I graduated last year from the amazing American Music and Dramatical Academy, one of the finest performing arts schools in the country. These were without question the best years of my life so far and although it was very tough, it was also a brilliant experience. My youngest sister is about to follow in my footsteps and embark on a course at the college, and together we were checking out some of the AMDA reviews to gain an insight into what life was like. In my view these reviews don’t tell the whole story about what life is like studying performing arts at AMDA, so I wanted to share a little of my experience for anyone who is heading there.
What Life is Like On Campus
If you are expecting a campus life which is filled with opportunities to party and join the Greek life then this is not the college for you. One of the things that most surprised me when I arrived at AMDA was that people here work extremely hard on their craft, and this becomes the way of socializing. There are of course the odd party and social function, but it doesn’t dominate student life as it does at other colleges. You can expect to meet an amazing student body filled with creative and dedicated people, and you will make friends for life here. The spirit of the campus is very much about hard work and performance.
What is Performing Arts Like?
Studying performing arts requires a lot of talent and a lot of hard work, if you don’t have either then you will be found out very quickly indeed. There is a very real and palpable competitiveness amongst the students here, as everyone thinks that they are the best and everyone knows that the rest of the students are their competition, both now and when they begin to audition for parts in performances. It is important not to view this competition as a negative, in actual fact it can really help you to be the very best that you can be, in order to beat off the competition. Expect very long hours as you design, plan and practice a performance or an art piece, and you can also expect to learn a huge amount about this world, from professors who have been there and done it.
How to Make The Most of Tis Course
My advice on making the most of this course is to have thick skin, you are going to be in for a lot of knock backs and a lot of criticism. I would also recommend that you try out new things, opening up your artistic mind and helping you to discover new concepts and new ideas. Finally I would say that you should aim to work as hard as you can, there is no room here for slackers no matter what you are studying, and hard work will help you to become the very best that you can be.
