My son’s first choice is NYU for theater. He spent last summer doing the Tisch Summer HS program and really loved it there. He wants to do anything he can to improve his chances of getting in early decision next Fall. For Summer 2016 he is considering applying to a summer conservatory program at Stella Adler and/or the Cherubs program at Northwestern. Does anyone have thoughts on the following questions. I’d really appreciate hearing from you if you do.
- If my son’s #1 goal is getting into NYU early decision, do you think Stella Adler which is in NY and a studio for NYU/Tisch students or Cherubs, a competitive university based theater program, will be looked upon by admissions people more favorably?
- Do you think which one he goes to will really matter at all?
On the one hand – going to Stella Adler seems better because of the affiliation with the NYU theater department. But on the other hand, going to Cherubs would give him exposure to another great theater department (I understand that NYU is conservatory and Northwestern is BA in theater), and put him in a better position to apply there if he gets rejected from NYU at ED. Thanks for any thoughts you can offer.
My daughter’s friend went to Cherubs and was rejected by Northwestern. She got into CMU so it wasn’t that she wasn’t talented (although I think at Northwestern you don’t audition prior to attending the school–I think that comes later).
My D did Tisch summer program summer after her junior year - choosing it over Northwestern’s Cherubs b/c NYU was a top school on her list as well. She was accepted at NYU, and is a sophomore in the Stella Adler studio. @aberdeen2017, I think either Adler or Northwestern could be great experiences for your son this summer. Now summer programs do NOT come with any guarantee of increasing odds for admission- but here is where I think they help.
- School feels comfortable/familiar to the kid, which can increase confidence on audition day.
- Auditors may know more about the kid than you would see in a 5 min audition period.
My D knew 3 of the 4 people she auditioned for when she went to NYU- and getting a round of hugs at the start rather than “hello, my name is…” was a huge boost for her. If your son did a program at Adler over the summer, he increases his odds of knowing someone on the panel. Again, no guarantees, but it could help
However, if your son did Northwestern - then he would get to know another program. It might give him more than one place where he could really see himself for college.
Best of luck - and feel free to ask if you have any other questions about NYU!