<p>Prestige for prestige’s sake is a foolish choice in any situation, not just college. For example, there is European luxury car brand I would never consider b/c I hate the way their cars drive. It wouldn’t matter how many people said “Oooo, you have a…” I would hate the car. The car I drive is a different European brand that can be fairly pricey. (though frankly all cars are pricey these days, just saying) I don’t drive it so people say “Oooo”, I drive it b/c I love the way it drives. (and I have had it 10 years, so plenty of time to get used to it!) I would never send my kid to a school (not even CMU) just so people would say “Oooo, you went to…”, that would be a foolish waste of $$. But as someone who has lived in many parts of the country, and got my initial degree at a school people who didn’t grow I where I grew up might not have heard of, I can tell you that I spent a lot of time in my early 20s explaining that where I had studied was a “real school”. One of the nice things about the globalization of society is that various schools and programs have much wider nets than they used to, so maybe this isn’t even an issue anymore. </p>
<p>toowonderful…I agree, I would not pick to apply to or attend a school for prestige sake. It is way more important to pick the best fit school for oneself. Prestige can be a positive by product, but not really a good reason to pick a school, in my view. People succeed from all kinds of schools. Does name recognition open doors? Sometimes. Can’t deny that happens or may get a second look. I went to grad school at a university whose name is recognized around the world. When I graduated and moved to rural VT at age 24, with some experience in my career, but not a lot yet, I think the school name likely got me interviews, and I also was hired to teach college at a young age. I am not so sure if that would have happened had I been in a city, such as in the Northeast, where those with degrees from such a school are a dime a dozen. Who knows. I didn’t pick it for the name. I really liked the program. And as mentioned elsewhere on this thread by a few of us, pertaining to our children, I also liked being in a student body with others who were highly motivated type learners. You can find people like that at any college, but often in highly selective colleges, there is a larger concentration and it affects the learning environment. This may not matter for some, but I liked that atmosphere. I was the youngest person in my graduate program (this was true for my kid as well), and so learning from peers who were pretty accomplished added to the whole experience.</p>
<p>One thing vvnstar mentioned in a post earlier today which I think is true is that often the name recognition of a college can be a regional thing…and those who hire favor those who come out of certain well regarded schools in that particular region. For instance, Penn State would be a sorta big deal in PA. Perhaps not as big of a deal in let’s say, Arizona. (I’m not referring to MT here). Smith College would be well thought of in New England or the Northeast but people out west may have no idea about the school or its fine reputation. Examples abound.</p>
<p>I there … can I jump in? 
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<p>I was an every-now-and-again poster in the Class of 2014 threads over in the Parent’s Forum, but this thread seems much more comfortable to me for my rising senior. </p>
<p>I have been so caught up in the application process for our oldest - she leaves in 2 months. 
I feel so behind in DD15’s college adventure … especially since this experience will be SO different than my pre-med track kid.</p>
<p>In a (what I hope to be) very brief nutshell, my DD15 has been in community theater since she was about 7. Both our girls are very musical and artistic and we have no idea where it came from - not from DH & I that’s for certain! DD15 is not a trained dancer though - very sporadic lessons but she picks up on choreography fairy quickly. </p>
<p>I’ve been spending the last week or so trying to play catch up in the MT section … lots of info to digest!</p>
<p>She’ll be doing the Berklee Musical Theater Intensive next week … I’m not super impressed at this point w/ the program and execution of all of the information, but it is what it is at this point. I’m sure she’ll have a great time.</p>
<p>(If anyone has any experience or info about the Berklee MT Intensive, I would love to hear your thoughts.)</p>
<p>So … hi! :)</p>
<p>I don’t have any information on the program, but my daughter has a friend who attends the regular school and loves it. I spoke with her a couple of weeks ago and she said it’s everything she wanted in a program and is thrilled to be in Boston. I know that doesn’t help much. But thought I would share…</p>
<p>Thank you! </p>
<p>DD15 has a friend who attends as well and he’s having the time of his life … completely surrounded by music and loves it! </p>
<p>I will put this here, in case anyone in the future searches Berklee Musical Theater Summer Intensive and is looking for information … I haven’t really been impressed with the nitty-gritty information regarding housing, meals, supervision, etc. For example, the info packet says they can move in Friday at 3:00pm and Orientation is Saturday at 9am. But there is nothing anywhere that says exactly WHERE they are moving in to. I had to call directly to get the information.</p>
<p>Just strange. </p>
<p>But I’m sure the actual experience will be great! </p>
<p>My son did a percussion intensive a couple years ago. Limited supervision and mix age group (from teens to adults) staying in the dorm. Son did fine, and at that time thought he would major in percussion and would have been happy to attend Berklee for college. He had two roommates, one of whom smoked a lot of pot, though not in the room, and ate a lot of fast food, go figure :)</p>
<p>Welcome KaMaMom! </p>
<p>I don’t know anyone who has done the MT program at Berklee in the summer. My nephew did a percussion intensive there one summer and loved it though. </p>
<p>Be careful not to confuse rigorous with more which is my point. A BFA in MT is performance focused. If you want to go to an institution that spends one less day or one more teaching academics so be it. The additional course offerings are meaningless because it is still a BFA/MT. </p>
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<p>beenthereMTdad, well, earlier you said you were not aware of any BFA in MT programs that had rigorous academics and that the rigor was in the training and not in the books. Now, while I would agree with your newest post that “more” is not the same as “rigorous,” or in other words, just because a program may require more academics than another program, doesn’t mean it is more rigorous. However, at SOME BFA in MT programs, the academics are indeed rigorous and not just “more requirements.” This is true at schools particularly that are selective in terms of academic admissions standards. The academic courses my D took at NYU were challenging and not gut courses. </p>
<p>Now, you also state that additional course offering are meaningless. because you still earn a BFA in MT…I don’t see it that way. It surely didn’t seem that way for my kid. She undertook college level classes that required critical thinking, writing, expansion of knowledge about the world, problem solving, and so on. Her mind was further developed in college and that can serve one well in life, generally speaking, but even as an actor. She also had to take a lot of Theater Studies courses (beyond the conservatory training), and those also expanded the depth of her knowledge about her field. </p>
<p>You also imply that a BFA program that requires academics means spending less time doing the training, but actually that is usually not the case. The hours in conservatory may be the same as at a school with less academic requirements but structured into the week time slots in a different way. The training classes are not less. If anything, the rigor for the student is compounded by having to fit in all the training classes and lessons and the academics and the prep or homework for both, in addition to rehearsals and the like. It is not for everyone but is an option for those who want that. I believe my kid is happy she didn’t just learn to hone her singing, dancing, and acting skills but got a whole lot of other learning in college, even though she is going for it as an artist. That additional educational coursework is useful as an artist, but even if one must get a job outside the arts, there is some higher education they have obtained beyond the singing, dancing, and acting skills that might be of value. </p>
<p>Since when is the point of college to ONLY learn things in your major? I would argue that most majors take MORE classes outside of their field of study than a BFA major does, whether conservatory or not. I also dispute the implication that a BFA/MT is meaningless as a degree (in a non performance field). Isn’t the whole point of college growth, learning, and discovery in all aspects of life? That was my experience, and it is certainly what I am hoping for with my kid</p>
<p>There are several selective/highly selective schools that require BFAs to get a full liberal arts degree on top of the BFA requirements - including the foreign language requirement. I don’t think anyone could argue that UMich students get less rigorous performance training, nor could you say their liberal arts course load is for slackers. I believe Otterbein and IU are just two more that require full liberal arts course loads from their BFAs. I am concerned that my own S is NOT going to a school such as these, but have “encouraged” him to join the honors college at his school in hopes that the opportunities offered there will make up for the lack of a required broad liberal arts education. My S has had tunnel vision regarding MT since he was 11, but like many posters here, I believe college should be a time for exploration and risk-taking in a safe environment (hopefully). S wants to be the best singer/dancer/actor/musician he can be, but I think at some point he is going to want to “create”, and having a very broad education/experience/skill set will be important. There are many ways to achieve that, and it doesn’t necessarily have to come from a “name-brand” school, or any school at all. Each will find his, or her way, but the key will be to take on challenges and risks and hard work in whatever form best suits the individual. It sounds like soozievt’s D has found a path that works for her. It also sounds like she has worked d**n hard for several years (as have others). I only hope my S will work as hard and explore as many avenues. The “niches” seem to be pretty small out there, and it appears that you have to have foot-holds and hand-holds in several of them at once - as well as always be looking ahead - to keep climbing. The learning curve doesn’t seem to have much of a plateau either. Let’s hope they all have the stamina to keep going as they leave the cheering home front behind. </p>
<p>My daughter is not going to a highly selective university but she is creating a schedule that challenges her intellect and gives her as many hours in studio classes as possible. She is in the honors college and will be in studio a minimum of 24 hours a week. (18 units per semester). College is what you make of it. Highly selective or not, your child can get a wonderful education if they want it. </p>
<p>Oh my gosh. I’ve just spent the last couple of days digging through a lot of the MT threads … and I feel so far behind and really overwhelmed. I thought scheduling my DD14’s ACT/SAT tests around forensics meets was tough. That ain’t nothing compared to how I feel about audition procedures for my DD15.</p>
<p>Major kudos to the parents who been through this - I don’t even know where to start.</p>
<p>I’m lucky that two good programs are in-state - IU & Ball State. (Not that that makes acceptance any easier.) I’m also lucky that Chgo Unifieds are an hour away. </p>
<p>BUT … that’s about the extent of my luck! ;)</p>
<p>Lord, I need a drink. And its only June. </p>
<p>KaMaMom - I think it is safe to say that most of us who have gone through the process had similar feelings! In hindsight, I see that the anticipation of the process was more stressful than the process itself. As crazy as it was, I felt a certain amount of accomplishment for myself, not to mention my son, as each step was completed. Believe it or not, once the scheduling/organization piece was done (my part) and auditions began, I could sleep much better at night. :)</p>
<p>@KaMaMom Welcome to the party! You are not as behind as you think… and this forum is wonderful about sharing, advising and helping in any way possible. I know that reading all the threads can make your head spin. My solution was to organize the info I found relavent. I started taking notes, making lists… and creating spread sheets. I swear, for all the work we, as parents, do in this process, we should at least earn an honorary degree in something! Organizational management? </p>
<p>KaMaMom - our S loved IU (his parents, too). If it wasn’t for that huge OOS tuition gap, I think S would be going there in August. Really liked the emphasis on full lib arts education and full development of BFAs as “artists”, not just performers. Many people on this forum love BSU, too. Great home field choices. Good luck!</p>
<p>I love IU’s program … DD15 did the Midsummer Theater Program there last summer and adored it. Life changing. (She’s even the cover model for their advertising this year!) </p>
<p>My son is @ Midsummer Theatre Program right now!! I am thinking all is good, he texted me once since he has been gone saying, “this is awesome”
My S is a rising senior. My son was in his first musical this Spring and it turned him from jock to thespian…talk about feeling behind, HOLY SMOKES! I read everyone’s kids experience and it is mind blowing! My son auditioned for his 1st musical in Feb and was cast Jesus in Godspell. He has never looked back. He has been training in all disciplines ever since. Me? Deep breaths!!</p>
<p>@tmygirl … last year’s group of Midsummer kids have been texting/fb’ing/social media’ing for the last several days throwback pics from last summer. As a group they are still pretty close … some came to see my DD15 in her stage production in the fall, she (and others) have gone to support other kids in their shows. Great group of kids! I have a feeling they’ll be in touch for years to come. </p>
<p>That’s awesome@KaMaMom
Sounds like they keep them busy :-)</p>