Meet our students: Aron Julius

I had the 'I want to be an actor and nothing else' moment when I was 11, playing the King of Hearts in my school hall in Liverpool. It gave me such a sense of purpose and every decision I have made after that has been geared towards a career in acting.

My Grandad told me there was the equivalent of a university, but for acting: "There are drama schools. The only one I can think of is RADA, but that is aiming very high!" That conversation changed my life. Plus, I love a challenge!

As the years went by and the hunger for acting grew, I performed on stage in Choir Boy at the Royal Court, the Sheffield Crucible with a tour of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin In The Sun and on TV with the BBC's Moving On and ITV's DCI Banks. Through all of these amazing experiences, I met RADA graduates who shared their experiences, and I never lost sight of wanting to train at RADA.

After years of religiously scanning the website, the time felt right for me to apply. The audition was process was long and required a lot of patience but each round was fruitful and a lot of fun. I learnt a lot about myself in the audition process alone and was determined this was the school for me. I will always remember walking through those doors feeling like I was being welcomed into Hogwarts. When I got the phone call from the Academy Director to say I had a place, I was so overwhelmed and excited that I locked myself in my bathroom.

RADA has changed everything for me. The training has given me more flexibility and specificity as an actor. It has stretched my capability, broadened my knowledge of plays and challenged me in the most fruitful and creative ways. I was surprised by how physically and emotionally demanding the course is but, with the progressive nature of the course, my stamina and capability grew quickly

We have numerous opportunities to perform on West End stages (the National and St Martin's Theatre), which allows our training to be put into practice on a professional platform. A personal high point for me was when I played Othello in 2nd year. It was a scary and daunting project at first but with rehearsals and challenging tutors, I feel I was really able to take risks, be playful and have an experience I will never forget.

The tutors and staff are caring, exciting to work with and are on our side as young actors in training. Training is incredible but doesn't come without its financial pressures. RADA is fully committed to helping every step of the way with bursaries and funding opportunities. At the end of my second year I was nominated and auditioned for the Laurence Olivier Bursary Award and won it, much to my delight, proving that help is always there at RADA. We do a lot of work that unpicks and unmasks us personally, especially in first year. It is fun but emotionally taxing, so being able to feel safe and supported by the school is a delight.

I came to RADA wanting to be challenged and stretched, allowing me to be the best actor I can be. Not only has RADA given me that but it has also given me a much deeper understanding of myself, life and acting. I feel confident that I am in the hands of an excellent training.

Aron Julius, BA (Hons) in Acting