NYU Tisch (BFA MT/Acting): Chance Me!

Colleges and Universities A-Z New York University
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Please comment your thoughts on my chances at REGULAR DECISION in the comments below!

Most recent ACT: 30 (32 English, 28 math, 33 reading, 28 science, 9/12 writing) - June 2017
ACT SuperScore: 31 (35 English, 28 math, 33 reading, 28 science, 10/12 writing (new writing score))
Most Recent SAT: 1360 (680 on all sections; 17 on writing)
SAT SuperScore: 1360 (680 on all sections; 19 writing)
Cumulative GPA: 4.09 (weighted)

I will retake the ACT & SAT.
My unweighted GPA is about a 3.7? That estimate may be wrong.

APs:
APUSH: 5
AP Government US: 5
AP Spanish Language: 5

Senior Courses: AP Chemistry, AP World History, English IV Honors, Calculus (maybe an AP self-study?)

Rank: my school does not report rank. I have seen some insider information that my rank is ~#50 out of 284 students.

Important to Note: I attend two schools. My academic institution works on a rotating schedule; therefore, when I attend my arts school after lunch, I miss two different classes every day. I still maintain my honors and AP courses with high academic standing.

I have attended NYU Tisch’s Stonestreet summer program last summer. All of my friends who attended with me and were rising seniors got accepted to NYU. Granted, most of them ED’d.

I attend an arts school for Musical Theatre training. I have studied their for my junior year of high school and will continue studying there in my senior year. I am not the best singer, but I my monologues will be worked, and I have studied dance extensively.

I have been studying drama for 4 years. When I apply to colleges, I will have been studying for five years. I will have studied Musical Theatre for two years when I apply to colleges.

Another important artistic factor to consider is that I have trained in NYC and Los Angeles and in my hometown, so I have extensive training with artists across America.

I believe my letters of recommendation will be good. I have placed great emphasis on that part of the Common App.

One potential problem: I received a “C” in a Physics Honors Course in my junior year. The course was Calculus-based, and I was in Pre-Calc at the time. I am writing an additional essay for colleges in order to explain to them that this grade does not represent my work ethic. I aced my sophomore chemistry class (the reason for me to continue into AP Chemistry (and I love the course)). There is other information mentioned in my essay that demonstrates how this course does not represent my overall work ethic. I just want to provide a brief summary here.

Outside work: I have done volunteer work and have a wealth of artistic work outside of my arts school. I have been involved in some diverse projects for community outreach.

Please Let Me Know any thoughts or comments you may have! I am applying to other notable drama/MT schools (Ball State, USC, Northwestern, Emerson, Boston U, etc.)

Also, if anyone can recommend an AP to self-study. I was thinking AP euro due to the overlap between World & Euro. Let me Know!

(I would rather not self-study AP Environmental or Psychology. I did those tests and received twos and canceled those scores. Sadly, I sent those scores to NYU early, but APs are used for placement, not admission. At NYU, APs can be used for admission, but I will submit a more thorough AP report once I finish senior year. I plan to submit the ACT or SAT for admission.)

I know Early Decisioning is my personal choice, but do you think I should ED in order to increase my chances? I do like the school and if accepted, I would probably attend, dependent on my other acceptances.

Thank You!

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Hello! Congratulations on your academic achievements; it will be impressive to college admissions for any arts programs. Like you said, you’ll be doing regular decision. However, are you asking about admission into the school or solely the MT programs? That makes a difference in my answer. For most, if not all of the MT schools I’ve researched, early admission is not an option for theatre or musical theatre majors mainly due to the long-lasting audition process and the lack of rolling admissions for many programs. I am not entirely sure if Early Decision/Admission may work for you because most schools require admission both academically and artistically (being that admission to the university and the arts program tend to be separate) and are unclear on if they will alert admission or rejection to the programs at the same time. With that knowledge, I do not believe that ED will make a difference for you – especially since some schools treat acceptance under ED as a sort of contract, expecting you to enroll even if you do not get admitted artistically.
NYU Tisch, as you know, is an audition-based school. From an academic perspective (even with your C in Honors Physics), I do not believe you will have much trouble being admitted. To be honest, most MT prospectives feel comfortable auditioning with a 26-28 ACT. On the other hand, I must stress your audition prep needs to be your focus as the audition is what will determine your admission or placement into Tisch more than anything else. For your MT “Chance Me” post, I want to hear more about that than anything else! :slight_smile:
So based on the information you’ve included, you’re in a good place – here’s what I can tell you.
2 things— Personality and Preparation!!!
Tisch, and any school that would be good for you, values academics. U of Michigan requires an academic evaluation (along with a pre-screen this year) before they will even look at you in person! But like I said, you’re pursuing MT, and that’s what they will ask to see.
For Tisch, your audition will consist of a dance call, song, monologue, and interview. NYU is known for having a panel of faculty who will work with you/interview you after your monologues to discuss your acting choices, artistic philosophies, and who you are as a person.

So come in being you. They want to see real people. They will work to help you relax and want to see all of your little quirks and what makes you, you. Don’t prepare canned answers; just prepare to be comfortable and show your excitement about the program.
And, of course, preparation. Don’t over-coach or over-prepare your monologues/songs (they may ask you to change something and you need to be ready to adapt – not to mention the explanation of choices during your interview). Find songs that fit your range and can express who you are. I would recommend a voice coach over the next year to help you – and don’t forget to act the song!
Knowing you have extensive dance experience, don’t be concerned for the dance call. Just show excitement, a smile, whatever technique you’ve got, and an ability to pick up the choreo quickly.
It is about what you bring to the audition and if you are the sort of actor/personality/type that they want that will likely determine this. The idea to keep in mind throughout this entire process is that the decision is mostly out of your control; the best you can do is prepare as much as possible and come in excited and passionate about performing.
Congratulations on your achievements and many a broken leg! I wish you all the best.

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I would take the time that you intended to use doing a self-study AP and devote it towards rehearsal/preparation for your audition instead.

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I’ve just gone back to see if you had any other questions and see that you have done their drama program – so a lot of this information you know already, I’m sure. Nonetheless, I remain confident in your academics but stress your audition. Are you interested in any specific studio program that works with them?

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My D did the Tisch summer program as well, and is heading into her senior year at NYU right now - she is actually doing stonestreet this semester :slight_smile: Your grades etc should be fine - even with the stumble of the C, right now, it’s all about the audition. Are you planning to audition for MT only, or open to all studios? (which I would strongly recommend)

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Maybe also post on the Theatre major and/ or Musical Theatre major forum for more responses.

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@Positivity2018 Thank you so much for your response! I have actually been finalizing my rep/monologue choices/ taking challenging dance classes during this summer! My arts school understands the amount of work required and actually forces us to do performance juries to determine our readiness for auditions in the beginning of our senior year. I was asking about both the school and Tisch. My chances for admission with academics and arts for Tisch and academics for the school in general.

Again, thank you for the detailed information.

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@Studious99 I actually have debated that option. Depending on the difficulty of my courses, I will probably decide whether or not to self-study. I am fully aware of failing an AP, as I have in the past. Sadly, I sent it to NYU but canceled it. I plan to use a the SAT/ACT for admission. I am hoping the twos won’t kill me. I canceled them and the College Board sent an updated report to NYU with just my fives.

So, I will probably end up not self-studying, but I will find out as I get a feel for my courses.

Also, do you think NYU would question my work by not really having a strong STEM background? Right now, I have humanities/history APs. I am doing AP Chemistry to demonstrate my STEM side. Is that one AP science good enough, considering I am going into the performing arts?

Thank You for your response.

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@toowonderful I will be applying to the “all studios” option. Do you mention “all studios” at the audition, or do they have a place on the common app? Or, is there a supplemental arts application?

Thank You for your response!

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It’s on the application - and they ask you about it at auditions :slight_smile:

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I would not worry about AP scores–or your academic record. You are fine for NYU. 50% of your admission is based on academics and as long as you have decent senior year grades, you are fine.

50% is based on your audition, so I would put all my effort into that at this point. Without the talent acceptance, your academics won’t matter. You have certainly reached their academic benchmark for talent students.