drama school gap year or uni?

i’m now in the process of sending off my ucas applications to drama schools, as the path i’ve always wanted to down is acting. i know drama school offers a more practical side but it’s also a lot more demanding. mentally i haven’t been the best this year so i was thinking if i would be ready for 3 years of straight training. i’m trying to decide between a gap year, uni or drama school. if i go to uni i’m even thinking about studying something completely unrelated to acting and do my acting things outside of school. i don’t know what to decide on and the application deadlines are very soon. i know that i have a big love and passion for acting but because of mental health and recent circumstances i haven’t had enough determination and it’s mentally draining. i always feel like i’m two steps behind everyone

Reply 1

WantBeAnonymous

19

Apply for all your options (a uni, a drama school and one with a deffered entry)
You can decline at a later date and that way you have longer to decide

Reply 2

hihello__

OP

7

Original post by WantBeAnonymous

Apply for all your options (a uni, a drama school and one with a deffered entry)
You can decline at a later date and that way you have longer to decide

what’s a deferred entry?

Reply 3

Interea

19

Original post by hihello__

what’s a deferred entry?

It's when you apply to start a year later (so you'd get an offer to start in September 2022).

Reply 4

hihello__

OP

7

Original post by Interea

It's when you apply to start a year later (so you'd get an offer to start in September 2022).

okay thank you! if you were me and strived to be in the acting industry what would your final choice be?

Reply 5

Interea

19

Original post by hihello__

okay thank you! if you were me and strived to be in the acting industry what would your final choice be?

I can't really direct you on acting specifically, but I did go to uni for something I was really passionate about and ended up having to drop out because my mental health was too bad. The time out has been invaluable for me, both in getting better but also gaining skills that will make university much easier next time. As a result I'd be inclined to recommend the gap year approach, and see where you're at in a year's time. You could still apply this UCAS cycle for a mix of things in case you change your mind, but I wouldn't worry about being "two steps behind everyone" - you may end up starting later, but you'll start out in a stronger position purely through experience.

Obviously I don't know how acting school works so I can't say where they stand on gap years, but it seems logical to me that they might appreciate a bit of life experience that older applicants can offer. Also, drama school is often a riskier choice than going to uni for a common subject and doing acting on the side, but if you love acting enough and have the financial security to take that risk, then I say go for it :smile:

As a side note about deferred entry - if you got a place for entry in September 2022 and then decided you wanted to apply elsewhere in next year's UCAS cycle, you'd have to reject your place and start fresh, so it'd only really be worth applying for deferred entry at places you think you would actually want to go to.

Reply 6

jackmarshal757

19

Go to uni, get a good degree then a good job

Reply 7

hihello__

OP

7

Original post by Interea

I can't really direct you on acting specifically, but I did go to uni for something I was really passionate about and ended up having to drop out because my mental health was too bad. The time out has been invaluable for me, both in getting better but also gaining skills that will make university much easier next time. As a result I'd be inclined to recommend the gap year approach, and see where you're at in a year's time. You could still apply this UCAS cycle for a mix of things in case you change your mind, but I wouldn't worry about being "two steps behind everyone" - you may end up starting later, but you'll start out in a stronger position purely through experience.

Obviously I don't know how acting school works so I can't say where they stand on gap years, but it seems logical to me that they might appreciate a bit of life experience that older applicants can offer. Also, drama school is often a riskier choice than going to uni for a common subject and doing acting on the side, but if you love acting enough and have the financial security to take that risk, then I say go for it :smile:

As a side note about deferred entry - if you got a place for entry in September 2022 and then decided you wanted to apply elsewhere in next year's UCAS cycle, you'd have to reject your place and start fresh, so it'd only really be worth applying for deferred entry at places you think you would actually want to go to.

yeah my mental health hasn’t been the best and drama school is VERY demanding and intense so that’s why i’m considering a gap year. i’ve just heard from people that gap years tend to make you distant from the subject you’re doing.

and yes you’re completely right, they do prefer more experienced actors especially the prestigious drama schools such as guildhall, RADA and LAMDA.

during your break did you just work etc?

Reply 8

Interea

19

Original post by hihello__

yeah my mental health hasn’t been the best and drama school is VERY demanding and intense so that’s why i’m considering a gap year. i’ve just heard from people that gap years tend to make you distant from the subject you’re doing.

and yes you’re completely right, they do prefer more experienced actors especially the prestigious drama schools such as guildhall, RADA and LAMDA.

during your break did you just work etc?

I mean I did/will do maths at uni and they often really don't like gap years for that exact reason, but it's definitely possible to stay connected with your subject and actually grow to love it more! During my break I've been doing a lot of voluntary tutoring (I'm in a very fortunate position in that I don't need an income right now, so I took the opportunity to volunteer instead), and really just exploring my subject more. It's been a slow year, but that was exactly what I needed to recover, and I'm very much ready to start uni again when we get to September :biggrin: