As an accepted student, my son sat in on classes (every accepted student has a unique itinerary) and took dance classes, attended a class that was a reschedule (I guess because it was end-of-year, it was made up on a Sunday night!) and was given tickets to the spring musical.
Each to their own is indeed the way one should look at this and either viewpoint is valid. It was not a flag to me it was maybe a little bit disconcerting because it requires a leap of faith. Schools that restrict access (like NYU Tisch) have absolutely nothing to hide. (Maybe some do but that one doesn’t.) They just are busy with the business of teaching the students they have and are not catering to the prospective students. It’s an attitude that is completely consistent with what you can expect once you get to Tisch so in that sense, is an authentic experience (or non-experience) when they make access to classes extremely difficult.
I wonder if CMU or U Mich with their very high yield rates would laugh if you asked as an accepted student trying to decide. I’ve heard they do a nice job reaching out to the members of their new “family” so I can’t imagine if you wanted to sit in on a class they would say “no” but again, school is practically over by the time you’d hear so if you are up against finals, juries or whatever, it may not be a slam dunk.
My daughter wanted to feel wooed. After visiting several schools, Drew was the one who made her feel like she was wanted and they were eager to show her why she should come there. It worked…she dumped her BFA option and went with where she felt like “these were her people”. And she couldn’t have made a better choice. She is a big fish in a little pond, getting wonderful training, onstage and off. Just what she needs…fit is everything.
Michigan does an excellent job… when they want you, they want you and roll out the red, uh I mean maize and blue carpet for you.
@bisouu ~ wooed is the perfect word!
My kid sat in on classes at Michigan a few months before even auditioning there.
Some programs do big woo. Others don’t- but that doesn’t mean they don’t care about you when they are there. My kid’s school was completely woo-free, but several of her studio professors have been in regular contact over the summer - just checking in. I will freely admit I was seduced by the woo during decision time (“look how much they love you, they will take care of my baby”) D wasn’t interested. Either way is fine
Yes, when my D sat in on classes at Michigan, it also was four months before auditioning there.
The woo factor was not anything that truly mattered to my kids either. They chose the schools they liked the best and not who tried to woo them the most. We did thorough visits at all schools, many including overnights on campus. My kids sat in on classes when it was possible and didn’t at other schools. That wasn’t really the deciding factor.
Since class observations have been brought up here and also in relation to NYU/Tisch…here are my thoughts on that…
While I do recommend observing classes where you can do so, I understand why Tisch Drama studios don’t typically allow for that. For one thing, the sheer number of both applicants and those visiting Tisch are HUGE and I can’t imagine the numbers who would sit in on a regular basis. But the studio classes are small (under 15 students) and classes like acting or MT performance involve taking risks and in a group where students hopefully feel comfortable within the community of the classroom in which they are taking risks and not truly performing a finished work. It’s different to visit a classroom that is a lecture or a discussion group, than an acting/performing type of class. I’m sure the liberal arts classes at NYU will allow visitors. However, as someone has already mentioned, sometimes you CAN get into a Tisch studio class as a visitor if you know a current student who asks permission of their professor. My D got to visit two dance classes in Tisch/CAP21 (the MT studio at the time) when she visited in 10th grade as her friend was s student in the program. My daughter also did an overnight in the dorms with friends. At some schools, we did see performances. When my D was a junior at Tisch, and was rehearsing as a lead in the MainStage musical, Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, and their son were having a private tour and came and sat in for a bit of her rehearsal which was a bit intimidating!
By the way, as someone mentioned at Penn State, we also sat in on a class the day of the audition weekend but this was part of the fully planned out visit for those who were auditioning and so many people sat in on that very class (compared to sitting in throughout the school year) and it seemed like a class that was rehearsing for the showcase. To me, having people sit in on a rehearsal and all on the same day is not like having visitors every week in an acting class where it is not a rehearsal but a learning process. They just are not the same thing.
D also chose a woo-free school, and actually found some of the heavy wooing (in some cases including multiple phone calls a week, lots of email and snail mail, Facebook friending, sending local alum her way, etc) to be off-putting. Can we assume they have Groucho Marx Syndrome… “I DON’T WANT TO BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT WILL ACCEPT ME AS A MEMBER.”… haha!
You can take a vocal lesson from NYU Steinhardt faculty–but you have to arrange that privately and you have to be prepared to pay the going rate they charge to students. (Basically the rate they would charge an NYU student who might want to take additional lessons over the summer, for example.) A few years ago the rate ranged from $75 to $125 per lesson depending on the faculty member. The VP department will give you the names and contact info of faculty who might be amenable to making arrangements. The lesson might be at NYU or at the instructor’s private studio depending on their schedule.
Actually my D took lessons with 2 faculty members during her senior year of high school. She studied with one faculty member during their pre-college program and had a few lessons that following fall and spring. Once accepted, she took lessons with another voice teacher when the other teacher was unavailable.
My daughter sat in on classes her junior year at Michigan, when we went to visit CMU during her sophomore year we met a voice teacher and had an impromptu lesson. That’s when we realized you could ask for those. I understand prior to being accepted but once accepted it’s nice to be able to sit in on a class. I was surprised by Syracuse not letting accepted students sit in on classes.
My D sat in on MT classes when she went to an accepted student event at Syracuse in 2014
My daughter sat in on a freshman MT class at Syracuse on her audition day, but she had a friend in the program who I gather asked permission.