<p>This is my first post in this forum. I want to start off by saying I am a Junior who KNOWS she wants to major in theater. I've been acting for 9 years at a conservatory, and I've known since about the age 11 that this, in some way, is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I have a heavy resume, and plenty of experience, but that isn't my main concern. There are lots of wonderful BA and BFA programs out there that are unique and prestigious. My main concern is the environment. I want to go somewhere great, yes, and I already know the great. I want a school that will be challenging and prestigious, and has an AMAZING BFA program, but at the same time will be welcoming, friendly, and in a sense, homey. I'm just that type of person. I'm very friend and family-oriented person. I like a school to be personal, and fit me. Size doesn't necessarily bother me, but I want to have that welcoming feeling you get.
My first choices:
Tie: Otterbein and Purchase
As of now at least! I'm still young, so I have time. I haven't visited Purchase yet, but I plan to! I visited Otterbein, and absolutely loved it. Both programs are fabulous, but I don't know where my personality will shine more.
If you know of, or go to a college for a BFA or BA in theatre, I'm more than happy to take suggestions. I know there are several amazing program out there, and I may not even know of them, so please share. Also, if you have an opinion, what are your opinions on Purchase and Otterbein?
Thanks so much,
Chase</p>
<p>BUMP, please</p>
<p>I can’t say much about Purchase or Otterbein, but the Boston University School of Theatre is welcoming, friendly, and in a sense homey. It is also an excellent conservatory-type program.</p>
<p>If you are eager for some quick responses about Purchase and Otterbein, I’d suggest starting a new thread with those names in the subject line.</p>
<p>What does she like about the program? How many students are in her class?</p>
<p>Take a look at the BFA program at the University of Minnesota. Although the university is large, the theater program is small. It has a partnership with the Guthrie Theater. They also have a non-auditioned B.A. program that focuses on more experimental theater.</p>
<p><a href=“https://theatre.umn.edu/[/url]”>https://theatre.umn.edu/</a></p>
<p>I will definitely check that out. Thanks!</p>
<p>We were very impressed by the ensemble spirit we sensed at DePaul Theatre School when we visited, and I’ve heard great things about Evansville. My son wants an urban school, so he wouldn’t consider Evansville or Otterbein. I’ve also heard good things about Muhlenberg, if you’re looking for a traditional campus environment. Emerson has a strong creative community, with lots of synergy among its departments.</p>
<p>If you were asking about how many students are in a School of Theatre BFA class at BU, it usually runs about 40, or sometimes slightly over 40…more than at many other programs.</p>
<p>My son who is a student there is interested in many aspects of theatre, and is interested in dance, so he likes the fact that at the end of freshman year, all of the BFA performance core students choose either the Acting track or the Theatre Arts track. He chose Theatre Arts, which permitted him to do a dance minor.</p>
<p>Another great thing about Boston University is guaranteed casting. Starting second quarter of sophomore years, all of the theatre BFA students are cast in a production each quarter.</p>
<p>Good luck! It’s wonderful that you’re starting early with this.</p>
<p>I feel obliged to remind you of some basic truths about trying to get into auditioned theatre programs:</p>
<p>1) The most well-known, “top” schools have VERY low acceptance rates, many under 10%.
2) There are many schools that are a little less well-known that have slightly higher acceptance rates, maybe in the teens/twenty per cent. This is still a very selective group, but it’s good to have some on your list.
3) You don’t mention your academic stats, but for many schools you do have to meet their academic standards at least reasonably well to be accepted even by audition.
4) You don’t mention financial needs - theatre schools like all colleges can vary from low in-state tuition to the full-pay over-$50,000 per year cost. Some of the slightly less selective schools can offer some pretty great scholarships that the “top” schools can’t.</p>
<p>It’s wonderful to fall in love with a school - a dream come true if you get in and can afford it - but even more helpful in that it tells you what you want in your college experience. There likely are many schools that could meet most of your criteria. Try to have a balanced list in terms of selectivity and cost, and please do have some schools that do not depend on an audition for acceptance. There actually are a number of BFA programs that do not require this (see <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/1177128-non-audiiton-bfas.html?highlight=non+audition+bfa[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/1177128-non-audiiton-bfas.html?highlight=non+audition+bfa</a> ), and of course hundreds of BA programs that are really quite excellent, too.</p>
<p>I wish you all the best in your journey.</p>
<p>I wanted a school that would give me the same sense of family and that was the reason why I did not chose Purchase. </p>
<p>Maybe it was because of my timing or how things went, I never had a fair chance to judge but I felt that at Purchase, it was best man for himself. While at my school, Fredonia, it was family, I belonged! </p>
<p>I highly recommend visiting the schools in sessions, try sitting in on a class, talk to students. Trust your instincts, go with your best judgement. Especially when choosing BA or BFA because each school has a different opinion. </p>
<p>I wish you as much luck as I had!</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>Out of the schools I’ve visited, Emerson made the strongest positive impression without a doubt. BU and NYU impressed too, but didn’t open up as much.</p>
<p>On the west coast, USC is great, but tough to get in, and the campus is on the edge of a VERY dangerous part of Los Angeles-- not my personal cup of tea, though I have friends who aren’t fazed by that and love the school. UCLA doesn’t offer a BFA, despite its outstanding department, and many of the schools around here are really pretty ‘meh’. Chapman is good, CSU Fullerton is quite renowned, and there are a few other schools that offer conservatory-style training, such as AMDA. I do know that there are no four-year universities in my home county (San Diego) that offer a BFA in Acting or Theater Arts… :/</p>
<p>Tisch doesn’t really give much insight to prospies because they don’t let you sit in on classes. The irony is that while you can’t call the school itself homey, the studios themselves are, or at least the ones I know through my daughter’s participation. At least so far (and my D is a sophomore) the atmosphere is collaborative, friendly, challenging and yet supportive and geared towards individual growth.</p>
<p>I think you’ll find students in most BFAs will describe their programs as homey and “like a family.” I think you’ll also find that the theatre students at just about any school tend to be fairly exclusive in that they mostly hang out together outside of class with perhaps a few fellow travelers from the other arts and liberal arts majors. Also, while each school and department within will have its overall unique vibe, something that isn’t often discussed here is that each class within each department will have its own distinct collective personality which is something you really don’t have any basis to judge as a prospective student since you don’t know who your classmates will be or how they‘ll mesh as a group. For instance, my own class was for a variety of reasons known and often decried by the faculty as being very businesslike and even “cold” in comparison to the classes before and after us who were lovey dovey in the extreme. </p>
<p>Basically, what I’m telling you is that you just can’t know for sure how it will be until you’re there. All you can do is set some parameters for what you think will be best for you and work from there.</p>
<p>While they’re both BFAs, your current top two are also VERY different in both their training philosophies and surroundings. Besides the obvious physical and cultural differences between suburban NYC and Columbus, Ohio, Purchase is a conservatory with about as little emphasis placed on conventional academics as exists in the US while Otterbein devotes a much larger slice of its time-pie to liberal arts and sciences coursework. In case you didn’t know, the venerable Doctorjohn who sometimes posts here is Chair of the Otterbein’s Theatre Department and there was a discussion on the MT forum a couple of years ago comparing and contrasting his program to mine which was a conservatory much like Purchase. Here’s a link to give you some insight … <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/783726-schools-equally-close-strong-programs-mt-acting-2.html#post8875726[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/783726-schools-equally-close-strong-programs-mt-acting-2.html#post8875726</a></p>
<p>Take a look at Syracuse.</p>
<p>You should look into Ball State University in Indiana!
They have a very rigorous and intense training process for their performers.</p>
<p>Check out- [Ball</a> State University - Theatre and Dance](<a href=“http://www.bsu.edu/theatre]Ball”>http://www.bsu.edu/theatre)</p>
<p>Feel free to ask any questions! Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Otterbein and Purchase are extremely good schools to look at. But with this profession, you always need to take advantage of as many professions as possible. In the same neck of the woods as Otterbein, Ball State and Evansville both have extremely admirable acting programs.</p>
<p>Remember, its not necessarily the program that you are accepted into. It is the work that you will put into it.</p>
<p>I totally agree with the post above!</p>
<p>Purchase is a well respected school in the Theatre World. A great thing about Purchase is the proximity to New York City. You have access to some of the best theater and opportunities offered.</p>