<p>Hi,
Just wondered if anyone has thoughts about how an applicant will be judged after taking a year off (after high school graduation) - will this be viewed as a small positive, a small negative, or neutral?</p>
<p>[Essential fact: she has productively used her time during the year off: further training in all 3 disciplines, employment, living out of the parental home in her own apartment, self-supporting (rent, utilities, food, pays partial cost of training).] </p>
<p>For some schools she will be a re-applicant, for others a first time applicant. </p>
<p>Maybe none of this matters for college MT - I'm just curious about it.</p>
<p>Many MT schools consider this a big positive - CMU and Juilliard in particular from my direct knowledge - b/c they see such student as having more life experiences (often having to work for the first "real" time, etc.) and therefore being likely to be more "grounded." I believe there is a 29 year-old CMU "freshman" this year!</p>
<p>We tend to like these students for all the reasons CoachC listed. We currently have a junior Acting major who was 20 when she auditioned. We also have two whom we accepted the second time around. A few years ago, we accepted a 28-year-old Italian. I would be surprised if many of my colleagues around the country reacted negatively to what your d. chose to do this year. It could only help her growth as a performer and as a person.</p>
<p>It's amazing what a difference life experience can make in one's acting ability. I've had a really awful last couple of years, and I regretted the decisions I made that led to all the awfulness -- UNTIL I realized how much better an actor I am now. I have all of these extreme emotional memories and leftover feelings that I can use for a huge range of character needs.</p>
<p>I am a MUCH better actor now than I was coming out of high school, and even after going through two years of a BFA program. The experiences I had outside of school gave me the emotional maturity and range that I needed to be able to apply the different principles of acting that are taught in BFA programs.</p>
<p>So the next time you're crying your eyes out because some guy/girl has stomped all over your heart, just realize that one day you can use that experience to make money! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! That'll show 'em!</p>
<p>"Think of how to use it. Think of Meryl Streep." For reals yo.</p>