<p>Has anyone explored the options of studying at, say, Stella Adler through NYU/Tisch vs enrolling directly in one of the various studios? I understand the benefits of being at NYU....the world-class reputation, being part of a class of students your own age, housing in a dorm, the opportunity to earn a degree....the safety factor. However, as a parent of a student WHO CANNOT IMAGINE doing anything else with her life outside of the theater (not to mention even consider a double major), I have to wonder if the BFA degree is worth the price difference? </p>
<p>Tuition this year at Tisch is $46K (plus housing) without many opportunities for merit aid. It is a pricetag that's difficult to swallow for our family and the last thing I want for my daughter is to be straddled with student loans. Alternatively, annual tuition at Stella Adler is $15K (plus housing, which is available through EHS). </p>
<p>I am not saying this is a viable option for my D or one we are even considering, but I do have to ponder what a student gets for an additional $120K (or more) investment over four years. After all, three days a week Tisch students spend their entire day at an off-campus studio.</p>
<p>(Forgive me for my third thread over three days about NYU. I clearly have NYU on my brain this weekend!)</p>
<p>That’s a very good question, actually. I mean, I guess the answer is you get the academics and a pretty pricey and prestigious college degree. Right?</p>
<p>It just occurred to me that the Stella Adler Conservatory is a three-year program, vs four years through Tisch. That makes the cost difference more in the neighborhood of $150,000! Egads!</p>
<p>We were curious about this same thing last year and did ask directly during studio tours. The answer we got, if I am remembering correctly, is that as an NYU student you are in class with other NYU students (the regular studio students are there on alternate days.) Plus, you get NYU’s academics. I can’t remember if the curriculum inside the studios is the same. Also, NYU students have the opportunity to switch studios after two years-- I don’t know how easily that could be accomplished outside of NYU (or in it, come to think of it.)</p>
<p>Of course, there is the question of the value of a college degree itself… that’s an individual answer. The higher cost of NYU aside, you could ask this question about direct enrollment in a conservatory vs. at a BFA within any college…</p>
<p>To be really honest, the fact is that at NYU, the students are, by and large, a really smart and engaged bunch of kids. Don’t discount the benefit of that academic filter. It is also being part of a broader community, not just through switching studios after the first two years if that’s what a student wants to do, but in engaging in a variety of ways through opportunities at Tisch and at NYU itself. </p>
<p>I also have to say that, at least in my D’s experience, is that the ethos has been one of developing artists, not only training students in a craft. i have no idea if that’s the same at a conservatory or not; just reporting on what I’ve seen at NYU (at least speaking from my D’s time there)</p>
<p>Ditto to what has been said about NYU but also, at NYU- you actually get a Bachelor’s Degree- not a certificate. When there are times that you are not working in your field, you may have to find a job that requires you having a degree. Yes, NYU is expensive but if your child did well academically in high school, they can get some merit scholarships and they can also apply for RA positions which offer free room and board. My son is taking advantage of these opportunities and he is a BFA Acting student.</p>
<p>We seriously considered this. Ultimately, it was not so much the benefit of the degreee that pushed us away but the more structured nature or being in “college” that won the day.</p>
<p>Stella Adler is indeed a MAJOR acting studio. It is not “local minor studio stuff”. There are many, many successful actors who just have training from a studio like Adler, and don’t have any degree. All of the major New York studios offer this training. For many people, this sort of training was the right decision. Everyone has to decide for themself what the right decision for them is.</p>
<p>I believe the three year conservatory at Stella’s offers essentially the same training as the Tisch BFA. One difference besides the obvious fact that the Tisch program grants a degree and you get all the academics is that the students in your classes at the conservatory would typically be a bit older with many already being college graduates. They might be perhaps a bit less talented on average, too. It’s pretty much the same deal with the 2.5 year program at Atlantic Acting School. The non-Tisch Strasberg studio on the other hand doesn’t enjoy the same kind of reputation these days. I think I heard something about Tisch having actually cut ties with them for awhile, but it seems they’re now reunited. As for Meisner, it’s a set-in-stone progression, so it mainly depends on whether you’d connect better with Vicky Hart at Tisch or one of the teachers at the Esper Studio, the Neighborhood Playhouse or Maggie Flanigan. They’re all good and the voice and body work offered at each is essentially the same although I think the Tisch program might offer some in-house performance opportunities that the studios don’t.</p>
<p>This is a great question. My son’s close friend is currently learning at Adler in California and LOVING it. At 18, he is indeed the youngest student there; many students are in their mid-20s. However, he is a mature 18 and is close with his classmates. His mom is single and doesnt’ have a whole lot of money, but she was able to move to LA (she works from home) and the son lives with her and commutes to school. This saves a ton of money, obviously. Furthermore, she hosts her son’s classmates all the time with fabulous home cooked meals. </p>
<p>I’m describing this in detail as one approach I myself am considering for my own son, although I’m not sure we’ll do it. (I couldn’t pick myself up and move to LA or NYC, for one.) But my son’s friend is getting the training at a far cheaper cost than NYU. If he wants a BA later, he could conceivably take classes at a community college or inexpensive state university.</p>
<p>This was my daughter’s attitude five years ago - if what you want is Stella Adler or CAP 21 why go to NYU? Obviously it would be for the degree and academics but she didn’t think that was enough of a reason to go to NYU versus other college theatre programs. Starting in high school, she has taken summer programs at two or three of the more respected NYC studios and has found them very fulfilling and educational, but she felt she could get a more diverse education by going to other colleges (as a theatre student) and add the occasional NYC summer studio class. As an actor she will be taking classes for a very long time so she liked the diversity of getting a college degree at another college and taking NYC classes before and after.</p>
<p>NYU Tisch Drama provides a truly unique program that pulls together access to top-notch NYC acting studios, study abroad at RADA, exposure and interaction with students in related areas of the arts such as film and music, voice lessons with NYU Steinhardt teachers, NYC internships only available for college credit, housing shared with students across all the majors at NYU and a Bachelors degree from an internationally recognized research university. This list of opportunities is a sample of what you are paying for when you attend Tisch Drama That is what my D was looking for and why she applied and was accepted ED1. However, I would not take out loans that will put your family under financial pressure or sacrifice your retirement in order to attend. There are many wonderful alternatives touched on above. Each student and family must choose the correct fit for their financial situation, career goals, etc. You can make it as an actor coming from a diverse set of backgrounds.</p>
<p>For those considering direct studio placement, here’s a little tidbit I found on the Circle in the Square website. Only about half of the students who start there who have no college experience actually complete the two-year program. Not so good!</p>
<p>Of 15 with no college experience who started the program in 2009, only 7 completed it in 2011. Of 39 who had prior higher education experience who started in 2009, 30 completed it in 2011. So, of a class of 54, only 37 earned their certificate of completion.</p>
<p>Skewlcounselor, your child is obviously very interested in NYU and you are smart to question about the idea of going to the studios directly. It would be substantially cheaper, but that would be the only benefit. Researchmaven summed it up nicely as did some others. </p>
<p>My child has done both, gone to one of the studios directly, and is currently an acting student at Tisch. It is not the same, not by a long shot. NYU students are not in one class with non-NYU students, not one. To me it’s like comparing taking several accounting courses or graduating with a 4 yr. accounting degree from one of the countries top universities. It is not an apples to apples comparison.</p>
<p>That’s interesting, MOMMY5-- you are the first person to post (well, that I have read) who has direct experience with both sides of the studio question. Thanks for posting-- can you elaborate more on the differences in the classes themselves? Is the tone different, for example; is the content different, etc?</p>
<p>I really don’t want to put down going to one of the studios directly because someone reading this may choose that path or for financial reasons need to choose that path. I only wrote to make those considering spending the big bucks for NYU not feel too bad. You are clearly getting more than just acting training. It’s the whole package.</p>
<p>But to answer glassharmonica, I would say that the studio curriculum is the same for the most part. What is different is maybe what teacher you would have and what they expect of you. They definitely expect a lot from the tisch kids. But I would guess that my daughter would say, the biggest difference is who is in your classes. These kids (at NYU ) are smart and super talented. They were chosen from thousands of applicants.</p>
<p>I’m sure there are really smart, talented kids that go directly to studios as well, it just may not be as consistent. There are hundreds of famous successful actors that went to Adler, Strasberg, etc. directly. So they must be doing something right.</p>
<p>Just need to point out that Stella Adler is significantly cheaper but also does not offer financial aid. So depending on the financial aid you receive from NYU, the price difference could be smaller. But yes, NYU is still a lot…
I’ve been considering these options as well, I believe I’m in the same boat as your daughter.
If I get into NYU, I will probably choose it over a conservatory simply because I think that its reputation will carry me farther in the industry after graduation, but the studios also offer a fantastic education and will help you in the acting world. There’s no arguing with the brilliant alumni that have come from Adler and Strasberg.</p>