Hello beautiful people! I’d love any advice on this problem that I’m having.
I am a sophomore BFA MT at a smaller, lesser known program. Most of my professors are very caring and they are incredible people, but I keep finding myself thinking that I am not getting the training that I need. I don’t think I’m being pushed enough, and sometimes I wish that I would have done the college audition process differently and gone somewhere more rigorous.
However, I have made wonderful friends here, and have connections with my teachers. My sorority and my fellow BFA MTers are what are keeping me here. It’s not that I’m not happy here, it’s just that I can’t fight this nagging feeling that I’m not getting the training that I need.
Any advice on what I should do?? Is it too late in the game to try to transfer to a different BFA MT program, and is that even worth all the hassle?
If my D asked me this question I’d point out that being happy and having friends is as valuable, more so even, than the most advanced training at the age of 19 or 20. Soak it up and know that when you graduate in 2 1/2 short years you have had a grand time, know beautiful people, have a college degree, and are ready to pursue even more studies, perhaps at a NYC studio or MFA program. In the end, you could have the best of both worlds.
I agree with @PaperTrope and will add a bit in terms of financial logic. At this point, you have realistically spent 2 years worth of tuition as I assume you would finish out your sophomore year. Although your gen-ed credits would likely transfer, most BFA or BM-MT programs would make you start over again in their artistic courses. That means, you’d have 4 more years of undergrad. If this was my son, I would encourage him to get everything he could out of the current program and consider an MFA. Consider that you could have a BFA or BM-MT in 6 years of schooling if you transfer or an MFA in 6 years if you don’t. You may also find that doing training outside a formal program works as well.
@mtstudent99 I am so sorry about your situation. Can you verbalize what exactly it is that you want you feel like you are not getting? I think that would be the first thing before we could give you advice on what to do. Is it casting? or training? And if it is training, what aspects is the program lacking? You have already invested two years, maybe leaving is not the answer if it can be fixed. Have you spoken to your faculty? Sometimes the grass looks greener and it isn’t always the case.
I would suggest meeting with some of the professors (carefully). Don’t say you don’t feel challenged - say you’re looking for ways to challenge yourself and grow even more. Is their an independent study project you could take on? More lessons you could take? Work in the community? Transferring is hard and definitely extends your timeline to graduation. I like the suggestions to shoot for an MFA program if you want more rigor as well - remember this is a long term commitment. The average age for a Broadway debut is 28/29 - you’ve got time.
Since you love your school and the people there, I’m not sure transferring is the answer. I think instead what you need to do is figure out how to supplement the training you are getting with more intensive study in particular areas . Some ideas are::
If dance is an area you feel you need to improve, consider doing a summer semester at Broadway Dance Center or someplace similar in NYC. A lot of dance programs offer intensives during the summer. There are also some other places like TPAP, BTP and Circle in the Square that offer summer programs in musical theater which would work on singing, dancing and acting.
Consider taking part in some of the reputable summer acting intern programs. In addition to providing performance opportunities, they also provide master classes and other training. I’m thinking places like Williamstown, Barrington, Weathervane,Hangar and others. Some of these have a fee to participate. But you get good training and some even offer EMC points as well. Just make sure the ones you choose are reputable. There are some that are not so great. I would check out the gig and tell section of audition update to learn more about different theaters.
Take private voice or dance lessons outside of your school, or in addition to the classes you are already taking. Or if you are not already, join and perform with a choral group on campus.
Audition for and hopefully perform in shows outside of your school. Or act in student productions and films. This acting practice is great for improving your skills. it also may give you some things to add to your resume. I know at my Ds school, there were several very well respected local theatre organizations that even offered equity points. Students did have to get approval from the school to participate in productions outside of school as there were sometimes conflicts with school performances or classes. But the experiences were top notch. I think it is also nice to get direction and perspective from different directors so this allows you to do that as well. If you go home for the summer, consider doing local community theater in your hometown during the summer. Or of course, audition for summer stock. There are a lot o great jobs out there.
Get a job that allows you to perform. At Ds school, a lot of students worked for a company that provided fairytale and superhero characters for events. Others performed at a local theme park. Others performed in a murder-mystery theater company. Some others were wedding singers. These are ways to hone your performing skills while earning some $. I know its not the intensive training you desire, but it is a way to get more performing under your belt.
Most of these things cost money. But I think it would be at far less of a cost than trying to transfer schools where you may have to repeat a year or more in order to get in all the training the new school would require.
It’s not too late to transfer. One of the students at the NYU Parents’ Day was a junior transfer (drama, not MT). He said he started at “year 1” studio training but because all his non-studio classes transferred he was going to be able to graduate in 3 years, so he only lost a year. Still a big expense but not a total loss.
I know everyone is saying “the grass is always greener” and that’s true - being socially happy at a school counts for a lot! But let’s face it - this is pre-professional training. If a pre-med complained their science classes were too easy and they weren’t going to be prepared for med school, few people would be saying “…but you have friends there!”. It’s a tough call to leave a school where you’re happy but imo for the time and energy you’re investing in this degree you want to be confident you’re getting the best training for you. I’d look into the schools you feel you missed out on and figure out whether transferring is possible/affordable. It can’t hurt to investigate and then you can make an informed decision.
A note on @vvnstar 's post about NYU. It is true that you only need 3 years of studio to graduate - but they would start a transfer with 1st years - and year 4 is really where the largest volume of performance and professional opportunities happen. D went to NYU with a fat stack of AP credits - and could easily have been done with requirements and graduated after 3 years. That would have been great from a $$ standpoint - but we did not want her to miss out on what we thought of as the “finale” of what NYU had to offer (in that you have worked your way up to those opportunities), so she did 4 years there. Just something to consider
A note on @vvnstar 's post about NYU. It is true that you only need 3 years of studio to graduate - but they would start a transfer with 1st years - and year 4 is really where the largest volume of performance and professional opportunities happen. D went to NYU with a fat stack of AP credits - and could easily have been done with requirements and graduated after 3 years. That would have been great from a $$ standpoint - but we did not want her to miss out on what we thought of as the “finale” of what NYU had to offer (in that you have worked your way up to those opportunities), so she did 4 years there. Just something to consider
I agree with all of @vvnstar ‘s suggestions. One of my D’s coaches during the audition process said to her, “there are no perfect programs”…there will always be trade offs. We really thought about that. This coach had gone to a top program and was not happy there. During the audition process, while my daughter was very focused on program/best training (or what she thought was the best) over the school/location choice, at the very end we really emphasized she needed to select where she was going to be most happy. That had a major influence on her final choice. We told her we would supplement her training in any way that she thought she needed, so she could customize her path (which was financially feasible). She loves her school and program, but there is no one-size-fits-all (even the MT students in her program have different needs and career goals). She takes additional dance training outside the requirements and is planning on career-focused summers.
@TheaterMAMA1 Our D applied to and was accepted to BTP - before some of the directors separated from them and formed TPAP. (This was 8 or so years ago) She also was accepted to another summer program that year and ultimately decided to attend there instead. (mPulse at University of Michigan). We did know friends who attended BTP that year that had a great experience. The one person I can remember that attended that year ultimately ended up at Texas State. So I believe there was quality talent there. And we have subsequently had other friends attend BTP in other years who also had good experiences there in the summer. They also did things with BTP after the summer. For example, some of them were invited to NYC to be in a cabaret style program at 54 Below in the winter. So I do think BTP offers some great training and great opportunities.
I have not looked into these summer programs recently since our D is graduated and working now so you should check on current details. But the year we decided not to do BTP it was manly due to our Ds age. At the time, BTP was open to high schoolers through age 25 or so. And they were housed in a hotel. Our D was young for her class and only 15 years old at the time. Because of her young age, we felt the more structured environment on a college campus would be better for her at that time. In hindsight, I know people who attended who had no issues with the age range or the accommodations at BTP and said all was well supervised.
Having said all that, the person we were most in contact with at BTP is now part of TPAP. And I have heard tremendous things about that program also. So certainly one to consider as well. And while our D did two campus based summer programs during high school (OCU and mPulse), I think going to one that gave a broader view of many different programs would have been worthwhile also. Truly good experiences can be had at all of these programs. Sometimes it can come down to timing, location and budget as to which one best suits your child
Last thing I will say about summer programs - we decided the summer between Ds junior and señor year in high school to use the funds we would have spent on a summer program, to work with a coach who could help with school lists, monologue and song selection, etc… We also had the opportunity though our coach (Mary Anna Dennard) to do master classes with some of the heads of various college programs if we wanted. We did one of those because it was convenient to where we were at the time. But we did not make any special trips to do the master classes. I do think for that summer prior to auditioning, hiring a coach was the best use of those funds for us as D felt extremely prepared for applications and auditions when they rolled around.
woah! you are NOT the first to mention her name! I hear great things. I will look into TPAP, and I appreciate the feedback. I do know they have a few acting scouts etc involved this year, and it seems this yeat BTP has a lot in store. Did you feel the coaching online was helpful? Makes me nervous utilizing a website for this, but I have also heard so much positive! Did you all do Moonified?
@TheaterMAMA1 We had no issues working with Moo online. We are not near Texas so it was a must for us. We worked with her via Skype. and then worked with her associate, a vocal coach who was based in NYC, via Skype also for song selection. He was fabulous. We did have opportunity to work in person with her once while in Texas. And likewise, worked with the vocal coach in NYC once in person when there on another trip. But we certainly could have done it all online if needed. And her online video training is excellent and gives you great, detailed information and instruction about all different parts o the audition process. It was nice to have everything online to refer back to whenever we wanted. (especially if you were stressing at some odd hour of the night when you couldn’t call someone to ask a question!) Y
If nothing else, I would grab a copy of her book, “I Got In!”. It is a tremendous resource. We took it with us to all of Ds auditions. I would follow her on her company Facebook also. She posts fantastic videos with short explanations of different parts of the audition process and how to best prepare.
We did attend Moonifieds and cannot speak highly enough of that experience. So well organized. And a great way to get those first auditions under your belt. D met her first year college roommate there. And made so many acquaintances that were great support during audition season. She almost always knew at least one person at all of her auditions. And many are still friends to this day. D also received a couple of early acceptances at Moonifieds which took the pressure off the rest of audition season.
I know there is always a big debate about coaching. Our D benefited from the personal attention and one on one coaching she received. Particularly since nobody in our area was well-versed in college auditions. But we did have to choose between a summer program or coaching. We could not afford to do both. So each family has to determine what their needs are and what works best for them.