How To Get Into NYU's Tisch School Of The Arts
By Katherine C. Lee
New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts is a deeply respected creative institution that consequently practices a highly selective admissions process. The school itself is comprised of several artistic satellite programs, both graduate and undergraduate, which include Film and Television, Photography, Cinema Studies, Performance Studies, Interactive Telecommunications, Dramatic Writing and Theater. Each program has its own distinct set of admissions requirements, ranging from writing samples to personal artistic reviews. These requirements are in addition to the general University application, which has its own set of essays and personal statements. This complete portfolio, at first perusal, can be extremely daunting, but with an appropriate amount of preparation and forethought, it is a wonderful opportunity to compile your artistic statements and identity into a definitive package.
The most advantageous step a potential applicant to the school can take towards acceptance is preparation. For example, if you are currently a sophomore in high school who is considering applying to Tisch, begin now. Don’t wait until the summer before your senior year of high school to prepare your submissions. The biggest favor you can do for yourself is taking an inventory of your artistic repertoire and/or portfolio as soon as you make the decision to apply. And don’t just submit work because you feel it is the kind they want to see. Anticipatory creativity that only aims to fulfill a preconceived desire will be most likely viewed by the admissions committee as false and non-specific. Submit work that you truly feel is a unique and real portrayal of who you are as an artist. Even if you are insecure with your work and feel as though it is too remedial and uninteresting, don’t make a last minute attempt to create something that is not a good representation of you as a person. Trust that your vision unadorned will be far more interesting than a last-minute stab at so-called “genius.” Of course the various programs are extremely varied in their requirements, but this advice can be applied to any type of submission.
The Theater and Dance programs have a reputation for being the most selective of the programs, as they tend to get the largest pool of applicants. However, many people that apply and eventually audition have had little to no experience, and consequently, have not prepared as much as they should. The best thing to do in preparation for your audition and interview for the Theater department is to take a step back and look at your repertoire of monologues. The department asks that you prepare one classical monologue and one contemporary monologue; however, it would be to your advantage to have at least two more pieces ready to go. Quite often if the auditioner feels as though they have not gotten a full sense of your talent from the required monologue, they will ask if you have any other pieces prepared. If you are able to say to them “Yes! Would you like Chekhov or Mamet?” you will only come out of the process ahead of the pack. Additionally, if you are auditioning for the musical theater portion of the program, you will be expected to have prepared a song suitable to your voice and type. If this is the case, you must be absolutely sure to bring a tape or CD with your accompaniment as well as your own stereo, as you never know what the situation will be in the audition room. On that note, do not expect to be in a cavernous studio with fantastic acoustics. (My audition was in a miniscule room at the Drake Hotel in San Francisco, swathed in velvet and thick carpet.) Practice your presentation in all sorts of different spaces so you don’t become accustomed to one particular setting. For the Dance Department’s audition, you must participate in two sections. The first is a ninety minute ballet and modern technique class, the second is a two to four minute solo piece in the style to which you most accustomed. In the case, the advice is similar to the theater audition. Practice, practice, practice until you no longer have to think of what your body needs to do next. Just relax and treat the class just like any other. Most importantly, BE YOURSELF! When they interview you, don’t try to impress them. Just relax and have an honest conversation. After all, admissions officers are people too!
The admissions processes to the Film and Television, Photography, Dramatic Writing and Cinema studies programs are quite different in that you do not have to “perform” for the committee. Along with your general university application, you submit a portfolio of your work. For these departments, you are usually asked to submit a one-page resume that highlights your creative accomplishments as well as a non-returnable creative submission consisting of either a film or video piece no longer than ten minutes, a series of drawings and/or a storyboard, or a six-page piece of dramatic or creative writing in the form of a short story, dramatic scene, or portrait of an individual person or place. They give you quite a wide range of options in terms of ways to represent yourself, which is can either be viewed as an inconvenience or a comfort. I would submit to you that it should warrant a sigh of relief. Because of these options they offer, you are free to choose the medium with which you feel most comfortable. However, even though they offer you such a wide range of options, do NOT send in any more material than they request! As someone who has worked in the admissions office for these programs, I can not emphasize this fact enough. Because of the high volume of materials the office receives, not only will they toss any extraneous material, but they might only look at one of the pieces, and it might end up not being the one of which you are most proud. So take a long, hard look at your strengths and weaknesses as well as what areas you have had the most experience in. If you have not really ever made a live-action piece, don’t use your first time as an example. If you are a highly visual person with great artistic skills and a unique eye, make a storyboard. If you feel your strength lies in screenwriting and envisioning a piece verbally, then write something. Once again, don’t rush to make a work of art you feel will impress the committee; just do what you do best.
In addition to their artistic requirements, they also do look at your academic statistics. So, just because you decide to apply to a primarily artistic school, do not neglect your academics. You are required to take normal academic classes while you are at Tisch, which are extremely challenging, so it is fitting that the admissions committee wants to make sure you are prepared for that aspect of your education. And remember, they are not looking for artists who are already extremely successful and accomplished in their respective crafts. They are looking for young, motivated artists with mounds of potential that will take constructive criticism well and apply it to their work. They want to admit students that are hungry for development that will be open to all of the valuable and caring input their teachers suggest. As you enter into this exciting process, don’t loose sight of your own unique artistic vision, and remember that your ideas, plain, simple and unadorned, are the most compelling statement you can offer. Good luck!
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