<p>Forgot to say…my understanding is that Tisch acting students have three days of studio classes and two days of academic classes per week. </p>
<p>From the website, it looks to me like a typical semester would be 16 credits, consisting of 8 credits of studio (Mon Wed Fri)…plus 4 hours of a certain required class on theatre topics in which essays are written, plus 4 hours of “core curriculum” (Tues and Thurs).</p>
<p>As I understand the above scenario, the student would attend two 4-credit classes on non-studio days (not sure why the typical academic class would not be 3 credits – maybe it is because of their rigor). This might possibly be regarded as a little bit “light” in a way, depending on the demands of the non-studio classes.</p>
<p>Wouldn’t it be reasonable, for some students, to pick up an extra academic course, which would give them three classes on non-studio days, and presumably a total of 20 credits?</p>
<p>You are right that the typical BFA Drama student might have 16 credits…three FULL days of studio classes counts for 8 and two academic classes two days per week are another 8 credits. My child was in CAP21 which also has Private Voice for 7 semesters and that is another 2 credits and so she always had 18 credits. Those in an acting studio might elect a 2 credit elective and that is how they have 18 credits. Trust me that this is a heavy schedule!! When my D was in CAP21, she had 7 different classes for studio and then the 2 academic classes and private voice (which she had to travel to off campus). She also either had crew or was in a show (these rehearse usually every night until 11 or so and all weekend). In her case, she also had two rehearsals per week for a cappella group and had Tisch Scholars every other week. </p>
<p>Studio days are 9-6 all day filled with classes. While it is true that on the academic days, they are not IN CLASS from 9-6 like they are on studio days, they do need some hours to do the homework for not only the two academic classes, but studio also has assignments such as preparing scenes, songs, monologues and other tasks. </p>
<p>I am not sure what is “light” about this schedule? This is far heavier in terms of how many classes are taken and how many hours one is IN class than my child who attended an Ivy League school and had four classes per semester. </p>
<p>In any case, nobody has 20 credits. Your child CAN have a third academic class that is a 2 credit elective. My child took a 2 credit elective that was not voice and it was as much work as a 4 credit class. So, your child can have 18 credits…8 for studio (which can be many classes over three days) and 8 credits for two academic classes and 2 more credits for an elective (academic type or something else like voice) class.</p>
<p>Okay, I see. I was having a hard time picturing it. I figured there must be some sorts of assignments for studio, but I wasn’t sure. Plus I had heard something anecdotally about one of the acting studios commonly dismissing students at lunchtime and didn’t know if they all went right up until 6:00 every day.</p>
<p>It’s interesting that there are a range of two-credit electives. Are we talking about special Tisch electives here, or are there two-credit CAS electives that would help fill the liberal arts requirement? Your daughter took two-credit elective that was more work than a four-credit course…yikes!</p>
<p>From the Tisch “Sample Course of Study” webpage, here is an example of a typical student’s schedule for fall of sophomore year:</p>
<p>Fall</p>
<p>8 points Primary Studio III
4 points Theatre Studies
4 points Liberal Arts (Humanities or Science)
2 points Optional Elective</p>
<p>What I was thinking was that it <em>might</em> not be unreasonable for a student to take a second 4-credit liberal arts class instead of the two-credit elective – I had assumed it was the kind of thing students who were double majoring might do.</p>
<p>Perhaps there are some really great offerings among Tisch’s two-credit electives that would be irresistable to an acting student, though!</p>
<p>I just want to clarify that I don’t think I said that her two credit class was MORE work than her four credit classes. I said it was AS MUCH work. I am not sure why the course was two credits but it was like any other course she has taken, that’s all. They wrote adaptations…for example, she wrote a short musical theater piece based on Lord of the Flies (that wasn’t the only thing she did for the class). </p>
<p>I also want to point out that the 7 required Theater Studies classes are what most refer to as “academic classes”. While they are not in CAS, they are academic in nature. So, usually a kid has a liberal arts class from CAS and a Theater Studies class within Tisch that are both academic every semester. The optional elective may be within Tisch or in CAS. For those in CAP21, they have to take Private Voice lessons for these credits. </p>
<p>It is hard, but not impossible, to double major, but it would be more doable to do a Minor in something. Also, in senior year, you could do an “academic semester” with no studio and take 18 credits of academics. Some do that. </p>
<p>In my D’s experience, studio three days per week were ALL day…long days. As soon as those end, it is into rehearsals all night, and then on weekends as well. One might get home at 11:30 PM and then homework begins. Also, for studio, you may have to prepare scenes with partners and fit in rehearsal time with them to prepare for class. The academic classes have readings, papers, exams. </p>
<p>The schedule and the work combined make for a very intense experience with hardly any free time.</p>
<p>It does sound very intense, but since almost all of it is theatre-related, I’m sure my son would eat it up! I didn’t mean to be disrespectful; I was just trying to understand. :-)</p>
<p>You asked very valid questions! And when one is not familiar with it, it is hard to really know what it is like. I hopefully gave you some idea. </p>
<p>The theater studies courses are academic in nature like any sort of humanities kind of a class, just so you know. They have to take seven of those classes before they graduate. And then there are the eight liberal arts classes, two of which are the freshmen writing classes. But the amount of liberal arts is not gonna be as much as in a BA degree program. The BFA programs have a larger percentage of courses in the “major”. However, Tisch’s BFA program has more academic classes than many of the BFA programs. Again, the Theater Studies classes are academic in nature, though related to the arts. </p>
<p>Not everything they take is theater related…for instance, the 8 required liberal arts classes are not and then any electives do not have to be either. Right now, my daughter is taking Mythology. However, for her it is sorta related as the musical she just wrote and will produce this May deals with characters from myths. :)</p>
<p>If I were you, I’d be wanting to understand it all too. :)</p>
<p>You’d be surprised at how much work there is to do for studio classes outside the 9 to 6 studio class day schedule! For instance, my D is a freshman in CAP and in her acting class, is routinely assigned scenes that she then present/will present to the class and to all the acting teachers at CAP. Those scenes mean tons of rehearsal time outside class (well, how much rehearsal time is strictly up to the kids involved!) for many weeks. Once those are presented, they are given new scenes and/or monologues. Music theory is a class that also has a lot of more traditional homework/paperwork. </p>
<p>Whoever told you that the kids are dismissed at lunchtime on studio days and don’t come back doesn’t know what she was talking about! :)</p>
<p>In addition, the freshmen Writing The Essay class is not just a regular academic class: the kids also have to attend a weekly session in the evening where various kinds of presentations are made. Last semester, she only had to attend those evening sessions six times throughout the semester for several hours at a time (This is in addition to the classroom lecture part of the WTE class.) This semester, though, she goes to a session every Monday night in addition to the classroom/lecture class.</p>
<p>They keep 'em plenty busy, for sure!</p>
<p>My son and I like the way NYU/Tisch combines conservatory style training with academics. </p>
<p>Some conservatories offer so little in the way of academics that they really don’t seem like colleges. </p>
<p>BFA programs at a number of schools require a fair number of general education credits in classes that, frankly, don’t sound very intellectually challenging.</p>
<p>I may be wrong, but it seems like Tisch is a way for passionate, impatient theatre kids to acquire an education that roughly approximates what other people get when they combine a BA in liberal arts with an acting MFA. Of course, everybody says the latter is the ideal path, but I guess it depends on which institutions of learning we are talking about!</p>
<p>I am admit to being biased, because my D is at NYU Tisch and really loves it, so know that in the name of full disclosure. </p>
<p>But recently my D said to me “Mom, I can’t tell you what a pleasure it is to have so many smart and well read people in my acting and other studio classes. It makes a BIG difference.”</p>
<p>This is not to say that she wouldn’t have loved being at a “pure” conservatory where grades had little to nothing to do with admissions decisions. She attended a public arts high school where admission was by audition only (they didn’t even LOOK at test scores and grades) and thus spent four hours a day five days a week for years doing actor training classes with kids whose academic abilities, interests and aptitudes were all over the map. She loved that, too. But she really loves Tisch.</p>