<p>so i have an acquantaince at school who i was very concerned about! i found out through another friend that she was applying to some less-than-stellar schools, not to be judgmental, i just think she can do better.</p>
<p>she is the president of our class, has very good extracurriculars (she is hardcore theater), is puerto rican, got a 1270 on the sat, and is ranked somewhere in the 20s/400. - to me, she is the dream applicant. if you read the gatekeepers, she actually reminds me of that hispanic student that was being heavily recruited by wesleyan and all the other schools.</p>
<p>sadly, the schools she listed were: ithaca, fairfield, and schools in that league. </p>
<p>her reasons for picking the schools were based ENTIRELY on whether they had a theater arts major. now, i just know that there must be some other schools out there that are a little stronger that also have a theater arts major (i suggested conn college) - i know yale has one, and i encouraged her to apply as a reach, cause you never know - also NYU has tisch. </p>
<p>any others you guys can think of? applications need to be in to guidance soon and i really want to help her improve her list.</p>
<p>Ithaca's music and theatre schools are actually really well respected. I wouldn't knock them. Skidmore's more selective than Ithaca, and it's theatre program seems to be pretty good.</p>
<p>It looks to me like the young lady has a nice slate of picks. Did not know Fairfield and Richmond had big theatre programs but the other schools look just fine to me, given the information.</p>
<p>re: those schools i listed - im not sure if they have big theater programs, i just kinda compiled them cause i know they have an actual major in theater arts.</p>
<p>anyone know if they are any good? ill give her the names of em tomorrow, but i need to have a good argument in support of each! :)</p>
<p>I didn't know you were from upstate, ilcapo. (And I trust by "upstate" you actually mean upstate and not westchester, like some fool tried to tell me). I actually dislike Ithaca myself (my brother goes there) but sometimes you gotta give credit where it's due.</p>
<p>Ilcapo, It is really admirable that you are helping this friend! The thing is with a theater major, I do not know if she is going for a BA degree in theater in a liberal arts curriculum or if she wants a BFA in theater, an entirely different process. The latter, by the way, involves auditions to be admitted. </p>
<p>Let me just say that in the case of a BFA, the NAME of the college may sound like it is not that selective but that is NO indication as to the selectivity of being admitted to the BFA program. For instance, my D is also an applicant to Ithaca (a school you mentioned that seemed "low" for this girl) and to Emerson (a school you called a match for this girl). If I were going by "stats" I would easily say my daughter is IN. for instance, her stats are quite a bit higher than your friend. However, to get into the BFA degree programs at all the schools on her list, the acceptance rate hovers between 5-10% (you mentioned Tisch and the acceptance rate into the musical theater program there is 5% and into acting/theater about 10%) and my daughter, nor your friend, is not "IN" anywhere too easily. So, Ithaca or Emerson or Penn State might not sound that hard to get into but it is a different ball of wax when applying for theater at those schools. The acceptance rate at Penn State into the BFA program is 5%. So, ya can't go by the normal selectivity rating for the school. </p>
<p>As far as Yale, it is a graduate program.
Elon is a BFA degree program, again not that easy to get into. </p>
<p>Conn College is a possibilty if going for a BA. </p>
<p>Skidmore is a good choice for her if she is looking to do theater as a BA in a liberal arts school, no audition. Muhlenberg would be another possibility of that sort. </p>
<p>She said she doesn't care if she gets a BA or a BFA - I don't think she has truly done much college searching like all of us addicts. She said to me "I want a school where I can get very classic vocal/theater training" - whatever that means. Im not a theater person so its hard for me to figure this stuff out. She also said that she will audition - but I'm assuming thats too late? Or maybe not. It just seems so last minute lol. </p>
<p>Also - that description of selectivity was excellent! Very, very informative - I never would have guessed that those BFA programs are so rigorous admissions-wise.</p>
<p>Ilcapo, if you go to the College Search and Selection forum, you will find a Theatre Schools Thread that is pretty thorough that lists many colleges with good theatre programs. If your friend is interested in Musical Theatre, CC has one of the most comprehensive info in that area. From what you have said, it appears that your friend is interested in theatre and wants a school where the opportunities are there, but if she has not put a lot of time and thought into it, she probably will not want to have to audition. It is late to start thinking about auditioning. My son is winding down on his actual auditions and was preparing the pieces a year ago for the process. If that is what your friend wants to do, she needs to start cracking very quickly.</p>
<p>As Susan mentioned, both Muhlenberg and Skidmore have excellent non audition theatre. Kenyon does as well. Hartwick is another choice--more of a safety. Many of the SUNY schools do have strong theatre programs but you do have to check them out as to whether they require an audition or not. Purchase does and is highly selective. Emerson and Ithaca have highly competitive programs in theatre and you must audition. </p>
<p>Without knowing how much and what kind of training your friend has had, it is difficult to point her in the right direction as the performing arts is a field with its own rules.</p>
<p>"...gatekeepers, she actually reminds me of that hispanic student that was being heavily recruited..."- fyi, remember that girl went to a top prep school and had near perfect SAT's.</p>
<p>I definitely do not think of Fairfield or Ithaca when I think of theater. </p>
<p>Skidmore and NYU would be my recommendations, albeit for different reasons: Skidmore has a great program for a college of that size, while NYU offers a level of professionalism due to its location in NYC.</p>
<p>Both schools would provide your friend with an excellent education as well.</p>
<p>Ithaca has a fine theatre program that requires an audition. And I was incorrect about Hartwick--it too requires an audition. Most liberal arts schools have pretty good theatre departments and theatre resources as ECs. But you do have to look at what is at each school and match it to your level of interest. Theatre is a specialty major and is not necessarily linked to the selectivity of the school. There are many schools that are not at all selective except in certain departments, and theatre could be one of those. SUNY Purchase, for example is not particularly selective in the liberal arts courses, or PointPark in Pittsburgh. But the performing arts departments are very selective and require auditions.</p>
<p>I would suggest that she check out the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, a member institution of the University of North Carolina system which has both a high school and college component. It is very selective and competitive and has students from across the U.S. and around the world.</p>