<p>Hi,</p>
<p>After dreaming really high, I was told by my father that I could only apply to 4 colleges. Considering that I chose CalArts, Central School of Speech & Drama and University of the Arts - London. I still have one more spot left and I'm trying to pick a school that is interesting, really good and not as hard to get in as others. I thought about UArts but my question is: is it worth it? I'm Brazilian, so I don't get financial aid and the tuition is very very expensive compared to Brazilian universities. I wouldn't want to go to a college that is not that good just to go to college abroad.</p>
<p>I don't have really good grades, but a good resume, I guess, and some experience. I want a BFA in Acting, but I'm also in love with playwriting. If you know any other colleges that "fit my profile" and are still accepting applications, please tell me! :)</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>My son is a freshman at UArts, and I haven’t seen him happier since nursery school. I can’t say whether he’s doing everything he should be, and he gives mixed reviews to his teachers, but he loves the creative community there. Philadelphia is a great city for the arts, including experimental and original theater, and it’s amazingly affordable. UArts is expensive (my son received a talent scholarship, but that was only about 25%), but less so than other prestigious, private, colleges with strong theater programs (e.g. NYU, USC, Emerson, BU, Fordham-Lincoln Center, etc.). Philly’s affordability allows students the opportunity to rent decent apartments for considerably less than they’d pay to live in the dorms.</p>
<p>There are lots of changes underway, which should only benefit aspiring writers. Theater students used to be limited in their choices of minors, but they will have many more options beginning next year. UArts is introducing a Creative Writing major, and they have the “DPP” (Directing, Playwriting, and Production) major in the theater school. Theater students will have more opportunities to take screenwriting classes, for example. </p>
<p>A lot of the theater faculty members are aging, and they anticipate a great deal of turnover within the next few years. On balance, that would be a good thing. While it might be fun to study with somebody who was in Sanford Meisner’s first class at Neighborhood Playhouse in the 1950s, it is also helpful to work with faculty who understand the dynamics of current and future theatrical markets. </p>
<p>My son had dreadful grades, but strong test scores and a solid theatrical resume. UArts was the only auditioned BFA program to accept him, but it seems to have been the right fit.</p>
<p>Thank you stagemum! It’s great to hear that. The fact that UArts has a big artistic community really attracted me to it.</p>
<p>milkshakespeare, are you talking about [Drama</a> Centre London](<a href=“http://www.csm.arts.ac.uk/dramacentrelondon/]Drama”>http://www.csm.arts.ac.uk/dramacentrelondon/) or [The</a> University of the Arts](<a href=“http://www.uarts.edu/]The”>http://www.uarts.edu/) ? I think you and stagemum might be discussing different schools.</p>
<p>Oh, dear! I just re-read the original post more carefully, and it does appear to address University of the Arts in London. My post quite clearly refers to UArts in Philadelphia.</p>
<p>p.s. When my son traveled in Europe last summer, people presumed that his international student i.d. was for the London university.</p>
<p>Oh no, I am applying to University of the Arts in London too, but this post is about the one in Philly, so stagemum your reference was really helpful!</p>
<p>Also, I don’t know if it’s appropriate to ask this here but I had a very risky idea for an essay for UArts. The question for the essay is “What inspires you?” and the first thing I thought of doing was a sort of collage, I guess, which looks really good and has between 150-300 words, as oriented by the application. My question is: is UArts the kind of school who likes this sort of things or is it better to write a traditional essay?</p>
<p>I can’t speak for UArts, but I would think twice about creating an unconventional essay. Most theatre programs want to know if you can express yourself well in writing, and the format as well as the content of the essay will show that. You say your grades aren’t great, and I think it is risky to have weak grades in English/writing/etc. and not show that you can write in your essay. Perhaps you can use your creative idea as a supplement.</p>
<p>Thank you EmmyBet. Actually, my grades in English, Portuguese, Spanish, writing and everything related to that area (Philosophy, Sociology, etc) are pretty good, even to American standards. And my TOEFL scores are also great (I got 28/30 in writing). But I guess I should write a conventional essay and then think about it.</p>
<p>I agree with EmmyBet. If there is any place you can get away with an unconventional essay, it’s probably here. But why risk it? I doubt anyone has ever been accepted because of their essay; it is more likely that an outlier essay might count against you, though.</p>