<p>Hi everyone,</p>
<p>This is my first post, so apologies if these questions have been asked numerous times before.</p>
<p>My name is Steve, and I'm a 28 year old who is looking into going back to college. I was at a State University several years ago (from 99 - 03), but due to various problems, I was unable to finish. I was an acting major who was cut from his acting program - not because of grades - there were a lot of factors, many outside my control, involved.</p>
<p>(Now I have a long-winded explanation of what happened - if you just want to skip to my questions, they're after the second set of asterisks) </p>
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<p>What had happened was I had enrolled right out of high school, which I was in the top 5% of my class, and had several extracurricular activities. I had a 1310 on my SATs, which pretty much kept most schools I was interested in attending open to me. But my goal was to be an acting major - so I had to audition for admittance. For some reason, I didn't apply to as many schools as I wanted - I think, in the end, I actually only went on two auditions - I think it was a financial thing from my mother. Both were respectable acting schools - although accepted by both Universities as a whole, I was not accepted into the acting program by one, and put on the waiting list for the other. So, in the end, I had to settle for a third choice - I went into a motion picture program that, you didn't have to audition to get in, but you had to "audition" to continue past freshman year. Thinking that having a practical skill was potentially better, I applied to that school and got it.</p>
<p>The acting bug just kept biting me the entire freshman year, so I ended up applying for the Acting Program, auditioning and - lo and behold - I was accepted. This would have required an extra year of college, but I figured I'd get all my gen eds out of the way and/or evenly spread them over that time.</p>
<p>So sophomore year - I started over again - as a freshman in my major, with a lot of of my gen eds behind me. Then I fell into some personal problems that manifested themselves as a debilitating depression. Less and less, I wanted to go to class - I stuck it through and went, but it was shown in my work. My grades across the board started slipping. I found myself not enjoying anything in life. And then it started affecting my acting work. I started having focus problems. And I couldn't sleep. For whatever reason, I never saw anyone about it so it never resolved itself. I made it another year and a half, and then, unfortunately I was cut from the acting program - not told I was untalented, but that they "didn't know how to teach me." I was still allowed to attend a few special acting classes, and take sword fighting with the actors (which was worth the next year's tuition). </p>
<p>But what I noticed was that I no longer wanted to work toward finishing college. I felt, with nearly three years behind me, there was no chance in starting over. So, I filled my schedule with dance and movement classes, but dropped the ball on a lot of other general classes. I just sort of "gave up" on what I didn't feel I needed. And that was the biggest mistake of my life. It was an immature choice. My mother never stopped me or encouraged me to change, and I wish she had, as she was still supporting me at the time. I regret not finishing.</p>
<p>In the end, I attended four full years of college, but never really felt that I had the chance to be everything I could be. I was fine with it for a while, but after six years in the "real world", I've grown up and changed so much - but it feels like I put a stopper on my life ten years ago and never did things the way I wanted to. </p>
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<p>So, what I want out of my life now is this: I want to go back to college for Acting. I want to go to a school or conservatory that actually allows me to work at the intensity I always wanted and my old university never had and i never felt like doing at the time. I want to get my BFA so I can have that sense of completion, a sense that I have a school supporting me - someplace I'm proud to go back to. Looking back, I never wanted to attend that college I did - I was in a town I hated, with professors and classmates I disliked - I just went because it was exciting to be in a new place, away from my parents, and seemed like I had no other options. Looking back, I know better of how I should have handled the application process. Hence why I'm going back.</p>
<p>My questions:</p>
<p>(1) I want to attend an acting program, that's decided upon, but I'm afraid that if I were to send my transcripts and/or I lay out my life experience, they'll look at what happened and see only a "grade" image - not what was going on with my life at the time. I fear won't get admitted because they'll think I do not have the commitment (which if you look at my acting resume, is clearly not the case). Is this a genuine problem, or is there a way to put this in perspective for the university?</p>
<p>(2) My grades fell and did not reflect my full capabilities. When the school asks for transcripts, my High School grades and SATs were great, but my college grades were pathetic by comparison. Do most colleges require those who attended college before to come in as "transfer" students, or can I literally start as a freshman (starting at 0 credits) and act like my previous bad experience never happened?</p>
<p>(3) I've already sent away and received packets, and I have a list of colleges I'd like to apply to - but financial aid is a big concern. I'm not sure if I'd be able to get what I need so I don't know which schools I can afford, however, it seems you can't apply for financial aid until you know where you're going. Should I just start applying for schools, see what comes back, and then worry about the financial situation?</p>
<p>Thanks for your time. Sorry for my rambling. I have a lot I'm trying to push through. I am excited and scared by the prospect of returning at (roughly) age 30. I want to grow beyond what I am, and be what I thought I could be back when I was 17.</p>
<p>Steve</p>
<p>PS also, those who are not familiar with acting programs, most of the time you have to start at the basic classes and attend four years - so, outside of gen eds, it's not like picking up where I left off.</p>