Yeah I felt the same way. I don't really understand why people bash AMDA, because once you're auditioning for a part.. no one is going to care if you went to Juilliard or AMDA.. or even a community college. As long as you fit the part and have the talent than you'll do fine.
In my experience working in casting where you went to school doesn't really come into play until after your audition. Usually it goes something like this:
-person walks in with a decent amount of roles on their resume
-audition is either boring or just downright bad
-they walk out and we go "where did they go to school?"
-look at their resume again and go "oh, figures, AMDA*"
*insert name of whatever school is currently cranking out an inordinate number of sub-par graduates. They almost all go through phases. Currently AMDA is in that phase, but with all the changes/restructuring happening at NYU I wouldn't be surprised to see them going through a slump in a couple years as the current students start graduating.
pulsedancer, I attended AMDA in 2008-2009, so not that long ago. I'm pretty sure they introduced the dance program last year so it's a very new thing there.
Actually, pulsedancer, people WILL care whether you attended Juilliard or AMDA. Top tier schools like Juilliard, Yale, NCSA, CMU, etc. bring their students in for high-powered agent/casting showcases. Going to AMDA is certainly no black mark, but seeing it on your resume will enthuse no one in the way seeing Yale will.
I used to play for AMDA students more than 20 years ago, and found the place rather depressing and amateur-ish (but that was long, long ago - I'm sure it could have changed since then).
If you're dead-set on coming east and can't get into a high-powered school, I would recommend taking individual classes from reputable individuals or studios much more than going to AMDA. You'll get a wider range of better training that way.
you have a few min to warm up, then there is a larger meeting! 1st you sing, then a monologue. i don't know anyone who has auditioned and not got in. My feeling on AMDA- its not worth it. UNLESS your young an ew to the city. I found it 1/2 performing and 1/2 babysitting
