Hi, I’m searching for colleges for an acting degree, preferably on the northwestern coast. I’ve heard how great some of the Ivy’s MFA acting programs are (Yale, Columbia, etc.) but can’t find information on which of the schools would be the best for an undergraduate student. What would be the best choice to pursue an acting degree from Ivy League? And yes, I know that there are many other schools which would be a great fit to study acting (I have Northwestern, NYU, AADA, NYFA, Pace and Syracuse in my list).
Also, maybe someone could explain how does the undergraduate drama program in Columbia work? I read something about having the curriculum in Barnard college but getting a degree from Columbia,or something like that.
Yale, Columbia, Brown, and Harvard would probably be your best bets for acting/theater among the Ivies. But whatever schools you apply to, unless they’re explicitly theater schools like AADA, you should ask how many undergrad productions are mounted every year, how cast and crew are chosen, what kind of budget do undergrad productions usually receive, can undergrads work on grad productions, is there an affiliation with any outside troupe or company, what percentage of theater majors end up going pro, etc. If you can narrow your list down to a manageable few schools, try to attend undergrad productions there. Other schools to consider for theater in the NE (which what I assume you actually meant): Vassar, Brandeis, Tufts, and SUNY Purchase.