In 2003, at the age of 17, still known as Stefani Germanotta, Gaga had early admission to Collaborative Arts Project 21, a theatre school at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She studied music and lived in an NYU dorm but left in 2005 to focus on her music career. To make ends meet, she took up a number of jobs, including spending time as a gogo dancer, which helped hone her performance skills.