anyone want to give me some info on Bocos program? Pros and cons? The large class size and large price tag are what’s most concerning… Is it worth it? My D was offered about a 20% scholarship… Any advice on how to bargain for more? Are these graduates getting work? We absolutely love Boston in general, but are weighing out our options…
It’s a very good program (my child does not go there but it was her second-to-final choice). Whether it is “worth it” though depends on what other options she has and your financial situation. Yes they do get work, but they also get work from lots of other schools… Can you go spend a day there? Things might become clearer.
Thank you @Calliene … We’ve actually visited the school twice… Love the facilities and the staff… Looking for thoughts on how people may think about the larger acceptance rate? Does the larger class size effect the vibe of the student/staff relationships and experiences… A class of 50 vs 20…are the students getting the guidance, training, and individual interest that price tag should offer (as compared to smaller class sizes) Or is it a the cream will rise situation?
Does that make sense?
@pookiesunshine I am a school teacher and small class sizes definitely have its benefits. Less competition for roles, performance opportunities, networking etc. I’m all for the small. JMHO
I’m sure you really want to hear from people that have kids there, so sorry if I keep answering, but I do know they divide the class into smaller groups so that it doesn’t feel like such a large class. But I think they do all audition for the same shows.
I don’t know if this helps… But just had a convo with my D. She has a very good friend at BoCo… And I asked her how it was going. The response was “she loves it… But I wouldn’t like it there!” I think very large and very small programs definitely have to “fit” the kid. I guess my point is… There is no disputing BoCo is a great and well respected program - and so I wouldn’t worry about the incoming freshman class size as much as I would worry about how your kid feels there! For my D’s friend it was her dream school… For my D… She couldn’t see herself there at all!
My son was also accepted to BoCo last year but ultimately chose to go elsewhere – Boston’s our “home turf” and he really wanted to go farther away – but he has several friends at BoCo who absolutely love it there. As you probably already know, even though each graduating class has about 60 students, they are split into groups (“cores”) of 15 or so students, so there’s the feeling and access to faculty of a much smaller class. As for booking work, every show I’ve seen in Boston (and I see a lot of them) has featured BoCo students, both current and grads, and they are usually the most impressive members of the cast!
I agree with @Calliene when it comes to individual attention, you would look at the size of a class within a course/classroom. In larger programs such as BOCO or Tisch, the students are divided into smaller groups of about 15 and so the class size in the classroom is similar to to what you find in smaller programs. The difference is that the student works with a larger variety of professors over four years and mixes with a larger body of students in the major. So, yes, one should consider size of the entire program in terms of fit, but keep in mind that individual attention in the classroom would be looked at in terms of how many are in a course/classroom, not how many are in the major. Sometimes larger programs have more productions to account for size of program too. But it all comes down to the fit, vibe, and environment that someone wants. If weighing BOCO against another MT program, one likely difference is that BOCO is a stand alone conservatory without much coursework outside the major and many other programs are within a university.
BOCO graduates definitely book good work, but like in any program, not all do. I happened to stay with a recent BOCO grad a few days ago and she is rehearsing leads in two NYC metro area shows currently.
I don’t have a kid at BOCO, though have visited twice and my kid was admitted there. I have also had advisees attend BOCO and they loved it. In retrospect, now that my kid has gone to college, I don’t think BOCO would have fit her as well as the school she attended. I did see a musical at BOCO and the leads were particularly outstanding. I also know a camp friend of my D’s who went to BOCO and has played leads and supporting roles on Bdway.
I’ll take all the thoughts and advice you want to throw my way… Much appreciated 
D did not get accepted into her original top choice school, but boco always moved around in her top five… Now that her choices have been layed out for her, it is by default, rapidly moving towards the number one choice. I just don’t want to make the mistake of choosing boco because it is a bigger named school than some of her other offers. She does really like the vibe of the school, just doesn’t want to get lost in the crowd.
However, we do come from a town that does not have a large pool of MT kids to compare herself too. So maybe being around so much talent will help her set her bar and grow in all areas.
My kid went to a large program and never felt “lost in the crowd.” In a larger program, you simply get to work with a larger variety of professors over the four years and bond with a greater variety of kids over four years. In the classroom, it is still a small group.
It may help if your D can talk to current BOCO students and recent grads and get their take on that and ask several, and not just one.
Just my 2 cents on the idea of a “large” program. If training groups are small for individual attention, then a larger casting pool could be good for a kid in terms of preparation for life after college. As frequently mentioned here- being ready to work to prove yourself, and handle disappointment are vital to success in this world. A bigger pool better approximates the real world.
A very wise and thought provoking 2 cents @toowonderful
I have a differing opinion ( I guess because I still see my kid as a kid ) Life is going to hit our kids upside the head before we know it and giving them an additional 4 years to find themselves, maneuver the system, train, audition, perform in the relative safety of college makes me feel good. My daughter is well aware of the hardships her profession is going to afford her when she graduates. I don’t want or need her to experience it quite yet. ( Although all the BFA rejections have given her a small taste). For my daughter (in a non BFA) she is going to learn by doing. So it is incredibly important for her to be in an environment that will allow for tons of stage time. Small theater department was critical for her and so far it has paid off greatly.
Graduates of small programs do just fine in “the real world” also. Choose the program that feels right to you–size is one of several considerations, and not everybody does thrive in a large program. @pookiesunshine, I hope your daughter finds the best fit, big or small! But don’t be afraid to choose a smaller program under the mistaken idea that anyone who graduates from one will be too sheltered to cope with post-college life.
@pookiesunshine Sorry I don’t have any great info to share. Just wanted to share my support. My D was not accepted into her top choice either. Turns out that BoCo (for Dance) is her only acceptance and she is on the wait list at 2 schools. I think that BoCo may be the best fit for my D. however I want her to feel like she is attending the school that is the best fit in her eyes. I hope that your D can find the best fit for her. Good luck!
I would check on the number of productions the school you’re interested in presents in a given year. This will give you the information needed to make an informed comparison between a small program and a larger one. The difference in number of productions, type and size may surprise some prospective students. The other issue you may want to ask about is who is eligible to audition for those productions. At some schools, anyone can audition, from any major. At others, there are restrictions in place.
It really depends as others have suggested what your daughter is looking for. BOCO is a conservatory and as such the students all day train in all aspects of MT. So too do many conservatories. When my son was applying last year, he thought at first he wanted a conservatory approach and was looking forward to no academic course work outside MT classes. Until he went and applied to college based programs and thought about it more. He ultimately decided on a non conservatory program and is so happy he did. Doesn’t make it better for everyone, just better for him. He did have an acceptance from a strictly conservatory program that is mentioned on this site alot and highly regarded. When we went to see the school and sit in on classes, we learned they did 12 shows a year. Most students we were told were in 3 shows a semester. I thought my son would respond positively to this and love this show frequency.Boy, was I wrong.When I mentioned how impressive it was to be able to audition for so many shows, he said that did not interest him. He did not want to go from show to show while studying MT. He wanted to study acting, dance, voice intensely while in college and not be exhausted by just performing. He has had his share of performing in high school and viewed college study as his chance to study intensely.
So my recommendations are to follow your child’s heart and interest. Being where they want to be is very important.
As an aside, my daughter went to a liberal arts college in CA for a BA in dance. Good program, but not mentioned at all on this site. Been out a bit less than a year. Always wanted to dance in musical theater and in high school did much musical theater, just wanted to focus on dance. She just booked a national tour starting in September…and beat out many dancers from so called prestigious programs. Just to show you… in the audition room, they don’t care where you went to school.They care what they like at any given audition.
Congrats to you all. Wherever your children end up you all have much to be proud of. Just enduring this process deserves applause to all of them. It is not for the weak!
pm @dreamgirl1. Her daughter is a freshman there.
Just this weekend it occurred to me that smaller programs have almost the same number of students in the entire 4 year program as the larger programs (BoCo, Tisch, etc) admit per year. So while the larger programs may divide those students into smaller groups for classes and have larger faculties, that means that the entire faculty does not get to know those students as well as in the smaller schools.
Also, I would ask if ALL classes are divided into smaller groups. I have heard many students complain of a few classes at one of the larger schools because while they bring in fabulous, big-name teachers for some of the classes, the class size is so large that they may only get to actually sing once (or twice, if lucky) during the entire semester because most of the class is spent watching all of the other students sing. And at the end of the semester the teacher doesnt even know their name. It’s basically attending a masterclass for an entire semester as an observer.