Hi, Male 6’2", nice look, who wants to try one day work as a paid actor and really likes film. Prefers BFA Acting, but BA that focuses on performance would work. want a place to develop as an actor, prepare to work as one, and get lots of performance opportunity. Would like to be at a school that has a film program and film students and/or near the “industry”, like LA or NYC. GPA 3.7 at a very good public high school, SAT 2010, lots of extra curricular with improv, singing, etc., but only local performing experience. Really want a college list where any outcome would be a good one! So far, Chapman, Loyola Marymount University, BU and UCONN are 100% on the list. Really need help rounding out the list, including safety and financial safety!
The schools that didn’t make the list:
syracuse, skid more, ithaca…too cold
Fordham, NYU…not a big fan of being “in” the city
American University…no interest in being near DC
Pepperdine…didn’t like the vibe
The maybes:
CMU…of course, but any real chance of getting in?
UCLA…the vibe on campus was not very welcoming, but then, it is UCLA!
Pace…haven’t heard great things, it was the nicest feel of NYC areas though
Occidental…beautiful campus, but would it prepare an actor to work?
Rutgers…just didn’t get a good feeling, but it was just a stop by and check it out
SUNY Purchase…maybe, same thing, just stopped there to check it out
Drew…liked it, but not much going on for film
WCSU…its cheap and it supposedly has a good program
Emerson…can’t apply into the BFA until 2nd year now
USC…heard it was competitive internally to work with other film students and get performance opportunities?
UNCSA…don’t know much
Julliard…because its Julliard
Temple…website looks good, haven’t seen it yet, is it in a nice part of Phili?
UTexas Austin…never been to Texas, but looks like a great program
Based on this, any thoughts on schools that would be a good match would be super welcome…thank you!!!
Just fyi- Juilliard and Pace are just as much “in the city” as NYU or Fordham - did he like vibe better? NYU has a film acting studio for upperclassmen, stone street
DePaul has a very good film school and casts from its pool of acting majors.
Austin has an extremely active film industry. Locals are regularly cast in movies. UT has many film alums and an excellent program. I recommend checking it out.
DePaul has a film school? I thought that was Northwestern and Chicago’s Columbia College. DePaul has the Theatre School.
Wow. Had no idea about DePaul!
I would definitely add FSU (well respected): http://theatre.fsu.edu/programs-3/undergraduate/acting-program/
However, it’s one of those “almost impossible to get into” schools. Audition required.
UNCSA has a very good film school with lots of film students around and opportunities to perform in student films though certainly not near industry …
@Mpartist When it comes to BFA Acting programs its a good idea to really zero in on what the program offers first. Are you looking for more of a conservatory experience? Do you want the flexibility to take a wide range of academic classes? Do you want to study abroad, how much Shakespeare do you want, etc… Figure out which programs meet your needs then evaluate the campus. My son is in a BFA program at a very large university but his world only consists of the theatre dept., his dorm and the dining hall so it feels like a small school to him. Also, the top BFA programs are very competitive ( less than 5% acceptance rates ) so you’ll need to keep an open mind & cast a wide net. There are very knowledgeable people on this board so if you can be more specific about what type of training & experience you want, they’ll be able to give you great suggestions.
I agree there are very knowledgeable people on this board…so many have helped so much and don’t even realize it! Here is “the list” and feedback would be so very helpful!
WCSU (Western CT State University)
Drew
UCONN
PACE
BU
UCLA
UTexas@Austin
Chapman
Loyola Marymount
Occidental
USC
Julliard
UNCSA
CMU
It looks like a good, well-balanced list to me. A lot of people skimp on safeties, but your list has a couple of good ones. Break a leg!
Re Temple - No, it isn’t in a “good” part of town. That being said, thousands of kids from all across the country (and world) have gone there so it can’t be all that bad!
The main campus itself can be a bit insulated from the outside world, depending on where you travel. Once outside of the “safety zone”, there’s your fair share of crime. Be smart and things should be just fine. I grew up 15 minutes away from there and have taken class on campus more times than I can remember. Never had a problem (other than finding parking on the street)
My son is at Pace and very happy. Large scholarship $$ too. Check it out. While a 3.7 gpa is good, it probably won’t be good enough for several of your picks academically (ie CMU, UCLA, USC and Texas)
Pace application just went in! Dropped UCLA and Texas. I thought that some of the schools, like CMU, were heavily based on the audition for the decision. So, if a student is in the ball park-like with a 3.7 and they liked him enough in the audition, that would suffice?
NYU and USC care about your GPA, CMU does not.
Our tour guide at CMU said he got in with a 2.5(ish) gpa and a an ACT of around 20… The standards for the university are not applied to drama program.
Agree with Astute on NYU and USC- and add that Boston takes grades into consideration as well