cyc2012 Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 :) That makes me feel a lot better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ripley Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Not to mention that I live in the USA. Not wishing to appear cynical but the fact you live in the US means that most Unis will welcome you with open arms as the fees they can charge you aren't limited as they are with UK/EU students You say they have an entry of 36, this will probably be split so the majority are EU plus the cash cows, Oops sorry, non EU applicants. I'm not saying Guildhall have this attitude, but with things the way they are in the UK with cuts to education, everyone is looking for a way to raise more money. One college I worked at many years ago, in the days of grants, the Head of the Course had a list of who doled out the most money. Applicants were often selected on their chances of getting funding as opposed to their suitability for the course. I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing is happening across the sector at the moment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyc2012 Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 It'd make me a bit sad if that's the only reason they'd accept me. However, if that means being out of country does not hurt my chances, it eases my nerves. That kinda sounds bad though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ripley Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 It'd make me a bit sad if that's the only reason they'd accept me. However, if that means being out of country does not hurt my chances, it eases my nerves. That kinda sounds bad though... I'm not saying that Guildhall or any other Drama school does this. However the Heads of Course do have targets to hit on recruitment which are usually split along EU/Non EU lines. This might help sway them if you are borderline but I would hope as you do they go on merit. Unfortunately money is money in any currency and with UK budgets being slashed they will look to recruit overseas. Several UK universities have had big trouble in this respect, one (Glasgow Caledonian) being fined and I think banned from recruiting overseas students for a period Anyway, good luck with your interview David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indyld Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 As David mentions, the way that funding in Higher Education works means that international students do have benefits to the recruiting university. This makes an international student a "free hit" in terms of the numbers cap, along with the actual cash that they generate. That doesn't mean that they don't recruit on merit, as a course should always look for the best students it can get. Being international does make you more flexible as a potential addition to the numbers. This also applies to some extent to AAB students from the UK (360 UCAS points). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyc2012 Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 Alrighty. Thanks everyone!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trussmonkey Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 way back when...(well certainly when I was on the Stage Managment and Tech theatre degree - the very first one) the non disclosed policy seemed to differ from year to year. One year they would take people with very little experience then the next year they would take people with a lot of experience. Its prob changed now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indyld Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 way back when...(well certainly when I was on the Stage Managment and Tech theatre degree - the very first one) the non disclosed policy seemed to differ from year to year. One year they would take people with very little experience then the next year they would take people with a lot of experience. Its prob changed now. I think that while different courses employ varying selection processes, by and large you can pretty much bet on the endpoint being the best candidates the course can get. Of course, different courses have different personalities, and therefore different "best" fits. As one of those responsible for recruitment in our field at university (not at Guildhall btw), and also being well acquainted with others running other courses, I can say that it's not all smoke and mirrors. Our course is very selective. We also convert those offers into students extremely well for reasonably young programme and for every place, about 4-5 applicants are disappointed. We currently ask for a minimum 280 UCAS points (not particularly onerous in today's market, although that may well rise in the future) and "a demonstrable interested in theatre production." This is where your subjectivity comes in, as it's arguable what a demonstrable interest is. But we have criteria and a scoring system etc. and the sausage factory does it's thing. We make offers throughout the cycle and monitor the numbers throughout, because it's important as I'll outline in a moment. What we are looking for is desire and student potential. This is not always the same thing as experience. We regularly don't make offers to "school technician/run your own hire company/I know it all" types, because those particular individuals don't demonstrate the right qualities, at the right level, for the course. That doesn't mean they won't be successful in the business. It does mean that offers are made to students with what is seen as higher potential, with less experience coming in. This may account for what is seen as a discrepancy between the little/lot experience thing in some intakes. Although, policies are always being reviewed and that's not to say that your institution didn't just make a foul up of recruitment at that time. We all do at some point and in the trade, we all are aware of what everyone is doing and what is/isn't working. When considering international students and AABs, it's important that people realise the balancing act that is recruiting and the UCAS system with HEFCE funding caps. Just because you make an offer to a student, doesn't mean they take up the place and so offers exceed the number of places available, a bit like airline seats. Admissions are endlessly doing calcs during the madness window, working out which students are/aren't coming, which ones need to be fitted into the HEFCE limit for the University and how they can hit the all numbers on the nose. This makes AABs and Internationals special because they can be tacked on to the course without additional penalty, assuming you have enough capacity for one or two extra chairs. E2A: Just to be clear, obviously this applies only to publicly funded institutions and not private establishments that aren't restricted by the funding system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fingers Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 I couldn't agree more with the above. The long and short of it is that the best candidates will get the places. I am one of the lucky ones in that I have been awarded a place but there are many who don't get places. (I believe a similar ratio to that which indyld mentions (1 in every 4-5)) I wouldn't pin too much on other factors such as where you come from, but then again, there is an element of truth in the point made about fees. I can't comment on how many non-native students are taken each year but I don't believe it's something that you need fret about. In terms of the specifics of the GSMD interview process, the day is very easy. There was an informal warm-up/icebreaker and then the actual personal interviews were spaced about the day. Within the day we also had a tour of the school and watched a performance (in which you will want to take notes, I made brief notes but I wish I made more!). The day is relatively informal and not something that should be stressed about. I took my portfolio as did many others but this will not get you a place on the course. The day was so busy for the interview panel that the only time they got to look at my portfolio was in the actual interview itself in which I made reference to it! Taking more references is not necessarily a bad thing, but again, it's something that's useful to have and to be able to speak about rather than something that is a must have. In short; be enthusiastic, know your stuff and enjoy it! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyc2012 Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 mmk, thanks for all the information! It really helps!! 16 more days :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LXbydesign Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Many moons ago, I was offered a place both at Guildhall and at Guildford School of Acting. My torment was that I liked both and both had a high state of credability within the industry - but in the end, I chose Guildford. Reason only because at that time, I was a single parent sibling - and theres no way my mum would have been able to support me living in London. I had applied and was lucky enough to get a grant ( that meant going to ANOTHER interview....) which covered the course fee's, but living exepense was down to you. I really hope you have good news regarding your interview for Guildhall - but just be aware that living in London is stupidly expensive - even for students. Of the course the cheaper option is to live further out - but usually not practical once you start getting involved in shows and you will be doing a lot of late nights... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trussmonkey Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 when I went to Guildhall I lived in the outskirts of London. Travel to the GSMD is pretty easy as there are major interchange train stations within 5 mins walk. I found it to be no problem . I also added to the beer fund by working a local crew for a couple of well known venues. when I went to Guildhall I lived in the outskirts of London. Travel to the GSMD is pretty easy as there are major interchange train stations within 5 mins walk. I found it to be no problem . I also added to the beer fund by working a local crew for a couple of well known venues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westdev Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 By the time you hit third year you will be doing long hours at Guildhall, that is completely unavoidable!! Well it was when I was studying Stage Management and Technical Theatre, the course has since changed but I imagine the hours are still similar. You will also have to choose a secondment which will also be in London (I imagine) and may have weird hours, I seconded on Opera Holland Park - which was a fantastic experience but the hours are very long and you will often finish in the small hours when there is no public transport. To be fair Holland park would offer a taxi if you had been fully involved and helped the crew out, if you just sat and watched I doubt they would have been so generous. I also got a staff card allowing me to watch all their previews where seats for operas would have cost >£45 - bargain! DO NOT let this put you off, Guildhall is a once in a lifetime experience, if you get a place - ACCEPT IT, RIGHT NOW, STOP READING THIS AND ACCEPT IT!!!! Good Luck!! PS Hello Larry, I know who you are, you dark horse ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyc2012 Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Well good news- I got accepted!!!!!!!! And I accepted right away :) Thanks again everyone!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fingers Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 Fantastic, many congratulations! I look forward to meeting you in September :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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