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Cousin wants to get into acting school at NYU (1 Viewer)

bosoxs45

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His parents are actively trying to discourage him from pursuing his passion. What advice would you give him? He’s pretty much a straight A student and never misses an assignment. I think it’s because his family wants him to become a doctor or lawyer instead.

 
He doesn't have an option to go until he applies and is accepted.  So let him apply there as well as other more traditional options.   If he gets in and chooses it over other options, its still under the same deal with Mom and Dad:  bust your ### doing something you're passionate about.  If it doesn't work out while at NYU, he gets to switch majors and graduate from, hello, NYU or transfer with a great name on his resume and a valuable learning experience.  

If I'm Mom and Dad I'm supportive but finding out and communicating the informed downside.  What's placement out of school look like?  Are there alumni out there willing to talk candidly about what that experience is like?  Set up those discussions.  They could also condition supporting the NYU tuition if he's picking up a marketable second major or minor, like econ or finance or something.  

 
His parents are actively trying to discourage him from pursuing his passion. What advice would you give him? He’s pretty much a straight A student and never misses an assignment. I think it’s because his family wants him to become a doctor or lawyer instead.
Ask him if he is willing to work himself through school waiting tables. If he is, I think he has found his passion and profession(NOTE: Those may end up being two different things). If not, he should really reconsider the whole thing and listen to his parents imo. If he is really serious about it that first year won't break him. But it would likely break a lot of folks.

 
They could also condition supporting the NYU tuition if he's picking up a marketable second major or minor, like econ or finance or something.  
What can you do with a minor in finance? Not trying to be a d-bag.... I honestly don't know. 

 
The issue for me as a parent would be paying all that tuition for a degree that may very well be wholly unnecessary (and ultimately counterproductive) to a career in acting. If he wanted to be a director or producer, I could see the value of going to NYU or USC or some other film school. But acting?  Not sure a college degree, much less one from the horribly expensive NYU would be worth the time and treasure. If my kid had the talent and passion to really make a go of it, I’d probably invest in supporting his career in different ways. But what the hell do I know?

 
NYU undergrad costs $75,000 sticker price ($57k tuition + 18k room and board), along with another $4,700 estimated expenses - books, travel to and from school, and spending money. And their financial aid is stingy, because they don't have a big endowment.

I would say if they could afford $79,000 a year for college, then they should let him pursue what he wants. He's still going to get an undergrad degree from a highly regarded school, and can still go onto grad school or a career if acting doesn't work out. But if they can't afford it, then they (and he) would be crazy to take out a bunch of loans for a career in which he is highly unlikely to make enough $ to pay back the loans.

I think that's good advice in general - don't take out loans for undergrad (if at all possible) and definitely don't take out loans (undergrad or graduate) for degrees that have a low likelihood of helping you earn the $ you need to pay back the loans. 

 
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Let’s say he’s in New York and pursuing acting. He needs to be going to every casting call he can. And if he gets on as an extra in some off Broadway show, he should take it to start building his resume. I’m not sure that sort of dedication works if you’ve got a full-time class schedule going.  

 
If he can get into a school like NYU and he is willing to make the sacrifices that most actors have to make starting out, like waiting tables to make ends meet, then I think he should be encouraged to follow his passion.  He can still go to law school if he winds up not making it in acting.  My brother was an art history major and is now an attorney.

 
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NYU undergrad costs $75,000 sticker price ($57k tuition + 18k room and board), along with another $4,700 estimated expenses - books, travel to and from school, and spending money. And their financial aid is stingy, because they don't have a big endowment.

I would say if they could afford $79,000 a year for college, then they should let him pursue what he wants. He's still going to get an undergrad degree from a highly regarded school, and can still go onto grad school or a career if acting doesn't work out. But if they can't afford it, then they (and he) would be crazy to take out a bunch of loans for a career in which he is highly unlikely to make enough $ to pay back the loans.

I think that's good advice in general - don't take out loans for undergrad (if at all possible) and definitely don't take out loans (undergrad or graduate) for degrees that have a low likelihood of helping you earn the $ you need to pay back the loans. 
I think this might be a hint as to how successful past graduates are. 

 
Tisch is a good school. Tough to get in. 
he'll get a decent, really expensive education and can figure it out afterwards with a BA in hand. 

we've used a lot of NYU girls as baby sitters over the years, with a preference for tisch students as they're more fun and able to relate to the kids. the actors are all... kinda sorta employed. 

all my friends who went the tisch route... none are in the business.

 
You really don't need to go to school for acting. If your parents are really willing to pay that much for the experience, they'd be better off just moving him down there themselves. Tell him "you got 1 year" to get a career going. We'll pay the apartment for the year. Hold down a job, even as a waiter, give him some kind of responsibility outside of the acting. Get yourself a casting agent. In the end it will be cheaper than going to university.

 
Friends of ours went ot school at NYU. They had a kid, went to NYU acting school,  who lived next apartment over and was constantly annoying them. So much the called him "Annoying Adam" and would avoid him at all costs. 

yea, that "Annoying Adam" turned out to be Adam Sandler. 

Anything can happen...tell him to go for it 

 
I (slightly) disagree. Acting is a talent, and a skill. School won't make a terrible actor great. But it can make a terrible one... less terrible? Maybe. It's like going to school for writing or painting or any other art. Yeah, some of it is a practical waste. But, someone who has charisma and talent will be run through the process so much that they'll pick up the right tricks, methods, and proper ways to "think" in the job that they can make a career out of it. There's a lot that goes on that the layperson doesn't realize. 

No, it's not as useful as a school for plumbing or HVAC repair. Agreed. But there's still stuff to learn that, if he didn't learn, some average joe off the street would never succeed in the industry without. It could make a talented person more... refined? Like sharpening a blade. 

There are a lot of bad writers who hack out self-published crap and fanfic and the fact that they've never taken a creative writing course shows. But there are some good and decent and talented writers who took courses and got a little bit better, learned how to plot and outline and structure their stories a bit better, and maybe went from "tried it for a while and it didn't work" to "almost make enough money to pay rent with this" because of classes.

Plus, the NYU "in" and networking opportunities given in that city in particular make it almost worth it (I mean, going to school for it, not quite sure where I am about the $80k part). 

If it was just some kid that wanted to got to "any" drama school to live out the dream, that would be one thing. But a hard-working responsible straight-A kid who wants to take a run at Tisch? If he can even get in, go for it. 
the bolded can't be had by living in NYC for a year, and is practically worth the price of admission.

that said-  it's an expensive admission, and with no guarantees. as a I mentioned, my friends who went to Tisch are all in other fields at this point in their lives. my SIL has stayed in the business, but as a teacher at  a private HS. none of our babysitters have so far made it... and some have already, a couple years later, moved on. our friends who have made it as successful actors were both essentially self taught (one did Stella Adler for a bit to cut his teeth... but was already booking major roles after a successful run as a male model).

so I guess... :shrug:  ... if the money's there, it can't hurt going to a prestigious place like Tisch or Yale for the actings. 

 
glvsav37 said:
Friends of ours went ot school at NYU. They had a kid, went to NYU acting school,  who lived next apartment over and was constantly annoying them. So much the called him "Annoying Adam" and would avoid him at all costs. 

yea, that "Annoying Adam" turned out to be Adam Sandler. 

Anything can happen...tell him to go for it 
I worked with a girl that graduated with Adam Sandler. I just wanted to get that out there. 

 
if he wants acting lessons he can come to swc university because just about every night when im sittin at the tap and trying to watch the game i have to listen to ole mick potnificate about every thing under the sun and i have to act like i give half a dam because the truth is that if you tell mick to stuff it he will just get even louder and for whatever reason they will never throw his keester out and boom there goes the game so hey i will take him on if he will draw micks fire so i can just watch the bucks in peace take that to the bank bromigo let me know

 
Assuming that this is a real passion of his (been acting in school plays, community theater, is a huge fan of theater/movies, etc) than I would encourage him. It's his life, he needs to do what will make him happy. From my perspective, I would rather be 60 and think, "damn I gave my dream the best shot I had" as opposed to being 60 and thinking, "why did I live my life for everyone else, I wonder what could have been". Plus NYU is a good school that offers other programs and he still may switch or double major. 

 
Wait. Nyu is 75k a year?  

What is that by the minute?  I'll take a ballpark figure.  
What a waste. Start a business with the money instead. And I'm a big “college” guy.

But even I’m leaning away from it more now with the ridiculous college rates, scam online degrees, crazy amounts of student loans and sheep-like thinking.

 
I say go for it but he can get into the industry through a good community college. Not every CC has connections, but a good one is very well plugged into  local theater groups. If he rocks it there, doors will open for him. It's a lot cheaper. 

If the parents are paying they get a say. If he doesn't like that he could not take their money. 

 
has he ever considered applying directly to mcdonalds they might hire him straight off and hed save all that tuition take that to the bank bromigo

 
Assuming that this is a real passion of his (been acting in school plays, community theater, is a huge fan of theater/movies, etc) than I would encourage him. It's his life, he needs to do what will make him happy. From my perspective, I would rather be 60 and think, "damn I gave my dream the best shot I had" as opposed to being 60 and thinking, "why did I live my life for everyone else, I wonder what could have been". Plus NYU is a good school that offers other programs and he still may switch or double major. 
I generally agree with this.  But even if you take that approach, the question still remains as to whether dropping $300,000 on an NYU degree is the optimal way to give his dream the best shot. 

 
Assuming that this is a real passion of his (been acting in school plays, community theater, is a huge fan of theater/movies, etc) than I would encourage him. It's his life, he needs to do what will make him happy. From my perspective, I would rather be 60 and think, "damn I gave my dream the best shot I had" as opposed to being 60 and thinking, "why did I live my life for everyone else, I wonder what could have been". Plus NYU is a good school that offers other programs and he still may switch or double major. 
Such a wonderful lament, no doubt.  

 
I generally agree with this.  But even if you take that approach, the question still remains as to whether dropping $300,000 on an NYU degree is the optimal way to give his dream the best shot. 
That is an excellent point as well. 

 
I generally agree with this.  But even if you take that approach, the question still remains as to whether dropping $300,000 on an NYU degree is the optimal way to give his dream the best shot. 
That is an excellent point as well. 
he could take a quarter that, and put towards a stella adler or other top notch acting studio, while doing odd jobs and trying to break into the industry. 

that said- chances are he wouldn't break into the industry, be out the money, and be out any other useful education to allow for a different career.

 
he could take a quarter that, and put towards a stella adler or other top notch acting studio, while doing odd jobs and trying to break into the industry. 

that said- chances are he wouldn't break into the industry, be out the money, and be out any other useful education to allow for a different career.
Right. At least being at NYU he will walk out with something impressive for a resume. If he changes his mind on acting, then he's enrolled at NYU and has a lot of great program options to pivot too. I think it just important to be real with him about the upside and downside of all the differing decisions. 

 
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