<p>Stanford is better.</p>
<p>Hi all. Any music composition applicants here? I’m from Texas. Would love to hear from anyone applying for music.</p>
<p>My daughter and I (along with a younger daughter) toured Duke, Penn, Princeton, Brown and Columbia over the winter break. Before the visits, her first choice was Brown. After the visits, Brown remains in the top position, but she was very impressed with Princeton as well. Columbia is now likely her third choice. All three of these Ivies seem to have all of the key elements that she is seeking in a college. Duke and Penn each were downgraded after our visits due to their surroundings… i.e. the area where the campus is located. Brown is also the top choice for my younger daughter, currently a Freshman.</p>
<p>If not Brown… what are your second or third choices? Or where else are you considering strongly and why? We welcome feedback - especially if you have actually visited the campus. </p>
<p>My daughter applied to a staggering 15 schools in total. She has already been accepted to FSU and UTampa, and 13 decisions are pending: Brown, Columbia, Duke, Penn, Princeton, Dartmouth, Vanderbilt, UVa, USC, Stanford, Northwestern, UChicago, UMiami.</p>
<p>We had also planned to visit Dartmouth, but we ran out of time. Its rural location and distance away from major cities is also a chief concern.</p>
<p>My daughter is aiming to pursue a double major… likely theater and computer science. Princeton does not offer a drama/theater major specifically as I understand it - so that may be one concern for her.</p>
<p>If she fails to gain admission to Brown, Princeton or Columbia, we may fly up to Chicago to visit UChicago and Northwestern before deciding… but Duke is currently her 4th choice.</p>
<p>Good luck to all of you RD applicants to Brown. It seems like an amazing school…</p>
<p>“If not Brown… what are your second or third choices? Or where else are you considering strongly and why? We welcome feedback - especially if you have actually visited the campus.”</p>
<p>My daughter is also pursuing undergrad theatre. Of the schools she visited, Her preferences in order were: 1. Brown 2. Northwestern 3. Fordham and Williams 4. Barnard 5. UNC.</p>
<p>Notable schools she visited but dropped from her list due to concerns about the theatre departments were: Yale, UVA, Amherst, Bard, Smith and W&M.</p>
<p>arwarw: Thanks… interesting. We are looking forward to visiting Northwestern. We hear nothing but great things about the program there. How interconnected are Barnard and Columbia for theater? Is it one and the same… or are there definitive distinctions?</p>
<p>“How interconnected are Barnard and Columbia for theater? Is it one and the same… or are there definitive distinctions?”</p>
<p>I understand all Columbia University undergrad theatre courses and casting for University theatrical productions are offered exclusively through the Barnard College Theatre Department.</p>
<p>Thanks! And continued good luck to your daughter…</p>
<p>Thanks WWWard! My daughter was fortunate to get in to Brown in the ED round. But I have two others behind her I have to get in to college, so I’m still lurking on CC.</p>
<p>Wow… even better! Hopefully she loves it at Brown.</p>
<p>getoveritnow, My son is going for Music Tech/Computer science.</p>
<p>Thanks WWWard. Good luck to your daughter! Regardless of where she’s admitted, I hope she will seriously consider FSU. They have a BRILLIANT theatre department and I’ve heard they have a pretty decent football team.</p>
<p>arwarw: Thanks. Yes… FSU certainly excels in both of those areas.</p>
<p>wwward, could you clarify: is your D serious about majoring in theatre? Or is it something she’s considering but may change once she gets into a college? If she is serious about theatre, you might want to consider looking more closely at NU’s theatre program. It is regarded as among the best in the country. My D loves it there; she is majoring in both theatre and psych (or maybe minoring in psych) and has many friends who are double majoring in all sorts of interesting combinations. If you have any questions, please feel free to pm me. And I definitely agree that FSU has an excellent theatre program.</p>
<p>connections, is it true that Northwestern is a near impossible admit for girls applying to theatre after the ED round? My daughter was told during her visit that there are a very limited number of theatre slots for girls and they go fast. And, I believe amtc’s daughter was admitted to Yale EA but wait listed at NU RD. However, I think she eventually got off the wait list and is now studying theatre at NU.</p>
<p>I don’t know, arwarw. My D applied to NU for theatre for RD as a need based applicant and was accepted. SHe was not this incredibly amazing student–I mean, she was a strong student, NMF, 5’s on most APs, etc. She was president of her GSA but that was it for leadership. And that’s it, really. She worked at a diner during much of the year. She did post her four audition monologues online and they did view and liked it (commented on it). Hope this helps others. NU is truly fabulous if you are interested in theatre, film and anything theatre/film related. Opportunities are incredible. Of course, the same goes for Brown. :-)</p>
<p>PS. I should add that yes, Northwestern apparently caps its theatre major admits at 100, 50 girls/50 boys. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong. I mention that my D is need-based only as further data for people. Northwestern - like the Ivies- is committed to need-blind, which I think my D’s RD acceptance does show.</p>
<p>“NU is truly fabulous if you are interested in theatre, film and anything theatre/film related. Opportunities are incredible. Of course, the same goes for Brown. :-)”</p>
<p>Based on her college visits and research, my daughter concluded that NU was hands-down the best school for the practicing theatre student who also seeks overall academic excellence. She conceded to me, however, that her decision to apply to Brown EA instead of NU EA was partially for emotional and irrational reasons. Apparently there is a specific student playwright at Brown who she plans to seduce and wed. Needless to say, I’m not really on board with her plan.</p>
<p>Thanks, connections & arwarw. </p>
<p>My D does plan to major in theatre in one form or another. If allowed, she may craft a major that mixes theatre with computer science or elements that would provide her with a greater foundation in terms of the business side or support-side of the entertainment industry. Or she may double major… or have a minor to go along with a theatre major. But regardless of how it is finally constructed, theatre will be her main focus. Her goal is to eventually work in the entertainment industry, either as a performer or support role player. She is also hopeful of finding a college with a strong emphasis in film. </p>
<p>Initially, her two top choices were USC and NU. Over time, the distance between FL and CA started to persuade her that maybe she should postpone thoughts of CA until after college. The distance to and weather in Chicago, and the fact that she has not been there yet, has also been an obstacle to her commitment there. As she did more and more independent research on Brown, its open curriculum and all of its other offerings, my D became truly enamored with everything Brown. And now that we have also visited there, she is even more convinced. She also liked Princeton and Columbia. </p>
<p>We do still plan to visit Northwestern and UChicago at some point before she decides. In reality, the distance to Chicago is equivalent to the distance to NYC for us, so Brown is clearly even further away. But she still sees Chicago as being at a greater distance. Maybe it is the time change issue lol. </p>
<p>Of course, it will all come down to where she gets in ultimately. She is an unhooked caucasian female applicant also applying for financial aid, so we know the apparent challenges. We believe that she is a strong candidate, but we also realize that many truly stellar candidates face rejection every cycle. She applied to 15 schools exactly because we are convinced that it will be a challenge to be accepted at her top choices. At this stage, she would likely be content to be granted admission to any among her top five: Brown, Princeton, Columbia, NU and Duke. If she is fortunate enough to be admitted to more than one, we will likely visit them again one more time and explore each theatre program even more extensively…</p>
<p>Brown and NU I get. Princeton I get because of their huge recent investments and initiatives in undergrad arts. Columbia I get because of its affiliation with Barnard and NYC. But Why Duke? What is compelling there for a theatre student?</p>
<p>Also, why Columbia College instead of Barnard College? I think Columbia’s RD acceptance rate is around 5% whereas Barnard has a near 50% ED acceptance rate.</p>
<p>arwarw: Well, there is certainly a balancing act at play in terms of her commitment to theatre and the performing arts in general versus the broader realities of life… i.e. career development in areas outside of acting. Clearly, the odds of making a career as a professional actress are not the best. So all of us… my D, her mother (my Ex) and I… are convinced that a concentration solely in theatre would be too great a risk and that she should maximize her collegiate educational opportunities. While I understand the Barnard/Columbia realities in terms of theatre, it really came down to a comparison between name ID, school rankings, overall reputation, etc. So she would clearly not rank Barnard itself overall well versus a host of other schools. Barnard is virtually unknown her in FL to most people. My D had never even heard of it independently before I discussed it with her as an option. Duke on the other hand is very well known and respected, especially here in the south. It is by far the closest top ten university to us here in FL. My D likes it overall as a school. And beginning in the 90s, it does seem like they have made a much greater commitment to the theatre program itself. Over the last 20 years, they have made great strides and have produced some impressive alumni that are actively working in a variety of areas within the entertainment industry. Clearly though, my D would likely only ultimately choose to commit to Duke if she is unsuccessful in gaining admission to the programs she favors more. It is geographically closer, but it is now likely only her 5th choice, behind Brown, Princeton, Columbia and Northwestern.</p>