<p>Help!!! I recently got into the UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and Television, along with Penn State, and DePaul for General Theatre Studies/ Theatre Arts. I am hoping to become a director, casting agent/director, or teacher. UCLA is $55,000 for out of state students, DePaul is $30,000, and Penn State is $28,000. UCLA is my top choice, because of it's academic standing and location. DePaul is not a college experience, and Penn State is in the middle of nowhere. Is UCLA worth it??? I mean, it could be for film or medical, but theatre!?! How many people get jobs after an undergrad? I would be $100,000 in debt at UCLA after 4 years, $20,000 at DePaul and Penn State. Is there any other ways to get $$$ to UCLA??? Thanks!!!</p>
<p>You can’t borrow $100,000 on your own, so unless you have someone who will co-sign, you won’t be going to UCLA.</p>
<p>The arts aren’t particularly well paid, so you do not want much debt at all. Penn State has a perfectly fine theatre program. DePaul is smack in the middle of a theatre-rich city. This means that you have two reasonably affordable options. If you can’t decide between them, flip a coin.</p>
<p>If the truth is that you can’t stand either of them, take a gap year while you work up a list of places you can afford and are willing to attend.</p>
<p>Yeah, I do think that being that much in debt would be detrimental to my career and life. Is there any way to negitiate the price?? I’ve also been applying for a lot of scholarships in my community / state. It’s just that it was such a big deal to get in, and now I can’t pay for it 
also, does anyone know if DePaul or Penn State would be better??? Thanks</p>
<p>* I would be $100,000 in debt at UCLA after 4 years, *</p>
<p>oh my…no! That is waaaayyyyyy toooooo much debt.</p>
<p>It sounds like UCLA already gave you aid. What is your EFC?</p>
<p>Beware of private scholarships…look at the details. They’re very likely only for freshman year. That won’t help you after your first year of school.</p>
<p>No, my number was like 38,000, so I didn’t get any money for any of my schools. My parents will give me 20,000 wherever I go. I also work durring the school year and will have a full time job over the summer, which should offset my cost by 5,000-10,000. That brings ucla tuition down to 25,000 a year, and depaul and penn state down to 5,000, although i’m already applying for a lot of scholarships in my comunity. It’s probably an ovious answer, but it ucla’s network and education worth 20,000 more? I’ve been blessed enough to have brought my tuition down to notning for the other two, is it worth a 20,000 investment on my part? I am also looking at penn state for two year then transfering, penn state or depaul for 4 years then pursuing an undergrad, or moving to ca and living there for 2 years and reapplying as a resident. Any recomendations? Also, is penn state or depaul better for theater? Thanks!</p>
<p>I would take a gap year and apply to affordable schools.</p>
<p>your chances of earning, netting, (and SAVING) $5k-10k every summer are slim…very slim.</p>
<p>My kids worked during several summers (as engineering students which pays better!) and they never saved $5k-$10k over the summer.</p>
<p>Even if you worked full time over the summer at $10 an hour (which is pretty good for a student), you’d GROSS (not NET) about $4800. That is before taxes, FICA, etc. And, that’s only if you’re always working 40 hours per week and you don’t spend a dime all summer! lol</p>
<p>Seriously, if you have the stats for UCLA then you have the stats for merit scholarships or more affordable choices elsewhere. Did you look at any of the NY publics? They’d be much cheaper. Did you look at Chapman? they’re good and give merit.</p>
<p>It is not a “$20,000 investment” - college takes four years. You need to think of it as an $80,000 investment.</p>
<p>The fact is, you cannot borrow enough money on your own to make UCLA affordable, even if it were advisable to try. You can only borrow $5,500 your freshman year - everything beyond that would have to be, at the least, co-signed by your parents.</p>
<p>Theatre is a low-paying profession and you would be extraordinarily ill-advised to get yourself mired chin-deep in debt for a degree in the field. Your parents are very generous in giving you $20,000 per year - why would you squander the opportunity to go to great schools like PSU and DePaul and graduate with very little debt?</p>
<p>And what mom2collegekids said - heck, I make about $18 per hour as a park ranger in the summer (maybe a bit more with OT and Sunday/night bonus) and I can maybe save $3,000. The idea that you can offset costs by $10,000 is pretty close to wishful thinking.</p>
<p>isby2211164
UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and Television program is 2 years long and accepts only juniors, 25 students a year both from UCLA and other universities.
Are you a college sophomore who got accepted to the program or a high school student accepted to UCLA with hope to get into program?</p>
<p>Bu the way, just for “aspiring actors” since the topic-starter applied for theater programs.</p>
<p>CA is a union state and you have to be union to get an agent and to be able to audition for decently paid jobs and not just whatever is available (including work for free/for experience/for resume).</p>
<p>I once attended a wonderful workshop and learned some interesting facts about LA actors from a very honest Hollywood producer.
If you divide all the yearly income of all the SAG actors/members residing in CA (including big stars) to number of SAG members, the average acting income would be $200 a year.
Most of aspiring actors have other sources of income, most often they drive limos or wait tables.</p>
<p>Good luck to all “aspiring actors”!</p>
<p>I’m going into the General Theatre Studies program. I would like to become a talent agent, theater director, or artistic director someday; something that combines theater with communications or buisness. Thank you all so much for your help. I might start looking at Penn State more, and keep and expensive school like that in mind for a graduate program instead of undergrad. It was just that I was so excited to get into a school like UCLA, and not going seems like i’m wasting an oportunity. Talent and Academics won’t get you into a good college today - money is the most important thing. It’s ashame: UCLA is missing out on some very outgoing and intelectual students.</p>
<p>UCLA is a state-funded school in a state that’s damn near broke. Their aid is primarily reserved for California residents with financial need.</p>
<p>The Theatre program at Penn State is very strong. State College is a college town, sort of in the middle of nowhere, but not too far a drive to Philly, Pittsburgh, or NYC. Pennsylvania Center Stage is a professional company affiliated with the school, so you would have the opportunity to work alongside professionals while in school. The faculty is also well connected and could likely help steer you in the direction of internships. </p>
<p>I know that Depaul also has a great program… I know more about Penn State because I went there for Grad School.</p>
<p>Penn State is $28,000… with your parents $20,000 that leaves $8,000 to cover. As a freshman you can take out $5,500 in loans in your name. $2,500 is a much more doable amount for you to be able to fill in with work during the summer and the year. Remember that you will need money for things like books, travel, and personal expenses as well.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>At a minimum…you should start at PSU because it’s good and inexpensive for you. If after two year, you can afford to transfer then do so.</p>
<p>Frankly, since filming in Calif has become too expensive, many other states are now the chosen locations for filming…non-union states particularly. Because of that, colleges in other states’ film programs have gotten better and better and their students are getting hands-on experiences as interns for these projects.</p>
<p>isby2211164
I am sorry, I kind of misunderstood. UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and Television program accepts 25 students in Film program, they accept more than 100 students in Theatre program.</p>
<p>I really don’t know anything about Penn State but I would suggest that later in your life when you are already at the university to register at iMDB Pro and look at their list of casting directors and agencies. Spend several day exploring websites. There are internships available. I have seen postings many times.</p>
<p>Do you think it would be worth it go go out and work in CA for two years, at Disney or Magic Mountian, and then go to UCLA independant and in state. How much better is UCLA thean Penn State and DePaul. If I gave up two years, I could attend UCLA for less than Penn State and DePaul right now …</p>
<p>I personally don’t think any theater major is worth anything unless you are ready to work as a teacher or have your own little business (acting studio, most likely for kids, they are the best customers).
If you want to spend some money on education get at least a double major in something more marketable. Degree in communication is fine, it’s really much more marketable than theatre.</p>
<p>To be a casting director or talent agent you don’t need to get degree from UCLA.
To be a theatre director…well theatre is dying in its classic form, it is very expensive to produce and it has very little audience so it is not profitable and cannot survive without big donations and contributions from loving patrons. Do you want to work in community theatre? I am not even sure these positions are paid.
We live in 21st century. Entertainment where you can make money is not theatre anymore. So if you want any position in entertainment industry as some kind of director learn how to make shows and some technical stuff (audio, laser, whatever). I am not really sure what kind of degree you would need for that.</p>
<p>“go to UCLA independent and in-state” – How old are you? While you may qualify for in-state status in terms of tuition purposes, unless you meet the requirements for independent status for financial aid you will not qualify for more aid. [FAFSA</a> Dependency Questions < FAFSA Form | FAFSA Online](<a href=“Everything You Need to Know About FAFSA | Edvisors”>Everything You Need to Know About FAFSA | Edvisors)</p>
<p>“I would like to become a talent agent, theater director, or artistic director someday; something that combines theater with communications or business.” </p>
<p>There is no reason to believe that you would get better training at UCLA than Penn State or DePaul. Even if you do ultimately want to settle in LA, Penn State (and I assume DePaul) will have alumni networks in the city. You can move to LA after you graduate. </p>
<p>If you want to become a theatre director or artistic director there is a good chance that graduate school will be in your future… at the very least you will spend a good bit of your 20s after you complete undergrad in lower paying internships and assistant positions. This is also the case for most talent agents. Keeping undergraduate debt at a minimum is wise because it will allow you more of an opportunity to take advantage of these low paying entry level positions.</p>
<p>Even if you could somehow get instate rates at some point (very hard to do before you’re 24), since it’s unlikely you’d really be solely supporting yourself…rent, car insurance, cell phone, etc, etc…the real problem is that since you did not go to a Calif high school, you won’t qualify for most of the UC aid…like Cal Grants, B&G promise, etc. </p>
<p>It’s very doubtful that even as an instate kid that you could get the $32k+ per year to go there.</p>
<p>not only that, if you were to work for 2 years supporting yourself…guess what??? Your earnings would now be too high for even a Pell Grant…or at least much of a Pell Grant. If you were to earn something like $18k as a single person, your EFC would be about $5k…and that’s beyond Pell.</p>
<p>Ya Ya,</p>
<p>I don’t think it is all “doom and gloom” for theater majors. It is certainly not a career where you are guaranteed to make a lot of money, but if you have talent and persevere you can have a career in theater.</p>
<p>Son of my children’s piano teacher was a theater major. He did not graduate from any prestigious school. I think he graduated with BA (not BFA) from University of Minnesota - Duluth (I am not sure, I will have to ask). After graduation he had to have odd jobs and live with his parents while going for auditions. It was a slow progress for him, but eventually he was able to quit his odd jobs and rely solely on his income as an actor for support. He moved out of his parents house last year and from what I see from the posters his mom proudly displays he is steadily employed in different productions and in major roles.</p>
<p>I don’t think he make a lot of money, but enough to support himself and do what he loves.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>But that’s the point. These grads often just earn enough for the basics. Not enough to pay back loans (certainly not large ones).</p>
<p>And, the plan to move to Calif, work to support himself and then get instate is full of holes…hard to get residency and his income will be too high for Pell, and he won’t qualify for state aid.</p>
<p>Either go to PSU…or if stats are high, take a gap year and reapply. Chapman gives merit and aid and is great for that major. There are other schools as well.</p>