<p>Count me as a clueless girl, njtheatermom. I didn’t even know Carnegie Mellon had a drama department until a month ago, lol! Our high school counselor doen’st know a BFA from a lamp.</p>
<p>I have heard some negative things about NYU as well and it did use to be my dream school! I believe the negative energy about the school comes because they accept hundreds of students on a 50/50 basis. Therefore, I believe there is a wide range of talent at the school because there are so many kids. NYU’s academic standards are very high and you must meet them in order to be admitted to tisch drama. Because of this a lot of talented students aren’t admitted. Obviously, the faculty is great just like any other school and a ton of famous alumni are well known throughout the country… But I just know people who get into tisch every year who have 4.0+ GPAs and are very mediocre performers… I know people every year who are declined from every school that is a primarily talent based acceptance that they apply to and then accepted to tisch. No doubt it is a wonderful school… My point is that there is just a wide range of talent and performers at the school and therefore some people out of the 250+ actors who graduate each year don’t represent the school as well as others…</p>
<p>Modernmillie, you are not really a clueless girl because you are here. It’s the place to be.</p>
<p>NYQ12 said of NYU Tisch <<my point=“” is=“” that=“” there=“” just=“” a=“” wide=“” range=“” of=“” talent=“” and=“” performers=“” at=“” the=“” school=“” therefore=“” some=“” people=“” out=“” 250+=“” actors=“” who=“” graduate=“” each=“” year=“” don’t=“” represent=“” as=“” well=“” others…=“”>></my></p>
<p>I daresay that other than the number of actors at the school, what you said, NYQ12 is true of all acting programs. There is going to be a wide range of talents and abilities at EVERY program, large and small, because that’s the nature of the beast, especially in the arts and in something as subjective as acting. (The subjective aspect is why two friends can go to a play or musical and one can think the lead was amazing and the other will pronounce the lead “mediocre.”) In addition, auditioning is an imperfect way to assess talent over the long run, but it’s the only tool, really, that programs (and casting directors, for that matter) have! Some kids who seemed brilliant during an audition will seem much less so over the course of a year or four years. Some who seemed pretty good may end up being the top person in his or her class. </p>
<p>In other words, having a range of talents is not peculiar to NYU Tisch: it’s the case at every school.</p>
<p>NotMamaRose - It’s easy to take offense at any perceived criticism directed at “your” school (no doubt you’re writing the tuition checks, so in a way it is “yours” just as much as it is your daughters!) I know I have actually gotten a little peeved at your many negative comments about Depaul, as my son goes there and has had a very positive experience and therefore I’m sensitive to that! I don’t really understand why the cut program incites people the way it does, when Depaul is more than upfront about it, and any kid who applies or auditions is made very aware of it - so if you don’t agree with it, don’t go. At least they are upfront about it when many programs aren’t. I have “defended” the cut before ad nauseum so won’t go there again - but I still don’t see why it causes such a stir - just as you probably don’t agree with the people that offer criticism of NYU. It’s just human nature to be defensive about things we care about, but no one program is ever going to fit or please everyone. Thank goodness - wouldn’t it be boring if everyone always agreed!</p>
<p>I agree with mamamia. It is natural to feel emotionally vested in a school when we see our child thriving there. When you add the investment of time and money to apply to, and pay for these programs, it is easy to feel defensive when the school is criticized. My S is having a very successful freshman year at DePaul. When people ask why I like the program, the short answer is: If my S is happy, I am happy. I hope all the participants on this forum find a school that is a good fit for them where they can have the opportunity to thrive Thats the whole point! I appreciate all who have posted and shared information so that parents and students can make well-informed choices.</p>
<p>On a lighter note S flew on his own last year to interview with a highly regarded school. He came home and said he was not impressed with the program or the person with whom he had spoken. That was a bit surprising because the program and the person have been very highly spoken of by many on this forum. Heres the funny part - S had missed his flight on the way to the interview and after several stressful phone calls home and discussions with the airlines customer service people, was booked on another flight that got him to his destination just in the nick of time. Never said anything to S, but always wondered how impressed the director from the school was with him! Im sure it was not his best interview after all that stress. The point is keep it all in perspective, and realize there are many reasons why an interaction isnt as positive as you had hoped. Its just a few minutes in a much bigger picture and the bigger picture will probably be more positve.</p>
<p>I think everyone has a good point. First impressions shouldn’t be based on one person. :)</p>
<p>mamamia, what you say is not only true, but absolutely fair. Sure, we are all invested in our kids’ schools as long as our kids are happy at those schools and we feel our kids are getting good value for <em>our</em> money (in most cases!) 
</p>
<p>I am truly sorry that you have perceived my posts criticizing DePaul’s cut program as posts criticizing DePaul in general; I know for certain that the training at DePaul is top notch. In fact, two of my daughter’s very good friends (both of whom are extraordinarily talented young actors) are DePaul students and each of them was thrilled to be accepted and chose to attend DePaul over multiple other great offers. Why? Because the training at DePaul is fantastic.</p>
<p>My beef (not that anyone here or at DePaul cares!) is with the cut program alone. As I have said before, I see how it serves the school (it can take in 52 talented young people and then, after looking at them over three trimesters, cut the less desirable ones) but I just can’t figure out how that system really serves the kids. Can you? I do not mean this disrespectfully in the least. In fact, I am on the side of the kids and their families. I am on <em>your</em> kid’s side, mamamia! I am on the side of any talented, hardworking kid who matriculates at DePaul and is thrilled to get in and goes there and works hard and then, in June, gets the dreaded cut letter. Juilliard and CMU – arguably two of the tippy top actor training programs in the country – saw fit to do away with cuts because the effect was counter to their goals. DePaul continues. I just don’t understand why it serves the kids.</p>
<p>Peace.</p>
<p>Second part of message #26 was meant to be in response to modernmillie’s comment that she had met admissions/recruiting people who did not seem friendly. I did not realize when I posted that those comments were on a different thread (too much CC today). Just wanted to point out there are many factors influencing our interactions with others - some under our control, some not Give the school another chance if you are really interested! It might have just been a bad day.</p>
<p>I’ve got a question about BU: if you apply for a BFA in Acting, can you apply Early Decision/is it worth it to apply early?</p>
<p>I currently have a D who is a jr at BU in the College of Arts and Sciences who LOVES the school and the city, but with a school so large, there are as many different experiences as there are students. My other D auditioned there and was accepted (hooray) but is hesitant to go where her sister is. She was also accepted at Emerson (both BFA Acting). Can anyone give me any info on the relative merits of the two programs? I have recently read some negative comments about Emerson (high drug use, joke degree which is not really valued in the industry). I thought that one of the positives about Emerson was making contacts in the business. I also understand that BU was a part of the Consortium of Conservative Theater Programs with CMU and Purchase which is pretty good company, but I cannot find any info about this organization. BU CFA seems to be under the radar --any comments? PLEASE?!!</p>
<p>I, too would love some advice. D accepted to BU for BFA acting, but also accepted to UMich for BA in Eng Lit and waitlisted in the BFA MT program. She loves all theatre, and also sings and dances. If she were to minor in music at BU and/or keep up her dance and singing there, any thoughts on whether that would be the better choice (if she ultimately gets accepted to UMich MT, which we know is a long shot)? We keep hearing mixed reports about whether it’s better to have acting as your core or MT as your core, especially if you would also consider straight drama and/or TV. She was told by UMich that she could enroll in the school of LS&A and reaudition her sophomore year. She would know some of the faculty then and hopefully be accepted if she isn’t in 2009. Does anyone know anyone who did that? We are so confused. There seems to be so much wisdom shared on CC, and any insight and experience would be really appreciated.</p>
<p>lpc, a MT person could probably give a better answer, but BU’s acting program is considered by many people to be one of the best in the country. There are a lot of MT kids who choose a BFA in acting because acting is so important. I guess your daughter knew these things when she applied! </p>
<p>At BU, after the first year your daughter could choose to tailor her own curriculum to her needs. She would still get a BFA, with as strong an acting component as she wanted, but she could study a wide range other things too. I don’t know how the BU CFA is ranked for singing and dance instruction. That might be something other people here can help you with.</p>
<p>You should probably talk to BU and see what they would recommend to a student with a strong MT interest as far as the resources of the College of Fine Arts go.</p>
<p>P.S. lpc, would it not matter at all to you or your daughter at all if she could not begin the UMich MT program until sophomore year…probably requiring 5 years to graduate? If it does not matter, she probably should just enroll in UMich as they have suggested.</p>
<p>One more thought, lpc. Maybe start a new thread on the MT forum entitled “UMich vs BU for student who loves MT?” You really need the advice of MT people, some of whom will know about BU’s singing and dance instruction probably.</p>
<p>Properly labeled threads in the appropriate forum can sometimes reap big rewards.</p>
<p>Thank you for your suggestions–they are all very helpful. And I’ll do as you suggest about the “new thread.” I’ll see if I can figure that out :-)</p>
<p>To start a new thread in the MT forum, just go to Musical Theatre Majors (subset of College Majors – if you click on College Majors at the top of this page, it will take you to the list of majors.)</p>
<p>When you see the main page of the Musical Theatre Majors forum, there is a big list at the top where you can read lots of posts on different thread about UMich and other schools…but not BU because it is not an MT school. </p>
<p>There is a button on the left of the page that says “new thread.” Click on that and post. Your new thread will appear in the list of threads and you can revisit it and check the responses. Good luck!</p>
<p>CONGRATS TO ALL WHO MADE IT IN TO B.U.!!! You all earned it! Unfortuantely, I was not accepted, but I offer you all a well-deserved round on congrats!</p>
<p>TimThom, you got into CalArts and NCSA. Would you have given serious consideration to attending BU in preference to either of them if you had been admitted?</p>
<p>My son is struggling with deciding between BU and NYU/Tisch (Adler Studio) and kudos for BU are being collected. :-)</p>
<p>My daughter is currently finishing her second year in the BU BFA acting program. She loves the program and feels like it is a perfect fit for her.</p>
<p>It seems like just yesterday that I was sitting with her as she was trying to decide where to go. She ended up choosing BU over Tisch (CAP 21) mainly because of money. While NYU was really her first choice, we just couldn’t afford it. BU on the other hand gave her a very generous financial aid package. In the end, that’s what the decision came down to. I remember how guilty I felt at the time that I couldn’t send her to her “dream school” but she never complained and quite happily set off for Boston when the time came.</p>
<p>The first year of the program is called the “core”. It is very structured and very intense. At the end of the first year, the performance majors choose to enter either the acting track or the theater arts track. (Everyone in my daughter’s year got to go where they wanted.) The acting track (which my daughter picked) is very structured and does not allow much flexibility to explore outside interests. The theater arts track is much less rigid and those kids can minor or double major in just about anything they want. </p>
<p>There is a dance minor offered and my daughter has a friend in the acting track who has so far been able to make it work. There are also “singing for actors” classes offered. My daughter was able to fit those in to her schedule this year because she took her liberal arts classes during the summer (at our local state university, much cheaper). That gave her some flexibility with her schedule which she found very useful. </p>
<p>My daughter says they really don’t have any musical theater. Most of her classmates all did musical theater in high school, they can all sing and many of them can dance, but the emphasis in the school of theater is very much on straight acting. The music dept is well regarded but the training is classical. She thinks that if someone really wanted to pursue musical theater while attending BU they would have to find a way to do it on their own, perhaps finding someone in the city to train with.</p>
<p>One of the biggest draws for the program is the semester in London that all Junior acting majors are required to participate in (it is optional for the theater arts track but many of them choose to go). She can hardly wait until next year when she and all her buddies will head of together for great adventures in the land of Shakespeare.</p>
<p>Anyway, to sum up. BU has so far been a wonderful place for her. She has formed close bonds with her teachers and her fellow classmates. She is busy from dawn until dusk, living and breathing theater, and absolutely loves every minute of it. </p>
<p>Hope this answers some of your questions. Good luck as you all make your final decisions and don’t stress too much because it truly seems that most kids end up in the right place.</p>