College Discussion - View Single Post

mtdog71 · 11-17-2005, 11:39 AM

There seems to be a lot of discussion about rankings and statistics.

Stats - I've had several post grad stats classes as I got an MBA, as well as an MS in Counseling.

You know what a really great statist would be - not that schools would willingly provide such a stat.

"What percentage of persons you admit into your MT freshman class end up making a professional life in the theatre?"

This would answer several very salient questions. It is salient to incoming freshmen because it would more accurately reflect the true success rate of persons in their current position - and schools that accept far more persons than they intend to graduate (those that have adjudication policies) would not fare as well in this sort of statistic.

Ranking - I am unaware of any "official rankings" - and as several have mentioned throughout these posts - I would be interested to know how anyone's "official rankings" were derived. Even if such a list existed one has to look at relative value - everyone would agree that a law degree from Harvard or Yale is impressive - yet there are legions of successful, even influencial, lawyers who went to Penn State, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, and seventy other law schools.

That gets us to reality.

There are several reality issues here:
- Being admitted as a freshman to some (in no order and omitting many) great schools like Boston Conservatory, CCM, Ithica, NYU, OCU, Point Park, SU, or any school does not guarantee you will work in ths business. I know many would like an assurance like that - but it simply does not work that way.
- Unless your Uncle Shelly knows the producer - a lot of casting that goes on has to do with your audition. How you audition has, often, to do with how well you have prepared/been prepared by your training. I admit, having graduated from a well recognized program can be helpful - especially if the casting director, perhaps, graduated from the same institution. But there is far less unanimity as to which the "hot" programs are then has been implied at times. Again, this is a what have you done for me lately business - and some of the newer programs are getting a lot of play.
- It is true that a great program that has existed for 36 years will have more sucessful grads than a great program that has existed for 6 years.
- The name of the institution you trained at will have diminishing (rapidly diminishing) value in your casting after your first "break" - after that, your talent, attitude, work ethic, positive connections you make - basically your "rep" will have far more to do with whether you are cast the next time. Also, when it comes down to it another "rep" - your professional representation (agent) will also profoundly impact your career - but that is a post-graduate discussion.
- Does everyone in this group have unlimited financial resources? There is a question of bang for your buck in some households. This could be a reason some might be looking for a solid, strong MT program, with successful alumni where the tuition is under 20k a year.

As always, and I think everyone agrees - it comes down to the "fit" for each student.

11-17-2005, 11:39 AM	#37
mtdog71 Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Threads: 1 Posts: 172	stats/rankings/reality There seems to be a lot of discussion about rankings and statistics. Stats - I've had several post grad stats classes as I got an MBA, as well as an MS in Counseling. You know what a really great statist would be - not that schools would willingly provide such a stat. "What percentage of persons you admit into your MT freshman class end up making a professional life in the theatre?" This would answer several very salient questions. It is salient to incoming freshmen because it would more accurately reflect the true success rate of persons in their current position - and schools that accept far more persons than they intend to graduate (those that have adjudication policies) would not fare as well in this sort of statistic. Ranking - I am unaware of any "official rankings" - and as several have mentioned throughout these posts - I would be interested to know how anyone's "official rankings" were derived. Even if such a list existed one has to look at relative value - everyone would agree that a law degree from Harvard or Yale is impressive - yet there are legions of successful, even influencial, lawyers who went to Penn State, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, and seventy other law schools. That gets us to reality. There are several reality issues here: - Being admitted as a freshman to some (in no order and omitting many) great schools like Boston Conservatory, CCM, Ithica, NYU, OCU, Point Park, SU, or any school does not guarantee you will work in ths business. I know many would like an assurance like that - but it simply does not work that way. - Unless your Uncle Shelly knows the producer - a lot of casting that goes on has to do with your audition. How you audition has, often, to do with how well you have prepared/been prepared by your training. I admit, having graduated from a well recognized program can be helpful - especially if the casting director, perhaps, graduated from the same institution. But there is far less unanimity as to which the "hot" programs are then has been implied at times. Again, this is a what have you done for me lately business - and some of the newer programs are getting a lot of play. - It is true that a great program that has existed for 36 years will have more sucessful grads than a great program that has existed for 6 years. - The name of the institution you trained at will have diminishing (rapidly diminishing) value in your casting after your first "break" - after that, your talent, attitude, work ethic, positive connections you make - basically your "rep" will have far more to do with whether you are cast the next time. Also, when it comes down to it another "rep" - your professional representation (agent) will also profoundly impact your career - but that is a post-graduate discussion. - Does everyone in this group have unlimited financial resources? There is a question of bang for your buck in some households. This could be a reason some might be looking for a solid, strong MT program, with successful alumni where the tuition is under 20k a year. As always, and I think everyone agrees - it comes down to the "fit" for each student.