Congratulations @actorparent1 ! Thats wonderful but crazy making . I loved the vibe at Pace- it could have just what your daughter is looking for…
That’s so hard. I know a girl transferring from Emerson to Pace BFA but it’s for MT. She is ecstatic. They are both excellent- so there is no wrong choice!!
This process though wow. That is a highly sought after program and I’m happy for your D!!!
@actorparent1 A student from LA was able to sit in on a class April 16th. The entire day. Unfortunately she choose TTS but Pace seemed to have been accommodating.
@actorparent1 My S was accepted at PACE/BFA Acting. He requested to sit in on classes on a day that was during his spring break and worked for him. We are on the west coast. They could not schedule it. Wanted the kids coming to the accepted student day. It did not work out and he is going to another program. Wish he could have made the accepted student day but his school would not allow any more absences.
@actorparent1 - I will PM you the contact info of a current PACE FTVC student who is happy to chat with your daughter.
We are a Pace family - both kids in the BA-acting IPE program. Different program but same overall family. It has been a great fit for us. Reasonable cost with the merit award, amazing city, nice group of students, and world class training.
Thanks, everyone!
My instinct is that Hartt would be a better fit for her personally. She’s always wanted an intense conservatory where she’s immersed in her craft and gets lots of Shakespeare training. Her dream schools were Rutgers and UNCSA, and Hartt seems to be a similar type of program (and the head of the theater program was previously a dean of theater at UNCSA).
But she’s second-guessing herself, because she hasn’t had much film and TV training, so she’s thinking maybe she should go for a program that has a lot of stuff she doesn’t already know.
Mainly, she has a hard time with decisions, especially when she feels that they’re super important decisions with a lot riding on it! Lots of pressure!
I told her to see if she can sit in on a class at Pace, and to talk to her acting teachers about it, and I will definitely take up @Coronado’s offer of contacting the student she knows. I will keep you posted!
@actorparent1 - That is a difficult choice! She probably already was set to got to Hartt! Where does she feel she will thrive? That will be hard with her heart set on Hartt. I know that if my D got off WL at Syracuse, she would probably find it tough to leave Rider - with all the love she has received from teachers and students already - and all the opportunities she knows she will be offered. Not to mention the photo opps she has taken in her Rider gear! You D is probably in that position. Stay or go? So excited for you to have this other opportunity - though I know it is a hard decision. She will end up where she needs to be!
@actorparent1 - she needs time to explore this other option. Can you either- pay the deposit at Hartt and lose it if she decides to switch gears? Or call Hartt and see if they’ll give her an extension (but be sure financial aid also is extended)? I wouldn’t worry about the gear.
@MomofJ5, we had already committed to Hartt yesterday and paid the deposit. Which is actually a good thing, even though it means we may lose it, because at least we know that Hartt is set, so she doesn’t feel pressured to make a decision today. I’m not going to contact Hartt unless she actually changes her mind.
I told her to call Pace and arrange for a class visit, and to contact people in the program to ask them questions. If she decides to stay with Hartt, then she doesn’t need to do anything except to decline Pace’s offer. If she sits in on a class at Pace and decides that she wants to go there, then we would tell Hartt that we got off the waitlist and withdraw from there (and probably lose the deposit).
I think she’ll most likely stay at Hartt, because I think it’s a better fit for her. But I do want her to sit in on a class at Pace, just so that she can feel that she’s making a totally informed decision.
What did you mean by “I wouldn’t worry about the gear”?
@actorparent1 - MomofJ5 was responding to Fergie978’s comment about having already bought all the gear from Rider. 
I’m glad that you don’t have to make a snap decision on Hartt vs Pace. It would suck to lose the deposit but it sounds like that’s a long shot and it’s good to have her able to consider Pace as an option.
I was thinking this morning as I reviewed the MTCA site that published acceptances and final decisions - wow, the shoe is really on the other foot this week. Some programs that turned down a ton of excited kids are going to scramble this week if they didn’t make their expected yield. I say take all the time you need to make an informed decision - the schools certainly did. 
@CaMom13, Oh, lol! It’s okay, we haven’t bought a Hartt sweatshirt yet. 
Good point about the shoe being on the other foot now! I told D, even though it adds stress to have to make yet another decision, it’s nice to be wanted, isn’t it?
It is! And by two great programs!!!
@actorparent1 - Congratulations on another acceptance! I have to say I was definitely buying into Hartt for your D, it seemed like a good match. I recall she is very much about the TRAINING, like mine, and yet, this is a harder comparison. Totally opposite campus experience and Hartt I understand to be focused on classics and probably balanced, whereas FTVC is going to be, well, FTVC. I don’t know if this is accurate, but I got the feel that Pace was looking for edgier students, does that make sense? It’s just ONE person’s observations, like we have talked about, don’t set too much store by any one person, and someone else might see Pace differently, I was just trying to share the “soft” difference that I perceived, as you try to sort this through.
Glad you have made the Hartt deposit. Push to sit in on class or at least, go back on campus and talk to students and look around. I know places FEEL different once you have been accepted. Those are my thoughts, just trying to help!
Thanks, @FourStars! I agree, our girls are alike in wanting the “serious” training. I feel like the kids who go to Pace FTVC are most likely kids who are totally focused on Film/TV and definitely DON’T want classes in Shakespeare or theater history etc. Which is fine - it’s all about fit, as always! But my D LOVES Shakespeare - that’s why she wanted Rutgers, so she could spend a year at the Globe studying Shakespeare!
But I do still want her to sit in on a class at Pace to see what it’s like. It’s her decision, not mine. But I feel for her - although it’s great to get an acceptance, it was also nice to be DONE and KNOW where she was going! Having an unexpected choice at the last minute is causing her anxiety!
@actorparent1 Congrats!!! What a great program! How long did they give you to decide? Have your daughter create a list of pros & cons of each school. Youtube is helpful too as there are so many videos of day-to-day life (not necessarily acting students but students nonetheless) and of the dorms. Break a leg and let us all know!
@actorparent1 - the gear comment was a joke. You had said you already bought a bunch of sweatshirts/T-shirts,etc. obviously you wouldn’t base the decision on that purchase. Should have added an emoji .
Emoji cut off!
Is anyone else having problems with only part of your messages posting?
@momofJ5 - yes! I had trouble when I cut and posted some text with a smilie in it - when I typed It was fine. Still a few bugs in the system…
@MomofJ5 I just tried to post a long message and only a few words showed 
Plot twist here too! D just got a call & and email from Texas State ACCEPTING HER INTO THE BFA ACTING PROGRAM! We had started telling everyone D was taking a gap year (of her 3 acceptances, 2 were’t really what she wanted and 1 was not affordable without a ton of loans). She’d kept a few of her WLs open, but at this point really didn’t expect anything.
HELP: Do we go ahead and pay a deposit tonight? Details: Lauren told her she could have a few days to let her know definitely since we REALLY didn’t think this was going to happen. I emailed her & asked about contacting Admissions - she said let them know she told my D she could have a few days.
We have to scramble now - never thought this would happen, so have ignored (but thank goodness not deleted!) all the emails telling us what else they needed!