Hi all,
Does anyone have a worksheet or spreadsheet that is BFA specific to help their son or daughter make the decision on where to attend? I know there are some on the internet that are more general, but I’m looking for one that has things like number of performances, can freshmen perform, is study abroad available for BFA students, etc.
If anyone has anything like this that they’d be willing to share, I would love to have a copy. PM me please and I’ll send you my email address.
And a HUGE thank you to everyone who posts info on here. I don’t post a lot, but am an avid reader. My son owes much of his success during this grueling audition process to those who helped me learn how to help him.
Thanks!
This is such a great point. I have been hand writing out a list/grid of program features etc. If there isn’t one that is available to share, maybe a collective brain storm on what are the features to look at etc. This is a really tough process!
Here is an old MT thread that includes good questions to ask schools that you have been accepted to…its a cumulative thread so worth reading all pages. Of course, it’s MT so some may not apply, and everyone has different priorities so you may want to choose five questions to ask all schools just to narrow down which ones you will actually visit. Also, you can search school names here and find students, parent and alumni of schools and PM them and ask if they would be willing to answer questions to see if you get the same answers/opinions. And of course, I would include your waitlists in that list! But, First check websites where you might already find answers to some questions:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1624534-questions-to-ask-during-the-campus-visit-p1.html
Thanks, @loribelle. I will check out the thread you referenced. We visited three of my son’s accepted schools last week and he asked his list of questions. I just wondered whether anyone had an actual worksheet developed already. Hopefully I can make one based on the info in the thread. Thanks again!
I was literally just going to ask the same question. Thanks for posting!! Maybe we can all add some of our own questions we ask (that are not on the list) - just in case some of us do not think of asking. It’s quite funny how much more I listen to the answers now that she has been accepted. It all seemed like a big ol dream during the info sessions.
I can send you the spreadsheet I made last year. You can customize it and make it your own. PM me. Actually now I’m thinking you may need something different. I was offering the spreadsheet we used to decide where to apply and also where I tracked acceptances. I never made a separate spreadsheet to use for decisions.
I have one… PM me with your email address if you’d like.
Thank you @katew529! I just sent you a PM.
I am not a spreadsheet type of person, but maybe my categories might help someone focus their data.
What I did was print out the degree maps for each program he was interested and made several copies of each. Then I went through and compared each one and made notes - how many credits overall in the program, how many gen eds required, how many courses specific to S17’s area of interest within the major. I used a different color marker with the top 3 choices to compare and contrast what each program offered.
I also looked at the class registration page on each school to check on things like when certain classes are offered - for instance, most schools have pretty much the same schedules year after year, so you can look and see when a particular course is offered compared to a different course. I looked at the course catalog for gen eds to see what S17 might be interested in. I also looked at transfer policies. My son has an LD in math and FL so I needed a school that would accept credits taken elsewhere. He intends to take those gen eds at the local CC - as long as he gets a C, the credits will transfer and the grade won’t go in his GPA. He couldn’t attend a school where he had to take those classes on campus because it would stress him out and destroy his GPA, the way it did in HS. For him, I also looked into the schools’ disabilities services program to compare them, though not everyone would need to do that.
I also compared costs, including things like extras for certain classes and transportation, as well as lodging in the area for when we visit. Another thing I checked was acceptance of AP credits. S17 only had 9 but I wanted them all to count. SUNY accepts 3 and better, the private schools wanted 4’s, which was a problem for me.
Ultimately, the choice came down to money, fit and AP and transfer policy. We found them all in his current school.
@katew529 I just sent you a PM, too. Thanks for sharing!!
@katew529 I’d love to see your spreadsheet too–I was just going to start one. I don’t have the PM option yet–do young messaging me? Thanks.
Of course I meant “mind messaging me”. Thank you!
@yorkside - sure, will do!
@marg928 and @katew529 I’d love to see your spreadsheets to please 
Brand new here and to this crazy adventure . My daughter is a jr in hs and we are just beginning (probably a little late) to start the process of choosing where to apply. Comparing it all is hard to keep track of! We are leaving Sat to visit CA schools, our first visits.
I am in the same boat - just starting out on this journey for my junior daughter. We just visited seven schools in NYC and would be so grateful if @katew529 and @marg928 would kindly PM me your spreadsheets? Many thanks!
I would love to be PMed the Spreadsheets as well!
@katew529, would you mind sending me your link as well? I would PM you but I don’t seem to have the ability to create a PM - only respond to one. If you send me a PM, i will send you my email address. Thank you so much!!
@katew529 @marg928 hi, i’m definitely interested in having a look at your example spreadsheets as well. I just registered so don’t have the ability to PM but will share email address if you could pm me. Thanks in advance!
Hello there, I would really love a copy of your spreadsheet, if possible. I just joined today and I don’t know how to pm. 
I should clarify I would like copies of both spreadsheets, one from @Marg928 & @katew529, please. Also, I think perhaps new members can’t pm right away so if anyone could pm those two members for me requesting the spreadsheets that would be amazingly helpful. If I am wrong and I can pm, feel free to tell me how! 