<p>Wow, what a diversion this thread has taken.
Lets get back to the OP and lets all take a moment here and think about what kind of impact this forum can have for its intended audience: the students, the overwhelmed, excited, uninformed , confused students who are thinking of studying the subject for which this forum is subtitled. Theatre/Drama students and their parents who are trying to figure out how to pay for it, how to guide their children, how to reconcile the question of should I bother going to college and just go out there and make it in the industry since it seems that many have that story of making it so why can’t I. And the reality of knowing that training and degrees can have a valuable impact on their lives and how can we convey that message and keep the kids here without overwhelming them with details. </p>
<p>Bottom line, I’ve learned from this thread, beyond the diversions, that the general consensus is that its probably best to try to go to start that 4 year acting program even if you don’t think you can afford that last year or two. The college has an investment in you as long as you are committed and things change in those years whereby the school may help you find ways to finish the degree. I imagine there are work study options and subsequent scholarships. There could be a leave of absence and finishing a degree with some online courses if necessary. Some people are saving money with starting in Community college to get some of the gen eds out of the way at a reduced cost. I heard some juniors tell me last week that they were taking a leave of absence to study at a community college for a semester and take gen eds in summer courses and packed on the acting courses during the school year to try to finish early. I’m not sure how many schools may allow that but sometimes it could be an option. Perhaps if anyone has any information pertinent to these kinds of scenarios of how more FA or scholarships or other creative situations that we’ve heard please add them to this thread so that we can leave a footprint for some positive action that could be taken for future readers with this very real scenario. </p>
<p>And Halflokum: You haven’t been dismissed, dear, get back here. You can hide but you can’t run away because you know I know how to find you <3</p>