DTSA

The DTSA has prepared a very basic FAQ for students in the Theatre PhD program.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, this is not the official Theatre PhD website, this is a student-run tool for informal advice. Use this information at your own discretion, but check with the official source of information for completely reliable and updated info. DO NOT RELY ON WHAT YOU READ HERE, this is just to guide you and help you find the right answer.

In this FAQ:

1) Where can I find advice on getting started in the program?

2) I’ve been accepted! I’m moving to New York! Where do I live?

3) How do I plan my path?

4) How do I keep track of conferences, publications, teaching, and other professional activities?

5) Where do I find the files my professor has put on reserve?

7) Where can I get a copy of my in-progress transcript?

8) How do I become active and involved in the program?

9) How do you have time to see any theatre?

10) How do you afford to see any theatre?

11) Where can I eat around the GC on a student budget?

12) I’m no longer a first-year student but having a locker at the GC would still come in handy. What can I do?

15) What else do I need to know about?

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I’m a new student. Where can I find advice on getting started in the program?

If you’re a new student overwhelmed with the logistical matters it takes to get set up in New York and at the Graduate Center itself, a good option is to call on your student mentor. Every admitted student is assigned a student mentor who can be a resource to you during the challenging months of getting prepared and adjusted for life in the PhD program. Everything from airport confusions to housing issues and course selection is fair game for discussion. If you’re a student who doesn’t have a mentor, please email your DTSA Admissions Committee Representative. It’s still in progress, but check our student message board and help us make it a success by posting your news and information!

I’ve been accepted! Where do I live?

Finding housing in New York can be challenging even among the best of circumstances. The Graduate Center does not have subsidized student housing to offer, and there’s no easy fix to the question of where to live while you pursue doctoral studies. Still, there are many resources that can help you navigate the tricky process of your housing search, and finding a great place to live is possible.

Here is a link to the Residential Life contact information. They maintain listings of available rooms within households, apartments for rent or sublet, and spaces for students in shared lodgings; and can suggest techniques for finding an apartment.

International students can direct housing questions to the Office for International students, since there are occasionally opportunities for housing arrangements specifically for International students. Their contact information can be found here.

International House New York is housing for any graduate student in the city, in Harlem / Morningside near Columbia. Several Graduate Center students have lived there, and they have both dormitories and apartments. I.House is not the cheapest housing you can find, but is subsidized, and has many recreational activities and areas, as well as a dining hall. It is selective, requiring an application; about 2/3 of the residents are international students, and 1/3 are Americans. Check it out here.

Most students find housing through sites such as craigslist.org, or through word-of-mouth. Once you officially accept the offer of admission, you’ll be added to a student listserv of Theatre program. Through that listserv, students frequently post if they’re looking for a roommate or know of an open room for the next academic year. You yourself can post your search, as well.  Other students frequently post information about rooms for rent on the bulletin boards around the Graduate Center, too, so when you’re visiting, take a gander.

There are other services outside of the GC which past students have had luck with. This is *not* an official endorsement, as you should fully investigate every service yourself, but Rent Direct has been utilized by some students in the past who have wanted to avoid Craigslist and had to begin their search while out of town. This is a service that requires a fee for signing up and accessing listings, but it guarantees a range of apartment listings, all with no broker’s fees, which can often be extremely pricey.

As far as budgeting for your housing costs, it’s hugely variable. It depends upon your own abilities and limits, as well as your preference for the kinds of accommodations you would like to find. (Distance to the graduate center, size of the apartment, number of rooms, etc.) In general, students may pay anywhere from $650/month and up, up, up….

How do I plan my path?

When it comes to your academic planning, there are a range of ways to keep track of your progress and plan the path ahead. The Student Handbook is an excellent resource that includes all of the steps required of doctoral students in this program. Reading this thoroughly and frequently will go a long way to help you prepare for the requirements ahead. It also informs you about faculty mentors and other resources available to you as you progress in the program. (It’s a good idea to reference the handbook before you approach others with specific questions.) Be sure you’re clear about the program requirements, ask questions when you’re confused, and try to plan when you’ll accomplish each one. Remember to also turn to the DTSA Student Guide as a supplement, and ask for a range of student experiences and faculty input. The PhD is long, and every path through it is highly individual.

How do I keep track of conferences, publications, teaching, and other professional activities?

There are many ways to do this. Our Placement Officer, Prof. James Wilson, is an excellent resource when it comes to any profession-related inquiry– whether you’re ready to go on the job market or at the beginning of the Ph.D. program. (His open office hours are on Tuesdays from 4-6.)

Also, be sure to read all of the emails sent to the DTSA listserv, your Graduate Center email account, and the student email list, since that is where much relevant information will be sent, including announcements of the profession-related events. There is also an area of the bulletin board in the Green Room where you can find print-outs of various CFPs.

Take a look at the conferences and CFP’s section of this website for information about professional organizations, and then join them and their mailing lists. (Be active on social networking sites, too; many of these organizations are represented on Facebook and Twitter in various ways.) Talk to your professors about specific publications or conferences that you have questions about. Attend the professionalization events given by the DTSA. Additionally, there are many places online to find CFP’s, such as Humanities Net and UPenn CFPs. And of course, when you find out about professional activities that would be of interest to others, spread the word!

Where do I find the files my professor has put on reserve?

Go to the Mina Rees Library homepage. Click on “Reserves” on the top left corner. Then “ERes Course Pages.” From there, search by department, class, or Instructor. (You should have received the password for the course from your Instructor.)

Where can I get a copy of my in-progress transcript?

You can access an unofficial transcript at any time utilizing the Graduate Center’s StudentWeb. Follow this link to login and request an unofficial transcript, which will provide you with detailed information about your standing in the program.

How do I become active and involved in the program?

Try to make time even amidst the hectic weeks of the semester to attend events such as the DTSA Happy Hours. Additionally, the DTSA is your student association; if you have ideas for activities, changes, events, anything, you do not need to be a Board member to make them happen. Contact any of the DTSA officers to get started! Boris Daussa-Pastor, DTSA President, will be holding office hours this semester in the Green Room Annex on Thursday afternoons, 2:00-5:00 pm. Feel free to drop by for an in-person chat.

How do you have time to see any theatre?

While difficult, maintaining a balance as a graduate student is possible, and this city’s theatre and performance offerings are a major benefit of the Graduate Center’s location. As for cost, there are numerous student ticket discounts that can be found with a little bit of effort. Professor Marvin Carlson’s Tip Sheet can be found on the Departmental Website, and the DTSA is working on a separate NYC Theatre section of this website that we will soon begin to update regularly. Pay attention to the deadlines set to join DTSA theatre outings, and also ask around for recommended shows. There are many online resources to consult for New York theatre listings and reviews– Playgoer is a good place to start. And don’t forget about the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center. They have fantastic programming throughout the year, and regularly bring prominent international theatre practitioners and scholars to the Graduate Center.

How do you afford to see any theatre?

Discounts are available for all off-Broadway and many off-off-Broadway shows, but there’s no one place to get that info; you need to visit individual shows’ websites or call the box offices.

Click here for a link to a page that maintains the “student rush” policies for Broadway shows.

Ticket Central’s “Student No Rush” program is free. Some of the discounts are only a few dollars, but some are really great. Prices
are between $15 and $20, and there are usually about a dozen shows participating.

The Roundabout Theatre Company, which generally produces pricey Broadway contract shows with famous actors often appearing, has a discount program for audiences 35 or under called “Hiptix.” Tickets are $20 to any Roundabout show, which is a pretty great deal. The seats are generally towards the back, but their theatre has good sightlines so it’s not a problem.

The City Center has a similar program for students under 30, “Peer-to-Peer.” This provides $10 student tickets for certain performances; it also requires sign-up in order to hear about the shows in advance.

Lincoln Center Theatre, which usually charges between $50 and $120 for tickets, also has a students-under-30 program called Studentix. Registration is free, but they only allow a certain number of members at a time. Right now they’re in waiting list mode, but it’s worth getting on the list for $20 tickets to good seats at expensive shows. (LCT also has a regular day-off rush policy, like most theatres in NYC).

Theatermania.com has discounts to many high-profile shows. The discounts usually aren’t quite as good as student rush, but you can buy in advance and usually the seats are better. You have to “join” the website to get the discount codes, but it’s free.

There are lots of similar programs at individual theatres– the Public, the Japan Society, BAM, Classical Theatre of Harlem, to name a few. These places have specific student rush (and non-student rush) policies, so don’t be shy about calling their box office and asking.

Where can I eat around the GC on a student budget?

At the Graduate Center, there is a Cafeteria on the 8th floor, serving excellent, decently-priced food until 3pm, and the 365 café on the first floor, for sandwiches, pastries, and coffee, open usually until 7pm. As the DTSA Student Guide notes, there are many options to choose from in the Mid-town area, but a lot of them are bad and over-priced. Walking down Fifth Avenue, you immediately come upon a set of good old standards such as Wendy’s, McDonalds, Taco Bell, and plenty of delis with open buffets. But the Graduate Center is also located near some tasty and affordable gems. Here are a few suggestions:

Mandoo Bar (2 West 32nd, btw Broadway & 5th Avenue): Dumplings

Kati Roll (6th & 39th): Indian “wraps” with chicken, beef, lamb or tofu

Shake Shack (Madison Square Park): burgers, shakes, long lines, etc.

Vezzo (31st & Lex): thin-crust pizza, very affordable lunch specials

Woorjip (32nd between B’way and 5th): very cheap Korean buffet.

I’m no longer a first-year student but having a locker at the GC would still come in handy. What can I do?

What else do I need to know about?

The Student Affairs Newsletter is a great resource that you should take the time to read. Questions about yoga classes, fellowships and scholarships, the student health resources, child care options, and more can be found summarized there and will point you in the right direction. For example, what’s all this about Endnote, Refworks, and Zotero? The latest issue explains:

“Endote, Refworks, and Zotero are varieties of bibliographic citation software. Zotero.com is free; Refworks is web-based provided through a CUNY-wide license; and EndNote is downloadable free to GC students and faculty only. Decide which resource works best for you…

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Do you have suggestions about this FAQ? Is there anything else you would like to see here? Please email dtsamail@gmail.com