Conservatories - East Coast

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
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<p>Temple offers a BA in Theatre with an acting concentration. I think it is probably a pretty good program. I have seen notices about interesting-sounding productions there. One important thing to know about Temple is that the campus is very urban.....and in a somewhat gritty area. </p>

<p>Arcadia has an attractive suburban campus. A number of years ago the university was a women's college called Beaver. Arcadia offers a BFA in Acting, but the program is not a conservatory-style one.</p>

<p>UArts has an esteemed Musical Theatre program with very competitive admissions. It also offers a BFA in acting which does not have quite as stellar a reputation. My son preferred to audition for BFA acting programs at non-MT schools, with the exception of CMU, which has a superb acting conservatory, and Montclair, which he is familiar enough with to know that he would be comfortable there.</p>

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<p>Can someone explain to me the difference between a BFA and a BA in drama? What do you learn differently? It a BFA more of a conservatory. When I was looking at the CMU website it said you have to take a class in voice. When they say voice, are they talking about singing? Do you have to take singing lessons for just acting, or is it like a voice over class? Thanks!</p>

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<p>WellMeaningDad (and some of this is for early college too)...I would not get too caught up on the term "conservatory." In my opinion, your son would have to first decide if he wants to do a BA or a BFA program as there is a major difference between those two options. I have read various posts of yours and some schools you have brought up are a BA and some are a BFA. </p>

<p>In a BA program, majoring in theater is like any other college major, where the major is approximately 30% of your total coursework. In most BA schools, you are not committing to the major upon application or matriculation. You may change majors. You may double major, etc. There are a few BA theater programs that do accept via audition, however, even if they are a BA (examples: American, Fordham, Marymount Manhattan). But most BAs do not have an audition to get in, though their theater programs are very well regarded (examples: Northwestern, Brown, Skidmore, Brandeis). In a BA, the student will study a broad range of subjects in the liberal arts curriculum. At some schools, you may major in theater, which requires the number of credit hours as any college major. A BA student would not have as many theater courses as a BFA degree program. About 30% of the coursework would be theater courses, with the rest being general education courses and electives. There is the possibility of a minor or double major with another subject. There are less hours in class and more outside of class required. There is an opportunity to study more subjects and get a broader education. A BA is appropriate to those who are not ready to make the long time commitment to theater and allows for a change of major. The student is not locked into a professional training program. A BA program is much more flexible than a BFA program. One factor in choosing this route is also finding colleges where there is not only a theater department but also a very active theater scene with many performance opportunities, both faculty directed and student directed. </p>

<p>In a BFA program, the applicant must be 100% committed and positive of this major as it is a committment from the outset upon matriculation. There is always an audition to get in and the acceptance rates are very low making it quite competitive. The BFA major takes up at least 65% of the coursework but this can vary from school to school and so in some programs, the BFA training may represent 70-85% of the coursework. It is a rigorous type of professional training and the student attends far more class hours than a BA student. Most BFA programs have SOME liberal arts (but not as much as you would get in a BA program) but the amount varies from school to school. For instance, the BFA in Acting at NYU/Tisch has more liberal arts required than the BFA at CMU, NCSA, or Rutgers. So, an applicant would have to examine the degree requirements and curriculum and compare/contrast between schools and this usually can be found online for BFA programs. Where "conservatory" comes into it (in my opinion) is simply that some schools are stand alone conservatories (example, Julliard or NCSA) and so the majority of the time is in conservatory with very little liberal arts but even those schools have a tiny bit of liberal arts required for the degree (but not a large array of offerings). But many other BFA programs are conservatories (or the style of conservatories) within a larger university setting. So, I would not get caught up on the word "conservatory" as much as deciding between a BA and a BFA and then deciding if you want a stand alone conservatory or a conservatory within a university/college setting and lastly, examine the liberal arts requirements which differ from BFA to BFA and may be as much as 35% or as little as 10% of the overall course requirements. But the liberal arts will not nearly be as much as in a BA program. </p>

<p>But a BFA is VERY intense and it is only appropriate for students who only want to pursue theater and be immersed in it. If a student has a few interests, a BA is a much better path and a person an still become a professional actor with a BA degree. Further, for someone pursuing acting, a BA plus an MFA is a very viable career path vs. a BFA. This is less of an option for someone wanting Musical Theater as there are very few MFAs in MT but there are lots of great ones for Drama/Acting. For BFA programs, admissions are highly selective and competitive. These programs are for students who want to focus on theater and are sure they want to pursue this intensive training and professional degree program. Some BFA Acting programs offer more liberal arts than others. Some BFA schools allow for a minor in another subject, but many do not. Few may allow a double major but this is very difficult and not as common. There are fewer courses in the students’ overall curriculum in liberal arts than in theater training. It is for students certain they wish to pursue this career. It is a very rigorous program and is an immersion. BFA programs involve far more hours in classes than BA programs though less hours of preparation outside of class as a rule. Much of the curriculum is outlined for you with fewer choices of courses. A BFA is appropriate for someone who cannot imagine doing anything else but to become a professional actor. They want to spend a major portion of their college years in both training and production work in theater. </p>

<p>So, this is the main decision your son needs to make before looking at specific schools. </p>

<p>IF your son wants a BFA, I would encourage you to not strictly confine the options to the Northeast as it is not like a regular student picking a college from hundreds of options. There is a finite number of BFA in Acting programs and you have to go where they are, even if you have some geographical preferences. </p>

<p>You asked for BFAs in Acting on the East Coast no further south than DC (not sure how far off the Coast you are willing to go)....but here is a list of SOME (NOT ALL):
***Note, these range greatly in both artistic selectivity, as well as in academic selectivity, and thus these would not all be viable options for your son and you'd have to assess if he was in the ballpark academically for each school, as well as apply to a range of artistically selective schools, let alone have BA (non audition) back up options that are academic safeties and not simply just a BA. </p>

<p>Juilliard
Carnegie Mellon
SUNY Purchase
NYU/Tisch
Boston University
Rutgers University
Emerson College
Ithaca College
Syracuse University
Point Park
CCM
UArts
Otterbein
University of Hartford (Hartt)
UConn
Montclair State
Marymount Manhattan
Pace
SUNY Fredonia
SUNY Buffalo
Wright State</p>

<p>While not in the West, these schools are a little out of your geographic range but I'd encourage that if your son wants a BFA:
UMiami
North Carolina School of the Arts
U of Michigan
Elon
Roosevelt
Webster
DePaul
U of Minn. Guthrie
University of Evansville
Florida State
Illinois Wesleyan
Shenandoah</p>

<p>There are quite a few other very good ones but I eliminated the West or deep South. I also did not give you EVERY school that offers a BFA in the East or Midwest. </p>

<p>If your son is looking at BA schools known for good theater in the East (and I'll include some mid West but will eliminate the deep South and the West which does knock out some really good options):
Brown
Vassar
Northwestern
Yale
UNC-Chapel Hill
Fordham (by audition)
Boston College
Skidmore
Wesleyan
Emory
Sarah Lawrence
Brandeis
Muhlenberg (optional audition)
Conn College (optional audition)
Catholic Univ.
Indiana Univ.
Kenyon
Cornell
Middlebury
Tufts
Drew
Fairleigh Dickinson (by audition)
American (by audition)
Marymount Manhattan (by audition)
Penn State (by audition)
Temple (by audition)
Manhattanville (optional audition)</p>

<p>There are some schools where you enter as a BA student and then after one or two years, you can audition into a BFA track....including:
Hofstra</p>

<p>While still eliminating the West:
Tulane</p>

<p>Again, I can think of other great options that don't fit into your strict geographical parameters. </p>

<p>Early_College.....you asked about "voice" as a course requirement at CMU. NO, it is not singing. And no, it is not Voice Over class. Most quality BFA programs have voice classes that are non-singing but are like voice and speech...how to use your voice...which is crucial for all actors. My daughter, who is at NYU/Tisch, had to take two years of voice/speech (it was Linklater method). So, you will have to learn how to use your voice in terms of speech and diction and so forth, as an actor, if you do a BFA program anywhere (if it is a good one, there will be course requirements in voice/speech). I don't think any of these schools have "voice over" classes. I know you are interested in acting in film but from the body of your posts, you seem to think that you can do a program that just concentrates on film acting and I can only think of one that has that specific focus: Chapman. But even screen actors are trained as actors in theater programs. And part of acting training involves coursework in voice (not the singing kind of voice). Some also include some singing (which would be a DIFFERENT class than voice/speech).</p>

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<p>PS, you mentioned Boston Conservatory but that school just offers a BFA in Musical Theater, not Drama/Acting.</p>

<p>You also mentioned BAs as "back ups." Please be aware that not all BAs can be considered back ups. A BA is only a safety or sure bet school if your academic qualifications make it so you are certain to get in (where you are above the average stats of admitted students to that school and where the admit rate is not low). One person's safety is not another person's safety back up. Muhlenberg is a safety for some kids and not others, for example. Then, there are some BAs such as Northwestern that are not a safety for anyone due to their low admit rate.</p>

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<p>Thanks so much soozievt! How is Stonestreet studio at NYU? I know this is tv/film acting. I understand the voice now, it was just confusing how it was on the website. Is Chapman a BFA? I like more modern plays and I'm not into the classical stuff. I use to be very theaterical, but it took me a couple years before I could fully switich over to film acting. I use to be very big in my performances, so now it is hard to go back to theater. Does your daughter ever have time to go on auditions in NYC or have an agent? Also, can you transfer into any BFA programs? Ty</p>

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<p>Early_College.....you have a wealth of questions and for the purposes of the forum, it is better to start new threads on new topics. </p>

<p>Stonestreet Studio at NYU is excellent. I read a thread where AlwaysAMom explained it to you, however. Stonestreet Studio is an advanced studio at Tisch. First you must complete at least two full years in your primary studio and then you can remain in that studio or apply to get into an advanced studio such as Stonestreet. As a transfer, I don't think you will ever be able to do Stonestreet as you would have to do two years of primary studio first. It may be possible if you enter NYU in your soph year (but you talked about doing college elsewhere for two years first and then it would not be possible). </p>

<p>Chapman has two programs (you need to do more research on your own and then ask questions since some of your questions are readily answered on the school's websites). Chapman has a BA in Theater by audition. After the second or third year there, you can audition into their BFA Theater Performance Track. After one year, you can audition to get into their BFA Screen Acting program (which is a new program). </p>

<p>With regard to my daughter going on auditions in NYC and whether she has an agent...
My daughter has chosen to NOT audition for work while in college that would take her out of college, and so she has not auditioned for any work of that sort even though she is in NYC. She highly values her training and wants to complete her education. There is plenty of time to audition when she graduates (she will graduate this May at age 20) and to enter the work world full time. She also will be more trained by then. As well, there isn't even that much work out there for someone who is 18. Further, when you are in a BFA program, the class hours are all day, not like regular college. The attendance requirements are very strict whereby if you are absent more than twice in a semester, your grade goes down one letter grade. So, it would be difficult to audition much even if she wanted to. She has some friends at Tisch who have auditioned and some have been cast and left school. Some return; some don't. If she wanted to go to NYC just to audition, she didn't have to enroll in a $50K/year school. She is there to attend school. She has worked in theater both professionally for pay and not, while in NYC, both in and outside of school. Because she is in NYC, she has had opportunities off campus in her field during the school year, as well as in summers. Again, none of the jobs she has taken are the type where she would have to leave school to do them. She will not do that. For her, school is very important and she feels she has also learned a great deal to be a better actor than if she hadn't gone to school. For her, age 20 (she went to college early) is early enough to start her career beyond college. Meanwhile, she has built her resume all along the way. Also, there are things you can do more readily in school than not in school. For instance, currently, she has written her own musical that she will produce and be in this spring. She has made many contacts at school as well. But she also performs outside of NYU in NYC while in school. For example, just last night, she performed as a singer/songwriter at a club in NYC. She was paid to musically direct a show written by a Tony nominated playwright/director, in NYC, last year, while in school. She has been paid to record some albums as well, all while attending school in NYC. But she is there primarily for school. </p>

<p>In terms of an agent, my D has had an agent in NYC since she was ten, but we live six hours from NYC and so she did not audition that much in NYC given the distance but she did from time to time. When she moved to NYC to attend NYU, she told the agent she did not want to be sent out on auditions since she was a student. So, she has not used the agent the past three years, though she kept in touch and she did a couple of summer auditions for summer work after freshman year through her agent. However, in two weeks, my daughter will be in Tisch Industry Night, which is a showcase by selected seniors for those in the industry, such as agents who will attend. She hopes to secure an agent through this and so she will have representation when she graduates and hits the audition circuit. </p>

<p>Yes, you can transfer into some BFA schools, but there are a few that don't take transfers (you have to check with each school). Some make you start over as a freshman (but you are still a transfer applicant if you have attended any college prior to applying) and some give you soph standing. But a BFA program is a very specified curriculum and so it would be nearly impossible to enter one as a junior. Also, while BFA programs are highly competitive for freshman admissions, they are even worse crazy competitive as a transfer applicant. In my view, if you felt you wanted a BFA and you are just a HS freshman now, I would apply to one from the get go as a freshman applicant and not do a plan of hoping to transfer later into a BFA. By the way, at Tisch, you can minor in another subject and you can double major, although the double major is very difficult to do.</p>

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<p>Thanks! I did have lots of threads about these things, but no one answers them. It seems people only answer them on the popular threads. AlwaysAMom did explain it to me, but I just wanted to know about Stonestreet. I just like the fact of Bard College at Simon's Rock. This can help my career start earlier, and I can always transfer to USC or Northwestern for a BA in Drama and a BA in Print Journalism. Ty</p>

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<p>Soozie – as always, thanks for your thorough response. My son is a HS Junior and is convinced that he wants a BFA and that he wants to be a working actor. Bear in mind that he just turned 16 at the end of October…</p>

<p>We are supportive of his plans but want to be prepared in the event that a BFA program doesn’t happen for him. We just started the “search” process with a trip to Long Island to check out Adelphi, Hofstra and LIU/C.W. Post. He had the opportunity to tour the schools, meet with the directors of the programs and attend classes. We also ventured into Manhattan to see “Guys and Dolls” with Lauren Graham, Oliver Platt, Craig Bierko, etc. It helped to make the process real for him. We also went back to Adelphi over the weekend to check out their latest production – Moonchildren by Michael Weller. He also has the notion that likes a “big city” environment so we are heading to Boston University this Friday.</p>

<p>In short, the whole BA/BFA and conservatory/non-conservatory seems to make the whole selection process more complicated since there are so many variables and each school’s policies curriculum and requirements seem to differ somewhat – not to mention the campus environments, facilities, people, etc.</p>

<p>I am a project manager by trade so I’m not completely overwhelmed but I’d like my son to take ownership of the process and I just don’t see that happening. He’s a bright (top 25% rank, 95% test scores), talented kid with artsy interests (music, theatre, literature, etc.) as well as being good looking and athletic (e.g. swim team). I think he’ll get in somewhere and I believe he’s very “cast-able.” He’s currently cast in a production of “West Side Story” with the Rhode Island Stage Ensemble and is very involved with an Improv Troupe called the Trinity Zoo which is affiliated with the Trinity Repertory Company in Providence (run by one of the Company’s actors). His friends from the Zoo are now studying at NCSA, Hartt, Miami, Boston and Emerson (to name a few).</p>

<p>I just want him to take the time and effort necessary to find the school that’s the best fit for him and will offer him the best opportunities to grow and lean as an actor and a person. We want him to be happy and fulfilled and ready to be an independent adult when he graduates. On the other hand, we’re a little leery about turning him loose in a big city before he turns 18… Am I the only parent going through this?</p>

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<p>You surely are not the only parent going through this, LOL. And it is overwhelming. College admissions itself is overwhelming but it is even more so for those applying to theater programs by audition. </p>

<p>That is great that your son is involved in a group affiliated with Trinity Rep. My older daughter just graduated from Brown University (not for theater) and I am familiar a bit and Trinity Rep has an awesome reputation. Those who work there also might have some opiniions of suitable programs for your son. I listed several that are out there and you have to find ones that are in a range of artistic selectivity and ones that fit his academic stats and put them up against the published academic stats of admitted students. </p>

<p>But it sounds like your son is not doing that much on his own to look into this. In my view, a kid who is MOST suitable for a BFA track, is someone who is so deeply passionate and driven as to want to know everything he can about the BFA programs and to put a lot of energy into this process....the commitment for a BFA applicant is very significant. Further, a BFA program itself is very intense and nothing like regular college. It is not for all people, even if they are very talented. It is very rigorous in terms of the schedule. If your son truly wants a BFA badly, I would insist that he devote time to every step of this process....and in your case, he is on the step of exploring schools, taking notes, comparing and contrasting, and creating a college list. A parent can be a support person and a person who finds resources, but should not be doing the college search themselves. I am glad your son is doing campus visits and this should also help. </p>

<p>If you could expand the geographic range even a little ....ie., Eastern half of the country.....you will open up more possibilities. This would not be as important if he were just applying to regular colleges. My D who is in a BFA wanted the Northeastern quandrant of the US and so I know what you mean. But she did have UMich on the list, for example, as it is very good in her field and there are not a plethora of BFA programs. So, your son may wish to consider schools in Chicago or NCSA or Pittsburgh, etc. </p>

<p>I understand your feelings about your son being in a big city before he turns 18 (he'll turn 18 in Oct. of his freshman year, right?). Believe me, I get it. My younger daughter was young in her grade because she had an early entrance into K (her birthday is also in Oct. and the cut off for K here is Sept. 1). Then, she ALSO graduated HS in three years (her idea) and thus she went off to college at age 16 1/2! And she grew up in a rural town in Vermont and moved to Manhattan to attend NYU! Eek! But...as it may be hard to wrap yourself around the idea, kids have to grow up and become independent and they do it just fine! She did. My daughter who went to Brown was the youngest in her grade too. Providence is not as big as Manhattan but it was a major shift after growing up on a dirt road in the mountains in a town of 1700! She is now in grad school in Boston and she also spent a summer on her own at a program at Harvard when she was 18 and she went alone to work in Paris when she was 20.</p>

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<p>WellMeaningDad -- re the "ownership of the process." There are different kinds of kids and different kinds of families. My own son is fiercely devoted to theatre, but he is kind of dreamy and impractical as well (though getting better). </p>

<p>Some kids, I believe, just don't have the patience to troll through endless college websites and read through the endless posts in this forum, as much as they love theatre and want the best training available. They are more likely to learn about schools they might be interested in through friends and maybe teachers/advisers. (As Soozievt mentioned, the people at Trinity could be a valuable resource, through in-person discussions with your son). </p>

<p>I don't think there is anything wrong with parents like us compiling a list of schools and then encouraging our kids to ask around about them, look at the websites, and visit. </p>

<p>I feel that a very important part of the process is their evaluating the schools in the concrete context of the school visit and talking to people during those visits. They will have perceptions of their own at such times that would never occur to us.</p>

<p>The more visits they do and the more people they talk to, the more interested and involved they become. They start to have a fund of knowledge that they can sift through and evaluate in their minds. The schools become real to them. I think it is easier for us parents to consider colleges and universities as unseen abstractions (often, ones that we had never heard about until, maybe, today) than it is for the kids to do so.</p>

<p>Another way the kids come to own the process is through the selection and preparation of audition monologues. This is a supremely important and truly monumental task. It can only be done by them.....ideally with the assistance of some coaching....but it is highly personal. It is very intense. As I imagine you know, your son should start looking for and working on monologues no later than this summer. </p>

<p>I hope you will post about your BU visit. My son likes what he knows about the school and he had a very good audition at the Unifieds, but we have not had a chance to visit. BU is on all the lists of better programs, but in my searches of this forum I have found relatively few posts about it. A few people have raved about it. At least one person has made negative comments with no details provided.</p>

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<p>NJTheatreMom....my D has a good friend who is a senior in the BFA at BU and likes it a lot. My niece did the pre-college theater program there and loved it but didn't get into their BFA. She is in another BFA for Acting. </p>

<p>I don't think kids have to look into colleges and deal with the admissions process on their own and I think parents can play a significant role but I do not think it is a good idea if it is mostly the parent doing it. I think the student needs to own the process and the parent can be a facilitator. I completely agree that all kids are different in this way but I think it is important for kids to take ownership of this important process and decision in their lives as they are going to be young adults soon. They need someone to guide them but not do it all for them. And I find that for BFA applicants, in particular, which involves a very big commitment, that they should be motivated and driven and enthused to want to pursue a BFA and be excited to find out all they can about the options and so forth. If they are not, I'd have some concerns if the BFA path is the right one for them. It involves more than a regular college admissions process.</p>

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<p>Soozie, thanks very much for your lightning fast response. I think if/when my son attends an acting BFA program, he will absolutely revel in the rigor and intensity of it. His passion and drive for theatre are amazing. Being able to do almost nothing but theatre-related work all the time will be sheer joy for him.</p>

<p>The problem is that he wants to do all theatre, all the time NOW, lol. My son's public high school has a virtually non-existent drama program; however, he is currently:
1) Rehearsing for both a community theatre Shakespeare production and a production of West Side Story Project with a semi professional youth company...
2) Working on a monologue for an upcoming 3-day run of A Memory A Monologue A Rant and A Prayer (the counterpart to Vagina Monologues that includes male monologues)..
3) Doing a couple of projects with another community theatre....lighting design for a children's play and some assistant directing work for a production of "Assassins"...</p>

<p>At the same time, he is managing to maintain a 4.1 GPA in his high school classes. </p>

<p>It has been like this most of the time for the last two and a half years. Maybe I should sometimes say "No, don't audition. No, don't accept that role. You need to work on your college application essays (or whatever)." But theatre means so much to my son, and amazingly, he seems able to juggle a range of activities like the above with remarkable success. He has very great hopes and ambitions for the future, but he really does get extremely wound up in the here and now, theatre and acting wise.</p>

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<p>NJTheatreMom, I can relate. Your son sounds like a prime candidate for a BFA. The lifestyle he leads is like my own kid and many others I know who have entered BFA programs led in high school and also maintained good grades. This bodes well because BFA programs are very intense and are not for all people. Those who are driven and who are motivated and can time manage tend to fare well once they get into these programs. </p>

<p>By the way, I am from South Jersey myself. I grew up in Cherry Hill. My children have grown up in rural Vermont, however. We don't have drama program at our HS but they do put on a play and a musical and so my D did not have acting classes here. </p>

<p>Your son's lifestyle is one that I am very familiar with and it is also one that my D has continued with IN college. It is not like making them do these things....to the contrary they push to do all these things. I don't know how they do it all but they love doing it. Your son is going to have a blast when he gets to college. This is what a BFA program is like but even more so in college than the experiences he is having now. It will right up his alley.</p>

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<p>Ah, SoozieVt, you are from Cherry Hill. We live in Pennsauken, right next door. Quite different from rural Vermont, lol....it must be beautiful there. Thanks very much for your supportive comments. I have very much enjoyed reading your helpful and informative posts on this forum.</p>

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<p>WellMeaningDad - You asked about meals at UArts. All of the dorm rooms are apartment style living with their own kitchenettes. There are 3 major supermarkets in the area of the campus, 2 of which are walkable and one which would require use of a taxi. There are also many neighborhood grocery stores. Then there are also a multitude of restaurants, cafes, sandwich shops, coffee houses, food courts etc in the area. And UArts has a cantina that serves hot food. Students take advantage of a variety of combinations of these opportunities to buy food for their dorms/apartments, purchase prepared food or to dine out, depending on budget. One of the supermarkets also has on-line shopping and will deliver your order to your dorm at a pre-arranged time for about a $10 surcharge. My daughter does all of her major food and cleaning supply/paper goods shopping on-line and the service works great. The costs of food etc will vary; you can spend less than a typical freshman meal plan or more, depending on how you choose to meet your needs. Also, since all the students are in the same boat, those who are unaccustomed to fending for themselves for meals pick up pretty quickly on how to cope since there is always a friend who needs to do some food shopping too.</p>

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<p>NJTheatreMom
I took my daughter to BU for the theatre open house in September this year. The day was very informative and the kids had a chance to sit in on a class. My daughter and I were VERY impressed with the program and the students. BU had set up a session with the parents and current students while our kids sat in on variuos classes. The students at BU are terrible impressive. The program is very supportive of each student and every student after Freshman year is guaranteed roles each semester in what ever performances are being staged that semester. They seem to have a great alumni system that helps graduating students as much as possible. They have a NY showcase and I believe one in LA. They also have a program in LA for any student who would like to learn about the business on the West Coast. This program is open to all alumni no matter how long they have been out of school. They also have a study abroad at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art that is requires for all BFA acting students. We were just very impressed with the program. The facilities are not brand new like some of the schools but they are affiliated with the Huntington Theatre. I can see why BU is a top program.</p>

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<p>Thanks NJTheatreMOM, Soozie, MichaelNKat, etc. I appreciate all the helpful info and support.</p>

<p>As much as we would like our kids to be more aggressive and independent -- I think we need to step back and accept them for who they are at this point in their young lives (my son is only 16 years and 4 months old). Would I like it if he were savvy enough at this age to be poring over every possible college resource and combing through all the different college websites noting the differences between each school's curriculum, analyzing the data from the Common Data Set for each school, etc. -- the simple fact is, he's not. However, as someone who lost his father at age 11 and grew up before all the college admissions hysteria (when it was common to apply to only one of two colleges) -- I want to make sure my son is aware of all the potential opportunities for him to find a program that fits him best. I am trying to stay in the background (i.e. letting him drive the conversations with faculty, staff and current students) and gently guide him in the direction of the schools that meet his criteria. Not every 16 year old has the wherewithal (or the experience) to understand what he needs to do to position himself to succeed in this process. Like NjTheatreMOM said -- ultimately the student is the one who must audition (and do all the preparation that entails) -- and whose talents and experiences matter in the admissions decision. I'm happy to do what I can to support my son's dream and if that means the initial research and number crunching falls on me -- so be it. If it means that someday I'll be sitting in a theatre watching my son perform -- knowing that he's in the right place for him -- then I'll be happy knowing I had a role in that. In the meantime, it's certainly an adventure. On to BU this Friday. NJTheatreMOM, I promise to post my son's impressions as well as my own, afterwards.</p>

<p>MichaelNKat -- thanks for the UARTs dining info -- I think we have some work to do... Plus we need to visit the school. Any advice for the best time to plan a visit?</p>

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<p>I agree with you WellMeaningDad. Different kids are ready to do different things. My daughter was so easily overwhelmed by all the information and possibilities, not to mention the time required to look at everything, that I just did some preliminary research early in her junior year. Once we started actually visiting some colleges she could better research others. Does this mean my daughter isn't ready for college or isn't really interested in college or whatever? Absolutely not - she just wasn't ready two years in advance. Honestly, my husband couldn't do this either and he's a founder/owner of a multibillion dollar international corporation. There are some people really good at combing through the internet looking at websites, forums, etc. and some people who are not good at that at all.</p>

<p>Once we narrowed it down a bit (20 schools) and visited some, she was able to take the time this past summer (between jr and sr year) to figure out what/where she wanted to continue to pursue. She's pretty much handled the rest herself but I'm really glad I began the process for her.</p>

<p>Two organizational tools that we used that seemed really helpful to a messy teen is a notebook and a a "tower" (or two or three) with 6 closed pull-out containers (like rubbermaid) each labeled with a college on it. (We got it at the Container store.)</p>

<p>For the notebook, each college that she was even thinking about got a section with the College Board "comparison" data taped in. Then she (or I) listed basics - audition school or not, what was required in the audition, application due dates, comm. ap. or not, supplemental aps, when tours of the school were available, etc. Then we took that notebook with us everywhere so that she could take notes during the tours, audition info sessions, etc. She also was able to write her feelings down right after, you know those subjective things that so often make the difference between love, like, and repulsion! Everything is kept in this book including hotel reservations, flights, audition requirements printed out, etc. It's really been quite helpful on the road and in making sure she's submitted everything required.</p>

<p>The "tower" is for all the paperwork required and received. For example, whenever we printed something off the internet, received written material from the school, or she was in the process of writing an essay or whatever it went immediately into that box so nothing got lost. Also, when she wanted to review something from that college she could just pull the container out and bring it to wherever she wanted to read it. All the paperwork from the schools - acceptance letters, rejection letters, banners, whatever is all tucked away in those boxes.</p>

<p>Both these systems have proved very, very helpful to us. Everyone has their own organizational methods but the important thing is to have something or else it will take over your house (it takes over your life regardless!).</p>

<p>Every child and family is different, go with your instinct and do what works best for you.</p>

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<p>Seasidegardner
Thanks very much for your encouraging words about BU. Did you meet Paolo DiFabio, the Associate Director for Theatre Performance, on your visit? He was the one who ran my son's audition session in New York. We loooooved Paolo. :-)</p>

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<p>NJTheatreMOM
Yes Paolo ran the open house. My daughter really liked him and was thrilled when she had him to audition for at BU. He was as enthusiastic as the kids in the program and he really made the audition experience fun and quite laid back.</p>