Help! Amda or nowhere?

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
1

<p>I know that there are a million AMDA threads and believe me, I have read them all, but I still feel like a need help.</p>

<p>I auditioned for six BFA Acting programs and I was rejected from all except for AMDA.</p>

<p>A bit of info about me. I’ve only been acting for five years, just in high school shows. I’ve always gotten good roles, but in a school of less than four hundred, it’s not that hard. I had a hard time picking out audition pieces, but by crunch time, my theater teacher helped me pick out a Sam Shepard piece that I thought I did really well, but it was very different from everyone else’s pieces, which I guess ended up hindering me. My Julliard audition completely blew, my judge at NYU did not look at me once, and another monologue I performed at Emerson was definitely weaker. I thought I had a 50/50 shot at Marymount and I think I was very close for BU. The judge spend twenty minutes talking to me and had me redo my monologue ten times, ten different ways, always stopping and starting me. I had to have been close.</p>

<p>But alas, I have been rejected at BU, NYU, Julliard, Marymount and waitlisted at Emerson.</p>

<p>Which brings me to my AMDA audition. I had to audition in Boston because I couldn’t afford to make a second trip to NYC. It was at a hotel with a lot of other kids. My judge was Christian Fletcher. I thought it was going to be a cakewalk, but no way! All the people in the Acting group were marched into the room and we were told that because time was short, they had to have everyone perform one monologue. He said to make sure it was the one that showed our range best and not just the one we liked performing best or the easiest. Then, after the auditions were going, he came out after one boy was done and told a bunch of girls who were talking near the doors to “Stop talking. If this was NYC you would get in big trouble for distracting the casting director and your fellow actors. This is your time to prepare, so please do so quietly”. He seemed really tough! At NYU people were talking right in front of the doors and no one cared, but he was really serious about it. </p>

<p>Finally it was my turn. I went in the room and he looked at me, and I started. He didn’t really look at me that much, he was looking in my file and occasionally looked back up. But he really liked my delivery of the last two lines and had me say them again. He said he really liked the piece, that he hadn’t heard it before and thought it was beautiful and said I did a really good job. I talked about how my theater teacher found it for me. He said it was really good that I had a teacher who saw that I would be able to perform a piece like that, and could see it was a good choice for me. I told him that my teacher is a AMDA graduate and he told me to have her call the school and talk to him. He said I did a really job and that he wasn’t supposed to really talk to the actors but he really liked my performance.</p>

<p>So I got my acceptance and a $9,000 dollar scholarship, which still makes it a $25,000 commitment, but when my Dad called the school, the head of admissions said she wouldn’t hand a $9,000 scholarship to someone that they weren’t crazy about. </p>

<p>Down to my pros and cons (with information from my theater teacher (90’s student), forums, and feelings from when I visited)</p>

<p>Pros:

  1. Lots of flexibility (start in the summer, be done with the studio program in a year and half, have option to do BFA in LA)
  2. Class Structure (they have groups of students who stay together throughout the program, usually based on talent, with a high scholarship I have a chance of being in one of the really good groups)
  3. Real life experience (I’ve been a bit sheltered and this would give me a chance to get to know NYC and get used to living on my own, buy my own food, maybe get a job, have to find my way to classes from dorm when you can’t be even a minute late to class)
  4. All theater, All the time (Now I’m mad smart, but I know I need more acting classes than academic classes, all day classes, the class titles sound fascinating!)
  5. Price (Isn’t really all that bad, even if it’s a bit stiff, $25,000 isn’t that bad for a “college”, I’m not getting many better offers from anywhere else)
  6. Safety Net (If I don’t like it, I can leave by the end of summer and only be out of a semester’s worth of cash, a small price to pay to know I can’t handle a full day of acting, I can go to a conventional school without any regrets)
  7. NYC
  8. Meeting professionals that could potentially hire me. (I’m pretty likable when I’m not posting four page rants on College Confidential at 10 o’clock at night!)
    Cons
  9. Reputation (I have been told so many things, AMDA reps say it has a good reputation, some graduates say it’s good or that it really doesn’t matter, and some say run far far away)
  10. Housing (My teacher told me it sucks, older students say it sucks, but more recent students say it’s getting better, and lots say to suck it up, it’s NYC)
  11. Acceptance rate (like 75%, but only three were accepted from Boston and their was at least 20 kids for the Acting program alone, not that many audition, like 1400 and about 1000 are accepted and only 400 choose to go, which isn’t ridiculous, but then again, I don’t want to be at a school with people who either have no idea what they are doing or don’t care, one girl at the audition didn’t know the monologue had to be from a published play. If she’s in my group, I’ll really be worried)
  12. Administration (I have had a hard time dealing with my admission rep. He’s always out of the country and so it has been hard to forward my concerns to him. Is that what’s it’s like with faculty too? Because I’ve heard that teachers often leave. Some say the transitions are good, others say it’s bad)</p>

<p>I promise I’ll stop typing soon, but this is more for me to get my thoughts down and get a direct response to my problems then trying to use the other threads for other problems.</p>

<p>I’m eighteen years old, not a lot of experience, not a lot of theater in my city (except for the community college that only does musicals and the crazy religious church), and I’ve been sheltered. I need a place that will let me grow up and break out of my shell while still giving me a place to live and study. I need a place that will give me a lot of acting classes to help me with my physicality and audition skills. I also need to learn more about the business because the Internet only gets you so far! I need some prep before I’m thrown out into the world on my butt. It would have been ideal if I could have gotten a BFA from Boston University, but it wasn’t in the cards. I have always had a feeling that I would be in this place, heavily considering AMDA, but after all the negative reviews I have read, I cannot be certain about my decision.</p>

<p>My feelings have always been that I may not have the immediate skills and experience necessary to do what I want, but no one can outwork me. I’m no quitter and I want to learn more about my craft. I’m ready to be rejected for ten years before getting a small speaking role in an off-off Broadway show. I’m ready to wait tables for the rest of my life. If I get to perform (auditioning counts!) and I can at least keep a roof over my head, I’m happy. I have a pretty face and a good body. I know how to listen and have a stage presence. I am good at supporting roles and lead roles. Maybe not professional, but I can only get better. I feel like AMDA might be the right choice for me, and everyone I talk to, including my parents and theater teacher feel that it would be a good fit. But when I read the negative reviews on the Internet, I can’t help but feel sick at the thought of spending thousands of dollars to learn nothing or leave with a certificate of BFA that is worthless and doesn’t help me at all. I just don’t want to waste my town and come back to MA with my tail between my legs and thousands of dollars in the hole. But if I go to AMDA I don’t think I’ll come back and I’ll learn something, even if it’s not $25,000 worth of something.</p>

<p>Someone talk to me please! Argue or agree or tell the same stories everyone else does, but please, I feel really alone and need some help from people who have half an idea what they are talking about and not just tell me I’m going to get an Oscar no matter where I go to school. I don’t want to be pet on the head, I want advice.</p>

<p>Sorry this is so long!</p>

2

<p>Hmm, you have a big choice. I might have missed something, but what other schools (academic wise) did you get in? From what it sounds like, you seem very academically centered, and my first thought would be for you to go to a school with better academics and maybe double major/minor in theatre. It is not necessary to get a degree in theatre, regardless of what some say… I’m sure others will comment on other aspects of this post, but because i don’t know AMDA too well, i’ll let them reply about specifics!</p>

3

<p>The only other school I got into was Umass Amherst. They have a decent BA theater program that I could double major with, but I feel like it won’t help me with learning about the industry and wont prepare me for an actor’s life. If I go there, I dont think I’ll pursue being a professional actress, I will basically let go of my dream and do Nutrition. But the more I think about going to a regular academic college, the less it appeals to me. I know I don’t have to have a degree to be an actor, but I need training and I need a safe place to stay while I learn.</p>

4

<p>I don’t know you but from your posting I would suggest UMass Amherst over AMDA. It sounds to me, as it does to atopthefence, that you seem academically centered and, although it doesn’t seem like it right now, you might feel lacking if you gave up all academics. There is a boy from our high school who is at UMass Amherst for acting and he’s have a great experience, plus with the college consortium you’ve got Hampshire, Amherst, Mt Holyoke, and Smith which should give you many options for experience and exposure to the field.</p>

<p>You will also have the summers to take classes if you desire more intense training or feel something lacking at UMass. Many studios in NY have summer intensives for college students and there’s summer stock also.</p>

<p>I suggest you go to the admitted students program at UMass and ask them hard questions, then make your decision. If you can’t attend the admitted students program then call the department and ask to speak to some students.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

5

<p>Oh, goodness, if you were my kid, I would say run, don’t walk, to Amherst. GREAT school and a very good theater program and certainly, opportunities to perform in plays and musicals and scenes. But also a great opportunity to get a really top-notch intellectual education, which will hold you in good stead when you begin to apply what you have learned in acting classes onstage. Others may not agree with me, but I think the best actors are the ones who know about the world and are educated. (Needless to say, I also think well educated people make the best citizens and that having a good academic education will pay off as you go through your life.) I know that it is very difficult to resist having your head turned by a big scholarship to an acting program where you feel wanted and singled out. But New York City and the theater scene (and auditions) will be there when you finish at Amherst in four years. I would really urge you to think carefully before turning down Amherst for AMDA, though I know a number of young performers who came out of AMDA and are getting work. This isn’t about running down AMDA. It’s about understanding the value of a really good academic education at a place where you can also train and get experience in theater. Good luck!</p>

6

<p>I dont really know how to feel anymore. I took one college course at Fitchburg state and I honestly don’t know if I could handle doing a lot of those. It was an intro to psych course and it was mind numbingly easy and i hated how long the class was. I know at Umass I would still have to sit through a lot of those especially if I wanted to double major. </p>

<p>Some of the benefits for Umass would be that it is pretty cheap for me to go there, I would be able to work over the summer, and their program is pretty well respected for a BA program.</p>

<p>But some of my cons are that it is a huge school, the prerequisite courses, and that I feel I wouldn’t learn a lot about the industry. Also, I have a feeling that after I left Amherst I would be too afraid to pursue acting. I feel if I don’t jump in now, I won’t do it later. At least if I go to AMDA no one will try to convince me to stop trying to be a professional. I feel like if I get another degree then my parents will expect me to go into that degree instead of being uncertain about work. At least if I go to Amda and wait tables for a few years, no one will try to make me take a “real” job. I know it sounds dumb, but my family is full of engineers and scientists and if I graduate from Umass they’ll be expecting me to get a job for a real college graduate and not busing tables. If I go to amda they might be more supportive of me trying to get professional work.</p>

<p>I don’t know how to feel any more. On one hand, I would get an idea of a full theater schedule immediately in NYC at a program that might not be the best, or I could get a really varied theater program that I would probably enjoy at Umass but in a completely different, regular college environment and I would have a backup degree, but have a much greater chance of coping out and not going through with my dream. It’s still really tough to choose.</p>

7

<p>If your parents are supportive of you attending AMDA and are willing to foot the bill, then I don’t know why you wouldn’t give it a try. My D has a good friend there who is loving it. His parents were supportive of his attendance. OTOH, my H and I told our D that we would not support her attending AMDA or NYCDA. It was important to us that she get a degree from a university. But, if that is not important to YOUR parents, then what does it matter what I think.</p>

8

<p>cowzingrass, the advice the other parents are giving you about UMass makes sense, but it’s also true that you are young and now is the time to follow your dreams. You seem to have a strong connection to AMDA. You can enroll in college and get a degree any time. My ophthalmologist, a successful surgeon, had an entire first career as a dancer for Alvin Ailey. I know two men who are highly successful lawyers who had first careers as symphonic musicians. I could go on and on. Nothing will prevent you from getting a university degree later, if you want it. I admit that I have not encouraged my daughter (11th grade) to look at schools like AMDA, but one of her friends is there now (began in January) and he loves it.</p>

9

<p>Sounds like you know what you want to do and, if your parents are supportive, I say go for it, especially if you and your parents both feel like you are mature enough for adventure. I have a friend who, for high school graduation, received a one-way ticket to Italy for a graduation present to go study Italian so she could be a better opera singer. No plans, not even a place to live. Just landed in Florence to pursue the language and the arts. She stayed there for four years, came home and went to boston conservatory. if you can’t do something like that now, when will you do it?</p>

10

<p>Although I do not know too much about AMDA, I will say one thing: I know quite a few people who go there, and none of them are very good at all (I have performed with all these people, so I have a pretty good idea of their skills). From this, I can assume that the program isn’t that great. I’m assuming that because of your scholarship you would be one of the better students at the school, and being in class with people who are better than you is incredibly beneficial.
Also, you probably know this already, but AMDA does not let you audition/perform while you are in school.</p>

11

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<p>First, I can assure you that no school, no matter how reputable the program, can fully prepare you for “the actor’s life.” You might learn things about what it will be like but honestly you have to live it to really get it. And you have to be very passionate and creative and driven to continue to live it. </p>

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<p>Sounds like you have the drive. But then…</p>

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<p>I don’t understand these conflicting statements. Why would attendance at either school affect whether you have the drive to pursue your dream? The fact that you feel as though you are only capable of pursuing it if and only if you attend AMDA makes me question whether you are truly capable of it of it in the first place. I mean, why would having a double major and a degree stop you from auditioning after you graduate? Yes, you can enroll in college and get a degree at any time but you can also wait tables and audition at any time. And you can get further acting training at any time as well. </p>

<p>I think that you talked yourself into thinking that you “needed” a BFA to live the life you want. And unfortunately you didn’t get into any of the programs except one that you have some serious reservations about hence this thread. I don’t think that you are seeing clearly the value of a BA program so let me remind you that you said yourself when discussing UMass Amherst’s program that it was well respected and varied and that you would probably enjoy it. Perhaps you might consider attending UMass Amherst and then pursuing an MFA or a certificate program after graduating? There are numerous excellent training opportunities in NYC, many in programs you wouldn’t have any reservations attending. You are making this into an all or nothing decision about your life and it just doesn’t have to be.</p>

<p>The last suggestion I have for you is that you schedule visits at both schools and see if you can sit in on classes. That should help you with your decision. Good luck! :)</p>

12

<p>If all you want is to be a performer, and if you have the talent, and this school has the curriculum you need and desire - go for it. It will be a narrow education, but just because this is what you choose to do now, will not keep you from pursuing other things later if neccesary or desired. Not everyone goes to school for a liberal arts education. You have engineers who have a narrow course, you have now schools designed to teach only game development, and some in bookkeeping and finance. Yes this is a specailized school and you will not be exposed to the same things students at other schools are, but if you need and want to learn the craft of Musical theater, or acting, or dance, and are not curious at this time about the other things out there to learn, I am sure you will pick up a lot from AMDA that will hold you in good stead if you decide to move into another field later. good luck to you</p>

13

<p>I want to thank everyone who was kind enough to respond to my thread and give me advice during a very desperate and scary time for me. Please know that I considered everyone’s advice and went back and forth for a long time.</p>

<p>I have made my final decision, and I will be attending AMDA’s summer session.</p>

<p>My parents and I talked with my theater teacher (the AMDA grad) and she helped ease a lot of my concerns. She believes AMDA would be a good fit for me. Right now, my drama club is doing a production of The Children’s Hour. I am playing Mary Tildford and she is playing my grandmother. She is absolutely wonderful and if I was able to improve my skills to get to her level I would be very proud of myself.</p>

<p>Also, I realize that I am coming from a very different high school than the other kids who are applying to NYU, BU, and even Marymount. I am coming from a small charter school. My graduating class is 38. My school is founded on learning the basics of every topic very well and doing hands-on project based learning rather than teach directly to the DOE’s guidelines. This has worked extremely well for me. I feel that I have a mastery of many topics that are necessary for the real world. My writing has improved leaps and bounds, as well as my math skills. </p>

<p>But my school has to have a worse reputation than AMDA. Every year we have one or two articles written by newspapers all over the state that talk about how underachieving our school is. Here’s some quotes from these articles from former Board of Trustees members and parents:</p>

<p>“I think the potential for the school is really fantastic. But as it stands now, it really does fall under the radar,” Thomas said. “That’s just not right. People have sent their kids there out of trust.”</p>

<p>"…met none of the academic goals it set for itself when it opened five years ago, according to a recent state report.</p>

<p>The report criticizes the school for its poor standardized test scores, incomplete curriculum, inadequate teaching materials, inconsistent expectations for student performance and ineffective leadership.</p>

<p>“One of the reasons (students like the school) is because they perceive it as easier,”</p>

<p>“Students are taught they have a voice, but this can backfire if students think they can always get their way, Thomas said.”</p>

<p>*The school has consistently underperformed the state in MCAS scores, and sometimes underperformed Fitchburg, even though 10 times as many students in Fitchburg’s other public schools speak English as a second language.</p>

<p>And the worst part of these articles is definitely this quote here:</p>

<p>“The kids who do well at the charter school would do well if you set them down in the middle of a cabbage patch,”</p>

<p>But I’ve done well there and can’t imagine going to a better school. Today I presented my senior project power point and I covered forty hours worth of research on social commentary in film in a thirty minute presentation and I knocked it out of the park. I have learned how to be self-sufficient and learn even when isn’t breathing down my neck. I have learned to go above and beyond what is expected of me. I’ll do fine at AMDA.</p>

<p>Sure are there untalented kids at AMDA, probably. Are there kids who are slackers at my school, you bet. Does that effect my education: not really. </p>

<p>I am going to do what makes me happy, and take classes I want to take.</p>

<p>Also, Umass has actually lost my financial aid information and I have been playing phone tag since April to try to get a hold of it, but no one seems to be able to help me, not even in the financial aid office. At this point, I’m a little annoyed and talking to friends of mine at the school in various majors, I don’t think it’s right for me. Being in classes three times the size of my graduating class probably will freak me out a bit.</p>

<p>Thanks again for all your help and allowing another one of my freakishly long posts :)</p>

14

<p>Hey cowzingrass.
I just finished reading your post about AMDA. so i created a profile so I could respond to you. and hopefully you haven’t ditched this site and will read this at some point. </p>

<p>I’m no creeper, but a lot of what you said is the exact position that i am in. Except that i am 20, and a male. I live in alabama, there’s not much goin on for this state. My goal in life is to be on Saturday Night Live. and if that doesnt work out, i’ll either work for starbucks forever, or do something with nurtition, i love nutrition. </p>

<p>Let’s get back on the reason i messaged you…</p>

<p>I had never heard of AMDA up until around Nov of 2011. my friend was a huge Jason DeRulo fan, googled him and found out he went there, so she became obsessed with the school. she didn’t know anything about it, but because he went there, she loved it. then she started telling me about it and mentioned i should audition for the acting portion. Now i was originally planning to move out to LA or NYC and pursure acting on my own, get with an agency and try my luck. Because i was fed up with school, i sat in class (still sit in class) and stare at the board wondering why i dont walk out, and fly to a city and pursure my dream. </p>

<p>LONG STORY SHORT…</p>

<p>I applied to AMDA, went to atlanta, auditioned for acting, got accepted, and told me i got a scholarship (not sure how much). FYI, the only theater i’ve done is a middle school play and i was the lion in the wizard of oz. now i would love to give myself some credit and say i’m a natural actor, but it seemed a little strange a university was handing me a scholarship with such little theater background. I havent applied to any other acting related universities simply bc i noticed this one wasn’t crazy about grades (even though the advisor told me just about each student has a 3.0+ GPA). now because i dont know you, i’m willing to tell you my current GPA is a 1.61, not what you would brag about. but that’s how much i hate school. and is yet another reason i was shocked i got accepted, and given a scholarship. most other schools would laugh at my application and make a paper airplane out of it. </p>

<p>SO… where i’m at as of right now…</p>

<p>i think my deadline for a downpayment is march 13th. my friends dont really know a thing about the business, but when they hear im going to NYC they are all for it. my parents only care about how much it is. and that its a pretty random school. since i work at starbucks ill be able to transfer to a store up there and work, and go to school too. i’m just freaking out about where ill be living. </p>

<p>Hopefully you got some more information since you posted your comment, and if so i’d love to hear it. I know this wasn’t anywhere close to helpful information and i do apologize, but its nice to know someone out there is in the same position you’re in and has the same goals.</p>