NYU Tisch School of the Arts - Drama and Musical Theatre

College Majors Musical Theater Major
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There use to be a sub-section in this forum, where you could look at content specific to each program (I guess they did away with that section for good). I wanted to provide a brief update on my daughter’s experience working toward a BFA at NYU Tisch School of the Arts as she is half way through her education there.

I will begin with my early recap of the program’s strengths (since they remain valid) and then add a few updates / new insights at the end.

What she likes about NYU Tisch School of the Arts - Drama and Musical Theatre:

  • The quality of acting, singing, dance and storytelling training offered
  • Breadth and depth in course offerings and faculty; flexibility for each student’s charted course
  • Ten different professional theatre studio offerings; a lot to grow from and benefit from
  • 16% of the coursework are electives (that’s more than most – if not all – BFA and BM programs) and the number of electives to choose from
  • In addition to the electives, the professional training in junior and senior years is based on whichever route the student is interested in pursuing (understanding that an audition is required in some cases). Tisch students chart many different paths in four years and the program’s overall flexibility benefits every student in the program
  • Large base of full-time drama faculty (38), the extent of their commitment to the students and the degree to which students feel they have a close relationship with the faculty; moreover, the diverse points of view adds value to the program
  • The extent of positive reviews from recent graduates and current students; we can’t find anyone not giving a rave review of their education, artistic growth and overall experience
  • Dance and music theory training leveled from the beginning (enhancing the likelihood you’ll start off at a well-adjusted level)
  • The main issue raised by families, the need for an additional performance space, has been addressed by a brand new facility, the Paulson Center at 181 Mercer which opened (John A. Paulson Center)

While I was concerned about administration being tone deaf and unresponsive, we haven’t found one family that felt that was the case; in fact, they felt the exact opposite.

  • After two years, my DD has felt challenged artistically and academically, and has grown in ways she didn’t imagine she would as she entered NYU (she had high expectations for growth at that time too!)

  • My daughter’s artistic classes have ranged in size from 1-on-1 with a professor to 15 students max; some academic classes have been that size as well

  • She feels it’s possible to engage in academic classes that allow students to develop another skillset and / or complement their artistic interests while at the same time meeting the manageable number of gen ed credits required to graduate

  • The wide array of artists at Tisch as well as at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development adds to the richness of the experience at NYU

  • The opportunities for interactions with working professionals is “off the charts”

  • There have been opportunities to perform – she’s done music reviews, classic plays, dance plays and film as extra-curriculars – but that’s not been the focus in course work; it’s each student working on their craft. That approach is paying off ten-fold

  • Forgot to add that she’s found faculty, administrators and fellow students to all be very supportive of each student-artist’s development and efforts. We came in expecting this (because that is what others told us) but can confirm that’s been her experience so far.

  • She’s been happy with the food served on campus; an EBI would be longer hours to meet the varied student schedules (but she has found ways to make it work so not an issue for her)

  • She has hit a couple of bumps in housing along the way; no show stoppers and nothing that is that big a deal; but my advice to NYU students is two-fold: ensure they understand all the details of the housing process; and at least consider off-campus housing options for junior year and / or senior year (I still really like NYU’s housing options but sophomores choose rooms before juniors choose rooms and seniors select last). NYU guarantees housing for all four years so that isn’t an issue.

Best to everyone in whatever program one finds to be a fit for themselves.

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Thank you so much! I have a student heading there in the fall and this is great to hear :slight_smile:

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Does anyone know what happens if you’re accepted ED to NYU but fail your MT audition? Can you use that as a way to get out of ED. We only are willing to pay for NYU if she gets into the program

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Hi Sarah, I don’t know the answer to your question (as DD didn’t apply ED), but I would suspect that a requirement for acceptance to an audition-based program is to pass the audition.

I believe [still] that when you apply to NYU Tisch, the applicant has the option of selecting either “All Studios” or “MT only.”

A student can also apply to NYU Steinhardt but the applicant must choose between applying to Steinhardt or Tisch; it’s not possible to apply to both programs (at least not in the same cycle to the best of my knowledge).

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The scenario you mention is not possible. NYU/Tisch/Drama/MT offers one combined admissions decision…the student has to pass the audition and the academic review to render ONE complete admissions decision. You cannot be accepted to one without the other. You are either accepted, denied, or deferred, but it is for academic and artistic combined. So, your daughter will not receive a separate academic admission in ED to NYU and later get a decision with regard to Tisch Drama/MT.

However, as @Twelfthman mentions…if your daughter ONLY wants the musical theater studio (New Studio on Broadway) and will not consider any of the acting studios, then she must stipulate in her audition that she only wishes to be considered for the MT studio. If she is open to being put in an acting studio if not placed in the MT studio, she can say that.

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