" Kelly, yes I know living in NYC is very expensive I was there last weekend, but fortunately I can afford it."
If you can afford 1500$+ a month rent and living expenses, then how is tuition a dealbreaker? Especially when at least you can take out loans and receive financial aid to help with that...
Speaking from experience of being in audition rooms, I've seen more of a reaction regarding schools NOT to go to rather than any particular applause for a certain program. The important thing about the big programs is that their senior showcases draw an audience from some very major casting agencies, general agencies, and management company. If you're serious about pursuing acting or performing as an actual money-making career, that's a big deal. I wouldn't get your heart set on NYC because IMO, Tisch or Julliard are really the only top-tier programs in New York. If you want a BIG reputation, then that's the equivalent. If those schools don't interest you, then IMO it is better to pursue a top quality education in your craft and reap the benefits that top-tier schools can afford you and focus a little less on the dream of NYC and auditioning.
Any working actor (or not-working actor) will tell you that if you're in a genuinely demanding program, your time for any kind of auditioning and networking and "doing Broadway" will be extremely limited. Many programs directly encourage their students to not attempt to obtain Broadway work while they are in the beginning stages of study. It's great that you're enthusiastic about your dream, but you have to realize that the way you see it in your head is not how it will actually happen, and finding the most realistic path for your dream that has the highest probability of a payoff doesn't always involve the glamour, lights, and excitement of New York and a holding room at Ripley-Grier before you've got some serious training under your belt.
"Get mad, then get over it." - Colin Powell
Updated On: 9/24/12 at 11:00 PM