Top Choices vs. Gap Year vs. Safeties

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
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<p>I would like to start off by saying that before coming to CC I had no idea what a gap year was or what a saftey school was. I did know, however, what schools my daughter was interested in, which prior to CC, I would have called her top choices.</p>

<p>I would also like to say that I am asking questions, bringing up ideas, and presenting thoughts, in order to gather information that will help us and others in future classes to make the wisest decision possible for our children. At no point do I mean to offend anyone and if anything I say seems "stupid" please remember that many us that come onto CC do not have the knowledge or background that some of you seem to have. I try to read as many of the posts I can, do not always have time to comment, and often find myself more confused about something after reading the posts. This I am sure is natural. </p>

<p>That being said, I have begun to ask myself various questions and have come up with a few answers, that I hope will give me the wisdom to help guide my daughter the best I can.</p>

<p>TOP CHOICES;
I originally thought top choices meant all of the big name schools that through reputation have the finest programs.</p>

<p>I now feel that the top choice for my daughter should be the school where she feels she fits in the best and can thrive and where she feels she can intensively gain the knowledge needed to pursue her goal of being a TV/Film actor whether it is on the screen/tv or through voiceover. (Please remember when making comments or providing advice that she is not opposed to the stage but is confident that she knows where she fits best and does in fact enjoy and is not closed to performing "modern" stage). Her passion however is film and tv and that is the direction she desires to take.</p>

<p>I am still in the process of trying to help her decipher what schools should be on this list and I must say it is quite time consuming and confusing at times, but we continue to plug forward.</p>

<p>Currently I have tried to look into every BFA program we have heard of and by going online and researching the schools, and printing out the curriculm, courses offered, and the 4 year course sequence, have developed a list of Most likely to fit, Possible fit, Need more Information, Unsure fit, and Doubtful fit. </p>

<p>I have also tried to take into account that she is not interested in the Liberal Arts College(LAC) curriculm and would prefer to take as many classes in her field of study and those directly related, as possible. (She does have the understanding that the LAC courses are necessary for many of the programs) This I feel, would for us, preclude the need to audition for any BA programs.</p>

<p>One of the things I have questioned when reading others comments is why the need to pick 10-15 schools, are there really that many schools she is going to fit into, or is she just suppose to make sure she gets in somewhere. </p>

<p>Although I do understand the approach, I am wondering if this is the right approach for her, or the right way to present the approach to her. </p>

<p>She is not looking into getting into just anywhere. The goal I do not feel should be just to get into a BFA program.</p>

<p>The goal is a repeat of what I said previously. To get into a BFA program that she feels best fits her and where she can thrive, and has a program that will educate and train her and give her the "best" knowledge possible to prepare her to pursue her goals.</p>

<p>That does not mean we do not research 10-15 schools, however, I want her to have a clear understanding of what her goal is and how does applying for 10-15 schools, and possibly just going wherever she gets in, fit into that goal.</p>

<p>GAP YEAR
This leads me to thinking about this new found term of a gap year. If she does not get into the schools she feels most suited to her then should she sit out a year and if so why, and what should she do doing this year to prepare herself to make another "go" at the schools that she felt best fit her but have already rejected her? </p>

<p>I think we most properly assess to the best of our ability and with realistic appreciation for her current training and talent level, why she did not get into those schools, and if a gap year in fact will present her the time she needs to prepare, train, discover herself, etc.</p>

<p>Trying to decide what to do during this gap year I am sure will be different depending on where you live, what is available to you, what kind of money you have to spend, etc.</p>

<p>SAFETIES:
This is I must say. where the most questions arise in my mind.</p>

<p>Is having a safety school mean you want to be safe that you make it into somewhere?</p>

<p>Why audition for a safety school? </p>

<p>What type of safety school are you auditioning for?</p>

<p>Is it a school you will agree to go to only if you do not get into anywhere else, and
is that a good choice to make, just pick whatever school is left over? </p>

<p>Are there safety schools out there that people are calling safety schools that have a program that is comparable to some of the very good BFA programs?</p>

<p>Are you giving up on your number 1-number 5 (ex) choice because you are being realistic or are you just happy to get into somewhere? </p>

<p>Many questions and many things to think about but all I hope very helpful to ask yourself when on this journey.</p>

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<p>Love that you finally made the thread. I’ll wait to see what other people answer to join the discussion, since you already know what I think ;)</p>

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<p>Lots of good questions here, Threed, but just a quick note: auditioned programs pretty much can’t be considered “safeties” for anyone. In this context (theater), when people refer to a safety, they usually mean a nonauditioned program for which the student is academically very qualified and thus likely to be accepted. There are nonauditioned options (good ones) for both BA and BFA acting programs. </p>

<p>If your family is like mine, you will also want to investigate financial “safeties”–i.e., schools for which your student would get in-state tuition or where, based on her scores and grades, she would qualify for significant academic merit aid. Like auditioned acceptances, scholarships based on “artistic talent” are unpredictable, but many schools offer clear guidelines for academic awards, and you can find that info on their websites.</p>

<p>As to whether or not your daughter can find nonauditioned “safe bet” schools that she would be happy to attend–I guess that’s pretty much a personal/family decision. My son imitially considered taking a gap year if he didn’t get into any auditioned programs, but he has decided against that. He’ll be 19 in September, wants to go to college in general, and is optimistic and determined to make the best of whatever type of program ends up being the best fit come April. If that’s a nonauditioned BA or BFA, he’s psyched to go for it. </p>

<p>When my oldest was applying to college 10 years ago, the best advice we got was to choose her “safety” schools with as much care (if not more) than her high reach ones. She ended up falling in love with and attending a so-called “safety” that was less competitive than some of her other acceptances but was clearly the best fit. Never regretted it for an instant. By the way, she ended up majoring in theater, decided it wasn’t the career path for her, and is now finishing a master’s in clinical counseling. Her BA in theater has never been a hindrance, only an asset, in terms of job or grad school applications!</p>

<p>I hope this helps a little–good luck and have fun with the process!</p>

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<p>Welcome, threed! Some great, thoughtful questions. I totally agree that BFA auditioned programs are almost never ‘safeties,’ so that is something to consider. Also, you don’t say your financial status, but we had two types of hurdles—getting in, and affording it. The price and potential for scholarships/grants were two very large considerations for us, and we did certainly always have financial safeties.</p>

<p>About a gap year—This is very personal. My own D turned 20 in September, but is a Freshman at NU. And my older D is at Williams and also turned 20 in the fall as a Freshman. Both D’s have benefited from taking the gap year. My D at NU feels she has the maturity she lacked a few years ago and can multitask far easier than before. Many of her classmates have commented to her how they wish they’d postponed a year. That’s just her own take on it, of course. I’m only saying that in her case, it has worked to her benefit. </p>

<p>We did nothing special for the gap years. Both my daughters worked in ‘real’ jobs about 20-30 hours/week (hostess at a diner, children’s librarian) and just that alone REALLY helped them mature. I do have to say that both my D’s were a pleasure to have at home. Not sure I would have said the same about my older S at that age… :slight_smile: So it depends on your own tolerance too. Besides working, both D’s spent the year adding experiences to their resume depending on their interests (theatre and art). That was great too.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t take a gap year, though, purely out of a negative (not getting into your top school). I’d have a positive reason to take the gap year too–building your resume, gaining more experience and maturity, etc. As you can see from my kids’ experiences, gap years don’t have to be anything fancy or expensive. Finally, I have to add that colleges really liked that my D’s had ‘real’ work experience earning money over a period of time, in a job they stuck with for several years–several commented on it. </p>

<p>So far for all three of my kids, the college acceptance decisions were all over the place–schools we considered a safety they were rejected from; others that we thought of as far reaches, they were admitted. And then others were just as we expected. Financial safeties sometimes ended up costing much more than expensive private schools that offered scholarships. My personal advice is to apply to at least 10 schools (we did 13, a tradition started by my son, and continued with my daughters!). It can be expensive but I viewed it as a business investment. If you have a range of applications-- safety, matches and reaches, financial safeties – then you increase your chances of ‘scoring.’ </p>

<p>About your question on ‘safeties’ - they’re important because you have a higher chance of getting in, and you just never know how much you’ll fall in love with a school. Sometimes a school you think you’ll love, you end up really not liking; and other schools can be unexpected pleasures. A ‘safety’ can end up being perfect for you. You just dont’ know. Kids grow quite a bit over their senior year and can change; and after they are accepted, it’s always a good idea to visit the colleges they’re serious about, and spend time there in classes and talking to students.
Best of luck with this process. It’s pretty overwhelming.</p>

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<p>You’re getting great answers here-- I’d just add that I think film and stage acting are so very different, and I’d make sure you find a curriculum that really addresses acting on camera. </p>

<p>A gap year spent working and training can be very beneficial and give a big leg up at audition time. I’d say, plan for the gap year while you plan for college; don’t let it be a last-minute thing. Just the planning will help your D feel out the situation and affect her decision making.</p>

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<p>There are several options for “safety” schools. My son ultimately decided to make Columbia College Chicago his “safety.” Its location and curriculum made it more attractive than other schools that would also have been sure-shots. I had encouraged him to apply to a state college that would have been pretty safe for academic admission, but more selective for its auditioned BFA. He would have the acceptance under rolling admissions under his belt, while other decisions were pending. He simply didn’t like the school. He did opt to apply for the regular arts & science college at our state university, along with the fiendishly selective auditioned BFA at the specialized arts faculty. With one academic safety, and one affordable near-safety, he applied mainly to highly-selective “reach” schools. He attends a somewhat less-selective auditioned theater school now. In all he applied to nine colleges: 6 auditioned, 3 non-auditioned. He was accepted at two of the three non-audition schools, and one auditioned one. He received a talent scholarship, which brought his private BFA program within $10k of our state university. He is very, very happy where he is. We held our breath through the process, wondering how we would deal with an acceptance at a school like Emerson, if it came with no money. I tell people never to apply to a school where you wouldn’t be willing to go.</p>

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<p>Our choice has been to fly without a safety net. Plan B is a gap year. The gap year would be spent training and also working. My S came a little late to the understanding that he could potentially make a career of his passion, so the last few years have been spent catching up on the training - between school and arts commitments, he’s never really had the chance to work for a living. A job washing dishes, pumping gas, waiting table or whatever would be a good experience. He can fit in plenty of training and auditioning around that. We are also very fortunate to live in an area with outstanding training opportunities.
I realize that this is not right for every family, but we feel it is for us. College is a huge financial sacrifice (costs being what they are, I don’t think you can even dignify it by calling it an investment). Acting and musical theater careers don’t even necessarily require a degree, so our reasoning was let’s make sure we are paying for something we value.<br>
My S is applying to 11 schools, some acting, some MT, some both. We cut some schools of the list because we just didn’t feel they were how we wanted to spend the money, but we’d be happy with every single one of the schools to which he did apply. The very real risk, of course, is a “gap” year. But we see some real advantages to that, as well. I think the hardest part, for which you need to be mentally prepared, is this time period, where he has 3 rejections in hand, but we are waiting on 8 schools to receive our first acceptance (one of the schools did accept him as a BA and encourage him to enter their BA drama program, but we don’t think that works for us). This waiting period is always miserable, but much more so when you have applied to programs that are either reasonably or very hard to gain admission, and have no acceptances in hand. We still think it is the right thing to do for us - but not everyone.</p>

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<p>Very thought provoking guys!</p>

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<p>MSP; Thank you. I have been trying to get the time to start this thread and finally carved out a few minutes. I hope it made sense and I presented my thoughts in a way that others could understand. I very much appreciate your input and am glad that you have already had to face many of these questions and as a student can share that knowledge. </p>

<p>Times3; Thank you for clarifying for me and others who may be new to this what exactly a safety school means. I have seen a seperate thread that listed non auditioned BA’s but I may have missed the one that had nonauditioned BFA’s since I had no idea there were such programs. I would wonder though how good they would be if you do not have to audition. Just a thought.
I never thought of safety schools in any form so unfortunately financial safety is another new term for me:) Because of my work and other personal factors, we have lived all over the US for the past 7 years and currently have only been in the state we are in for less then a year. My daughter as you recalled is in another state at school precisely for this reason, and I am most likely going to be somewhere else by the summer. This leaves us in limbo currently on what state we would be considered residents of and something I really need to check into. I am from your comments, taking that once we establish what state we are considered residents of, we can look at what schools based on that state would offer us in state tuition and/or academic scholarships and make a list of these schools and look into them. Just in case we cannot come up with enough for her to attend one of her best fits even if selected. My daughter very well like your son, may decide next year to go for what she is able to but we will just have to see. She has been researching some of the programs that would not be considered “colleges” and I think she may lean towards one of those instead, but that is just my thoughts not something I know of as a fact. MSP recommended one called Vancouver Film School and their curriculm very much looks like what she is looking for but again cost could become an issue and I am not sure you can take out student loans to attend these type of schools.</p>

<p>Connections: Did your kids take gap years just because they felt they needed to or because they did not get into the school of choice. Just wondered because you mentioned that they both worked “real” jobs and did not do a whole lot extra as far as training. If a student does not get into their school of choice, I know there are alot of factors, but if they wanted to work on getting in the next year shouldn’t they be “training” to get better. Not sure if that came out right but I think you know what I mean. Thank you for your thoughts on why safeties are important ie, you may get into one that you end up liking, etc. I was thinking of safeties in a more negative light as a school that was last choice, a school that did not fit you but accepted you so you decided to go, etc. I do think this entire process is a business investment and understand that I am going to have to pay for alot of applications etc, prior to having to pay the “big bill”:)</p>

<p>Gwen Fairfax: I am trying hard to look into just that. Most of the schools I have looked into have acting for film but it seem to be an afterthought during senior year and only one course. I may have seen one school that had it once in junior year and once in senior year. I am wondering why. Is training for the theatre a “better” route for all actors. I think I mentioned before that it seems to me more actors go from TV/Film to stage, then actors go from stage to TV/Film. If that is the case then why is the theatre training much bigger? Maybe there are more actors interested in the stage. My daughter is surrounded by kids mostly interested in the stage and she seems to be the oddball out. I am sure if she was in a school in CA that may be different, but I am not positive of that. We are looking into alot of the film schools to see which ones have a strong acting component to go with it so that she can take more classes involving film. Thank you MSP for that great tip. MSP advised that my daughter take some filmmaking classes so she understands the art from that aspect and also gains appreciation and knowledge of what the directors want and are looking for. Planning for a gap year is a wonderful idea and I thank you yet again for another idea Gwen Fairfax, that I had not thought of. </p>

<p>stagemum; Funny you mentioned Columbia College (CC) as that is a school we were interested in but had no idea at the time that it was a non auditioned school. We looked at the summer program last year and considered going there to see what it was like but opted for UNCSA instead. CC is in a great city and the connections to the Chicago theatre world from what we have “heard” is impressive. Again we are talking theatre here. State colleges that are safe for academics but selective for its auditioned BFA is also a new thought. If we were still in SC where I was assigned a year ago I would think Coastal Carolina would be in that category. This is a school we have looked into due to UGADOG99, however, I have not been able to obtain their 4 year course sequence as it is not posted online.</p>

<p>fourkprz; We certainly have been thinking in this manner and this is why I started the thread, however, I did not look at it as flying without a safety net:) I thought of it as having her goal, sticking with it without distraction or failure thoughts upfront, and then if not reevaluating. I have always thought Plan B means you are not confident in your Plan A, but now realize that in this case it is much more then that. Kind of if I cannot get the boy that is good looking I’ll take the next best looking guy:) Just a joke people, don’t have a heart attack:):):slight_smile: I also do not want my daughter to just go to any college just because that is the only thing left. This is a huge financial investment and it is important for her to take my money and use it as wisely as possible. She wants to train in acting then she needs to pick the “best” training possible. If she had an academic desire then you could twofold that but in her case it is acting or nothing and therefore I feel like we need to look for the “best” in that. I do not know what could be anymore miserable then the process I am going through now, of course I have not yet went through what you parents of the Class of 2013 are going through:) My daughter also is late on training due to my work and the constant moving. This is her first year at the school she is at and it was done simply to give her some stability. I realized that my profession and the care of my other child who has had some serious medical issues, has provided some real setbacks for my daughter and I am hoping that this year and the year we have left will give her somewhat of a chance to “catch up”. Summer pograms are expensive but that is why we did it before and will do it again, to help her with the training she missed out on.</p>

<p>I am currently working in an area that I feel would not be a beneficial place for her to do anything during a gap year but be miserable and unhappy. I am in the middle of nowhere and even if I bought her a car she would have to travel quite a bit to get to civilization which in this case means training, auditions, a decent job, etc. This is something we will have to keep in mind when considering a gap year if I in fact am still working in this area. My sanity would also be something to consider:):):)</p>

<p>I wonder if you take a gap year and go somewhere to train would you still be considered a freshman the following year or a transfer student? That could make a difference also.</p>

<p>Thank you everyone.</p>

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<p>Others will respond more fully I’m sure, but just a couple of thoughts:</p>

<p>You should be able to find out Coastal Carolina’s curriculum requirements. Sometimes one has to dig a bit for such things; most schools have an online catalog of all courses. You can find it by searching for “undergraduate catalog” or the like.</p>

<p>Wait – here it is (the descriptions of the various theatre degrees offered start on p. 222):</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.coastal.edu/media/academics/catalog/2012-2013%20Undergraduate%20University%20Catalog.pdf[/url]”>http://www.coastal.edu/media/academics/catalog/2012-2013%20Undergraduate%20University%20Catalog.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Re residency…I thought I had heard that some states require you to have been a resident for a certain amount of time before you qualify for in-state tuition. You might want to check on that.</p>

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<p>NJTheatreMom–Yes, most states require a year of residency (not due to the college) before qualifying for in-state. But many states (not NJ!) have mutual agreements with other states for in-state tuition.</p>

<p>Threed, you asked “Did your kids take gap years just because they felt they needed to or because they did not get into the school of choice. Just wondered because you mentioned that they both worked “real” jobs and did not do a whole lot extra as far as training. If a student does not get into their school of choice, I know there are alot of factors, but if they wanted to work on getting in the next year shouldn’t they be “training” to get better.”</p>

<p>I don’t know if this will answer your question: My older D did get into the schools of her choice at the time, RISD and MICA–but RISD ended up not giving ANY grant/scholarship so it was out of the question (the acceptance went, basically, “Congratulations! You can now borrow $50,000/year!”). MICA gave as generously as they could, and we probably could have done it but by that time, my D had decided she wasn’t sure she wanted a BFA in art anyway. She decided to take a gap year to re-consider, and deferred MICA. During the year, she worked as I said. She also planned and paid for her own three week trip to England by herself, staying in hostels and working on archaeological digs. She had also won a few art awards that gave her classes, so she took the classes. And she finished her novel. At the end of the year she had decided she wanted a BA in a LAC. She got into Williams and is currently in her Junior year. </p>

<p>My other D took the gap year because she just felt she needed a break in the intensity between high school and college, and also because it had ended up working out so well for her older sister. During the year, she worked two jobs, took a German class at a community college because she needed more language, took adult acting classes at a local professional theatre, interned at a professional theatre, and landed roles at two different community theatres. </p>

<p>I don’t know if this answers your question. Neither girl had extensive extra training, but they did have training; but they were very focused and much more mature going into the process and their essays were terrific, if I don’t say so myself. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>There are many ways to do this. I do have to say that if you do take a gap year, you should WANT to take the gap year. We had all sorts of nay-sayers around us. My ex-in-laws were really rude, and kept trying to tell my girls something was clearly the matter with them and they needed therapy because they weren’t going immediately into college (even though they were happy). And several other people made snarky comments. Plus, their friends were away at college. You have to really be confident in yourself and know you’re making the right decision for yourself. That’s why it’s not a good idea to take the gap year only because you don’t get in where you want; you should also have a positive goal you’re reaching toward because positives are much more sustaining than negatives, in my opinion.</p>

<p>If you wanted more extensive training during the gap year, you could easily take any number of courses at any number of very excellent conservatories and summer programs–there are a lot of choices all across the country and in Great Britain and Canada (discussed in other threads). They would be expensive but if you had the money that would certainly give your child more experience. To answer your question, if you trained at a conservatory (say you trained at Circle in the Square or Stella Adler, or took courses at BADA or where ever) you would not be earning college credits, so you would still be considered a Freshman.</p>

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<p>I love cc and the parents here on the theatre forum are especially amazing. I also, by nature, don’t believe in sugar-coating the sometimes harsher side of making a life in films/theatre. When a parent considers the cost of college and then realistically looks towards their student’s ultimate career earnings in the theatre/film, it’s not a predictable path. Since you mention the fact your daughter is turned off of programs with heavier academic requirements, her certainty she wants to act in film, and your/her reluctance to spend money to go to a less desired program that doesn’t fit her should her top choices prove out of reach, you may want to consider if college is the right path for her at this point. This is not a comment you will often read on CC–because we are here to support students who want a college education as well as great training in theatre arts. But each person has different goals/needs.</p>

<p>Pros for college:
One reason to get a 4-year degree is to have a strong liberal arts education beyond acting so that she will have broader professional options later in her life. Most theatre BFAs and BAs include classes in tech and theatre history as well as performance-oriented training. Most universities also have core GE requirements. And most of the major courses required involve stage theatre, not film, as you noted. But speaking up for a solid education in theatre, some might suggest that after receiving an undergrad BA in theatre from and LAC followed by an MFA in Theatre Meryl Streep made quite a successful transition to acting in films with perhaps only a few Acting for the Screen courses in her curriculum. The point: studying theatre is a solid basis for anyone interested in pursuing acting in all forms. However, even if you can find a school that focuses mostly on film acting and avoids many of the GEs, NO degree in any way advantages a young graduate when it comes to getting cast and working as an actress in professional feature films. </p>

<p>Pros for no college:
Those few young actors who do break out and win top roles often have not had any schooling past high school. Since you are in research mode, take a look at the paths of Jennifer Lawrence, Lily Collins, and other current young leading ladies in film. No college. An actor’s ability to get cast and excel in film / tv acting seems less dependent on years of rigorous training than on other ephemeral aspects such as innate talent, emotional transparency, beauty, body type, marketability, screen presence, the right connections, the “it” factor, and luck. There is a premium on young and beautiful ingenues and postponing moving to Hollywood for 4-5 young years for college delays testing the waters. </p>

<p>Honestly, any young woman who passionately wants to act in film/tv only (and is not at all interested in getting a full college education) might be better served to move to Los Angeles, get a day job, find training or workshops, and most important, land an agent and start going on auditions. This might even be done during a gap year, to see if this field really appeals. OTOH, if she is not ready to move out on her own, starting any good college program will help her find her housing and peers her age to live with and begin to act with. But that college experience comes with a heftier price tag, a commitment to doing well in all academic classes, and only a tangential relevance to starting a career in film.</p>

<p>There is a lot to think about and getting a teenager to be realistic about her education/future in film acting can be challenging. Good luck to OP!!</p>

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<p>I don’t know how much I can contribute because we are not yet to “the other side.” My DD just finished her last audition yesterday and now the wait begins. Although this is contrary to what others recommend, I suggest you visit as many schools as you affordably can as early as you can. On a spring break in my daughter’s sophomore year, we visited the in-laws in North Carolina. Within an hour drive of there we were able to visit a large state school (UNC), a medium-sized private school (Elon), a highly selective private (Duke) and a conservatory (UNCSA). Although none of these schools was seriously being considered, my D was able to distinguish what all of those descriptors meant. From there we were able to start planning. Once we picked her solid ten, it was too tempting to add “just one more” when she learned where her friends were applying. I would suggest to avoid that, as most of those added applications were soon eliminated any way after paying the application fees.</p>

<p>My other advice is do not underestimate how competitive some of the schools are. We also learned that some students got offers for highly competitive programs the summer before before the “public” auditions began.</p>

<p>Finally, figure out what makes your student “tick.” My daughter wants the stimulation and experience of a “real” college so stand-alone conservatories were eliminated. She is now focused on academically competitive schools in an urban setting. Do all of her schools meet that criteria? No, she has cast a wider net than that, but the ones she has focused on seem to meet that criteria–including her non-audition safety.</p>

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<p>“Those few young actors who do break out and win top roles often have not had any schooling past high school. Since you are in research mode, take a look at the paths of Jennifer Lawrence, Lily Collins, and other current young leading ladies in film. No college.”</p>

<p>I don’t know about you guys, but once I find out a young successful actor is the child/niece etc of someone famous, I stop inquiring about how “they made it”. Lily Collins is Phil Collins daughter. Enough said.</p>

15

<p>There’s some great conversations going on here so I’ll just add two comments:</p>

<p>1) While there is a difference between stage acting and film/tape acting most CDs and Agents like to see theatre training. It’s always easier to “calm down” a stage actor than “pull out” a film actor. The basics are the same, the tweaking is why many schools include film acting specifically as just one course. Many schools with impressive theatre programs also have impressive film programs and take the actors for their productions from the theatre department which gives theatre students film credits for their resumes and material for their reels.</p>

<p>2) I’m not going to try to convince you that your daughter is missing out on a good number of really great programs by automatically eliminating non-audition BFA and BA programs, that’s you business and your decision. But as many have said, it is a very competitive ordeal getting into an audition program and if you need some sort of financial aid in addition that just adds another whole complication to the whole process. But, if your daughter would rather take a gap year than open up more options, then I would suggest she perhaps look into a year long program at a well respected conservatory for her gap year. None of the credits or classes will carry over to her college in the end but she will get great training that will help her with the college audition process the following year. If it’s okay with you, she may decide to continue at the conservatory for a second year and be done with higher education. And yes, many offer financial aid, loans, scholarships, etc.</p>

<p>I guess what I’m saying is that you need to have a clear picture of the “what if?” What if she doesn’t get into any audition program, what, specifically, is the alternative? At the least, she must continue to train at least a few times a week, at the most, she could go full time at a conservatory. (CAP21 for example)</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>PS - You might want to look at Backstage - they have a few issues that offer different conservatory-type options and the different programs they offer. You might not need it (hopefully not) but again, you should be prepared.</p>

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<p>I’m interested in the fact that so many kids audition for so many schools and get into very few of them - or don’t get into auditioned schools at all. I know that those schools are super selective, but also in most of those auditions there is a tiny interview that follows, in which the student can show how much he/she is interested in the program and what is he/she looking for in a school. I believe that choosing schools that match your “profile” is very important. As I said before, I talked to a lot of students currently enrolled in the schools I’m applying to and they all told me that it’s more important to show interest, passion and willingness to learn than to deliver your monologues perfectly. Auditors don’t expect to find 18-year-old Meryl Streeps. You do have to show that you have worked hard and, if any instructions are given to you, that you are able to take directions.</p>

<p>I’m talking to a girl from my home country that attends one of the colleges I’m applying to and she said that she auditioned for 5 competitive colleges. She got into all of them except Juilliard.</p>

<p>For me, it is not a question of “how many eggs in a basket”, but which eggs. If you find a safety that you love, then it’s almost a miracle! Sometimes all you need is one “safety”, though. I agree with skewlcounselor: you should visit all the schools first. I didn’t have this opportunity, but that’s what I would have done.</p>

<p>I’m a very “picky” applicant and I knew exactly what I was looking for in a school, so my number of applications was very very low. We’ll see if it was effective in a few weeks. If you “kinda” know what you want in a school, then I guess it’s easier to find 10 colleges that you like.</p>

<p>But now more specifically to your daughter: she knows what she wants. So I’d say don’t apply to colleges that don’t have the curriculum that will fulfill her needs. What’s the point?</p>

<p>Madbean said some important things, which are also being discussed in the “No notable alumni” thread. Why is it important to go to a good college for acting, or to go to college at all? To have a name on your resume? To make professional contacts? To get an academic education?
I think people have different reasons for doing so. I know mine. But regardless of what my reasons are, I don’t think any young girl should face having to become a waitress right after high school so she can try to get acting jobs.</p>

<p>About the gap year: we talked a lot about that, but I can say that taking a gap year (I was training during this gap year, though) was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I grew up and could think about what I wanted to do in life with less pressure. I’m glad I could take a year off to see what it’s like in “the real world” and have some sort of notion of what my life will be after college. Also, my parents wanted me to be totally independent, so I learned how to do things on my own as well (even silly things like opening a bank account and paying bills, cooking the things I like and buying groceries).</p>

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<p>And don’t believe the hype about Jennifer Lawrence, either. It’s one of those carefully constructed media images about which I’ve spoken before. Have you noticed that her family just happens to have a house in Santa Monica? Her mom’s a producer and she’s been studying acting with some of the best private coaches in the business since she was knee high to a grasshopper. People used to say the same things about DiCaprio, but it turns out he didn’t go to the bathroom without first consulting Janet Alhanti or Larry Moss for years. A lot of these people never went to college, but don’t think for a second that they aren’t trained … </p>

<p>As for the gap year thing, I’m with madbean that she may as well do it in LA or NYC if she has the maturity to pull it off. One of the criticisms of college training as it pertains to screen acting is that the actor spends his or her most marketable years in school although I personally think that really only applies to extremely gorgeous ingenue types. Craft training is definitely important, however, and for the record I already suggested a few good places to look into for that in LA here although it turned out I’d somewhat misunderstood Threed’s original post … <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/15363286-post4.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/15363286-post4.html&lt;/a&gt; And some good places in New York are Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Atlantic Acting School, Circle in the Square Theatre School, William Esper Studio, Maggie Flanigan Studio, Michael Howard Studio, The Neighborhood Playhouse, and T. Schreiber Studio. </p>

<p>The thing is, doing that really wouldn’t be much less expensive than college if you’re footing the bill for living expenses and whatnot.</p>

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<p>Threed:</p>

<p>A few things. </p>

<p>One, I would not worry about the concern that your daughter is “late” on training. Just doing a summer pre-college program last year and a summer program this year (which I know is your plan) will likely have her better prepared than most. While my daughter has done some locating acting programs for years, I think she’d say about 80-90 percent of what she knows comes from the two summer programs. </p>

<p>Two, a safety does have to be something your daughter would be happy to attend. My daughter did not apply to any non-audition safeties. We discussed it but none would make her happy. I do think having some external feedback from outside sources is important. My daughter had a few going into this and then got some final confirmation from her present audition coach (who has had lots of kids go through this processs) that she should be in good shape with have some acceptances to choose from given her present ability and the schools she applying to. </p>

<p>Third, I remain somewhat unconvinced by this tv/film is so different from stage. I would think huge parts of learning basic acting concepts are completely the same. I suppose the one big difference is that the performance “practice” is much more stage oriented but perhaps going to a school, city where there are lots of student films being made is a good way to get that practice in. </p>

<p>Fourth, I think the point that college is not for everyone needs to be on the table. We looked into for some time but concluded that my daughter was just not emotionally ready for it.</p>

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<p>

That’s really only true as to basic and possibly up to intermediate acting. After that, there really are profound differences. Defining them would take a lengthly essay or possibly an entire book, but I’d suggest that you read Patrick Tucker’s [Secrets</a> of Screen Acting](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Screen-Acting-Theatre-Arts/dp/0878301771/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361118198&sr=8-1&keywords=secrets+of+screen+acting]Secrets”>http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Screen-Acting-Theatre-Arts/dp/0878301771/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361118198&sr=8-1&keywords=secrets+of+screen+acting) which is the best book on the subject if you want to educate yourself about them. Just check the “Look Inside” option on Amazon and read what’s there of the Introduction for an idea. Actually, you can rent the whole book for a month for $7.06 if you have a Kindle. </p>

<p>That being said, there’s really not that profound a learning curve with all those considerations if basic acting has become reflexive which is part of why so many of our greatest screen actors come from a stage background.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the response FBF. If it is true that there is not a huge learning curve once acting has become reflexive, are students adequately prepared for film/TV through a couple of courses during a junior or senior year curriculum that work to take that reflexive acting ability and apply it to a different “presentation mode” (for lack of a better word)?</p>