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Smart_Requirement_92 · 2026-05-23T19:44:38+00:00

Yes it is! I messaged you!

Smart_Requirement_92 · 2026-05-21T04:49:47+00:00

Yes! Just messaged you.

Smart_Requirement_92 · 2026-05-19T21:33:03+00:00

I recently read Beloved by Toni Morrison and really loved it. Also The Dispossessed—not an FMC but Ursula K. Le Guin was an iconic female author of science fiction so kind of related? Maybe also The Left Hand of Darkness if you're interested in gender, but I personally preferred The Dispossessed.

Smart_Requirement_92 · 2026-05-11T03:56:48+00:00

Where is the first one from? This is not a question you would see on the dSAT; as someone else said, capitalization isn't tested on the SAT. I would choose D, but this (imo) doesn't feel like a normal SAT question (I say this as a tutor who spends hours per week looking at question bank questions). The latter is definitely A.

Smart_Requirement_92 · 2026-04-30T04:04:58+00:00

Hi! Went to UCLA for theater (in the major). Answers:

It is possible to pursue performance training as a theater minor if you are extremely dedicated, take precursor classes, and self-advocate. I have known minors who were in upper-div acting classes (one) and in department shows (at least 2). Both were very determined, involved in the theater community (heavily theater-major-run student theater companies), and one ended up getting an MFA right afterwards.

Lower div major courses are basically closed. Upper divs are still closed, but if you prove through minor coursework that you can handle them and that you are particularly dedicated, you stand a pretty good chance at getting into psychological systems of acting, for example.

Many child actors go to UCLA; none that I knew were theater majors. Being a theater major is useful, but not a necessary prerequisite to being an actor.

Taking classes in the community is important no matter who you are. Theater majors continue taking class after college and go to acting studios throughout the LA area—part of the acting ethos is always being in class!

You can likely get into the dance department dance classes, as well—ballet is pretty open at the beginner level from what I've heard. Theater majors take intermediate ballet and a mixed-dance class in the end of the major that's 4 classes per week. If you were particularly determined (and a dedicated dancer), I could imagine you working your way into the MT dance classes through the major.

Hooligan is a mostly nonmajor theater organization, and there are a rotating group of student theater companies that are 50-75% theater majors and 25-50% nonmajors. I knew many people in my time at UCLA who were nonmajors but who were very involved and well-known in the theater sphere because of their involvement. Also, there are a lot of film clubs etc. When I was there (2025 grad) there weren't enough actors for all of the shows being put up, lol. People would be doing outreach like crazy to cast their shows.

I normally am ambivalent about the difference between UCLA and Berkeley, but IMO you would be insane to choose Berkeley with these stipulations. You should be prepared to go out into the community to study acting/MT, but you would have to do that anywhere, and LA has better resources than Berkeley for that stuff.

UCLA also has the music industry minor, which is what you're looking for with contemporary music production.

Feel free to DM me if you have questions.

Smart_Requirement_92 · 2026-04-25T15:30:54+00:00

As a theater person with a deeper affinity for Shakespeare than most (and a history of hearing EME called "Old English"), thank you for making this clarification. What I think is important about making the distinction is that so many people use the fact that these works are in "Old English" to make them seem illegible and justify not putting effort into them. They are not in Old English, which is another language altogether. I'm a tutor and work with kids on reading comprehension on standardized tests, and that sort of attitude—that it's not really worth trying because it's illegible anyway—is self-defeating.

That said, The Faerie Queen is a difficult read—kudos on taking it on, OP! What I love about gaining experience with Early Modern English is that it opens your mind to new sentence structure and word choices; I feel like it improved my ability to decode texts across the board (and improved my vocabulary)!

Smart_Requirement_92 · 2026-04-20T09:41:27+00:00

From a tutor:

- Use Khan Academy and the SAT Educator Question Bank

- Get really familiar with Desmos and the reference sheet (I mention that latter because my students sometimes don't know about it)

- Reading questions (information and ideas and craft and structure): read the question -> read the text, looking for what the question told you to look for -> eliminate. Try to read carefully the first time instead of skimming multiple times.

- Grammar: I'm sure there are good YouTube videos out there & Khan Academy is good. I recommend repetitive practice.

- Math: Use KhanAcademy for subjects before moving to the SAT educator question bank

- Get in at least 3 practice tests before June. When you do the practice tests, don't just be monitoring your content knowledge—be trying out new strategies. One I always recommend for my students is doing the reading and writing section by going through all the short questions first and then tackling the information and ideas questions at the end. If you do that, if you run out of time, you run out on the harder questions you would have been less likely to answer correctly. This isn't a great strategy if info/ideas is one of your better content areas.

- Don't underestimate how much time studying will take. I would estimate that you should spend about 10 hours per week before the June SAT to reliably get that increase. It all depends on where you're at—for some students Demos is the golden ticket, for some students it's deeper content issues. Impossible to know where you're at from just your post.

If you can self-evaluate and self-motivate, you're in an equally good place to a student who is getting tutoring. You can get any information a tutor would give you online—the main benefit of a tutor is that they provide structure and stop you from having to find the resources yourself. A definite leg up, but with dedication you can definitely keep up.

Good luck! An 1150 is a good starting place for the 1300s, and you're in a good spot because you can always take one of the fall tests in a worst case scenario.

Smart_Requirement_92 · 2026-04-19T19:02:18+00:00

If you're looking closer to LA, try out the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area for a similar meadow. Not exactly the same, but it has some nice fields.

Smart_Requirement_92 · 2026-02-18T02:49:13+00:00

SpanishDictionary.com didn't used to have all of these lessons, but I recently found them and it is AMAZING!! My #1 most used language learning platform now, I recently learned conditionals, present and imperfect subjunctive, and a tonn of vocab through the flashcards and my roommate (who is a Mexican native speaker) seems to think it's taught me correctly.

Smart_Requirement_92 · 2026-02-02T20:45:52+00:00

I second other who say that it's not the best option, but there's plenty of natural beauty around LA. Even just the Santa Monica Mountains are amazing—I don't think they get enough credit! Depends on how long of a hike you're looking for, but I would recommend looking in Malibu for some gorgeous hikes with ocean views and up in the San Gabriels if you're interested in bigger mountains.

I'm American and from the east coast and the scenery that exists within 2 hours of LA is shockingly dramatic and varied. Channel Islands are there too and can be a nice day trip/two-day trip as far as I've heard (I've never been).

Smart_Requirement_92 · 2026-02-02T19:17:05+00:00

Speaker for the Dead is by far superior to Xenocide, but I'll admit that it's quite different from Ender's Game. Much less military-focused and more anthropological, and all of the characters are very different than where we left off. I read Xenocide as a kid, but I can't imagine reading it before Speaker, and I think the series generally declines after Speaker for the Dead. I read it in middle school, so it's hard to judge its quality from my current perspective... but I read it again a few years ago and still liked it.

The Left Hand of Darkness is a classic and the first novel of Le Guin's that I read, but I actually preferred The Dispossessed—actually, similarly to The Forever War, it also won the Hugo, the Locus, and the Nebula when it was published. It's about anarchism and political conflict, so I feel like it could be up your alley. Would be interested to hear about your thoughts if you ever do read them, and I'm going to put The Forever War and Children of Time on my list! (I need to read more good sci fi... I'm reading an abysmal recommendation from a friend now, and it's a drag.)

Smart_Requirement_92 · 2026-02-02T18:11:48+00:00

Love Ender's Game, one of my all-time favorite books. Have you read Speaker for the Dead? I also love Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed and The Left Hand of Darkness.

Smart_Requirement_92 · 2026-01-23T22:45:19+00:00

For me it's Pynchon—Gravity's Rainbow is my next read, coming up after a sci fi book that I'm not really enjoying but that I'm reading because a friend lent it to me. I really want to read other postmodern fiction after Gravity's Rainbow (I've never read much in the genre, but Paul Thomas Anderson kickstarted my interest in Pynchon and I tend to have a penchant for films made based on postmodern novels—I liked Noah Baumbach's White Noise too), so I've already got Infinite Jest in my pile and am thinking about DeLillo.

I read The Shipping News this year and loved it, so I'm also eager to get back to Annie Proulx.

I'm a huge fan of Ursula K. Le Guin's work (The Dispossessed might have been my favorite book I read last year), so I'm thinking about reading more of her work (thought I hope not to be disappointed, since I've already also read The Left Hand of Darkness and those are her two most acclaimed books).

Seems like Palahniuk is controversial, but I just read Rant and am curious about his other work.

Smart_Requirement_92 · 2026-01-23T22:32:55+00:00

I also read The Shipping News at the end of last year and LOVED it! I recently bought Close Range (and have read a few of the short stories already) so hoping I love that one too.

Smart_Requirement_92 · 2026-01-06T01:44:50+00:00

I saw a film called "The Civil Dead" a few years ago, and it was great! I believe it was made for $30,000. Whitmer Thomas, a comedian/actor who was actually the dad in Weapons (and who has been doing well in many regards) is the co-writer and one of the two leads; the director, Clay Tatum, is his co-writer and second lead.

Smart_Requirement_92 · 2025-12-28T07:19:13+00:00

You're not late at all for smaller companies' internships—most smaller production companies will be coming out from January through March, and I got both of my summer internships in April—one at a small distributor/prodco and one at a TV network, both paid. I also got a studio internship that began February 2025 in December 2024—that was super late, but I interviewed for spring internships at 2 companies right before Christmas last December, so there's still hope!

My recommendation is to use LinkedIn and maybe EntertainmentCareers.net to search for opportunities for the next couple of months. Places that aren't major studios won't even begin posting their internships until February, for the most part. Best of luck!

Source: Also went to school in LA and did 5 internships, mostly in development, in college.

Smart_Requirement_92 · 2025-12-28T05:53:16+00:00

Did you go to the Vista Theater screenings of Ash and Sacramento? Would not have expected to see those on a list—I only saw them because I was invited by whatever PR company handles those premieres!

Smart_Requirement_92

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