My son is deep in the audition process with seemingly good signs from these three institutions, “assuming” he gets into these three top picks: thoughts on comparing these programs? Rigor, campus life, artistic flexibility and industry connections?
Grateful for any input,
Thanks you!
You should probably bring this inquiry to the Theater Majors forum. There are some very knowledgeable contributors. My elder son began college as an Acting BFA student (he transferred out, into a Film & Media BA program at a different university). Pace is in NYC, with a strong professional focus. I think the BFA program is very good, and provides plenty of access and internships, but there isn’t much of a campus atmosphere, and the rest of the university is also highly pre-professional: there is not a strong liberal arts culture. BU has some flexibility between the Acting and the Theater majors (I forget what they called the option that’s a little less focused on conservatory training: Theater Studies, perhaps?), and I think the university culture is more stimulating there than at Pace. We never visited CalArts, but it’s an outstanding school for numerous genres. Valencia is a little remote, so a student there will not have the exciting cultural community that exists right on his doorstep in Boston or, especially NYC.
There is no place in the US, if not the world, like NYC when it comes to art and culture, and Pace has that undeniable advantage. If your son decides he doesn’t love the intensity of a BFA program, BU probably will be easier to switch majors or departments. It has the best overall academic reputation.
CalArts is great if he thinks he wants to live and work in LA eventually, or he wants to be surrounded with a variety of creative, artistic peers.
He can’t go wrong with any of those. They are all fiendishly expensive, and so a scholarship from one ought to tip the scales.
Thank you so very much woogzmama, very insightful points all…by “Pre-professional” do I understand you to mean that Pace as an institution is gearing its emphasis in all majors towards a career as opposed to more cross-pollinated education?