Single Mom. Money scarce. Got all of the paperwork (cyber-paper) as soon as it opened Oct 1st. We hear that it’s all about what happens in the audition room. Is it? Reading in NYTimes yesterday about Atlantic Studio struggling so and other historic wonderful artistic beacons to the actor in NYC struggling similarly to simply exist brought this to the forefront of my mind.
We are feeling the strain this year at holiday time. Finished with the early round and gearing up for January and February. I’m sure this question has been addressed here at some point but I’m wondering how much this is weighed? Thinking of NYU and the humongous cost (reflected in tuition) keeping it’s 7 studio’s going. NYU/Tisch (among several others) is high on my Acting daughters list. Surely, as with all things, it varies greatly from school to school. Is it, though, considered when making an “artistic” acceptance? Any thoughts or wisdom on this?
I suppose it doesn’t help to perseverate and what will be will be but financial concerns loom large these days.
NYU is need blind for domestic students, but not for international students.
Separately, though, NYU does not meet full need. NYU will meet more need based on how badly they want you. For audition-based talent programs like MT, 50% of acceptance will be based on the audition. The other 50% will be based on other factors that admissions considers separately–grades, scores, essay, letters of recommendations, EC’s, etc. A student must pass their audition regardless of grades. On the flip side, an extraordinary audition may make up for some leniency in terms of grades, but only up to a point. A good audition, combined with those other factors considered by admissions, will determine what percent of need will be met. But when a student is actually auditioning, the faculty is looking at that factor in isolation.
@laylamom this is a complex topic and has been addressed in several threads over separate forums here in the past, so definitely do a search for those threads! Based upon my own D’s journey and the research we did related to that, I will share what I know and what we experienced:
Colleges that meet Full Need (and there are very few) CANNOT be need blind in admissions; it’s just not financially feasible. MT is an expensive program, with a lot of “extras”, including the enormous expense of producing shows. I can’t speak to NYU at all, but I think @uskoolfish is probably right on in her advice above. A talented, driven young artist CAN find an affordable program, however, so do not lose heart! The bottom line is, you may receive acceptances from Non-meets-full-need schools along with aid packages that are head shakers (impossible), and denials from meets-full-need schools that, if you had a better financial portfolio, perhaps she would otherwise be accepted to…
My own D was accepted to several competitive programs last year (MT and VP), and more than a few of them offered aid packages that simply were impossible for our family (and came nowhere near to meeting our calculated “need” except by offering parent or private loans), despite her receiving some really great Artistic Merit. But a couple of programs offered her screaming deals… and she is currently a Freshman VP Major at Oberlin Conservatory. This business is so hard anyway, and it is even harder for families without money. My suggestion is to do a ton of research regarding schools with big endowments, really diversify her schools (she’ll need to have some very solid safeties and matches, which is tricky with audition programs), and have a Plan B (affordable in-state school?) and perhaps even a Plan C (Gap year?). My D is focusing on VP/Opera, which means she’ll likely pursue Graduate Degrees and low paying YAPs, so avoiding crippling debt was very important for her. For your D, if she is following the MT route, her Bachelor’s may be a terminal degree, so a LITTE debt might not be too bad. Ask for advice from teachers and professionals she works with.
At a certain point you have to sit back and let them do their thing and wait for the offers to come in while you cross your fingers and hold your breath. Every year kids get full rides! It does happen!! But doing the research and having a fall back plan is very important. Best of luck to your D.
very school dependent. Many meet at least some need, some schools offer full rides (or partial scholarships). that are based on other factors like high grades/test scores and/or talent. NYU is not known for providing much $ to BFA students. However, there are always exceptions to the rule. As stated above, you won’t know if you don’t try. However, having frank conversation about finances and determining what you and your child are willing to take on in loans prior to acceptances may be a good place to start. That way, once you have acceptances and financial packages you can determine what is the best fit based on the plan you came up with. Many a student has turned down a top acceptance in order to go someplace more financially feasible.
One thing to consider is student loan vs parent loan. The government only gives students a set (and fairly small) amount each year. The rest is up to the parents…be it out of pocker or via parent plus loans or cosigning on a private loan. Just something to think about. I was surprised when my daughter graduated how many families didn’t understand the limit to student loans and thought a child could take as much as he/she wanted/needed without a cosigner. Not so. One mom had a financial advisor work with her and still didn’t quite understand. You really need to think of what works best for yourself and your family. For some that means a parent loan and for others that is a deal breaker. There is no perfect answer.
@laylamom Regarding the NYT article. The takeaway that I got from the article is that “acting school” is still very much in demand, but how theatre training is packaged has changed over the last few decades. The demand for training that does not offer a college degree has dropped off as the overall popularity of college has increased. Colleges have developed programs that offer both the training and the degree. This shift in the market does not mean that NYU’s theatre program is in jeopardy or has budget issues. The number of applicants keep growing despite the cost. It is possible that more studios may be taken in house by NYU if the outside studios are not financially viable or if their training doesn’t meet NYU’s standards. That was the case with its MT studio which was originally outsourced to Cap 21, and is now successful as an in-house studio.