teach their students how to audition well. That's really all that matters.</p>

<p>FYI-I looked through my showbill programs which I probably have about 20
Number of people who graduated from:
CCM:12<br>
AMDA:9</p>

16

<p>I have a friend who's S just graduated from the LA campus of AMDA. He did an accelerated program working through the summer and graduated in 18 months. Artistically his growth was huge. In his last semester he did an MTV reality thing. Now he is doing a national tour of a musical for very young children. He attributes being hired for this show, in part, from his connection with the choreographer who was a part-time instructor at AMDA.</p>

<p>Now for some of the negatives. There are no dorms and apartment living was tough for many of the kids. They were constantly having money management problems. This meant a lack of food, no gas for the car, phones being disconnected. I was consistently sending this kid care packages hoping he'd eat. The degree portion of the program seems to be the hook for parents (completion of the degree in NYC). In reality, I wonder how many students do it. With essentially the electives already done, how many are willing to then go back to the general education courses for two more years to finish their degree??</p>

17

<p>My daughter auditioned this weekend (at a theatre convention) for 40 schools. There were</p>

18

<p>I posted submit by accident.</p>

<p>My daughter auditioned with 100 other students for 40 schools at a theatre convention this weekend and was called back to 20 of those schools. She is strictly interested in musical theatre and most of the schools she has applied to (CCM, Ithaca, CCPA, Otterbein, Baldwin Wallace) were not there. The The “top” MT programs in attendance were OU (her number 2 choice of schools), OKCU, U of Arts, and Webster. My daughter was one of only 3 called back for the OU MT program, one of 9 called back to U of Arts and SMU (strictly theatre), and one of about 12 called back to Webster.<br>
She was also one of 4 girls called back to AMDA. She had not applied yet to AMDA but had an audition scheduled in April. She was accepted for admission on the spot with a large scholarship and the fee for her application was waived. My daughter was very impressed with the representative from AMDA and spoke with her quite awhile. She told my daughter that “she already had what it takes” and that was apparent from the time she walked in the room and by her resume. (My daughter has been doing professional theatre steadily for the past 8 years and is an Equity candidate.) The rep from AMDA told her that what they could do for her was to get her up to New York with a support system, “polish her”, and help her make some connections. My daughter is leaning towards AMDA at this point, but has auditions scheduled over the next 6 weeks for CCM, CCPA, Ottterbein, U of Arts, and OU. She has a professional actor friend that graduated from AMDA a number of years ago and loved it and is encouraging her to take this route based on the knowledge she has of my daughter. I would be interested in hearing from those of you who have or have had kids at AMDA so we can get a more first hand impression of the school (good or bad).</p>

19

<p>I am a student of AMDA’s BFA program in acting at the LA campus(as it is only available at the LA campus). The program is absolutely wonderful. Just like any school a student learns as much as the student is of a mentality to learn. In the right mentality, however, I find the training to be exceptional. This is my first semester and already I find a growth in my performance ability that far excels what I was able to do even on my first day of classes. I find the general education to be of poor quality but my IQ is three standard deviations above average and I’ve had that impression of most all schools. </p>

<p>The program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre, and accreditation institutions which are national do not generally have standards of general education which are as stringent as the more well known regional accreditation institutions, and so one will have some difficulty transferring credits to most other colleges if they transfer before the completion of a degree. However there is no particular reason to transfer as the school is excellent and the National Association of Schools of Theater is recognised by the US Department of Education and so one should not have any difficulty pursuing graduate study following the completion of a BFA degree. In fact on that matter I called the Yale School of Drama to see if my degree would be admissible if I were to apply for the MFA program in Acting(and not the equivalent certificate program, specifically the MFA), and they confirmed that it would be admissible. </p>

<p>In spite of being accredited by a national institution rather than a regional one(and they are in pursuit of an accreditation from WASC though this takes many years), the education is by no means poor. The performance classes are so intensive that the education actually ends up being quite diverse and good. The skill set taught is not only one that will enable a person who has learned them properly to sustain a performance career should they get a good start, but one that grants opportunity in several other fields of study. The education in stage combat is sufficient for one to become a certified teacher of stage combat(though actually receiving that certification requires five years of membership in the SAFD following the completion of the skills proficiency test, and is a lot of work), and merely having that skill set is quite useful as an actor. The education from their ‘VPS’(Voice Production and Sound) department not only is a great assistance to people who suffer from strong regional dialects, but is also a sufficient stepping ground for a person who may later wish to study speech therapy or linguistics in their graduate academic career, assuming they have devoted themselves to retaining the education in phonetics inculcated at AMDA. </p>

<p>Their education in performance is as good as a student makes it. Some of the students in my class are not as receptive to the education as others, but that is always how a classroom is; it speaks to the effect of an old adage, “The title for a doctor who graduates at the bottom of his class is ‘doctor’”. In my experience I have found the most brilliant performers I have ever personally known among my classmates and fellow students, and some less savoury ones but BFD. </p>

<p>I do not know what the housing is like at the Stratford Arms for the New York campus, but at the Los Angeles campus there is a diversity of housing buildings which are all generally good. On campus there is the ‘Vine’ building which is neither over nor underwhelming, but there also exists the apartments, bungalows and the Ivar house which are exceptionally spacious for the price. There are two off-campus housing complexes which are within a short walking distance of the campus. These are the ‘Allview’ apartments and the ‘Franklin’ apartments. I have not been inside the Allview complex but I am told it is not desirable. However I live in the Franklin complex and find it to be the best of all the complexes. The rooms are more spacious than those in the Vine building and less spacious than some of the others, though the spaciousness of the room depends upon what number it happens to be, some are quite large and some are quite small and the format of each room number is consistent on all five floors. However each of the rooms in the Franklin complex is spacious enough and comes with ample closet space, a small full bathroom and kitchens of varying size but that all come with ample cabinetry, a gas stove, large sink and fridge/freezer. </p>

<p>However while the quality of the housing is in fact quite good, it can be cheaper and more desirable to live off campus. This is not a good suggestion for students in their first semester who are not familiar with the surrounding area, especially not ones who have no prior experience with apartment living. The price is not significantly higher and it is at least a safe and pleasant situation. By the second semester if the student is able to find a suitable apartment in the area which is both cheaper, of a comparable quality and within a reasonable distance to the school, which several students do, then they will be able to live without the hassle of restrictions on non-student guests and even student guests after 11pm, as well as the strict prohibition of alcohol within the dormitory.</p>

<p>Overall AMDA is a remarkably good and intensive educational experience which will improve the performance abilities of any of its students by several fold.</p>

20

<p>I would like to warn others about the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. I am 25 and am finishing a BA in vocal music. I was looking for a graduate program and someone mentioned that a certificate from AMDA would mean more in my field. I decided to audition and was excited when i was accepted. I decided i would spend a year in Los Angeles and then a year in New York. I had the common questions about housing and such. I was told that AMDA had apartments, and this prospect thrilled me. i was directed to their website where they show examples of their housing. Long story short the housing is not what they make it out to be at all.They shoved four of us in a room that was maybe acceptable for 2 students. I was also placed with a roommate who had some serious psychological issues and went through my things and was in my face threatening me. When i went to the RA’s and and school staff about my concerns i was forced to pack my things and leave in the middle of the night to go to another building. The roommate was not punished even though myself and others had complained about her a couple of times, and there were witnesses.
Other than that personal drama the school itself is great for young students who do not have a lot of training but be warned the school lies. They use Jason DeRulo as their golden child but once i was there I came to find out that he was there only a year or so. Also, if you have training be prepared for staff to be threatened by you. I had one instructor acuse me of lying to him because i was able to read music. This is not the place for you if you have ANY experience or training, this is best for novice performers. And dont be suprised when they scam you out of 40,000 a year for a joke of an educational experience. Oh i forgot to mention that when i left i was promised a full refund (2,000) but 2 months after i left i recieve 400 and told that was all i was going to get. When i finally got them to honor their promise i am still waiting on my money. It has been over 4 months now. AMDA is not their to give you the training to succeed in this industry, they are there to make money. They bring in somewhere around 48 million a year between their 2 campuses. They could care less if they accept the most talented students as long as they accept the ones who will pay.</p>