We are visiting the Chicago area this summer. So far we want to visit North Central College, Columbia College of Chicago and Loyola. Any other schools in the area that we should add for safeties? Any other non-safeties that we must see? Thanks
DePaul for sure you would want to see as a top choice, especially given this forum. Not sure why they wouldn’t be on your list. Depending on grades, Northwestern.
Thanks @ProfessorPlum168 . I never even thought about Northwestern. We will have to look into both of those.Grades are not an issue. She really wants to be near Chicago or NYC. We have done several NYC tours and are visiting a few more over Spring break. Thanks again 
TTS at DePaul does not have a musical theater program, and its acting program is a safety for nobody. Northwestern’s program is excellent but also with a very low acceptance rate. If you are looking for less selective options, you may want to read up on Elmhurst College’s MT program. Maybe even Illinois State. It is 2-3 hours from Chicago but there is an Amtrak on campus that takes you straight into the city and it also has deep ties to Chicago theater.
Roosevelt (CCPA) is a very well-recognized MT program, but certainly not a “safety” school for MT. DePaul does not have an MT program.
Thank you @Bubblewrap666 and @EmsDad . MT is her first choice but is not against straight theatre…
If being a couple of hours from chicago is ok and you do visit ISU, you might also visit Illinois Wesleyan, just a few miles from ISU
ISU, according to another poster, is not currently offering a MT major. IWU is over priced, not all it’s cracked up to be, and shares some of the instructors with the local high schools. The shows that I have seen there were not very good with cast forgetting the lines and jumping in and out of their accent. You would be better off looking at U of I which also has amtrack to Chicago.
And U of I has a newer lyric theatre major which is their version of MT.
Thank you @Mwfan1921 , @GloriaVaughn and @NewToThis13 !
CCPA/Roosevelt divides its MT major into MT BFA and Musical Theatre Dance BFA. Their students have been very successful.
I guess this is for my own education wrt Music Theater as it pertains to DePaul:
We do not offer a program that focuses exclusively in Musical Theatre. Our Acting program includes some coursework in musical theatre in the fourth year and we generally do a musical or two as a part of our production season each year. Many of our Playworks productions (our childrens shows) in the Merle Reskin Theatre include song and dance. Some students who have a specific interest in musical theatre take private voice or dance lessons with The Theatre School faculty, through DePaul’s School of Music, or with one of the many teachers or studios in the city. Students are also welcome to get involved in student-run productions and theatre, dance, and singing student organizations on-campus.
While Columbia’s theater dept. is fine, their academics is pretty low. I know of one who went there and she was far from the brightest crayon in the box academically.
Elmhurst College - although not necessarily widely known for theater, the music department is highly respected
So @dramamama3 are you looking for auditioned safeties (most folks would say they don’t exist) or BA Theater schools? How far outside of Chicago works? NYC has many more of both so I am happy you’re covering that ground too!
@CaMom13 we were looking for non audition safeties ( auditions for scholarships). We live in NY State so have several auditioned and non audition here. She wouldn’t want to be more than an hour and a half from Chicago if she goes in Illinois.
Illinois Wesleyan University has a bfa in Musical Theater
https://www.iwu.edu/theatre/courses/bfa-music-theatre.html
1.5 hours from Chicago and /or 2 hours by Amtrack
DePaul as stated doesn’t have musical theater. It is also one of the best school for acting in the country and very hard to get into.
I might look at Wheaton College and Valparaiso University - I have heard that Valparaiso is strong in theatre. Wheaton is a religious school so that might hit you positively or negatively! One of my D’s friends went there with good merit aid.