<p>wally, thanks. He thought he nailed the audition at Rutgers, said it was the best audition he'd done. The other state school was Western Michigan. They only take 22, and consider MT's that don't make it in as well. He just got the rejection on friday. The other school (non audition) that he is considering is Central Michigan. The musical theater department is audition, but the straight theater is not. They claim that they are building a better program.</p>
<p>Wally, I thought that most "year or semester abroad" programs at colleges/universities did not end up actually costing parents much more -- if at all -- than the regular tuition. Several friends have children who don't study theater, but have done semesters abroad in which housing is provided and the only "extra" expenses are for spending money. Of course, that's obviously not the case at Rutgers. But it sounds like a worthwhile experience if one can afford it. In any case, congrats to your D! Rutgers program reputedly is amazing and she will no doubt do great there.</p>
<p>Hey everyone, I auditioned for most of my colleges in Chicago at the unifieds..
so far I've gotten into DePaul, Loyola Chicago, Tulane, Loyola New Orleans, NCSA, and UArts with acting scholarships to a few. I'm waiting to hear from a few more, but I've pretty much narrowed it down to DePaul, NCSA, and UArts. Does anyone have any information on the pros and cons of any of those 3 BFA acting programs?</p>
<p>My son is currently a freshman at Rutgers, and I have done a fair amount of investigation into the experience of the junior year (although I'm always looking for more information!). Wally is right that the good news is that the students have an absolutely amazing experience living and working in London. It gives them the opportunity to make connections that they might not otherwise be able to make, at least not until their careers are fairly well established. </p>
<p>He's also right that the year is definitely more expensive. (An aside: there is a "hidden" fee for all Rutgers acting students. Each semester, the students pay a $2000 professional acting fee. It certainly came as a shock when I first realized that my costs were $4000/year more than I had originally thought!) For the acting students, the cost of the year's tuition is the same as the tuition for other students at Rutgers (the costs for the design students is somewhat different and they are only in London for the fall semester). The program includes excursions to museums, shows, etc and those costs are included in the fees. The students live in flats and the cost approximates the cost of a dorm. They are responsible for the purchase and preparation of their food. They are also, obviously, responsible for the cost of their travel to and from London. Most students stay in Europe, frequently traveling, during the breaks. They have 1 week off during the fall semester, three weeks between semesters and another week off during the spring. This adds additional expenses.</p>
<p>The students work on, and perform a Shakespearean play on the Globe stage in late March/early April. When they return to New Brunswick in the fall, they recreate the performance at Rutgers. </p>
<p>At the orientation, Israel Hicks, the chair of the program, told us to expect that the London year would cost approximately $3000 more. I anticipate that it will probably cost me about $5-6000 more for my son's junior year. In part, this is because I plan on visiting him 1-2 times during the year. I certainly don't want to miss watching him perform on the Globe stage! I also think that he will want to travel some in Europe and that will increase the costs significantly. I anticipate that we will be negotiating some on the amount of travel he can do, based on the economics of the year.</p>
<p>For anyone interested in more information on this year, the following links may be helpful. The first is the 2006-2007 Program Guide for the year in London. The second is an interview with Barbara Marchant (the head of the BFA program) from the fall of 2005. I found it pretty informative.</p>
<p><a href="http://studyabroad.rutgers.edu/pdfs/theater.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://studyabroad.rutgers.edu/pdfs/theater.pdf</a> </p>
<p>I hope this is helpful. I'd be glad to answer any more questions.</p>
<p>RU Mom</p>
<p>Hey frockcandy, when did you hear from NCSA?</p>
<p>RUMOM thanks for the good info. My best guess for addittional expenses that year was $8k. </p>
<p>And in fairness to the school I would not call them <em>hidden</em> fees. Maybe in the past they were but at least this year those costs were made very visable to us.</p>
<p>Lisa, thanks, you are the forums model for pleasantness and encouragement. As you can see from what I have learned and what RUMOM has confirmed its not a cheap endevor. By the way, should I be RUDAD now?</p>
<p>Dramamama, So your son wants to be an actor not an MT guy, yes? Has he worked through the differences between BFA ATP conservatories vs BA's? Is he passionate one way or the other?</p>
<p>frockcandy, why would you go to DePaul with its cut policy when you have so many other great options? What feels right to you? These are very different choices...NCSA or UArts? Can you or have you visited the campuses?</p>
<p>Wally, my son was accepted off the waitlist at Rutgers last year but it was way into May and he had committed elsewhere (to a program just as wonderful). I guess it can happen that they go to the waitlist. </p>
<p>thedramamama, my son "nailed" an audition at a school where he didn't get in and was less comfortable with audition experiences in places where he was accepted...Go figure. It's not all that predictable! I do believe that these programs are building an acting community and know what they are looking for. You could be great, but they already have someone who looks similar and they want a more diverse class, for example.</p>
<p>wally, my son is not a MT. He loves Shakespeare and the classics. He did Richard III for his classical monologue. I think he wants the whole college experience rather than a conservatory. He has a side interest in political science so I think a BA program is more his style. He hasn't heard from Rutgers yet, thought it seems his high school counselor was late in sending in his transcripts. Could this be the reason for the delay? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?</p>
<p>babar, the whole audition process is crazy. Never know what they are looking for on any particular day.</p>
<p>hey theactingfox, I got a package 3 weeks ago, then a letter a week later, and then they called a few days ago.</p>
<p>babar: the cut policy at DePaul definitely freaks me out a bit...I haven't visited there and I really regret not doing so while I was in Chicago. I visited UArts in Feb, and I'm going up to NCSA in a week or so. Hopefully I'll get a better feel for where I'm meant to be after the visit. I've heard nothing but amazing things about NCSA, but I haven't heard very much about UArts. and DePaul's cut policy is pretty much all I've been told about their program. It's so tough to decide as it is; I'm almost praying that I only get rejection letters from the rest!</p>
<p>I was wondering what you guys thought about Northwestern's acting program.</p>
<p>The figure of $3000 for living expenses in London sounds terribly low to me. My D spent the past fall semester living in London. She was a participant in Florida State University's London Theatre Experience. Just as with the Rutgers program, students are responsible for airfare, for buying and preparing their own meals, and for most of their theatre tickets (a few shows were included in the program fee as were some field trips throughout the British Isles). The information we received from FSU indicated that a bare bones budget would be $6000 for living expenses for ONE semester in London. Logic tells me that the bare bones cost for a full school year in London would be double. (FSU recommended that students have more funds available than the bare bones $6000 estimate.) I think the estimate we got from the FSU program was just about right. I think it cost us about $7000. That included all meals, tickets to around 40 productions, weekly private voice lessons at the Royal Conservatory of Music (the London Theatre Experience is not designed for MT students, so voice lessons are not included), and the cost of trips to Ireland and Italy during the 10 day fall break. D tried to shop carefully and usually got student rush tickets to shows. </p>
<p>The biggest cause of sticker shock in London is due to the poor exchange rate. One British pound is worth about $2.00. D told us that when she went grocery shopping, she would mentally double the sticker price. If a package of chicken cost 4 pounds, it would be $8.00. </p>
<p>It's true that the combined cost of tuition and housing for the London Program is comparable to the cost of out-of-state tuition and housing in the States. As I said above, it's the living expenses that drive up the cost.</p>
<p>Frockcandy - My son is at DePaul and spent his senior year of high school at NCSA. He loved NCSA, and was on the waitlist for the college program, but went ahead and accepted at DePaul because he was a little concerned he could hack four more years in Winston-Salem (he's a "big city boy" at heart). He also wanted a little bit more of a "traditional" college experience than NCSA has but which DePaul does have being a large university. But of course 95% of his time is spent at the conservatory at DePaul anyway! It's always nice to have options of taking some more varied electives than NCSA has, however. But, I do know he thought NCSA had excellent, excellent training and had he actually been accepted rather than waitlisted I'm not sure what his decision would have been. He loves Chicago and DePaul and thinks he is getting outstanding training there as well, so I think things worked out for the best for him. He made it thru the cut system but those friends of his who didn't are all just fine, disappointed of course but they have moved on and are all doing well. So, of course the cut system is a concern - but I don't think you should just automatically dismiss the program because of it. There is a young lady who posts on this thread (and on a new thread on the cut started back up a few days ago - I'm sorry, I don't know how to link - WallyWorld can you maybe help?) who goes to DePaul and could be an excellent source for you - her screenname is ckp if you wanted to try and "talk" to her. Congrats on some wonderful acceptances, and best of luck.</p>
<p>Hi I have been accepted to CCM Drama and NYU. Can anyone enlighten me on the program or what they have heard regarding CCM Drama? Also, NYU Tisch accepts around 300 a year I have heard...... how does Tisch match up to other more selective programs?</p>
<p>My daughter was accepted for Drama at both NYU and Syracuse and is trying to choose. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>Also, does Tisch really accept 300? That's even more than I thought. I think Syracuse accepts 50-60.</p>
<p>(I also posted this as a separate thred. Sorry about the double post, but I wasn't sure where to put it).</p>
<p>I could be wrong but I heard a figure of about 300 people accepted to Tisch drama when I went to the audition.</p>
<p>I have hear other people use that number as well</p>
<p>The 300 number for Tisch is the number which generally enroll each year, so a slightly higher number would be accepted but I'm not positive what that number is. Tisch is made up of seven primary studios: Experimental Theatre Wing, Stella Adler Conservatory, Atlantic Theatre Company, The Meisner Extension. Collaborative Arts Project 21, Playwrights Horizons Theatre School, and the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, and also a Tech Theatre Track. The 300 accepted students would be divided between these different studios. That's why the number seems so much higher than other programs.</p>
<p>AKactor,
I was a bit surprised by your question, "how does Tisch match up with other more selective programs"? Tisch is regarded as one of the most selective in the nation. As alwaysamom says, there are more numbers because they have a lot of studios. Some studios admit fewer then 15. Also, Tisch is located in NYC, with excellent connections. You might want to wait until you hear which studio you've been admitted to at Tisch; read about it and see how it matches your own goals. The other big advantage of Tisch studios are that with so many, they can be really specific to your particular talents and abilities. Once you find out your studio, you can then compare it to CCM and see which approach suits you better.</p>
<p>first, sorry if this is off subject.... don't know where else to go to get a wide overview of opinions, first hand experience and educated knowledge of programs.</p>
<p>The Hartt School @ University of Hartford.
Meadows School of the Arts @ Southern Methodist University.
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.</p>
<p>Three acceptance letters, what can you each tell me from about them from your prespective, experience or facts gathering over the course of college touring etc.?</p>
<p>Thank you so much!</p>