In terms of financial aid, both Options A and B have not released financial aid, but Option B is offering me full tuition just from merit. Option A merit has not come out yet.
Curriculum for both differ significantly. Option A I would be receiving a BA in Theatre with an Emphasis in Acting; this curriculum is more acting based and is more catered towards film/tv and just acting in general, minimal musical theatre. The courses I would be able to take are extremely flexible, and I would be able to double major in another interest of mine (Linguistics). Option B, I would be receiving a BFA in Musical Theatre. This curriculum is more MT based (obviously), however the curriculum is heavily acting-based and offers a lot of opportunities. Performance opportunities for both schools are plentiful.
The areas for both differ as well. Option A is in a major city and is an urban campus where the city would be my campus practically, although the school does have a campus (and a gorgeous one at that). Option B is a college town. Both schools are university settings, while Option A’s program is more flexible and Option B’s is more conservatory-style within a university setting.
Only have visited Option B and loved it there. It gets to be extremely cold. Option A is the polar opposite, super warm climate. Have never visited Option A, but plan to in the next month.
Option A: BA in Theatre with an Emphasis in Acting, double major in Linguistics
Pros:
In the long term, will offer more $ and job opportunities combined with the school’s reputation and programs to help students, and I can also double major to ensure job security after college in between jobs.
Will be a large jump out of my comfort zone.
World-renowned acting school and will be able to study under incredible faculty.
Amazing academic school on top of the arts.
Has a program put in place to help current students book jobs.
Amazing facilities.
Cons:
Since it is a BA, there are more people in the program, ~50-75, which will mean less individualized attention (although class sizes are roughly 20).
I love musical theater. It’s what I’ve been studying for for the past 4 years and what I have done summer programs for. I would practically be giving this up.
I don’t know anybody there, and it will be an intimidating place.
Probably not going to give me a lot of $$$ (the university is known for being stingy with money)
I feel like being able to attend this school will be a once in a lifetime opportunity, and if I don’t take it I am going to miss out on something incredible; however, I have reservations since it wouldn’t be a program that I would LOVE. The university itself is amazing.
Option B: BFA in Musical Theatre, Minor in Linguistics
Pros:
One of the top musical theatre colleges in the country.
I know a couple upperclassman, and my best friend from school would be my roommate. I am familiar with the faculty and have had meetings with some and have acquainted myself to the school.
I get to pursue musical theatre!
I got full tuition from a merit-based award, and financial aid hasn’t even come out yet which means they are probably going to give me more.
The school has a partnership with a professional theater company which will grant me my equity card and allow me to work professionally sooner than other students pursuing a BFA in Musical Theatre elsewhere.
Acting heavy school, which is something I have always wanted in a Musical Theatre program.
Will become a well-rounded performer.
3 opportunities to study abroad, London, LA, and NYC for the final semester to transition into the professional world.
Cons:
Weather sucks. Cold almost all year round.
I wouldn’t be able to pursue an academic interest and double major, which may put me at a disadvantage if I am unable to get a job in the theatre industry.
Safe in terms of I wouldn’t really step out of my comfort zone. Will be similar to my high school experience in the sense that I wouldn’t branch out of the musical theatre realm.
PLEASE give me your HONEST and HARSH thoughts. I omitted the names of the schools just in case it would produce bias, but if you know the school well enough you could probably figure it out.
I feel like this is obvious. You want to pursue musical theatre. You have an offer of a full tuition merit scholarship to do that. Option B
Is the clear winner in my opinion
Assuming Option A doesn’t come through with money, it sounds like Option B.
So A has an acting focus and B has a musical theatre focus - which do you prefer? I assume A.
You have been to B and it’s free. And you love it.
You’ve not been to A - and it may not be free.
Since you got merit to B, how do you know you’ll earn need to A?
I’m confused - but I assume you’ll end up at B. You really didn’t offer anything to work with though.
But having a full tuition merit is nice. Congrats.
PS - your two schools are interchangeable and i’m an alum of the cold one - and of those two, free works.
I assume you are awaiting need aid as merit is hard to come by at the other, the warm weather one and it’s COA now tops $90K a year - and you don’t want to spend that on a major that produces terrible outcomes.
PS - I don’t see either one as a conservatory - but both have great sports traditions - although only one has been great recently.
Congratulations on what sounds like both amazing choices! Did you do a curriculum comparsion… maybe even ask someone to print and hide the school name. What you actually will be doing day to day in each school; what excites you more. And the other obvious question to consider is what are your goals for after school which would suggest goals for next four years. Do you want to be on stage? MT may give you more tools in your arsenal to book roles. Do you want film acting? The BA might set you up nicely based on your description. As an example, my daughter wants Stage first and foremost. She’s a strong Actor and Singer, less so with dance. She wants to improve all of these skills, so she can do straight plays and musicals after College but be better. So for her MT is obvious choice… if she wanted film, she may be would’ve looked at Acting programs. Good luck with your decision and let us know.
The experience of a BA versus BFA will differ in that theater will probably be 1/4-1/3 of total classes for the BA. But you can do extracurricular performances, I assume.
Do you want to do musical theater or film acting? This seems like the main question, along with how immersive an experience you want in theater.
Do you want a city?
I would not base your decision on future career options, because either way you can get a job in theater or in another type of job.
It sound to me like B was the clear choice, unless you have other strong academic interests. Reading your post, the MT program seemed best for you, but only you know!
Thanks so much! What I’ve discovered is Option A is more acting-based once I declare my emphasis, and Option B is more catered towards musical theatre. Musical theatre does excite me more, but acting excites me as well. My goals are to make money practically. I love theatre and making money off of it is my main concern, because I need to be able to have a substantial career to be able to support myself, which is why I would double major in another study at Option A, just to secure my bases. I do not mind film acting, but I prefer the stage and I have always loved musical theatre. I know my answers are very ambiguous, which is why it is making it such a difficult decision for me to pick. Thank you for responding, I appreciate your help in this difficult decision.
I honestly prefer musical theatre. Option B would be a no-brainer, but I am thinking longterm in terms of $$$ and which school will offer me more job opportunities, both academically and artistically. I would prefer a city, and have always lived in a big city and am used to the city life, but I do not mind a college town… it just seems as though it would get a bit monotonous and boring.
I do see your point, I’m just trying to weigh all possible outcomes and options.
I have a strong academic interest, yet I don’t know if I’m willing to sacrifice musical theatre.
Thank you for taking the time to respond, and I know my answers are probably not helping you help me decide, it’s just a really difficult decision so I am trying to see through every possibility and opportunity.
I thought the same!!! But, Option A gave me 70k out of 90k tuition, and Option B gave me 61k out of 87k (option B has not released aid, 61k is just merit). So right now, I would pay less for Option A, but I would probably be happier in Option B with their MT program. Difficult decision. Thank you for your continuous responses and help.
One of my kids did PhD in music and has a good job not doing music. For undergrad, I would think a lot about what makes you happy for those 4 years. I really believe you can find job opportunities even if you need a “day job” and do MT. Do programs and internships. Without significant debt, I think you can afford to do what you most want to do. Maybe that is hard to decide though!
If they’re the two schools I’m thinking that you listed on your deleted post, both are strong and both are in cities but not in the city.
Job opportunities - you can be successful from both those schools but you will struggle. It’s the major. Not you. I’d go to the colder one. It’s strong. But I’m an alum so biased.
The warmer one is higher ranked as a school but this is a niche discipline. And the colder one is closer to NYC and isn’t the stage always an actor’s dream ?
Congratulations on what sound like two wonderful options!
In addition to what others have shared as things you may want to think and/or ask about, I offer that you may want to ask the BFA school how easy it is to schedule/get to classes for a minor, and are they supportive of students pursuing minors. Some schools are very supportive and the schedule is flexible enough to pursue a minor, others will be more challenging. Depending on the school, it may be feasible to combine the top musical theatre training with your interedt in linguistics.
For the BA school look at the required curriculum, but also the electives. As @compmom mentioned, some BA programs may only have 25% to 33% required in the major. Others may have more required on the major… for example I teach in a BA program that requires over 50% in the major for the MT major and 40% in the major for a Theatre major. With electives students are able to take many more classes in the majors than are required. Depending on what is offered at the BA school you may be able to supplment the requirements with dance and/or voice, if ultimately you decide the BA school is the better fit for your educational goals.
What is the cost of 4 years total? The urban campus is probably more expensive off campus? That $500/month differential between the two could be wiped out by that alone.
Do what calls you artistically, focusing too much on what you think will help you make money might mean you lose the opportunity to develop yourself as deeply as you want artistically and at the end of the day you will make more money if your artistry is honed and clear vs a minor in something.
You asked for honest opinions so here go’s:
You aren’t specifying schools (understandable) but for the MT program, we can assume it’s one of a small number that come to mind with your description, and because of the unique things you mention, it’s pretty clear which school it is. If MT is what you want, this is the way to go. I disagree with one of the cons you list:
“Safe in terms of I wouldn’t really step out of my comfort zone. Will be similar to my high school experience in the sense that I wouldn’t branch out of the musical theatre realm.”
-Nothing about a top MT BFA program will be like you high school experience. You will step out of your comfort zone and will be pushed more than you can imagine, and most programs have many opportunities beyond main stage musicals, allow you to audition for straight plays as well, have new works festivals, playwright festivals, student directed productions, and on and on.
-If the climate is a problem I would say that, having lived there, NYC can have pretty bad winters, and I would assume that if performing is what you want, you will possibly be living there in the future.
Sounds like you have 2 great options and you can’t lose either way. Best of luck to you.
Remember the idea of college is to gain education that translates into marketable job skills. Do you plan to double major in something else just in case acting doesn’t happen? It rarely ever does, even for the most talented people.