<p>I'm back with more questions. Now that our list seems to be set, we are trying to figure out how to visit these schools. However, with the schools spread out everywhere, high school classes, and then rehearsals and performances, I can't figure out how to get visits in. How did everyone handle these visits? We've been told to visit during a time when a show is going on. I understand that, but our one act season runs from now until either late October or early November. Then, that puts us into the holidays and the end of the first semester. I'm feeling very overwhelmed again. </p>
<p>Webster and Evansville come to our Thespian Conference in mid February. Is that too late to interview with them? There is a tech date for UNCSA on Friday, October 26. We want to register, but if one act wins region the week before then the kids will be in rehearsal over the 26th. Would it look bad to register but then have to cancel? </p>
<p>"The" List
Columbus State University (interview November 9)
Coastal Carolina (theatre weekend November 10)
Point Park (comes to Atlanta on December 15)
UCF (no dates set)
VCU
Shenandoah
Webster
Evansville
UNCSA</p>
<p>We are in Georgia, so with the exception of Columbus State, these schools are minimum 6-7 hours drive. (We do have 2 safety schools here in GA, but we can fit those visits in whenever. Columbus State is also in GA, but it actually has a very good department and is pretty competitive for the area.)</p>
<p>It is really nice to see a show when you visit a school, but maybe something you need to leave off your list. Your situation of trying to fit it all in is exactly why we are looking at all our schools this year. My D will be a junior, but we are actively looking at schools now. We’ve looked at nearly all the schools when school was not in session. Can’t be helped. There is no way to fit in the visits at other times for us.</p>
<p>February is not too late to audition/interview. From what I understand, the auditions are from November through February. Most are January/February. </p>
<p>After you receive an acceptance, or acceptances, in the spring, you could choose to back to a school where you felt you needed more information about the feel of a school with students there, or to see a production.</p>
<p>We had big plans to see all the possible schools my daugther might apply to during her Junior year and summer. We didn’t come close. We made it to U of Arts, Purchase, and Rutgers (all of which are within 90 miles or so of where we live) as well as BU (which we travelled to over Spring Break) and CMU (where she was this summer). We’re not even going to try to get to any others this year as there is just too much to do. Hopefully, she’ll have some choices in the Spring and we’ll plan to visit schools we haven’t seen in person at that point.</p>
<p>Thanks to both posters. In retrospect, I wish we had started visiting last year. However, I didn’t realize how different applying to theatre schools and regular academic schools would be. With my older daughter, we visited in the fall of senior year to her six in state schools. It was easy. This time…not so much. </p>
<p>We are just going to have to sit down and figure out which ones she really wants to see and go from there, I guess. At one point I had thought we would wait to see if she was accepted to the school before visiting. That may still work for Webster and Evansville or for the Virginia schools. </p>
<p>Perhaps the biggest thing to figure out is whether your child wants a real conservatory environment, or whether they want more of a balance with general ed requirements. Within the BFA programs, the schools do vary quite a bit in this regard. My D wants as much studio time as possible. She’s looking for studio every day with about one other class a semester shoved in somewhere. Some schools have studio three days a week and gen eds on the two off days. Some schools have limited studio time for freshman and sophomore year as students get all their gen eds out of the way.
You can learn quite a bit from home, from reading the curriculum on the school’s websites and from calling or e-mailing and asking questions. I’ve been labeling what my D is looking for as a “true” conservatory, and when you look at curriculum for these schools you should see about 30 credits in gen ed and the rest, 90 or so, in the theatre school. If you want a more balanced education, you might have about 60 credits in each.
I think the differences here are what most shape the program your child will be in. Good Luck!</p>
<p>Dramamom0804, she most definitely wants a true conservatory. We have some strikes against us with “normal” LACs, as her grades are not stellar (3.0-ish range). She has taken no AP classes but some “Advanced” classes. She has a 504 for math difficulties, some visual processing issues, and ADD. Further, she is a terrible standardized test taker. The thought of having to spend time in many non theatre classes is driving her crazy. </p>
<p>Having said that, we have true conservatories, close to true conservatories, and regular BFA schools on the list. We have pulled all the course requirements for her schools. We are really, really hoping a conservatory will 1) accept her and 2) give enough aid for her to attend. </p>
<p>I’m spending the weekend trying to map out our visits. By the way, if anyone knows of a school that is not on our list that would fit, please let me know. (I know about UArts, but it is way, way outside our price range.)</p>
<p>Purchase for sure would fit your list with respect to cost, true conservatory and grades being irrelevant. Of course, its highly competitive but then so is UNCSA.</p>
<p>Thanks, ActingDad. I don’t know much about Purchase, but I will do some research. We know how competitive UNCSA is, but I figure if she doesn’t try then she definitely won’t be accepted. We do, fully, anticipate a rejection there, but we might as well give it a shot.</p>
<p>We can’t fit in the visits, either. Our daughter is a senior and there just isnt time before the audition cycle kicks in. We visited one school nearby on an inservice day last year, but that’s it so far. We are researching as much as possible online and talking to as many different sources as we can. Our visits will have to come in the Spring when decisions have to be made.</p>
<p>My son received an Artist Grant from UArts, which brought its price-tag down into a reasonable range (certainly competitive with out-of-state tuitions at some public universities). It is considerably less expensive to begin with than most other urban colleges (e.g. NYU, USC, Emerson, Fordham, BU, et al.).</p>
<p>Well, I think she has added Purchase to the list. A couple of months ago someone mentioned it, but she initially didn’t seem interested since there is no musical theatre. (Although she is tech, she loves working on musicals.) However, after looking at the school more last night, I think she wants to add it. Now I know it is the stretch of all stretches for her because the program is so competitive, but I guess if you don’t try you’ll never know. </p>
<p>Sigh…that gives us one more school to try and squeeze in. </p>
<p>On another note, thank you all so much for your help! I’m learning a lot as this process continues.</p>
<p>My s and I visited a few of the schools to which he applied/auditioned and varied it by type of school (we visited NYC and looked at several types of schools so he could get a better sense of what he wanted). Once he decided on the type of schools, we decided we would visit (or revisit) any schools that he was accepted to and still had on his list.</p>
<p>He also talked to theater students at several schools he applied to–this was also helpful in deciding whether he really wanted to apply there. One school seemed really interesting to him but after talking with the student, he decided it wasn’t for him (nothing wrong with the school–just not the curriculum focus he really wanted which wasn’t really discoverable from the web material)</p>
<p>We’ve had two visits where if we had only done the info session/tour and NOT seen a production, my son probably would have taken the schools off of his list. I find this difficult to sort out–but I’m glad that in both cases we were able to see excellent shows that convinced him to go ahead and apply. At one program, the tour was given by a faculty member, and it was really shockingly boring, with very little sense of energy or mission, just a lot of statistics about how many students have won award or been admitted to elite graduate programs. Our eyes glazed over…and yet we had seen a great production there, so we know that kids are getting something out of it. Anyway, it’s taught me something about assessing a visit and not putting TOO much weight on what you see…although if this was representative of the department’s teaching style, that particular school won’t be high on S’s wish list, that’s for sure! The summer programs also helped in this respect: he felt a very strong connection with the undergrad TA’s and faculty members from one of his pre-college programs, which has given him a better radar for what kind of people he will “click” with. So as much as it helps to see facilities and the general environment, and it’s GREAT to see a production, it turns out that for my son as well as for me, it’s the people that seem to make the biggest difference.</p>
<p>ugadog99 - I’d forgotten you had mentioned in an earlier post that your daughter was interested in Tech. If so, you should definitely add Purchase. This was one of the few schools we visited and we were simply blown away by the theaters and related facilties. Nothing else we saw came close in terms of the size and scope of the facilities. As just one example, the prop room or whatever they called it was literally the size of a football field. </p>
<p>As for musicals, it is true they do not have an MT program and, unlike NCSA, I don’t think Purchase ever even does them as part of their regular program. However, we were told that it was fairly common for the students to collaboratively put togeher a musical. Acting students would coordinate with tech and others to organize and stage one. When we went on a visit, we were told that a group of students were doing Hair. </p>
<p>Also, as a tech, I think you can reach a bit more because you don’t have anywhere near the same number of kids competing for the tech slots.</p>
<p>Thanks, ActingDad. Purchase has been added to the list. My daughter has done a lot of looking around their website and other online research into the school. She is, like everyone else, highly impressed with what she has found. I can’t imagine her being in NY, but if that is where she ends up, it would be fabulous for her. </p>
<p>Since she is Tech, I know we probably have too many schools on our list. However, finances are going to play a major role in this process. (I’m a single mom-elementary teacher.) It will all boil down to 1) where she is accepted and 2) who will give her the most aid. </p>
<p>I’ll be back later today and post a new thread with her updated list. </p>
<p>Purchase does not feel like being in NY which for some is a downside. While the the architecture of the school buildings (excluding theaters) in general is quite drab its self-contained and has a community feel about it.</p>
<p>Hey UGA - My D did her Webster audition at Thescon in Atlanta last year. It is not too late. Remember though that Webster has a two step process. Candidate has to be accepted academically into the University and also accepted into the Theater Dept. Get that college acceptance asap for scholarship purposes not to mention peace of mind. My D did her last audition on 3/1 for NYU in Atlanta. As long as a college is holding an audition it is not too late.</p>
<p>We drove to Evansville for an open house and thought it was a wonderful school but the town itself made my D run as fast as she could. It made Snellville look like a major metropolis! Again, excellent school just not a good fit for her in the atmosphere category.</p>
<p>As for UArts, they were very generous in scholarship money and it hurt to have to turn it down. Don’t write off any college because of finances. Many schools were tightening up but some that you would least expect were unbelievably generous.</p>
<p>UArts has an additional attraction for tech students: its relationship with the Merriam Theater, which is a splendid, historic, baroque-style opera house. UArts actually owns the property, and leases it out to touring shows for most of the year (students have opportunities for internships, I believe). The school stages one major production at the Merriam annually. Emerson owns two grand theaters in Boston (and has terrific tech opportunities), but is legendarily stingy with financial aid, and is more expensive than UArts to begin with. DePaul has a traditional relationship with the Goodman Theater, as well. Many schools have great programs, and beautifully-outfitted theaters, but I think that tech applicants might be especially interested in those that would give them access to some of the magnificent houses.</p>