<p>My friend’s son is attending AADA in Hollywood as a freshman. He didn’t have good grades, but has a “can do” attitude and easily jumps in over his head. That served him well for auditions for entrance to the school.</p>
<p>They have no dorm facilities (same as NYC) and have local apartments that the kids stay in. A good many of the kids seem to come from fairly priviledged backgrounds and have parents involved with the movie business. My friends son is having trouble managing his money given the influence of more affluent kids, no dorm or meal plans, and nights out clubbing. I’ve been sending bi-monthly care packages just because I know he’s not eating well.</p>
<p>The day after move-in, the kids had placement auditions. Eventhough my friend’s son has no formal dance training, he was able to place in more advanced dance classes by virtue of his aggressive auditioning attempt. He has chosen to attend classes continuously through the summer, so will graduate in 1.5 years. </p>
<p>He is very happy there, but as a parent I can definitely see advantages to a traditional 4 year university BFA program over this training-type program. The tuition costs are fairly similar as well.</p>