I found with my daughter’s schedule in a more a conservatory type of training program, the classes do not all automatically represent 3 units as you find with most BA programs. She has 11 classes for a total of 18 units, but the hours and units vary. All I know is that she is pretty much going from 8:30 a.m. to late afternoon almost every day, with one evening class as well. And even though the freshman don’t perform in shows, they work behind the scenes as part of their Stagecraft training and she has been assigned as Stage Manager for one of the Fall Musicals so she will soon have that added work coming on with lots of evening hours. There is certainly not the down time you likely find with other types of liberal arts majors - these kids are working their behinds off! She likes being busy though - helps stave off homesickness and makes the time fly by faster!
I agree with @sopranomtmom
My D is at a conservatory and has so many classes for her BFA which may only be 1 or 2 credits. Her liberal arts classes which take the least time are 3 credits. Then they seem to break major classes down into smaller credit hours despite the huge amount of time and work they require. I think this is because 12-18 credits at her school is full time status and if you go over that you pay extra. (12-18 credits are a flat tuition fee).
So if all the BFA drama classes were 3 credits the kids would either have to pay a lot more (as it would be well over 18 credits per semester) or they would go to school a lot longer than 4 years.
It is a way to fit all the courses in.
When people ask how many credits she takes I just say “she has classes all day, every day. From early morning through or past dinner daily”. Rehearsals are after all that.
My personal favorite are the 0 credit classes that are still classes 
@artskids I am not even going to ask my D about that one. Ugh!
At some conservatories, things like voice and choir can be 0 credit but require class time and preparation time!
re: 0-credit classes that are still classes
My D17 has one of those! It’s the only one she’ll ever have to take, but passing it is required of all first-years, and it’s a couple hours a week that she could be devoting to anything from sleep to studying in the midst of her transition to college, rather than working on passing a class that won’t even be transcripted. >:P
Here is the thing that I have found in looking at the curriculum for conservatory programs. It is very prescripted, with little to no room for deviation. The pieces all fit together like a puzzle and build upon each other as the student advances. I look at it in terms of the entire puzzle as opposed to the individual piece in seeing that each piece of the puzzle represented by a specific class, regardless of the units, is designed to fill an important place in the puzzle so by the time it is finished, it is complete and beautiful! At the end of the four years, my daughter will have 137 units, but more importantly she will have a solid foundation made up of all the different pieces she has worked hard to put together into a complete package of knowledge, practice, training and preparation.
that is very well said @sopranomtmom
My oldest just graduated with her BFA in Dance and I had no idea some of her classes were one and two credits! I just asked her and she said yes for example Aerial Arts was one credit, tap was two, etc. Not sure how I never noticed that!
I am a professor in an intensive BA Musical Theatre major program, and while the students have more flexibility than in many conservatory style BFA programs (particularly later on, but in some smaller ways even from the start), all of the music, dance, and musical theatre classes are 1 - 2 credits. All majors are required to complete 4 semesters of a 0 credit class, and those students in the Arts Living Learning Community (LLC) dorm as freshmen have an additional 1 credit Integrative Arts class for the 1st semester, and some are also in the Honors College (which has an additional 1 credit required seminar).
So, our MT majors are taking 16 - 17 credits first semester, and have 9 - 10 classes… 6 - 8 major related classes, and 1 - 2 academic classes outside of the major. Often the students share that their parents are shocked that they have so many classes right out of the gate for so “few” credits.
Just like the college application process is different for performing arts majors applying to audition based programs, the standard # of credits/ classes can also be different than the college experiences of those who went to college in non-audition based majors. 
My daughter is taking 16.5 credits her first semester she is loving every second of it the program is as intense as she has dreamed it would be. She tells me she lives in the theater department or building. I sit here thinking I cannot believe she has no academics. She says every day feels like she’s in the most wonderful summer camp! You got a love these kids.
@lincoln56 which school is she at? Sounds like a perfect fit!
Does she not have to take academics because of credits she came in with? Or are they not required at her program?
Ithaca❤️ Perfect in every way for my D !
Wondering how everyone with their kiddos far away are doing?? Yesterday I found my daughters h.s. diploma where she threw it (lol) and brought it up to her room which I haven’t been in for three weeks. It made me sooooo sad. Up until now I have been pretending she is at one of her musical theater summer programs. I can’t believe I won’t see her until Christmas. (This is a big financial stretch for us - so no flight home for Thanksgiving.)
Of course it helps to see the photos of the amazing performers teaching master classes, hear about how hard she is working both academcially and artistically and have her little sister tell me that she texted yesterday that she has never been happier in her life. So that makes it all worth while-
It’s just so hard that her dream is so far away from us - I am looking forward to when she eventually moves to New York and I can take the Vermonter in to see her!!
@singoutlouise I am so there with you. I’m finding the more the days go by the more I’m missing her. I did better the first couple of weeks but now I’m honestly struggling a bit. We talk everyday and I know she’s thriving and loves the program which makes me so happy. But it’s just lonely not having her here. I’m counting the days until Thanksgiving when we get her home for a few days and then Christmas when she gets a nice long break!
I feel like we should all get together in New York - see a show ( I am suffering withdrawal as I’ve lost my pal) - and have a support group with wine! Our own Unifieds (lol).
I miss my son very much, although I am not the empty nester I envisioned being when the youngest went off to college. All 3 of my older sons are still home or back at home, but it’s different without S17 here. I have been “talking” with him more because he asks me for a wake up text or call every weekday morning. People tell me to get him a better alarm clock, but why? He wants a wake up call from MOM!
Third son and I are going up for Family weekend. S17 will be doing tech (lighting) on the show (a musical) that weekend and I am excited to see him.
@sopranomtmom - I can’t imagine how hard it is not to see her till winter break. It will be just over 2 months for me and I am struggling. Does your D at least have a nice long winter break?
Many of us 2018 moms made a facebook group 4 years ago after this crazy process ended. We have had several meet ups and I get to have one in October for the first time in NYC with many of them. It has been great watching what our kids have been up to sharing triumphs and sorrows. You guys might want to do the same. We have helped each other with apartment hunting post grad, headshot suggestions, ENT recommendations anything you can think of we have supported one another. It has been wonderful.
@techmom99 We will get her for four days at Thanksgiving. But her Christmas break is 6 weeks which is amazing! I can’t wait!
@bisouu that sounds lovely. I have to admit…I haunt these boards since I discovered them last spring partly because I need a community of people going through the same thing and I need a little like-minded company! Where I live I am the only one I know who’s child did this whole crazy audition process. I am hoping people will continue to post the journey of their children. And yes @techmom99 (I think you meant me…) I am starting to rethink the whole can’t afford flying home twice thing. Christmas is just too far away…