<p>I was always curious why NYU is so controversial. My D is wait-listed at Tisch and since I observe so many parents advising their kids against NYU, I think she may have a shot at being offered a spot there However, she already told me she’d probably go to the New School anyway because of Tisch’s reputation. But I do not understand the criticism. More expensive? That’s a reason to make a different choice but not to tell the school is bad. Size? But everyone said it does not affect the training because the studios are the normal size for a BFA program. No senior show case? If agents won’t sign you, what is the point of the show case? And no one guarantees an agent, right? Not even the Juilliard. </p>
<p>Granted, Tisch is a bit easier to get into than the other most prestigious schools but it is still pretty high-ranked. Why so much negativity then? I really would like to understand it better.</p>
<ol>
<li>Northwestern has a showcase in NYC but you have to audition. It has a Chicago showcase open to everyone. I completely agree that a showcase is not a dealbreaker, especially as they are beginning to saturate the market. There is another thread on MT on the schedule overall on showcases and it’s dizzying–you do wonder how any agent could go! Of course, if it’s important to you to have one, then factor that in. As always, this is a personal choice.</li>
<li>Minor correction: Juilliard admits 8-10 BFA students, not 18. This past year they admitted 8 BFA students. THe other 10 are MFA students. </li>
<li>Bathrooms: College dorms are hardly places of privacy. They are not meant to be. They are meant to be places to socialize. Of course, some dorms are too chaotic but other dorms do fulfill that function in a positive way. Both my D’s - Northwestern and Williams - found close friends via their dorm (they were not roommates but lived in the same hallway area), to the extent that the next year, they set up their room situation to be close to each other again. They had plebeian bathrooms down the hall and it was never a problem. The bathrooms were clean. My oldest S when he was at Tisch did have an in-room shared bathroom which was about as disgusting as you’d imagine a guy’s shared bathroom would be. However, if you want to choose a college based on its bathrooms, again, that’s a personal choice.</li>
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<p>Connections - I would choose a program based on the quality of the training my daughter received and then look at factors like will she be happy there for four years. My daughter is fortunate to have been selected to join several excellent programs. She will receive excellent training at all of them. But if she is grossed out by having to share a bath with too many other people she can’t be happy there. Also, she is very serious about her training and doesn’t have time for alot of BS. She loves to read and enjoys quiet time to get her work done. I would never ask her to live in a dorm if it wasn’t required. Making friends comes from spending time working with your ensemble. You don’t have to be underneath each other every moment of every day. Also, when you are showcased at a small program like UNCSA, DePaul, Carnegie etc… IT IS A VERY BIG DEAL.</p>
<p>OP, I notice that your daughter was also admitted to Fordham, but as it’s not mentioned in the headline, perhaps you are not interested in the school. If you are, PM me. My daughter (and most of her friends) chose Fordham over Tisch. </p>
<p>notactingmom - As they say - where there’s smoke there’s fire! If there are so many conflicting feelings about Tisch, I’ll take my chances elsewhere. Better to be a big fish in a small pond.</p>
<p>mommy5 - sorry to ruffle your feathers. I still believe that Tisch cannot be as selective because they have so many slots to fill. But, it sounds like Tisch is trying to correct some previous problem. Good for them! If Tisch is all that, great for your kid. My daughter’s acting coach always says you can never take back a first impression. I hope the kids who are being viewed in studio performances are ready to make a great first impression. I don’t think it is the place for us. I will save the money for my daughter in an account so she can graduate debt free and have a nest egg to begin her life in the Big Apple while lots of other kids are struggling to pay back student loans.</p>
<p>mommy5 - “And one other thing I think you should be aware of. Just because a program has 12 kids does not mean it is more selective. It depends who those 12 kids are and the applicant pool they were chosen from.”</p>
<p>By the way, these kids are chosen from the SAME applicant pool as NYU only they are competing for drastically less spots. I know, my daughter is currently tying up several spots at top schools as well as all of her classmates: UNCSA, DePaul, NYU, Rutgers, SUNY Purchase, Boston U, University of Minnesota, Carnegie Mellon…etc.</p>
<p>That’s actually not true. My kid never auditioned at any of those programs, nor did Halflokums kid. Nor did most of their friends at Tisch. They all applied ED. NYU was their dream school. If my daughter didn’t get into NYU she would have gone for BU, Syracuse, Michigan, other large Universities. None of her good friends in Tisch auditioned at little art schools. Again, nothing wrong with them, just not what they wanted their college experience to be. Yet for some reason, kids that have their hearts set on the little art programs, also audition at Tisch. Why? The answer is pretty obvious. </p>
<p>Is CMU and Juilliard more selective? Yes. But again that’s not what she wanted. She’s a kid, she wants to go to college. Plus she’s a bright kid and it was important to us that she continue with her academics and get a complete education. </p>
<p>I don’t want to offend anyone, but if my D had been accepted to UNCSA, she would be going even if it was in North Dakota, not North Carolina, and even if she had to shower with a hose behind the dorm and cook herself oatmeal and ramen noodles with a hot pot all year. :-). She just loved their program structure, the teacher’s, all of it. It was exactly what she wanted.
Perhaps if something like the bathroom is throwing your D off, there is another issue about the program she doesn’t like or felt uncomfortable with and isn’t even quite aware of it?</p>
<p>It’s the studio system. Viewing it from the outside, some people are repelled by the whole idea. I’m sure the system works very well for the majority of students, but a lot of us have heard anecdotes about individuals who’ve fallen through the cracks.</p>
<p>dramamom0804 - My daughter loves the program at UNCSA and will be visiting this month. She visited NYU and sat in on classes and fell in love with the CITY. She is a top student who attends one of the highest ranked high schools in the country for academic courses and attends an arts conservatory for drama. She is very focused on her ultimate goal which is to be a successful actress. She has been invited to apply to DePaul’s Honors Program (Academic - by the way) and her grades and test scores were stellar. She has been reading on a college level since 3rd grade. The traditional college experience where kids party, drink and do drugs…and share communal baths isn’t real high on her list of priorities. Getting the best training she can get and finding an agent who gets her jobs is her priority. We live in a 6000 square foot house on 10 acres of land so sharing a small space will definitely be a big adjustment for her. However, I was told that she will be able to move out of UNCSA’s dorms after the first year. If she likes what she sees there after the visit she can sacrifice the first year for the sake of her craft. Then I’ll buy her a house in North Carolina so she can take in a roommate and have some spending money.</p>
<p>This is a very personal decision as we all know. But there are obviously plenty of people that love everything about NYU. (The higher number of negative comments on CC reflects the higher number of students overall and probably the price tag.) My kids probably would have chosen NYU if we could have afforded it. I also suspect Tisch gets more applicants than any other school. And yay for the kids who can rough it because they will be in good shape to weather an acting career post-college! </p>
<p>mommy5 - SO…you’re saying your kids didn’t apply to ANY more exclusive programs? 350 kids is a good safety net. Don’t want to fight about this issue any more. I am sure the kids at NYU are getting great training. It is a great program. And kids who get their first choice of studios and get to be seen by agents and get jobs when they graduate probably love it. What about the others? Do the math. Good luck to your child. I sincerely mean that. I wish him or her the very best and I hope they become a big success. It’s just not the right program for us. ( Please read my previous post about academics.)</p>
<p>theater mom - Thanks for the post. Much of this discussion has been about UNCSA vs. NYU. My daughter will be visiting DePaul this month and is very excited about it. She did most of her auditions at Unifieds in Chicago and loved the city. She said that she enjoyed the actual audition at DePaul the best because they took the time to really check out her skill set. She is giving them serious consideration. Thanks again.</p>
<p>@fun2beme - have you visited UNCSA and looked at the dorms? I could swear when we were toured round last spring the room we looked at had two beds and its own bathroom. </p>
<p>@notactingmom I’ll try to answer your question. Halflokum is a much better writer, but I think she’s done here.
All the people that say negative things about Tisch on this board do not have a child who ever attended. (There is one person, whose child had a bad experience there because it was the wrong program for him. )
The rest, have no direct experience. </p>
<p>Many of the comments come from people whose children either weren’t accepted, or were accepted but did not get the financial aid they had hoped for. NYU is horrible with that. This is not news. And that stinks.
Then you have those that chose another school, but constantly ( daily maybe?) brag that their kid got into Tisch but chose this other program. You never see it the other way… The Tisch parents aren’t saying my kid got into “Blank” but chose Tisch. It is strange.</p>
<p>The parents whose kids do attend, or have graduated, know what a unique, advantageous program it is. Is it perfect? No. Would my daughter rather be at ANY other school is this country? No.</p>
<p>The negativity about Tisch is on these boards alone. If you read any article, list of top programs or advice column from agents, casting agents etc, Tisch is ALWAYS included. I have already seen doors open for my daughter in NY. Once she’s in the door its up to her.
Successful actors, directors, musicians chose to send their kids to Tisch. They can get in anywhere they chose. Last year Denzel Washington’s daughter and Bono’s daughters graduated. I guess Denzel doesn’t read cc. </p>
<p>Yes it is a large program, but as Bromquest mentioned above, more kids apply. My daughters year they had over 3000 kids apply. No other drama program in this country gets that many. And many applicants are from around the entire globe. My daughters studio classes are a worldly little environment of 12-18 kids from all over the place. She learns as much from their life experiences as she does from her professors. </p>
<p>I’d be happy to answer any of your questions about NYU. You can feel free to private message me. </p>
<p>Like my friend @halflokum I’m done. Good luck everyone. </p>
<p>I’m so thankful for the comments. This has definitely helped. Tisch is not for us. I am starting a new thread…UNCSA or DePaul drama. Thanks a bunch.</p>
I don’t know if you are referring to my post, but since it comes so soon after, I will respond that my daughter received more than twice as much scholarship from Tisch as her initial offer from the school she chose, which is why she investigated Tisch so carefully, making multiple visits. It wasn’t the school for her for BFA, but she will look into later for MFA. Of course it is a place where many students find fulfillment and are able to develop their skills to a high level. I don’t think anyone could argue otherwise.</p>
<p>I merely made the above statement because the OP mentioned her daughter was admitted to Fordham, which is an auditioned BA in New York and has a BFA-like environment but in a smaller setting than NYU. </p>
<p>I know other parents whose kids received more financial aid at Tisch than their chosen school and who also investigated carefully before making their decision. </p>
<p>There are many possible roads to take, and I’m happy for everyone who is satisfied with his or her choice. </p>
However, she already told me she’d probably go to the New School anyway because of Tisch’s reputation. But I do not understand the criticism. More expensive? That’s a reason to make a different choice but not to tell the school is bad. Size? But everyone said it does not affect the training because the studios are the normal size for a BFA program. No senior show case? If agents won’t sign you, what is the point of the show case? And no one guarantees an agent, right? Not even the Juilliard. </p>