<p>Notmamarose said your d chose NYU Tisch over ithaca was it negatives about Ithaca or was it just the positives of NYU? Did others in your school choose Boston or Ithaca and what did they say when they came back?</p>
<p>hampton, no, my D's decision did not, in any way, hinge on anything negative about Ithaca. In fact, for years, we have been hearing about the strength of Ithaca's BFA programs in both musical theater and acting (my D was accepted for MT). In addition, a young lady we know who graduated from my D's arts high school last year is in her first year at Ithaca for acting and loves it. She cannot say enough good things about it. For my own kid, it came down to the fact that she just preferred the larger, comprehensive and yes, urban environment of NYU/Tisch, where she would be surrounded by many, many other actors and MTs who she believes will push her to achieve her personal best. Re: other grads of my D's school and where they have gone: I don't know of any actors from the school who have attended Boston University (many kids from her school seem to apply to, and get into, NCSA, Purchase, Minnesota/Guthrie, Syracuse, DePaul, Fordham, etc.) but, as noted a few sentences ago, we do know one girl who graduated last year and is at Ithaca and is thriving there. For your kid, it may come down to where he/she feels that indefinable "connection" that some kids just experience at various schools and which tells them "This is where I want to spend the next four years." Good luck with the choice: it's great to have so many strong options!!!</p>
<p>I wanted to give an update on the time I spent at the MFA acting program at Rutgers since I posted a couple of years ago. Best of luck to any who is apply to programs.</p>
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<p>TRal55: Thanks for clearing up my misinformation - I knew there was an alternative if they were cut, and I wrongly assumed it was a BA in theatre studies rather than the BFA in theatre studies. Notmamarose - sorry for the misinformation.</p>
<p>mamamia, no big deal. I recognize that I am far, far, FAR from an expert on all this stuff, and am learning as I go along, as are most of us! My own kid chose not to audition for DePaul because of the cut system, but knows a number of kids who did choose to audition and who were accepted and may enroll there, so this is certainly a matter of "different strokes for different folks." As a parent, I probably approach the whole idea of a mandatory cut from such-and-such a number to a preordained number in a more cautious say than does, say, the average, optimistic 18 year old high school senior who is bursting with confidence and enthusiasm and does not believe, deep down, that he or she will ever be the one cut. (In fact, I have been privy to discussions about this very topic and no kid I know believes she/he will be the one culled. However, as an adult who has been alive for almost 50 years, I have seen bad things happen to good people and so I know that it CAN happen.) DePaul certainly as a right to conduct its excellent program in the way and manner it sees fit and it works for many kids.</p>
<p>I've narrowed my decision down to USC BA in Theater and NYU's Strasberg. I feel like it should be easy to pick one because they are sooo different...but each one has things the other doesn't. Any suggestions or first hand experience of the education/training provided at each school? Does B.F.A. training really prepare you more for entering the real world? Thanks for any help! I need it!</p>
<p>happy2be</p>
<p>It's a hard choice and the advice depends on the student-how much the overall education matters to you, the setting, etc. You must feel a connection to the methods used at Strasberg as that will be your experience at NYU, you will not be exposed to a variety of approaches, it will be all Strasberg for the first two years. What prepares an actor for the "real world" is finding the right approach for YOU, so that your time is spent taking risks and growing and gaining confidence. For some actors 4 years is too long to prepare for the pro world, for others it's needed. When you walk into an audition no one cares much where you studied, the person who blows them away with the reading will get the role. That could be someone with a degree, or someone who's been waiting tables and taking classes at night since high school. That's the reality, I've been there.
Only you can know what suits you best, hopefully you can PM with someone on this forum who's studying at these schools so you can get a feel for atmosphere and the actor's experience. You must be talented to have these choices, and in the end true talent wont' be stopped, and will grow from all types of experience.</p>
<p>and I meant to mention that there was an article on the Strasberg studio in last week's NY Times, very informative.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the post. I think you are right on with the line "For some actors 4 years is too long to prepare for the pro world, for others it's needed."</p>
<p>I agree too.
For a while now I've been wondering what kind of theater education I should pursue after high school. I've been reading about BA and BFA programs, but in the event that I want to go down a "quicker" route, are there any schools/programs that anyone here would suggest?</p>
<p>College alternatives-</p>
<p>If a degree isn't important to you I would suggest you check out the American Academy of Dramatic ARts, very professional training with a great track record. For those who can't bear the idea of two years without credit they now have an agreement with St. John's University in Tribeca, who accept all the Academy's credits toward a degree in a related field-I believe it's communications or production . The collaboration benefits the Academy as St. John's has wonderful facilities that I've heard the Academy makes use of. The AADA is also on the West Coast but I'm not sure it's of the same quality.
Many of the acting studios have progressive full time programs, such as Neighborhood Playhouse, etc. And HB is still a top notch place for the serious actor to study. The challenge in NYC is of course housing. San Francisco has some good choices too though I'm not familiar enough to recommend.</p>
<p>Thank you so much. :)</p>
<p>I've been looking at AADA for a while actually, but I've heard mixed reviews about it. What do you (or anyone else) know about programs such as Stella Adler and other programs that just offer a CC?</p>
<p>jYPAS10, I am not too familiar with AADA, however, you might check out Circle in the Square Theatre School 2 year program. There's an acting track and a MT track. Admission is limited to 25 students each track per year and the teachers very experienced professionals. My son is most likely attending in the fall and is looking forward to it. He has spoken with graduates and they all have said the training is excellent but also very intense and challenging. While many of the students have some previous college experience, CITS accepts a few recent HS grads. You can check out their website to see the courses and alumni. Many of the grads are working on Broadway, Regional Theatre, TV, Film, Casting and so on. </p>
<p>Stella Adler is also an excellent conservatory with a 2.5 year program and a great reputation. Stella Adler also accepts some recent HS graduates. Both CITS and Stella Adler seem to have great reputations. At Stella you will train in the Adler method. At CITS, I believe it is mainly Stanislavsky based.</p>
<p>A big consideration for both of these schools is housing is tough to find but can be found in NYC. There are no dorms. Also there is no campus and no feel of a college whatsover. CITS is located in a Broadway Theatre and Stella Adler is located in a couple floors of an office building. It should be mentioned that the 2 year route is not for everybody. NYC can be very lonely and overwhelming without some familiarity and support system in place. </p>
<p>Both of these programs have auditions and interviews up until May or June for the fall. Admission is selective at both schools. CITS auditions 800 and accepts 25 per track. per year.</p>
<p>HB was also mentioned. It is also a very reputable place to train. Many students train their for individual classes but I do believe they offer a F/T program where specific classes are selected.</p>
<p>Many of these studios offer individual classes and summer programs too.</p>
<p>My son and I are both in agreement that regardless of the 2 year track, it is still in his best interest to earn a BA degree whether he takes classes over the summer, online or at CUNY. Earning a degree is an individual choice but in my opinion a good choice.</p>
<p>And some other thoughts...</p>
<p>AADA will give you some help with housing suggestions, and they have an agreement with at least one residential hotel.
Any theatre program should be visited, just like a college, NY has many excellent ones to offer, you would have more than one choice. Quite a few offer the ability to audit classes, , so you can see if it "feels" right for you
A full time program such as AADA will offer structure and support much as a college would, minus the dorm experience[I know this from personal experience], but even as a college student NY can be overwhelming for some. Above post makes a good point as far as summer programs, a very good way to get a feel for the experience-it isn't too late for this summer and a great way to test it out.</p>
<p>I don't have any first hand knowledge of AADA, but like other programs that have recently been discussed, anyone considering it should get some first hand information on their cuts. Based on various discussions on the MT forum, they apparently accept somewhere between 130 and 160 students and cut down to between 80 and 100 for second year depending on whom you ask. Then there is apparently a possible third year that very few make it into. I've also seen very mixed reviews on the quality of the training; but, like always, do your own research and make up your own mind. :)</p>
<p>Has anyone heard from Marymount about the April 13 transfer auditions?</p>
<p>AADA was one of my son's choices, and it's terrific out in California. Their LA facility has one of the most amazing costumes workshops ever, and the library is great. They don't have dorms, but the apartments looked good. Of course, in LA you need a car, but that's just a fact of life! They also have a full time counselor, who provides guidance and that security that young people need, someone to ask if they need a doctor, or even just to talk.</p>
<p>As to the training, what we saw looked good, and the students seemed happy. It is a diverse group, which is very good, too. Different ages and backgrounds. Like a wise person in a post above said, the training is only part of it: it's the fit that's so important. Good luck with your choices!</p>
<p>jYPAS10-I'd be happy to help you with your monologue question posted elsewhere but when I tried to reply to it it wouldn't post, this site can be very tricky. If you know how to PM me, do so and I'll answer that way, I think I can help at least a little, I coach auditioning students.</p>
<p>TRal55, thank you so much for the insight regarding De Paul's admission change. We visited DePaul earlier this year and my daughter really liked the program but I was a little concerned about the cut program after reading these boards for the last year. She is planning to apply, but, I will feel a little more comfortable if the acceptance rate falls each year so that there is a much smaller cut percentage after freshman year. The inflexible 50% was just so high in my opinion. Ultimately, though, it will be my D's decision where to apply and where to accept.</p>
<p>By the way, this is my very first post to the boards even though I've been reading them for a while. I'll be going through all the acceptance angst with the board next year. Thank you to all who share their experiences on this board. It's so helpful to me to understand what my D will be going through next year. Neither my husband or I are in the entertainment field, so this was all very new to us when our D decided years ago that theatre was her passion. It's been an exciting ride so far!</p>
<p>TRal55 wrote:
As a side note, it is getting progressively more difficult to get into DePaul. Apparently, the admissions office is trying to slowly rid themselves of the cut program and thus accepting less students every year. For the 2007-2008 school year, they accepted 52 and will cut 26. In 2008-2009 they are accepting 47 (not sure how many will get cut but it is less than 26 obviously).</p>
<p>Has anyone heard from Purchase yet? I heard like two weeks ago they were still sending out letters.</p>