My D23 toured a bunch of schools last spring and pretty much landed on wanting to apply to Vassar ED with theatre major this fall (BA) and likely double major in something else. Then she did the NYU Tisch program this summer at the Atlantic Studio for acting and now is really thinking of doing BFA instead. She’d really like more of a campus than NYU however. Would love to hear anyone’s experience on deciding between BA and BFA. My guess is she will go on to get her MFA also. Thoughts?
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It really depends on the schools program but bfa isn’t much academics and my daughter missed that. She changed her BFA to a BA but they still worked her like she was a BFA. Long story she changed schools and fields of study. She just has too many friends that are bartenders now trying to make it. She also worked in LA on a set and saw 50 year olds chasing the dream
Good luck but really compare side to side the curriculums to get an idea.
Good Luck.
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My kid ended up choosing a BA program. Truthfully, during all the time he was applying and choosing we barely even realized there was a difference. But in retrospect, we feel it is good he has ended up at a BA program. He has so many other interests and academic strengths that a BFA would have been too narrow. After the fact he did take some “BA or BFA?” theater quizzes that you can Google, and they for sure point to BA. Also, I have since talked to a number of people in the profession, and they overwhelmingly support the idea of BA. They say that actually working in theater is your best “school” for theater skills, so you might as well use your college classes to get a broad education in things you wouldn’t learn otherwise. But again, we knew none of this at the time–the deciding factor at the time was that we are full pay and COA at Tisch came back at almost $90K. Ouch!
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My daughter started in a BFA program which required 65 theater credits (theater, music, dance). The school also had a lot of arts and science core classes, and the university had a few requirements for all students too. Left very very few other credits available to explore any other interests (maybe 25 credits?). She switched to a BA major after a year and was very happy with that. She liked theater, but there was just so little room to do anything else. Some of the required theater classes for the BFA were just plain boring, like history of theater. I would have loved the costuming classes (I like to sew) but daughter? Not so much. A lot of the classes were also only 1 or 2 credits, so she would have ended up taking 6 or 7 classes some semesters.
I sincerely asked here on CC what was the benefit of a BFA over a BA and never got an answer that convinced me the BFA was worth giving up all the other things college could offer. I think an employer may think of NYU as an excellent program (or one of the many other BFA programs) but I don’t think that employer (or casting agent, or director) will think “Well I’m not hiring THAT person because she only has a BA and not a BFA.”
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My S is a BFA theater major at a conservatory that has almost no gen ed requirements. It is an intense immersion into the world of acting, singing, dance and speech. If your child is interested in being exclusively an actor/director and that is the only place that they can see themselves and is willing to suffer for it then a BFA acting/MT/director program is for them. They will have no need for a masters program after. My S was also admitted to several BA programs, and does not regret his choice. I questioned it at the beginning but his school has an excellent reputation for placement and successful, working alumni. To answer the question of benefit, the BFA programs have showcases and huge networks of alumni and faculty to help get their students into auditions, this is much less common in BA programs, and that first step is vital.
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It’s really about what your kid wants. Both are great. D is half way through her BFA at a competitive program , and I like to describe it as “she doesn’t go to college, she goes to work”. She’s in a conservatory style program (BFAs differ as well so key in on the type of program). Her program is pretty much all dance, sing, act all the time. Very few academic classes. They have a requirement but she places out of most based on HS APs so she fills in with other things of interest. Takes 1 academic class per semester (maybe 2 at most). This part may be program specific but her whole existence is together with her BFA cohort. They all take the same BFA classes together. Lots of 10 and 12 hour days and then self practice. She happens to attend a NYC based program so it’s really like adulting. She lives in an apartment with two other BFA kids. Go to “class” take the subway home. cook dinner, rehearse, relax, go to bed, rinse and repeat.
Personally i would have hated that as I LOVED the traditional college experience. But this is what she wants to do and could care less about lining in the dorms, going to football games, etc. She says that. I hope she really means that, but it is consistent with her Performing Arts HS. She was all theater all the time. Didn’t really participate in other HS activities.
These programs are designed to make these kids professional performer ready. They’ll still have to struggle and it’s a huge long shot. But many who come out do work in their field. I think what they need to learn is not everyone, regardless of talent, can be a Broadway Star. Lots of them can find character work, jobs here and there and build on that. Tough life, but she’s all in.
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