@lovessinging ,
First so happy your daughter figured out what she need and wanted and has bend successful, That is so hard in the middle of freshman year!!! So 2 questions, did she go for a VP program or MT:) and question 2 is did she need to transfer as a freshman or a sophomore?
They are all small liberal arts colleges that put a focus on academics. That is the type of school my D wanted. I can’t tell you if their scholarship policies are the same for all transfer students, so I won’t list their individual names. I know a lot of factors go into how they choose to award scholarships. For people going through this in the future, contact the schools you are interested in individually, and find out how you would be treated in terms of scholarships and transfer credits. She chose MT, and will be a sophomore at the school she will attend. I believe it will be determined later if she needs any freshman level courses, since she is coming out of a BFA MT program. Again, every school does things their own way, so best to educate yourself on their policies.
With regard to why students transfer, here are just some transfer scenarios from my boys’ BFA MT programs and from our friends’ experiences in other programs over the years:
A couple students decided MT was not for them. Some transferred out of the program but stayed at the university and some moved to other schools for other majors (dance, nursing, comedy, straight acting, education, gender studies, political science). Some decided college was not for them – they went home and worked. Some have since returned to other schools for both performing and non-performing majors. Some left for personal reasons – illness, depression, eating disorders, loss of a parent. Some left for financial reasons – money ran out, parents lost jobs, loans didn’t come through – and went home to their local CC or state school, or took some time off. Some left to pursue professional work. Some genuinely didn’t think they were cast enough in the first few years and left to join a smaller program. Some didn’t like the northeast. Some said they left for one reason or another, but we later learned that finances were the real reason – and that’s fine; no shame.
Meanwhile, over the years, students also came into the boys’ programs for various reasons – they wanted to be in the Northeast; they had started in their state schools in BA theatre but wanted BFA; they had left their first school for professional opportunity and reapplied after that job ended; they started in not-dream-school and reauditioned for different schools the next year, getting what they deemed “better” acceptances, and some came from other BFAs that weren’t right for them and felt new program was a better fit. Some came from more expensive programs.
So the reasons for transferring out and in truly run the gamut – and hearing that students transfer out or in isn’t necessarily a bad thing and often has nothing to do with the MT training they receive. And usually a new fabulous classmember comes along to fill that space.
FYI – this is still me – the artist formerly known as MTTwinsinCA – I cannot seem to login via that profile on any of my devices, hence the new username. Sorry for any confusion.
@MTTwinsinCA2 (first - the name thing is so weird! And your original name came up to tag you.) I was going to type something very similar to what you just posted why students would leave a program. Almost every reason you listed were exactly the same as those who’ve left D’s program. The only exception is that she’s not in the Northeast. 
And they do have a number of transfers in - also for similar reasons.
@hopefulthtr It sounds like you have two really great options. My daughter had to make similar decisions in choosing between BFA Acting and BFA MT options. We sat down and had a serious heart to heart to help her really hone in on what she wanted out of a program, the reasons she chose this path originally and what she wanted to learn and come away with in 4 years. The bottom line for her was that she didn’t want and wasn’t willing to give up her MT focus. That was her first love and why she chose this path in the first place. She tried to envision a college curriculum where even if voice and dance were available to acting majors, they might be a secondary consideration and not really part of her core focus. That didn’t sit well with her. She would rather be an MT major in a program with an intense acting focus where she can take more acting classes if she chooses than be an Acting major who takes some extra voice and dance. Things like music theory classes and ear training were important to her in addition to voice and dance and those were things that seemed like she would lose in a straight acting major. Our conversation really informed her decision. My advice is to print out the curriculum for both programs and really compare what classes you are getting and think about what you want from your training. Also, ask questions about what additional classes you will be able to take and try and talk with current students in the program to get their take on how the two different majors work in actual practice, not just on paper. Ultimately it is not really about the prestige of a program, but does it offer the training that you really want and will help you fulfill your goals as an artist. Only you can decide. Best of luck!
Thanks so much, I’ll definitely do that! I’m visiting the MT program this week so hopefully that will illuminate some things too (:
Also, if your strength is voice @hopefulththtr you may want to concentrate on the acting focus to bring it up to your voice level. I would also consider which option would bring you out of college debt free or close to it.
@Spike27 While the school probably states that they do not wait list, that is what they are doing. They will wait until those who were initially sent their information respond and then know which department they will have room in and send out more letters to those waiting to hear.
Thanks! I’ve thought about that too but the acting program really doesn’t offer much dance at all which is the area I need the most work in for sure (and dance is something I’m very passionate about). They are also almost exactly the same price and I’m lucky that both offered very nice scholarships! I narrowed it down to those two pretty easily but I’m not sure if I’m willing to give up extensive dance and voice for really focused acting.
@hopefulthtr if dance is something you are passionate about…one thing to ask each program is what is the highest level of dance available to you. Not all MT programs offer high level dance. Not all MT or Acting programs have access to a Dance program that allows non-majors.
My D is in similar situation to @hopefulthtr Trying to decide between the BFA Acting at Point Park or the MT BFA at LIU Post - a program that is under development but seems to be quite an “up and comer” - plus it’s close to NYC where she’s always wanted to be.
PPU offers such a great Acting program though and with 28 gen ed transfer credits, maybe she’d have time to fit in voice and dance in her schedule.
Other option is to go to Point Park and switch to BA Performance with a minor in MT. But she really wants the 3-letter degree.
Discussions of pluses & minuses have go round and round till our heads are spinning. Financially the difference is minimal. Considering just flipping a coin at this point.
@daughtersdreams Sounds super similar to my decision! It’s down to BFA MT at Temple or BFA acting at OKCU. It was so easy to narrow it down to those schools because I fell in love with both of them but each program has things that the other doesn’t and that I really want… I’ll be so relieved to just make a decision!
@hopefulthtr Although Temple’s Musical Theater BFA is “newer”, they have had a Theatre BA with MT concentration for sometime, so the program itself is not new. The have just added an MT BFA through an agreement with the Boyer College of Music & Dance at Temple.
Program wise, the quality should be on par. The biggest difference I see in comparing your two choices is the size and their locations. I guess you need to decide if you want the big university in the middle of a large city, or a small university with that traditional campus feel.
Hopefully your visit this week will help you decide. You really can’t go wrong with either choice!
@daughtersdreams Wow, you seem pretty knowledgeable! Perhaps you or someone else can provide the same insight into my son’s dilemma. He is trying to decide between a MT BFA at Hartt, a BA with MT concentration at Marymount Manhattan and a MT BFA at Alabama Birmingham.
We love what we know about Hartt, its emphasis on acting, dance program, and proximity to NYC. Marymount’s connections to the NYC scene and strong dance program are obvious. Then the BFA at UAB is new, even though they have an established BA Theatre program. UAB would save us about $120,000!
Any one out there who can offer an opinion?!
@CATenorMom - my D did the BA MT at Marymount. Is dance for the MT minor now through the dance department at MMC? I am asking as that was not the case when D was in the program. Dance was actually at a dance studio on the UWS and not at the school.
@hopefulthtr Let your daughter know that I just attended a Musical at OCU and a few of their leads were BFA Acting - including the top two leads in the production. I read their bios and they were studying voice as well. So not being in the MT program is not stopping them.
@hopefulthtr - I will add about OCU - in recent years, two BFA Acting grads have had leads in national tours of musicals - Alex Enterline in Nice Work if You can Get It was one. And a girl who had the lead in the national tour of Ghost whose name is escaping me at the moment was another. Kelsey Griswold, who was 2nd runner up in Miss America, switched from MT to Acting, and has been with the USO Tour and also been on several television shows such as American Crime Story since graduating. Numerous other acting grads have worked in all sorts of capacities as well. If you look under the OCU school forum at the top of this page, there is a thread about alumni and what they are doing. You may find that of help. You will see dance grads on TV shows, MTs in straight shows and acting majors in musicals. So your career can go many different directions no matter what degree you get. Personally, we put a lot of weight into what work recent alums were getting so that may be something you can use to compare the programs you are trying to choose between.
As far as current OCU acting majors, I know currently there are some who have been cast in musicals at some of the equity houses around town as well. So being in a musical at school is not the only way to be in a musical while there.
I would compare curriculums and make sure you are going to get the training you want. There is no sense being an acting major at a school if you don’t truly want to learn what that degree program teaches. But there is also no sense going to a school for a BFA degree if you there are other things you don’t like about that school. You need to figure out what will make you happiest. Easier said than done, I know.
@showmom858 You’re right, MMC’s dance classes are still off-campus. I think dance is still one of the school’s strengths, but could be wrong. How did your daughter like her experience at MMC? My son doesn’t seem to object to the lack of a real college campus experience, but I know I wouldn’t like it.
D is closer to making a decision on Belmont. If anyone’s D has decided to go there, could you private message me.
Hello,
My S is deciding between Montclair State MT and SUNY Purchase Acting BFA. He was pretty much set on Montclair but then a friend of mine( actress/director, Purchase Alumni) suggested that Purchase was such a solid well respected program that he should just supplement it with dance classes and private voice(what she did)… which sort of made my head spin. I don’t think she has heard too much about Montclair. Is it a newer program? And technically, he could commute to Purchase… which would make it VERY affordable(instate tuition-no housing). Of course, he really does not want to do that… He wants to live on campus. But he could apply to be an RA the 2nd year, maybe?
He also wanted a larger school with some sports culture. So Montclair sort of hit all those buttons. And with Montclair offering BFA instate tuition, it keeps it in the realm of reality. Rutgers MGSA Acting is also an option, but they don’t seem to be offering much in the way of aid… and there’s that supplementing again.
He will spend time at both campuses and sees how he feels but, I guess I am wondering if anyone has thoughts about supplementing an Acting BFA at a school that does not have an MT program.
Is there even time to supplement an already intense program?
Is Purchase Acting comparable to Montclair MT or are they apples and oranges?
Help!