NotaPushyMum.Com

Oh how lovely everyone is getting offers!

This is so so good!

Wow! Lots of fab news on here today! Congrats to everyone celebrating and fingers tightly crossed for all of our DC who are still auditioning or waiting for results.

Dance and Smile - Your news has worried me. Those bursaries are most needed by families for whom £75 is a lot of money.

Congratulations suesmith -wonderful news for your DD

Dance&Smile

It may still be worth going for the Urdang recall. We also couldn't apply for a DADA (very stressful last year as the rules changed after DS applied everywhere). But DS got a significant fee reduction after the recall audition. We are obviously still contributing but made a huge difference and much relief. They do seem to have the funds for a number of bursaries.

(Laine told us keeping their private bursaries for those who cant apply for DADAs)

Its all so complicated. DADAs continue to provide vital funding and the only way to continue to study for many students as exactly they should. But the means testing - with no account taken for commitments, other siblings etc means many families really struggle even if lucky enough to receive one.

Does your DS have a gut feel for where she wants to be? Shes in a wonderful position with two great offers.

Good luck with the decision making.

Congrats to your dd suesmith, when has she got her recall for the dada,might see you there.

Dance&smile won't your dd have the same problem at Bird as their fees are over £11,000 pa and with the degree course you only get £9000 through the student loan. If I am understanding it correctly the £9000 that you get through the student loan is not going to cover any of the degree course at any of the colleges there is always going to be a top up to pay by the poor parents

I think at Bird they said if you take out the maximum student loan they will honour the amount you get and only charge you that. But it was different if you were paying with money

But I may have misunderstood that

Thank you all for your lovely messages - its been great having you all here! And fingers crossed for all those still auditioning and waiting for results

Jessnat22 wrote:Laine told us keeping their private bursaries for those who cant apply for DADAs

are you able to expand on this at all - how do we apply? Unfortunately we are in a position that means we fall literally just outside the Dada threshold and ds is off to Uni in Sept too If nothing else is available we will somehow find the funds - but imagine we will be very slim and shabby in 3 years time! Any small reduction of fees would be better than nothing

Megmar610 - not sure yet if it will be worth our while going to funding audition but will let you know.

I'm pretty sure Bird only charge £9000 for the degree but over £11,000 for the diploma... saying that, I was 'sure' Urdang only charged £9,000 so had a nasty surprise at the £12,000 as well as the £75 recall audition fee.

Well done to your dd sue smith - fantastic news. It may be worth baring in mind that the student loan available for these "private" colleges is not the same amount as the universities. Students are only allowed £6,000 and not £9,000 per year. I have no idea why and think it is totally unfair but it is something that needs to be considered. I personally think all students should be entitled to the same amount - after all, it is a loan and has to be paid back. It is not as if it is free money.

If it weren't challenging enough getting through the auditions... the finance and funding is so complicated.
We had to disregard all the other MT schools like Arts, Mountview and GSA as only £6,000 is available as a loan but Urdang and Bird have both told me that the full £9,000 is available from student finance - I don't understand why it differs and agree with Caroline; if it's a student loan then why is it not available for all degrees?

This is the reply from Urdang when I questioned the £12,000 fees:

We are allowed to charge what is called a Module Fee on top of the Tuition Fee. This covers the costs of 30 hours of tuition per week, with professional training in singing, dancing and acting. Far more contact time than you would get on a regular university course. We are a private business but our BA is validated by the University of East London, hence why you would be able to apply for the full £9,000.00 pa tuition fee loan.

Our fees are in line with our competitors and can be paid in instalments, but in some cases we will waive the additional £3000.00 if a student has impressed us in the two rounds of auditions. Historically one third to one half of the students who are accepted on the BA will be offered this an incentive.

At the audition Louis from Bird said their course was funded by student loans, same as any other degree course.

I feel Urdang should be more transparent over the process and the fees charged.

Yes, I agree, not very transparent at all.
In the end we paid the £75 as, although Bird was my DDs top choice, she felt so welcome at Urdang that she wants to do the recall, partly to see how far she gets and partly to help her choose between them - although if she doesn't get the degree and the bursary the decision will be made for her.

Suesmith

At the Laine Audition last year we were specifically told that they would be keeping their bursary funding for students who had the talent to have previously been offered Dadas but no longer could be because of the new rules. Last year was the transition year - it was the end of March and the room was full of parents trying to understand the new set up and implications. I was very impressed by how clear Laine were - does anyone know what they said this year?

DS was offered a place but didn't attend the recall - accepted his Urdang place so don't know what the outcome could have been.

At the Urdang recall DS had an interview and was asked one question about funding - knowing that a DADA application wasn't possible. DS was entirely honest - said we would find the money but it was going to be difficult. A scholarship/ bursary gave us great financial relief and DS the added confidence of knowing he was really wanted . Difficult to know how many other students are offered bursaries - understandably its not something they really talk about. DS's girlfriend got a DADa which is absolutely as it should be - highly talented and wouldn't have been able to go otherwise.

If we were applying again now I would be very reluctant to apply anywhere that didn't have the possibility of some private bursaries.

Hope that helps a little.

At Bird you are registered as a student if the University of Grenwich

Dance&Smile and SueSmith - a great big huge congratulations to your DC!!