<p>Sacreccasmom, wow, that was an amazing post. I enjoyed reading it! </p>
<p>There are several issues in your post, DraMOMMa. One is going for a BFA and the whole "fallback" notion. For me, I'm totally comfortable with my child going for a BFA in this difficult field (difficult in terms of making it, I mean) because for one, she is getting a college education. That will always serve someone well down the line....both in terms of becoming an educated person for its own sake but also in terms of getting work. Also, I fully support her pursuing the field that is her passion. I can't imagine not doing so. I can't separate theater from my kid's identity. It is part of who she is. It's a passion and it is even a talent (not more than your kids' talents but you know what I mean....it is something she's good at). She may not make it on stage but there is no harm in going for it. SOMEBODY is going to make it. If she doesn't? I know there is a myriad of other theater related things she can do, enjoys doing, even has talent doing....directing, choreographing, musical directing, writing scripts, teaching youth, and even accompanying. As well, like many of your kids, it is not like she can ONLY do theater and has no other skills or talents. She may love theater as her MAIN passion but she is good at other things (like I am sure your kids are too). In her case, she is a gifted writer. She could do something in that area. Her college graduates "thinkers" and also BFA kids have many skills they can bring to any job. Not everyone in the work force is working in their exact college major. We did not put restrictions on where our child could apply but because she is someone (like your kids) who is a very good student academically and enjoys learning other things, such as in humanities, she wanted a BFA program that had SOME liberal arts. So, your D could opt for BFA programs that fit more of that need/interest as all programs vary a bit in this regard though no BFA program is the same as a BA would be. A BA program may even be a good option for your D, particularly at places like Muhlenberg, American, or Indiana, where she still could major in musical theater. Or a BA program where there is a lot of theater on campus and in courses....like Brown, Vassar, Skidmore, Yale, Conn College, Tufts, etc. </p>
<p>The other issue you bring up is about the college campus environment. But this is not so much a BFA issue. If your child wants more of the typical college campus environment, then a school like UMich, Penn State, CMU, Syracuse, Ithaca, for example, fit the bill. Going to NYU, Emerson, or BOCO are not traditional campuses but have nothing really to do with a BFA. Even a NON theater student who picks a school like NYU, is content without the traditional campus environment where the city is the campus. This is not for all people. My older D (now at Brown) would never want the NYU setting for her school. Some do want a regular campus, even if near a city. That is part of anyone's college criteria when picking a school. It is not really a BFA issue. My D at NYU LOVES and WANTED this. She does not care about the traditional campus stuff. I venture to say that those she knows in BFA programs on more traditional campuses, often have the experience that sarrecssasmom is saying because they tend to hang with their theater peers in the BFA program who are leading similar schedules and share similar passions. They may attend the football games and frat parties too. My daughter has plenty of social life but a majority of her friends attend Tisch, though not all are in MT by any means. But the lifestyle of someone in a BFA program is NOT like a regular college student in the first place. </p>
<p>My D's schedule yesterday....she left her dorm at 8:30 AM and her away message was "long day, back at midnight!". I know she had her MT studio classes from 9-6. Then she was on a required crew assignment from 6-8 (had to leave it a bit early with permission) and then she was in a concert performance with her coed a capella singing group. (let's not forget homework too). Today, same idea. Besides going to school ALL day most days, some weeks she has crew each night, but not all weeks. Two nights for a combined total of six hours, she has rehearsals for the singing group. She also has Tisch Scholars every other Friday night. One lecture course occasionally meets at night this semester too. She also has an internship that turned into a job and I know, for example, she is working Sat. and Sunday in that (musical theater related), plus crew for shows this weekend. She now has become the pianist/accompaniest for the production of Full Monty and was playing for auditions for that this past week AFTER nightly crew and now will be rehearsing nightly with them for a couple months (when not at her other rehearsals for her singing group). That's a life that these kids lead. It is not like regular college and hanging out though she does go out on weekends socially, parties, nightspots, sees many shows both on campus and off campus. She still leads a college life, lives in a dorm, etc. but it's the life of a BFA student. She loves college. Much of what I just related would be the case at any BFA program whether or not on a traditional or city type campus. But if traditional campus is appealing, that is part of coming up with one's college criteria/preferences when making a list. </p>
<p>Any student needs to narrow their choice of school by things like location, setting, size, curriculum, atmosphere, etc. But you CAN do a BFA on a traditional college campus. Whether you have time to do all the traditional college stuff, remains to be seen. Most BFA kids hang together. I saw this at CMU, UMich, Syracuse. They spend many hours together so they also tend to do social stuff together. At CMU, most of the BFA students seemed to move off campus to live together. But some kids at these schools do participate and enjoy other aspects of campus life. For instance, Bdwaymom who used to post here, has a D at PSU. Her D WANTED the campus life, the rah rah stuff, not a school in the city and she loves PSU. Kids who go to UMich, even for a BFA, tend to go to the footballl games. My D thought it sounded fun but did not care about that. Her ECs are theater and music related and so she has those activities and social connections with friends in those activities outside of class. Her singing group traveled to perform at Georgetown (and she did remark the great contrast in the campus! and also how the event they performed at was a BIG deal at that college with a huge turnout) and also will be performing in March at Brown. While she doesn't travel with a sports team, she has those trips. Her Tisch Scholars group will travel to Kentucky in March over spring break to work with an arts community in Appalachia. The older kids in her Scholars program are going to India in a couple weeks to work with those in the arts over there and she too will go abroad with this group to some place next year or the year after (next year is Brazil). As well, if she wanted to, she could study abroad one semester like other college students do. She also will be in liberal arts courses eventually after this year with NON Tisch students. There are many organizations on campus to get involved in as well. </p>
<p>I hope that gives you a bit of a look "inside" and what the choices are.</p>
<p>Susan</p>