Thanks for all your help on my “schools around DC” thread. We’ve got trips set up to see the closest schools in the area, once we’ve seen those, and have a better sense of what’s most important, we’re going to start looking a little further afield.
DS’s preference is definitely for urban schools, and he’d love to be in driving vs. flying distance from home, but would consider a really good fit in another part of the country.
We’re looking for schools that are accepting of a lackluster transcript. I know this rules out NYU, and I’m assuming CMU as well, but not sure which other schools are automatically out of reach for a kid with average test scores and a GPA somewhere around 2.8.
Here’s what we have so far. Anything we should be adding or dropping?
Shenandoah
GMU
Howard
VCU
UArts
UNCSA
Coastal Carolina
WVU
Mason Gross
LIU Post
Pace
Montclair
Point Park
Otterbein
Wright State
CCM
CMU says they don’t care about grades for drama applicants. Not sure how much grades are considered but they said most of the decision is audition based. May be same for tech. You could ask.
Do the CMU students take their gen ed classes with the students in other schools though? I’m not sure I can imagine my son keeping up in a CMU English class.
Do you know how CMU is about accepting transfer credit? He will probably be entering with a lot of Dual Enrollment credit, so perhaps he could avoid the issue that way.
I don’t know about transfer credit or even if the bfa students take gen Ed classes with others. They probably do- but on a limited basis. I hear the bfa programs are very, very separate from the other programs at cmu and require few gen Ed classes at all. (Maybe two a semester). Other schools, NYU for example, require many gen Ed classes - I know CMU does not.
I don’t have first Hand experience. This is info we learned during auditions. Hopefully someone with more knowledge can provide info.
Good luck
Other places you could look at include:
Penn
De Paul
Cal Arts
U of Central Florida
Drake
Viterbo
SUNY Purchase
Ithaca
Im not sure what area of tech your son is interested in, but some schools offer some BA programs (depending on the specific interest) that aren’t too different from BA programs:
Fordham
Pace
Baldwin Wallace
Since you’re considering CCM, you may want to look at Northern Kentucky, as well; it’s right across the river from Cincinnati. We were impressed by the talent there and the personal attention that was apparent! Grades don’t have to be great, and the tuition is reasonable.
Thanks, both of you. This is super helpful. I didn’t know anything about Northern Kentucky, so that’s a great addition.
His ideal major would be scenic technology, scenic production, technical direction, something like that. He’s a builder, not a designer.
If he hasn’t done so yet, it might be helpful for your S to look at the curriculum at each school. That might help him further narrow down what he’s looking for. My D is in stage management, and saw significant differences among some schools.
Thanks Reckless, that’s absolutely what we plan to do. Do you have any thoughts on what questions to be asking when looking at a school?
Also, any suggestions for schools for the “builder not designer” type kid? A kid who aims to run a scene shop or be a technical director?
@CuriousJane, I don’t know much about technical directors/scene shops, so others might be more helpful with specific school suggestions, but here are some questions we found useful:
Where are students doing internships and working during the summer and after graduation?
How many students are in the program?
When can you expect to be working on the main stage?
Is there a masters program as well, and if so, do the BFA students compete with MFA students for jobs?
How many shows, and what type, do they do per year?
You can get a lot of information by visiting the schools. We were able to get informational interviews with the head of stage management at all but one school. Portfolio reviews will also help you to see if you click with the culture of the school. My D was convinced she wanted to go to one specific school, but had absolutely no connection with the person who did her portfolio review. She also thought she wanted a big city, but is going to Otterbein because she was so impressed with the faculty and the culture. On the other hand, there were a few schools that sounded perfect, but she crossed them off her list because of their location.
If you visit schools, hopefully you will be able to meet with the heads of the departments in which your S is interested. Make sure he has some specific questions and shows lots of interest and enthusiasm. For the review, the portfolio will be important. Each school may want something a little different, check each one, but in general they will want to see your S’s contributions to a variety of projects. It really just tells the story of who he is professionally and artistically. It does seem like both you and the faculty will know if a school is a good fit.