<p>So, people have talked about not going to school at all and going to NYC or LA or elsewhere to try to start acting careers without training? What about getting as much training as you can afford, say two or three years, and then trying to make a go of it?</p>
<p>Sure-- there’s lots of value in it. Plenty of people have gone that route, and you don’t have to do it at a university-- New York is crowded with great programs for actors-- Circle in the Square, Neighborhood Playhouse, Stella Adler…I could go on and on.</p>
<p>I guess what I’m talking about is not completing a four year program. Is that viewed differently from choosing a two year program?</p>
<p>I don’t think so. Plenty of people leave 4 year programs, often for jobs. But if you can’t afford all 4 years it might be worth considering a shorter program.</p>
<p>Hmmm…too late for this year I think. And I have to assume that next year will be worse not better from a cost standpoint.</p>
<p>I realize you’re asking about the risks vs. benefits to the student/performer (i.e., yourself), but I just want to observe that to go into a 4-year program with the intent of leaving partway though is to do a disservice to the program (the school and the faculty). They’re offering you a carefully designed 4-year program for a reason…and there are probably many people who’d live to have that spot for 4 years. Just something to consider.</p>
<p>If you attended a BFA program for two years, you would probably (depending on the program) be reasonably well-trained as a performer after that amount of time.</p>
<p>However, if you did not get your bachelor’s degree, many jobs might be closed to you down the road. Not necessarily performing jobs, but jobs that you might want and need. And if you ever wanted to get a graduate degree of any kind, you would pretty much have to earn your bachelor’s degree first.</p>
<p>I feel like I am aways reading about successful actors that went to NYU or Juilliard for a couple of years and never graduated. Probably because they actually got a job, but perhaps it was because they ran out of money.
Jkellynh17, you raise an interesting concept. Yes, I personally think you would benefit from a good 4 yr. program that you only went to 2-3 years of … Compared to a 2 yr. program or no program at all.</p>
<p>Since you’re not interested in completing a bachelor’s degree, I’d suggest, like Times3, that you don’t enter a 4 year program that is designed for those who want to graduate with a BA or BFA. Here’s a suggestion: choose a college that will let you audit theatre classes for much less money and get the benefit of learning acting skills and specifically choosing which classes you feel you need. You can still put the classes on a resume if you need to. I know of a 20 year old actress doing this in Minneapolis right now. She takes classes during the day and auditions for local shows and has her evenings free for rehearsals. The school where she’s auditing classes also lets her audition for their shows.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say that we’re not interested in completing a four year program, just that it may not be possible. It may. </p>
<p>We’re still waiting on some local scholarships.</p>
<p>I’m not sure a four year acting Bfa is worth much in the non-performing labor market anyway. I remember taking lots of typing tests after college - and this with a four year Ivy liberal arts degree.</p>
<p>Save for classic theatre, the first two years of training in a mid-high intensity BFA SHOULD (in theory) be sufficient to throw yourself out there to sink or swim in the real world of the business although you’d still probably need to get more focused training in the areas in which you’re planning to work. Hell, people who finish these programs still usually need that. What you’d be missing besides having a degree is the advanced training from the final two years plus the experience you’d get from putting it to use in productions in a controlled environment.</p>
<p>To quote the girl I’ve mentioned a couple of times who’s about to graduate with top Hollywood management and probable Big 4 agency representation locked up …
Really, though … If you’re going in planning to drop out, you may as well just get your training in a two year conservatory like Esper’s, Circle in the Square or Stella’s and/or spread it around through the other studios. It would cost less than one of the $50k+ per year schools like Syracuse absent a big scholarship and/or huge amounts of non-loan aid. Plus a possible advantage if you still look like a kid, are REEEEEEEAAAAAALLY good looking or have some kind of distinct character look look to offer is that you could work professionally while you train thus offsetting the cost.</p>
<p>I am not sure the benefit of spending funds on the first two years of a four year BFA program when you know you will only be able to afford the first few years. This is the same thing I would say about attending two years studying anything at an unaffordable four year school… What do you do after the two years are completed, the money for college is gone, and you are only 1/2 way to the degree? </p>
<p>Is obtaining a college degree important to you (or your child… I think the OP is the parent)? If so, are there affordable four year options? If a gap year was taken could a different list of schools be developed, some of which might offer guaranteed merit money, or might be affordable without much in loans?</p>
<p>Two year training programs are designed to be completed in two years. Most do not include the same academic requirements as a four year BFA program. So, the training becomes the focus of the two years. Programs like Circle in the Square, Stella Adler, etc… are very strong and designed to be completed in two years. </p>
<p>A four year program is designed for the training to build upon itself over the course of four years, and there is academic course work (outside and/ or inside of the major depending on the program). Yes, there are people who leave after a few years of training and are successful professionally, but there are others who may not be quite ready after two years of training. How frustrated may the student be having to leave the four year program after two years if he or she loves the program and the training and really wants to complete the program? </p>
<p>As fishbowl says above, two years at a private university BFA program without scholarships is likely going to cost more than those same two years at a stand alone conservatory program. A student who still wants more training after two years in a conservatory program may have more financial resources available to supplement.</p>
<p>Most performers spend the rest of their professional life in and out of class. So, training is never really done. </p>
<p>In terms of what a four year acting BFA may be “worth” in the non-performing arts labor market… a BFA is a viable college degree. Many careers today require post undergraduate schooling and training, anyway. I have friends from my undergrad BFA program who went to medical school (after completing pre-med coursework needed for MCAT), MBA programs, MEd programs, etc… when they decided they wanted to pursue a different career path. I also know people with BFA acting degrees who work in non-performing fields in the entertainment industry… or in completely non-related professions without any additional schooling. It really all just depends. </p>
<p>All that being said, I also know many people with BA degrees in other fields who are successful performers. They supplemented their educational experiences with outside performance training and professional experiences.</p>
<p>In the end there is no one correct path to a career. Just different paths that meet the individual’s education goals, professional aspirations, and the financial realities.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>Hi Jkellynh17,</p>
<p>I ditto everything KatMT said. I would also add this. It is much better to have a completed two year acting program on your resume then to have nothing/ an uncompleted BFA. As an SM and PM I have spent the last several years sitting in on many a casting session. One of the first things directors and casting agents look at on your resume is the education section. If you don’t have one, but you have some educational credits listed, we are going to ask “did you graduate from such and such university? Was it a BA or BFA program.” Obviously this isn’t a deal breaker, and everyone in the arts understands how expensive schools are now, but it still doesn’t look good if you are not able to finnish a program. </p>
<p>Also, think about the fact that at most schools you wont get cast in the bigger roles until usually your junior and senior year. Many BFA programs won’t even let you audition your first year. So while you might still be getting good training, you wont have the benefit of building your resume, and that can be a deal breaker. This may sound harsh, but your education and educational credits are the only thing you really have to prove your experience until you land those first half dozen shows or so. Resumes do matter and so do degrees / acting programs.</p>
<p>If you are hoping to be able to complete a four year program, but your worried that finically it won’t work out, then keep this in mind. Schools want you to be able to finish, and they are willing to work with you. I’m not saying financial aid will start raining from the ceilings or anything, but most schools will work to find more help for a student already enrolled and going into their third year then they will for an incoming student. I had a very hard time coming up with the money for my last year and was able to get some additional scholarships because the school wanted me to finish. The’ve already invested a lot in you and want to see you succeed.</p>
<p>Okay, I guess I’m going to be the only one who disagrees.<br>
If your kid had, what would be considered a top 5 BFA program on his resume, I think having that (without graduating) would be more impressive than any of the completed 2 year programs. People mentioned Stella Adler as a 2 year program, so let’s use that and NYU as an example.
I think agents and casting directors would rather hire the kid that completed only 2 years at Tisch (any studio) than a kid that completed the 2 year Stella Adler program directly. The fact that he got into the BFA program shows something about his ability, his intellect and his work ethic.
I doubt anyone would really care if the kid graduated or not, but if they asked a simple " my parents ran out of money" would end the discussion right there.
I’d like my daughter to graduate from college, but I’m not going to kid myself that her degree will make a difference whether or not she makes it in this business. This is not the same as anything else not art based. Obviously only 2 years of an accounting or nursing degree is not going to cut it.</p>
<p>Thank you. It’s a lot to think about.</p>
<p>Mommy5 – I don’t really agree with your impressive issue but my bigger disagreement is that what a casting director is going to be evaluating is not a comparision of credentials but a comparision of the ability to execute. You take the same person and put them in NYU (Adler Studio) for two years and someone who has directly gone to Adler and studied for two years and the latter has much more training under their belt and saved a lot of money. If the plan was to just go for two years – I can’t imagine any sense of going to Tisch for two years rather than Stella Adler for two years.</p>
<p>I can imagine a sense of going to a 4 year college program vs. a 3 year studio like Stella Adler or any of the various 2 or 3 year certificate producing studios. One track means puts you 2-3 years down the road into completing an actual college degree and the other doesn’t. Jkellynh17 I believe is a parent. It’s natural for a parent of a high school senior to feel the tug of wanting their child to get a college degree and be torn especially when it comes to studying theatre which let’s face it does not come with any guarantees about a future in the field no matter where and what you study. Financial circumstances can change and it sounds like there are still scholarship options that may play out. (Plus more that can be sought out.)</p>
<p>This quote from KatMT struck me as worth reiterating:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Whoa… first time I ever got that whole quote box thing to work. ;)</p>
<p>I personally think the 2/3 years in a college BFA program working towards that degree and training would look better on a resume when hunting for a survival job. </p>
<p>I’d suggest that your child do an internship over the summers maybe even in casting or arts management. I’m thinking about experience to put on a resume. A great thing would be if they stopped school, began to audition and work professional while taking a part time job in an acting related filed that stemmed from one of the internships. </p>
<p>I am going to suggest something that might help your child finish her college degree. Check out [Thomas</a> Edison State College: Theater Arts](<a href=“http://www.tesc.edu/heavin/ba/Theater-Arts.cfm]Thomas”>Bachelor's Degree in Theater Arts at Thomas Edison State University | Bachelor of Arts) Thomas Edison State College a public college in NJ offers an online BA in Theater Arts. They can give credit for the classes your student already has taken. It is just over $8,000 a year for 36 credits if your out of NJ only about $5,000 in state. It’s meant to be a way for adults who have dropped out of college to finish their degrees.</p>
<p>I really appreciate all these suggestions. It looks as if, if I don’t make more money, if my S doesn’t get any more aid and if nothing else goes well in terms of additional scholarships, help from relatives, etc., then we’re about $60,000 in the hole for four years. So I think it’s worth a risk. It’s a really pretty good program he’s gotten into, in a great theater city (which has open non-equity auditions for many of his flagship theaters, unlike NYC), and who knows, maybe at some point, something will go our way. </p>
<p>who was that Dickens character who was always saying that “something will inevitably turn up”? (I think he might have died in debtor’s prison, but anyway…)</p>
<p>I do worry a lot about my honors student son being stuck in minimum wage jobs for the rest of his life, but I know some finance majors who are making lattes now, too.</p>
<p>Jkellynh17, many of us go into this unsure of how we’ll get to the end either. I like your Dickens character reference though as I charge ahead I’ve often thought of Scarlett O’Hara’s “tomorrow is another day”. We parents all have been through the uncertainty of our own futures when we started out and look how “great” we all turned out 
It was way less stressful though to be the kid than the parent I’ve decided.</p>