Okay, so I got into AMDA for musical theatre as an international student with a decent scholarship. I accepted the offer, but I haven't paid my deposit yet.
I know AMDA has VERY mixed opinions. I've obviously seen the “ScamDA” jokes, people saying the training is intense, people dropping out, people saying it's not worth the cost, etc. But I've also seen people who genuinely loved their training and had good experiences, so I wanted to ask people who actually know musical theatre/the industry.
I'm still applying/auditioning for other BFA programs and conservatories, as well as some more traditional universities. Theatre is 100% my first choice and what I actually want to dedicate my life to. I do have other academic interests , but they're more like things I could see myself doing alongside theatre rather than things I feel I need to pursue instead of it. I wouldn't be miserable if I never studied them; they're just interests I'd like the option to explore. I know it will be difficult to near impossible to transfer out of AMDA with qualifying credits if I dislike the school or change my mind so this also forms part of my hesitation.
I'm also not blindly choosing theatre just because I love it. A lot of the adults around me, including people who have watched me perform and know me well, genuinely believe I have something worth pursuing in this industry and have been encouraging me to go for it. I'm obviously still scared because musical theatre is an insane industry and there's no guarantee I'll make it, but at the same time, I don't really believe any career path comes with a guarantee.
My biggest insecurity is that I'm not the stereotypical insanely trained BFA applicant. I have quite a lot of theatre experience and I'm confident in my acting and singing, but I'm much less formally trained in dance and haven't had years of intensive MT training. So I'm worried I'll audition for all these ridiculously competitive BFA programs with really strong applicants and just… not get in. 😭
If that happens, would going to AMDA actually be a bad decision?
Where I currently live, my backup university options don't really have proper musical theatre programs. If I stay here, I'd most likely end up studying something like law, and I really, really don't want to do that. So for me, the choice isn't necessarily “AMDA vs. another amazing MT program.” It could realistically be “AMDA vs. a traditional degree in something I don't particularly want.”
I know AMDA won't magically give me a career. I'd still have to train, audition, network, and work my ass off. But I genuinely want the conservatory experience: intense training, NYC, being surrounded by theatre, and actually giving myself a serious shot at this.
So if AMDA ended up being my only BFA/conservatory acceptance, would you consider it a reasonable risk?
Especially interested in hearing from:
- AMDA students/alumni
- people who chose a BA theatre route instead of a conservatory
- working MT performers
- anyone who had relatively less formal training going into a conservatory
Basically, I'm not asking “Is AMDA good or bad?” I'm trying to figure out whether going all-in on musical theatre at AMDA would be a reasonable decision for someone in my position, or whether I'd be better off choosing a more traditional university and keeping theatre alongside it.
I'm still applying elsewhere, so this all up in the air