<p>Hello! I am a junior in college. Recently, I've been in a play and a couple student films and realized that I love performing and acting. I had a very small part in the play due to the fact I had no previous experience. But I still loved it.</p>
<p>I have been taking sciences classes and business classes, intending to major in some sort of science, or maybe in the business school. Science and public policy are things I love, but over the past year I've realized that performing may be my passion.</p>
<p>Please advise me on what to do. I'm not sure if I should try to transfer into the theatre program, add a major. I know it will require an audition. I would really prefer to transfer to another University altogether. I do not know. I have been reading a lot of books on acting and theatre lately. Anyhow, please give me your advice. Thank you</p>
<p>I also want to add that I have a relatively high GPA in my field (biology, physics, chemistry, and business courses all taken). 3.85/4.0 is my college GPA. I have done well in college. I wanted to add this, I'm not sure if it will affect my status as a transfer to the different college, etc. Thank you for reading and any help.</p>
<p>If there is a theatre program at your college/university you may be able to complete a double major or at least a minor without having to transfer to another college/university. The people in your home institution’s theatre department should have good ideas for you. It is perfectly OK to talk with the instructors there about your options.</p>
<p>Thank you for the reply.</p>
<p>I will speak to the instructors at my university. I wanted to transfer universities notwithstanding the major switch, though. I want to transfer for many reasons; I’m in college to learn and grow first, and I don’t feel that my university is the best institution for my intellectual and personal growth. But I will try add on the major at my university first and apply to transfer in the upcoming semester.</p>
<p>Because of the date of your original post in relation to the school year, the context is a bit unclear. Are you presently a junior seeking to transfer and/or expand your area of studies for your senior year next September or are you a sophomore seeking to do so for for your junior year. The distinction is an important one for a variety of reasons, not the least of which are the residency course credit degree requirements at a potential new school and the potential that your intended plans could require an extension of your college years with the added cost. It also impacts on options to obtain the theatre training and experience you desire. Also, have you looked at any specific schools to determine what the cut off is for transfer applications? The answers to these questions will pact on what your sensible and viable options are.</p>
<p>Whether or not you transfer, go ahead and just get as much experience as you can, taking whatever theater classes are available and getting involved with as many shows as possible. Even if you don’t get cast, then work on crew. Showing dedication and persistence will be important on your resume. </p>
<p>Remember that when you graduate from college, you can always take acting classes. There are certificate programs (I’m not familiar with them, but others on this forum will be) and studios that will offer individual classes. You can also go on for an MFA. </p>
<p>Also, you can consider a semester study at another institution. Many schools offer a semester (or summer) program in London. There are other options as well (although right now if you have a limited theater resume, you may be a less competitive applicant, but still give it a try!). Trinity College has a program at La Mama; Connecticut College has a program at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Institute; NYU / Tisch has a spring semester and Tisch also has summer study abroad programs. I am pretty sure that each of these programs are open to students from other colleges. I"m sure there are a ton more; maybe you should start a thread asking about this! </p>
<p>Finally, remember that no matter your resume, every actor is only as successful as his last audition… a theater career is always a work in progress…</p>
<p>How close are you to graduation? If you’re slated to finish next spring, why not just stay put and see if you can get some private coaching from a faculty member or another qualified person around town and try to squeeze a couple of classes like Theatre History or Lit or a voice & speech class into your schedule? There’s really no need to spend all that extra time and money to change majors at this late date. Just do what you can in the next year to gain some skills and experience and get your serious training postgraduate in a major market studio or an MFA. Don’t worry about it if you’re not ready to be admitted to an MFA straight out of undergraduate, either. Just keep plugging with non-scholastic classes and gain experience however you can. These days, most students in the better MFAs start the programs at around 25, anyway. </p>
<p>If you’re male, this is definitely no problem. Here in America, it’s not unusual at all for guys to catch “the bug” a little later. In fact, some of our best men didn’t get into it until they were in their 20s.</p>
<p>I apologize for the lack of clarification. I am a rising junior. I will be a junior in the fall semester. I just completed my sophomore year. I will not be eligible to graduate until spring 2013. If I transfer universities, there is a chance that I will graduate later than that, meaning I would have to spend an extra semester or two at the university, which I would not mind doing.</p>
<p>There are three schools that I am interested in and allowed to transfer to in the spring semester, meaning I would enter that school in January 2012. They are all top 20 schools; my entrance into those universities is not guaranteed by any means.</p>
<p>Thank you happymomof1, MichaelNKat, SDonCC, fishbowlfreshman for all your kind advice. Please tell me, or anyone else give input, on what I should do given my circumstances and status. I will get involved in working/volunteering at the theatre here over the summer.</p>