<p>Hi itsthejourney,</p>
<p>I know the second I say this someone will disagree with me, but I actually do think that Tisch kids tend to be fairly stressed. I know I was when I was at Tisch, and I think most of my friends were too. Don’t just dismiss the vibe you got assuming it’s just a couple students. Like many of the conservatory programs, Tisch kids are juggling long studio hours, intense emotional and physical training, a rigorous academic schedule, and many, if not most, are also in several productions a semester. It’s a lot to take on, and you do find yourself stressed and exhausted a lot, but I also found that given the chance to slow down, none of us took it. I think the kind of kids who end up at Tisch and choose to stay there are the kind that thrive on that stress and intensity. That said, I think one of the great things about the studio system is that you have a lot of support through your classmates, who become more like a family, and there are a lot of teachers and support staff who get to know you really well and who are always there to help you navigate all of it. Most of the ETW kids I knew loved their program, so I would say think of it as joyful stress. And it does prepare you for the real world. It’s definitely not stress free to be juggling a day job, any theater work your luck enough to get, and auditions/interviews for your next projects. So basically i’m saying it is stressful, but thats not necessarily a bad thing, it just depends on what your son is looking for. </p>