Choosing a college..

College Majors Visual Arts and Film Majors
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<p>Hi :) I'm hoping to double major in English and theatre. It has been really difficult for me to decide where to apply, especially with regards to finances. Here are some very basic stats: 3.9/4.0 GPA, 2030 SAT (600 math, 730 verbal, 700 writing). That was my junior year SAT I'm taking it again in November, hoping to improve my math score by actually studying/practicing this time. I have not taken the ACT or subject tests yet. I'm going to take the ACT for sure, but will decide on subject tests if I really want to go to a school that requires them.</p>

<p>I live in Indiana and could attend Indiana University for rather cheap. I hear the theatre program is pretty decent there.. but price is pretty much the only appeal it has for me. </p>

<p>I have also applied to Valparaiso University, but probably wouldn't attend there unless I got offered a nice financial aid package. The good news is I could commute and save money that way.</p>

<p>As for out of state schools, DePaul appeals to me. The only thing that deters me is the cut policy. Do students that get cut after their freshman year usually transfer schools? Change majors? I don't know if it's worth the risk, even if it is a really good school. I like the fact that it is in Chicago and probably has good connections with Chicago theatres. I might possibly be able to commute here as well.</p>

<p>I was considering Northwestern, but then I read that if you double majored you could only get one degree? At least if one of your majors was theatre. Maybe I misunderstood, but that wouldn't work for me. </p>

<p>I've tried to narrow down my list of schools that require auditions, and I have DePaul, Boston University, Oberlin, and Syracuse left. I didn't want a school that was all about arts and not much else, and was trying to avoid a school that didn't have much of a campus (too urban). I still kept DePaul because of such a promising program though. It is possible I could have overlooked some good matches though, so please let me know if you think I should look into somewhere else.</p>

<p>Finally, my list of schools that don't requrie auditions, which I think might actually suit me better, are Vassar, Williams, Middlebury, Colgate, Amherst, Wesleyan, Skidmore, and Rochester. This list needs to be cut down further.</p>

<p>I can't afford many of these schools unless I get pretty decent financial aid, so if you know that one that I have listed is hard to get financial help from, please let me know.</p>

<p>I'm just looking for any pros/cons, experiences, advice.</p>

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<p>Sunny, You will find good English departments at all the schools on your list. All are excellent for literature. Creative writing is variable. </p>

<p>For theater I would especially recommend Williams. I don't have firsthand information on the theater departments of the others. </p>

<p>Kenyon and Hamilton are other ideas. If you are female I'd suggest that you add Smith.</p>

<p>Williams is very selective and though your math SAT is on the low side your gpa is good. Other factors like your rank, essays, recommendations and how you present your extracurriculars may also compensate. Williams is definitely looking for actors for their new performing arts center. You should consider submitting a performance tape.</p>

<p>Do you belong to any diversity group -- unrepresented minority, first generation to go to college, low income family? All of these help boost your chance of admission.</p>

<p>There are two kinds of financial aid -- need based aid and merit aid. If your family qualifies for need based aid, then you can get a fairly good idea of what to expect by using an on-line calculator. </p>

<p>If you will need to rely on merit aid then you can eliminate Williams, Amherst and Wesleyan as their systems are need based only. I'm not sure about the others.</p>

3

<p>I don't know how much finances play in your situation. If they don't matter, you might also want to consider Carnegie Mellon who as a fantastic drama program and decent english program.Also consider NYU if finance isn't an issue.</p>

<p>If finding money is a problem, you might want to consider, in addition to your instate school, University of Cincinnati. They have a fabulous drama program as part of their Cincinnati Conservatory, and you can take English courses too. They also have a separate musical theater major too, if that is of interest to you. With your stats, I wouild bet that you would get some nice merit money too. It is hard to get into Cincinnati Conservatory, and you will have to audition.</p>

<p>SUNY purchase also have good connections with NY theater and has a very strong theater department. They also have decent english offerings at a bargain price for out of state folks.</p>

<p>You might also want to consider University of Maryland,which as a very decent program in both drama and english and is a lot less expensive than the private schools that you noted above.</p>

<p>Finally, I should note that not all english offerings are created equal. Some schools have a technical writing major to choose from (CMU). Some have a decent program in creative writing such as Cincinnati. Some schools specialize in writing screenplays etc. You really should look into the english offerings if any of these ideas appeal to you.</p>

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<p>The dichotomy here is not which schools involve auditions and which do not. The MAIN issue here for you is a BA vs. a BFA degree. From all you have written, I believe the path that suits your interests is a BA. It is nearly impossible to double major in theater and English if you were to attend a BFA program. It is possible, though difficult, at NYU/Tisch. At many schools that offer a BFA, it is not possible. While Taxguy mentions CMU, CMU's BFA is a conservatory style approach and I do not believe you could double major in English. I don't think it would be possible at CCM either. </p>

<p>For someone who wants a double major, a BA school is more appropriate generally speaking. A BFA school involves a commitment ahead of time to this major, an audition to get in, a very intense program once you are in, and anywhere from 60-90% of your curriculum in theater (varies per BFA college program). A BA degree in theater is more like 30-40% of your curriculum. Big difference right there. Getting into a BFA degree program is also highly competitive. </p>

<p>You have some good BA in theater schools on your list. I know very little about you, but schools I would suggest you explore as appropriate for your interests and the very basic stats that you shared (all BA schools, no audition unless otherwise noted):</p>

<p>Northwestern
Chapman (audition BA)
Connecticut College (optional audition)
Muhlenberg (optional audition)
Wesleyan
Tufts
Vassar
Skidmore
Brandeis
Sarah Lawrence
Boston College
Emory (has merit aid)
Fordham (audition BA)
American (audition BA)
Middlebury
Indiana
Kenyon
UNC-Chapel Hill</p>

<p>Good luck,
Susan</p>

5

<p>Soozievt, double majoring in both english and drama are possible in both CMU and Cincinnati BUT the OP might have to stay an extra year depending on whether they place out of enough required courses. I do know that at CMU, their core requirements are to take a number of courses ( I think the number is 8) from any of their other schools besides the School of Drama. Thus, a kid can get the equivalent of a major in English. This is particularly true if they place out of some required courses too. </p>

<p>Cincinnati doesn't have than many core requirements to begin with. Thus, if a kid can place out of a few core courses with APs or by taking some college courses while in high school, they should be able to obtain a major in english.</p>

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<p>While it might be possible to double major at CMU and CCM, I know it is impossible at CMU for anyone in the BFA in Musical Theater program which by its nature is already a double major. I realize the OP is interested in straight acting, however. Perhaps it is possible to have a second major for a BFA in Drama/Acting at either school, but it might mean that every course taken outside of the BFA program must be in English. Whether that is doable, I'm not sure. </p>

<p>The main point is that someone with an interest in a double major, ought to seek out a BA program. Add in that the OP prefers schools that do not require an audition. A BFA program is truly a very focused degree requiring a committment ahead of time to that major, as well as a large percentage of the curriculum being in theater training. The time involved in the BFA training is heavy. Some schools allow for some liberal arts with a BFA, such as NYU/Tisch and others. A minor in another subject is more doable than a double major for those in a BFA program. As well, a BFA path is more suitable to someone who wants to focus on theater as the main area.</p>

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<p>For me, theatre is a hobby that I would LOVE to get paid to do, but I would never major in just theatre because I want some kind of security that I will be able to get paid work regularly, and teaching English is something I think I would be good at. I think you're correct that I'm interested in a BA degree when it comes to theatre. </p>

<p>I don't know what to expect financially. We definitely can not afford private school without aid.. that would likely be 1/2-1/3 of our income depending on the tuition/room&board. </p>

<p>As for my English goals, I want to be able to teach high school English, but I don't want to major in education, because I might someday want to get a PhD in English and teach at the college level. I also think I would enjoy working for a newspaper/magazine as an editor or something, but don't want to major in journalism because again, I'd like to perhaps someday teach English. I guess I'm just looking for a very versatile English degree.</p>

<p>I definitely want to keep my options open. I'm thinking a LAC is going to be the ticket for me.</p>

<p>Thanks so much for all the advice, it is very helpful :)</p>