Is there any value to studying acting for 2-3 years?

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
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<p>"No school is perfect and no, not every kid accepted to NYU is gifted.
But take a look at the acceptance list at the top of the page under members names.</p>

<p>Every single person that was accepted to Tisch, also gained acceptance to either Purchase, Rutgers, UnCSA, Boston University or Univ. of Michigan. The only person that was only accepted at Tisch applied ED.</p>

<p>So I guess all these schools let the untalented in as well./"</p>

<p>Fish, I guess my point is they are ALL a mixed bag. I know kids that got into the conservatories (that you consider to be the best), that are not particularly talented. They clearly nailed a 10 minute audition. (I’m strictly talking acting, not MT which I know nothing about. Clivedavis post was about MT)</p>

<p>And yes, NYU is a large program, so there will be plenty of kids coming out of there that just don’t have “it”.
But looking at acceptance patterns, like I demonstrated above, those great auditioners also get into programs that end up with 12 kids in a grade! </p>

<p>In my opinion the ONLY programs that will not have this issue are Juilliard and the MFAs at Yale and NYU. But even then, there is no guarantee of making it. It takes more than talent clearly.</p>

<p>( I tried putting the quote above in one of those boxes but it didn’t work ! :slight_smile: )
I also crossed posted with iwishyouwell</p>

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<p>Of course they do. There is obviously going to be overlap. But for whatever reason, I think a lot of people would agree that the smaller conservatory programs tend to produce graduates who are more uniformly accomplished than the graduates of bigger programs that are perhaps slightly less conservatory-like. This could be said about BU, for example, as well as Tisch.</p>

<p>This could be because there are some students in both of these larger programs who end up concentrating their energies in areas other than performing.</p>

<p>Both Tisch and BU offer superb training and have many, many graduates who go on to do distinguished work. At the same time, I think it is fair to say that there tends to be more variability among the graduates of these programs than among the grads of the smaller conservatories.</p>

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<p>Mommy5,
I couldn’t care less about who gets in where. It’s about what they learn while there and what their work looks when they come out the other end. It’s true that no school is perfect and none - not even Juilliard, Yale or the Tisch MFA - graduate 100% brilliant actors, but when a high enough percentage to be made note of by almost everyone graduate from a “top” school after apparently having skated through and not seeming to be much better than when they matriculated, I tend to see it as a point of concern. And the student may have been talking about MT, but the experiences he related were from his experience there in two different Acting studios. </p>

<p>Iwishyouwell,
I haven’t inserted any inferences about your life other than what you’ve said. Eight to ten years is what I understood. Did you not previously say that? Then you went home and crashed on your parents for several months after graduation. Do I need to look it up and quote it?</p>

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<p>So I gave you some details about my life years ago, and you assume, what, that my story just stopped? That because I haven’t told you anything else about my personal and professional life, you have the full story? You inferred clearly that my knowledge of Tisch was antiquated, and stopped the moment I matriculated. You, again, would know this how? Because I told you ten years ago I graduated and spent some time vegging out at my now deceased parents’ house? </p>

<p>Your tone is becoming eerily, and ridiculously, personal. And I will not play this game with you.</p>

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<p>^ Again, the post was from a current student or recent graduate who said pretty much what I’ve heard from people who went there. I’m not getting personal. Just the facts, Sir. :)</p>

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<p>No Fish, it’s not just the facts. It’s your distorted version of the facts. You cut and pasted portions of the student’s post to suit your agenda, as you’ve been doing for the last eight years. You posted with these anti-NYU opinions back when you were still a high school student, way before this poster was an NYU student. I will go ahead and cut and paste from the same student’s post and give the readers an entirely different impression:</p>

<p>“One of the biggest advantages is that Tisch Drama students take theater studies and academic courses, which gives them more depth and intellectual context than someone coming from Pace or any other conservatory program. And for me, I chose Tisch because I simply have to be around actors who are also CURIOUS about the world and who won’t just be satisfied with shuffle, ball change. I think those kinds of actors often have very little going on behind the eyes and everything is performed at a surface/fake level. At one of my theater studies classes last week I was just amazed at how deep of a conversation we were having about theater and its relationship to race. I thought to myself, this is why I chose Tisch because I know that theater is not just some childhood fantasy but that it affects people and I am in a classroom with people who are so smart and aware of the fact that there is life/a world outside of the theater and that more often than not theater is influenced by that very world. Theater is an interpretation of life, and you can’t interpret anything if you don’t have a life. So I’m a bit concerned with programs where all you do is sing, dance, and act. You have the rest of your life to do that, to be honest, and no college BFA program will completely prepare you so that you never take a performing class again.
Keep in mind I wouldn’t trade my Tisch education for anything, and I personally would not have to Pace. My options would have been CMU, U Mich, or NYU. NYU has SO MANY advantages and opportunities that other schools do not have and I have taken advantage of these opportunities and have felt so lucky to be at NYU. I can talk more about those if you want.”</p>

<p>Let’s try to help the OP answer their question of interrupted BFA vs completed acting studio program without constantly harping back to our own agendas and hijacking the thread.</p>

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<p>As a careful analytical reader with no horse in this race (couldn’t care less about Tisch one way or the other), I gotta say fishbowlfreshman’s comments have seemed relatively objective and evidence-based. I would agree with her that in general on this forum, anyone who even hints that NYU might not be the best program on the planet is instantly excoriated. It is indeed a source of amusement for plenty of people who stay out of the fray. NJTheatremom makes some important points; when you have a big program, there will be a range of outcomes, and even a huge school in a huge city cannot be one-size-fits-all. I’m grateful for this forum as a way of gauging school culture based on experience outside my own, and the tone of the discourse does contribute to those impressions.</p>

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<p>researchmaven,
Go back and find some anti-NYU opinions from when I was a high school student or any time up to the recent past other than me having mentioned the cost and overall size of the program. Then post them here as quotes. Please do. Then I’ll go back and find some pro-Tisch posts I’ve also made which would probably outnumber them. And I linked that whole thread and encouraged people to read it in its entirety. Just. the. facts. </p>

<p>And I didn’t hijack this thread nor did I first mention Tisch. In fact, I went to the trouble of posting links to some respected LA programs that could be used as an alternative by someone who couldn’t afford to complete an expensive college program which I believe to have actually been Syracuse in this case.</p>

<p>And congrats on your kid getting into Guthrie. It sucks that they don’t do an industry showcase and don’t include any on-camera training in the curriculum, but it’s otherwise a great program and probably the best overall financial deal of them all.</p>

<p>Oh, and just for clarity …</p>

<p>Definition of MATRICULATE</p>

<p>transitive verb
: to enroll as a member of a body and especially of a college or university</p>

<p>Let’s not get that mixed up with “graduate.” :)</p>

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<p>I’m with Times3 on this. Any time the subject of Tisch arises people become hysterically defensive. And then the original purpose of the thread is lost. Other schools can be discussed rationally on this forum (and throughout CC) but for some reason any mention of Tisch elicits the same reaction. It’s fascinating to sit back and watch the fireworks.</p>

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<p>Okay, can we all agree to be friends again? :). </p>

<p>Times3, I’d just like to point out that maybe the reason Tisch parents get defensive, is because they are the only ones that need to be. Your child is going to Otterbein right? How many threads have you read people putting down that program? Not many… if any. </p>

<p>I could very easily just let it go and ignore it, but I do think kids reading cc are impressionable, and I do believe Tisch is a very unique program, and I wouldn’t want a future applicant to be turned away because of things written here. That’s all.</p>

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<p>^ The Chair of the Otterbein program used to post here as Doctorjohn and he was very frank as to the strengths and weaknesses of his program. I wish he’d come back because his dispassionate analyses and intellectual honesty were a breath of fresh air amidst all the rampant homerism both here and on the MT forum which does potential applicants no service whatsoever.</p>

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<p>Fish – I think you may have mixed up ResearchMaven with ResearchMom. It is latter whose daughter is going to Guthrie.</p>

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<p>^ Ah, okay. Well, congrats on your D’s acceptance to UNCSA. Also one of the best financial deals that offers true MFA level training to undergrads. :)</p>

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<p>glassharmonica & Times3- I know you think you are objective, but you haven’t been on CC since 2005 so you don’t know some of the history behind the anti-Tisch strain. I observed it quite objectively myself at the time, as I was searching for college information for my two older kids, who are not Theatre majors. (So I had no horse in the race, either.) At that time I found it puzzling, but it opened my eyes to an underside to the anonymous posting world. The postings at that time had to be removed by the moderator and the undercurrent has continued since. Here’s that post from 2005:</p>

<p>"Roger_Dooley
Administrator</p>

<p>Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 6,051
Bogus Tisch Posts</p>

<hr>

<p>A quick housekeeping note…</p>

<p>We determined that several posts that purported to have been written by Tisch students (a couple of different threads) were not posted by Tisch students, but in fact by non-student posters who had their posting privileges revoked a few weeks ago. We do not allow members to misrepresent themselves, pose as others, register with multiple identities, or re-register after losing membership privileges. </p>

<p>As a result, we have removed those posts as well as responses to those posts which are no longer in context.</p>

<p>We moderate as minimally and fairly as possible while following our Terms of Service in an effort to protect the integrity of the forum and to provide a useful, courteous, and safe environment. Most of our members abide by the rules and we rarely have to moderate. Usually when we do, we do it quietly behind the scenes with those involved.</p>

<p>Sorry for the inconvenience and apologies to those who were duped by seemingly honest posts by “students”. We can’t catch every instance of false posting here - the only members who we verify by offline means are our College Rep members. If you have concerns about the authenticity of a post, let us know via the “report” function. As in any online discussion, take what you hear with a grain of salt, particularly when it comes from members without an established posting history that will help you gauge their credibility. Thanks for understanding.</p>

<p>P.S. Since we don’t discuss moderation in the forum, I’m closing this thread. Please feel free to contact me or a moderator by PM if you have any concerns."</p>

<p>Just thought I’d give a little history lesson as my time here on CC finally draws to an end, with my last kid about to MATRICULATE in college. CC can be a wonderful resource but caveat emptor as well. Good luck to all the newly accepted theater students on this board. There are no guarantees in this industry but you have all worked so hard and have garnered the fruits of your efforts. Enjoy the journey!</p>

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<p>That was my mistake. Thank you for pointing out my error. </p>

<p>Take care all. I hope wherever you, or your children, end up it is a place of growth, opportunity, and joy; there is nothing like slipping into a training program that fits you like a well worn glove. It can make all the difference in your artistic life. I wish that for each and every person who passes through here, regardless of where you land.</p>

<p>And who knows, maybe I’ll be seeing you “out there” someday. This business truly is a small world!</p>

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<p>Mommy5, I often see Tisch parents post defensively in response to perceived slights. And this is NOT just my opinion. Yes, my son is going to Otterbein, and if you dug that up then you probably can dig up the threads on the MT forum where people have undermined that program too (hint: Otterbein subforum) but those are actual attacks, not just comments that may imply Otterbein isn’t The Best. At any rate, my son chose the school he felt was the best fit, based on many visits and conversations rather than on CC, although I got a great impression based on doctorjohn’s posts, and he feels very lucky that the school chose him, too, since the odds are so slim. A small school isn’t for everyone, but then again, no place is!</p>

<p>Re: researchmaven’s remark, I didn’t use CC when helping my older kids with their college searches (starting in 2001) but have read all the archived theater forum threads several times. It’s not that difficult to see the patterns. I have found CC to be an invaluable source of information and moral support in my son’s audition process, as I think the theater forum is less prone (though not immune from) the competitive atmosphere that characterizes the site in general. Caveat emptor indeed! And I’d add, don’t drink any kool-aid you didn’t make yourself. ;)</p>

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<p>Thanks Fish. I couldn’t be happier both with the training she is going to get and that I can comfortably afford it and still be able to send my son to college somewhere in two years. :)</p>

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<p>Really ResearchMaven? A post from 2003 has some relevance to the Tisch discussions today?</p>

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<p>I think anyone who thinks that Tisch parents are being “hysterically defensive” or suggesting that we think the school is perfect, the best or the only place to be is not reading what we say very carefully. In every case where a Tisch parent has responded I think we have been clear to give specifics about our experience. </p>

<p>Like any program, Tisch offers pros and cons. As parents of Tischies, I think we feel obligated to share what our students have experienced and if people choose to interpret this as defensivness, then so be it.</p>

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<p>The best part about this thread is that it really doesn’t matter what an anonymous person wrote and I don’t know of anyone who wouldn’t defend their school- no matter where- that’s just human nature. Both of my kids are very pleased with the colleges they have chosen and they are both thriving and very happy. Both have chosen completely different paths. </p>

<p>I’m not a fan of cutting down another program. The only school my son was rejected from was Northwestern. My daughter did not get into Mason Gross but got into Rutgers. However, I would never make insinuations about those schools or their programs because they are excellent schools and I congratulate anyone who gets into them- because they’re hard to get into. I can understand bashing a school because of lack of communication or other things but unless we have personally experienced a class or a program, we don’t have the right and it’s certainly not right to bash a school to justify the school you or your child chose (this comment is not directed at anyone- it’s just a general statement). Luckily, neither of my kids based their decisions from CC- they did their own research. Both of my kids also did very well in school and have found ways to help finance their schooling. Sometimes, with anonymous postings, some schools can get shot down and other schools can be really built up. </p>

<p>If you are part of International Thespians, you get Dramatics magazine and every year, the put out a directory of schools with theatre programs. Although not every school is listed, there are hundreds of programs there. See, there’s something for everyone and they all have the same goal. To me, this board has become filled with way to much drama lately! :)</p>