Hi all! So when my daughter had her audition at The New School back in January, she was 2 days out from having gotten the flu, she felt awful, and her voice was a wreck. The show must go on, of course, so she went and auditioned – didn’t feel great about it, but it was what it was. We just assumed that would be that, and put it out of our minds. Fast-forward to this morning, and she got an acceptance. Hooray!
Here’s the thing, though: unlike the other schools we visited, they weren’t having any information seminars at the audition, no current students to take you around, answer questions, etc – it was just sort of a show-up-and-audition-and-leave scenario. And even if there had been, she was feeling so awful it was all we could do to just get back in a Lyft and return to the hotel.
So now I’m looking online to see if there are any Admitted Student Days so when we go up to the other NYC schools she’s been admitted to, we could learn more and get a feel for the program – but I can’t find hide nor hair of that in anything we were sent, or on their website.
SO: Can any of you awesomely clued-in drama mamas and papas shed some light on The New School, what it’s like there, how the program functions, etc? I just want my D to have all the information available to her on every school so she can make a great final decision.
Answering my own thread – is that gauche? I feel like that’s gauche. Anyway: after a lot more digging, found an Accepted Student Day when we’ll be in NYC for the others, so she’s registered for that and we’ll check it out! It’s not high on her list, but we really just don’t know much – we’ll see!
First post , yikes !
Similar situation here. We auditioned in January and were notified of acceptance this morning . We did manage to get a tour from a very nice drama student who just happened to be working the desk at the welcome center the day of my D’s audition. He was very generous with his time and very articulate . Pros were that the students are not prohibited from taking advantage of opportunities outside of the school. Our tour guide has worked on several shows (acting/lighting design) and is earning equity points now. Cons, maybe ? The program is not solely an acting program , though there is plenty of acting. My D is fine with that and The New School remains her top choice. Reflecting back on that day now, It was probably the least informative of the schools we visited. It was our first audition , so we didn’t know to expect really great information sessions (uncsa, Marymount Manhattan) or master classes ( CCM) as part of the audition process. If we hadn’t run into a student that was excited to get away from the information desk , I’m not sure we would have learned anything.
Thanks @mflynn – and welcome! I was a new poster not that long ago – everyone’s very welcoming and kind.
Yep, that makes sense – we didn’t really get to meet anyone who took us around. And by that point she’d already auditioned at a few (MMC, Pace), so we WERE expecting information sessions, but… nada. Good to know that you had a good tour around there – and also good to know that it’s not just acting, as my D is also a playwright and director, so that’s handy. If it’s your D’s top choice now, but was the least informative of the schools, I’d say she still got a lot of useful info/a great feel from the place!
We attended TNS open house this past August. It was a great event and the interconnectedness of the different colleges is so impressive. My daughter is a big fan of academics and math, so when the dean of the liberal arts college said they want folks from the drama department who want to learn to code, she was excited. The college also has a very strong focus on social justice and that thread rings through to all programs. Open houses show all the shiny pretty things the college has to offer, and TNS did a great job of it.
When my D auditioned, the freshman drama class was returning from a field trip around the city to see works of art that they had learned about in class. The professor was very engaging and the kids seemed to absolutely adore her. Also, the location is great. It’s a new program so it is hard to judge, I would certainly ask to shadow a student. Sam Byron is the drama admissions guy - he is so nice. Maybe call him with questions or set up a meeting.
That’s my two cents.
@ginaf1102 Thanks so much – it’s good to know that they did put on a show, so to speak, and that you guys seemed impressed. I’m not sure she’ll have time to shadow a student - we’re only in NYC for 4 days and she has a bunch of accepted student events to visit – but I will see if I can set something up with Sam Byron! D is leaning very hard into Fordham right now, which is great - but I want her to have all the available information about every place before making that final decision.
Hello all! My D is just beginning her journey and I appreciate being able to learn from your experiences. TNS is (at this point) at the top of her list, but I haven’t been able to find any information about how many students they accept into their Dramatic Arts program each year vs. how many people audition. Can any of you provide any insight? Would love to get a feel for how competitive their program is. Thanks in advance.
@proudcalidad, I realize this is a bit after the response time frame you were looking for, but I attended The New School from 1999-2002 for my MFA. I can’t speak to the undergraduate divisions of the school (i.e. Eugene Lang) but what I do know of the university. overall, it is, simply put: an AMAZING place for creative students. I hope your daughter enjoys her time there, and especially because as a Theater or performing arts student it is IMPERATIVE she also enjoys living and studying in NYC. I would say The New School’s programs are WAY LESS competitive than NYU’s for example. New School is sometimes referred to as: “a smaller friendlier version of NYU.”
