Theater 24/7 Past Review

By (English and Theater, Carleton College) for

National Theater Institute: NTI Semester

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Be prepared to give all of yourself to this program. NTI gives you about a year and a half of conservatory training in three months. You might have to pull more than one all-nighter with the workload they give, but trust me, it's worth it.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The ensemble of students, the instructors, and the administrative staff felt like family, and The O'Neill felt like home.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

We lived on the O'Neill campus, so students were either put in the farm house, the cottage, or the mansion--all of which were lovely. The campus is very small--nothing is more than a two to three minute walk away from anything else--and the campus is very beautiful--it looks right onto the Long Island sound--it's also full of theater history.

* Food:

The food was exceptionally good.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

We went to shows in CT, MA, and NY, as well as in England for the two weeks we were there; that was always nice, although we were perhaps a little too tired most of the time to fully appreciate them. The more memorable non-strictly-academic events were the Q&A's and interactions with guest artists. This term we met Paula Vogel, Jon Krasinski (NTI alum), Hal Prince, Adam Bock, Jeff Bowen & Hunter Bell, among others including impressive guest directors each week. Their experiences and their advice were fascinating and incredibly helpful to us young artists.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? While at NTI you'll have very few opportunities to leave campus, and, as a result, very few opportunities or reasons to spend money. The only times you really need spending money are the abroad portion of the program and perhaps the occasional trip to Target.

Language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Other
* Who did you live with?

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  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Work hard, be generous, be open.