<p>wow… relaxed vibe…I think I know where she should go, but price is an issue.</p>
<p>In Southern California, the main schools are: UCLA (BA Theatre with Acting and MT specializations, but also playwrighting and directing); USC (BA and BFA); Chapman; Cal Arts (BFA); and Loyola Marymount. Also there is UC Irvine (non-audition for freshman year); UC Santa Barbara (non audition freshman year); Cal State Fullerton; and S.F. State. </p>
<p>Each of these programs has pluses and minuses. In terms of the ones that are most renowned in Cali, that would be UCLA, USC and Cal Arts. </p>
<p>UCLA is a BA program, but it is run like a BFA Conservatory. Disadvantages are you cannot go abroad your junior year (you have to go during the summer) and you cannot work in the biz while you are in school. Like many of the competitive acting schools, you can’t act on stage till your sophomore year. Advantages are it is a great academic school, has an amazing alumni network, and great training. Your daughter could minor in English. (Mine is minoring in Film). Also, the students can audition for films made by the student film makers in the prestigious film school. You must audition to get in. The bulk of the decision is the audition, and so long as you meet UC requirements, and your audition rocks, you have a shot. They audition 1100-1200 a year for 100 slots, of which 60-65 are for Acting and MT. By the end of the four years, that 60 will be down to 22 or so by natural attrition. (UCLA is not easy.) These kids are not “cut”. They change to playwrighting, directing, or just get a BA Theatre without a specialization so they can take a semester off to be in a show or go junior year abroad. If your D decided to do playwrighting instead, many of those students graduate in 3 years, especially if they come in with AP scores. Think of the monetary savings! My D attends UCLA and is in the Acting program.</p>
<p>USC has both the BA and BFA. Again, you must audition and the BFA in particular is very competitive. I don’t know much about the program, except it is well loved. It has all the same advantages of UCLA – location, alumni network, great training. Its location is not quite as good as UCLA, although this is getting better. (An issue of the surrounding neighborhood.) But the campus is gorgeous. USC alum are movers and shakers and very proud people. Its kinda of like a club and once you are in, this is a good thing. I can’t say about academics, but I know generally speaking USC is not easy to get into. I would put it on a par with UCSD or UCSB. It is not as difficult to get into as Berkeley, Stanford or UCLA if you were just applying, for example, undeclared. But as the programs are weighted toward talent, I would imagine its looking for the same as UCLA and other audition weighted programs. My D did not apply for USC because her local high school is the number one feeder high school for USC and she wanted a change.</p>
<p>Cal Arts: this is where I think your D should seriously look. It doesn’t care about grades at all. They don’t even ask for test scores. its all the audition. It is about an hour outside of downtown LA. There is not enough housing for all the students, which is a real downside. The campus looks like a high school campus. Its is a quiet part of LA county, very suburby. On the other hand, great alumni network. Its very touchy feely. You have to go there and get the vibe. The thing is here, its all about the acting, and they have great writing programs, everything artistic and edgy you can think of. But it is VERY EXPENSIVE. My D was admitted to the BFA Acting program here. </p>
<p>Chapman is gorgeous. The area around it is something like Main Street Disneyland. My D has several friends who go there. They love it. It is challenging to get cast. We know a very talented young lady who didn’t get cast until her sophomore year, but then was offered many parts all at once and got to chose. It is easier to get into than other So Cal programs. We also know, however, kids who have dropped out in favor of going back to community colleges and trying to transfer into the UC system.</p>
<p>LMU - We similarly know many kids who got in here. Not as difficult to get in. Other than that, I know very little. I heard a rumor, however, that the girl who stars in GLEE went here. I don’t know if that is true.</p>
<p>UC Irvine and UCSB - my D was admitted to both, but as you cannot audition, it is based on grades and essays and SATs. You audition at the end of your sophomore year, I believe, for both programs. After she was admitted, they both contacted her and asked her to come and talked to her. Once she told them she was admitted to UCLA and Cal Arts, they basically said, “never mind.”</p>
<p>SF State. We know many fine actors who went here. They have a program with some Shakespeare show in the Bay Area that the actors work with. We have seen the quality of the actors who went there. Very good. Admission is on grades and SAT only. SF State I believe is one of the impacted CSU campuses. But still, it won’t be as hard to get in as most UC’s.</p>
<p>Cal State Fullerton – amazing alumni network. Brand new building that rocks. Lots about this program on CC. I have heard, though, that housing is an issue.</p>
<p>Outside of CA:</p>
<p>NY: the obvious is NYU, Suny Purchase, Syracuse, Ithaca. For most, Purchase is a pipe dream. It is difficult to get into, based on talent if not solely, darn near. NYU is difficult to get into, and some on this page will say your D’s academics are not quite there. But please, when you review all the pages and pages about NYU, be aware that some changes have happened in recent months at NYU in its acting program. Not that these are bad changes… but they are changes and you need to know that some things are no longer relevant. Ithaca - very remote and cold, but it produces great actors. My D’s teacher went there. She is remarkable.</p>
<p>Pennsylvania: I wished my D had auditioned for University of the Arts. Of course, there is Carnegie Mellon, but that is nearly impossible to get into. </p>
<p>Arizona: I think Arizona State has a respected program. There are pages about it on CC</p>
<p>Massachusetts: I’ll throw a curve ball at you. Have you thought about Emerson College in Boston? One problem is they are notoriously tight with financial aid. But it is a very small school and has great writing and acting programs. It is in the heart of Boston, but this is a college town, so it has a different feel than, say NYC or LA. </p>
<p>Good luck to you, and do searches on some of these schools on these pages, and those under Musical Theatre majors. You will get tons of information on them.</p>
Yes, you are correct that we are focusing on a BA, not a BFA. We appreciate your input on that topic, as well as the Syracuse info. Although we would love for her to attend step-dad’s alma mater, she wouldn’t want to have to do the BFA program and then switch later on. </p>