CSU Fullerton

College Majors Musical Theater Major
1

<p>I have been posting here and there in the threads, and in doing so have made many new friends (and very few enemies, I hope).</p>

<p>:)</p>

<p>Anyway, someone suggested that it would be nice to hear from CSUF students, past, present and future, about their experiences here. I put the call out to our students, and hope that they will respond and spread the word to others (I’m still building my email address book, being new to CSUF).</p>

<p>Hopefully, we will soon have a LOT of feedback on this thread.</p>

<p>And if you have any specific questions, we’d love to hear them.</p>

<p>Sing your song,</p>

<p>eve</p>

2

<p>I am really excited that Prof. Himmelheber contacted me about this website. I had no idea there was any forum like this to help inform prospective students about college programs. I would absolutely love to tell about my experience at Fullerton as a BFA student.</p>

<p>I am starting my senior year in the MT program in the fall and have loved the training I have received in school. Fullerton really focusses on creating the "triple threat" performer. Each aspect of MT (dance, singing, and acting) are equally stressed. The auditions into the program, for example, consist of acting, dancing, and singing- all of which are very intense and MUST be passed in order to make it in the program. Once in the program, you still jury (jury is what we call the audition process) each semester in order to show growth and improvement to the faculty. They even hold individual meetings with each BFA student to let them know how they are progressing in the program. Because there are only 20 students in the BFA program, the indivudualized attention is wonderful. I really feel that the faculty is working with me, to make me the strongest, well-rounded performer for when I graduate. </p>

<p>If you have any specific questions for me, please feel free to ask. I am more than happy to give more information about the program here at Cal State Fullerton from a student's perspective.</p>

3

<p>Great idea. Hope to hear more.</p>

4

<p>I am also extremely glad that I have an opportunity to share my experience with the MT program at CSUF.<br>
When I was accepted into CSUF I was a little skeptical about the MT program. I thought it would be more stressful to audition into the program my second year rather than my first. However, by auditioning my Sophomore year I was given the same opportunity as all the other students before I auditioned. I was able to focus on one of my weaker talents and improve greatly before I auditioned. I really got to know the staff, and know that they are going to be incredible mentors for the next couple of years. I also became very close with my class and know that with their support I'll be able to excell.<br>
I am very enthusiastic about the people and the program at CSUF, and would be very happy to answer any further questions.</p>

5

<p>How many kids go there as freshmen hoping to get into the MT program? Since the audition is not until sophomore year, do kids sometimes go there as freshmen and audition for other programs at the LA regionals so they can transfer? Do they sometimes do the same as sophomores in case they don't make it so they have other options?</p>

6

<p>I'd say, typically, 40-50 students come in as freshmen hoping to audition. Some change their minds before they make it to the audition - the classwork is too demanding, their grades aren't at the "B" or better level we require of majors (and "C" average in gen eds), some decide they don't like the competition, some go to other schools, some refocus their major, etc.</p>

<p>We also GAIN students each year - transfer students hoping to get in a year here before auditioning (so they can prepare in their weaknesses, and figure out what CSUF is looking for).</p>

<p>Other transfers will try to audition straight into the program (after completing -or nearly so- an AA degree elsewhere).</p>

<p>Each year, anywhere from 40 to 75 students will audition for acceptance in the BFA program (junior level standing). Of that, we take from 9 to 11, depending on how many seniors we have (can't have more than 20, junior and senior classes combined, at any time).</p>

<p>And WELCOME to my two wonderful students who have joined. I really thank you!! Would you agree about the numbers?</p>

<p>eve</p>

7

<p>I saw on another thread that you said CSUF is going to start a BFA Acting program. When will that be? Is it going to follow the same audition pattern as the MTs in waiting until sophomore year? Also, do you know what the grad school admissions are like for graduates of the BA program with acting emphasis? Where have recent graduates gone for MFAs?</p>

8

<p>i'm also a BFA at Cal State Fullerton and wish soooooo much that there had been something like this for me to search with while I was looking at universities. One thing I definitely wanted to add about our program was that by the time you are a sophomore (particularly second semester), you have a pretty good feel for who will be accepted into the program. Of course nothing is guaranteed and there are always surprises, but the faculty and also your peers will be pretty candid with you about your abilities and future @ CSUF if you ask. I agree with Prof. Himmelheber about the numbers...I remember my freshman year one of our professors saying, "Look around you, BFA wannabes...there's 180 of you now, and there will be 10 of you one day." As terrifying as that sounds (and believe me, it was), a great number of us "wannabes" disappear (that is, change majors) by sophomore year or even second semester of your first year -- our program does not hide the level of commitment it commands. I'm also available to answer any questions anyone might have; good luck searching, and consider yourself blessed to have such an awesome resource!</p>

9

<p>Kellster- The BA acting program goes through the same audition process to get into the acting program at the end of sophmore year as the BFA MT students do (only they do not sing or dance obviously :o). </p>

<p>Eve would be better suited to answer questions about the BFA Acting program, but in my opinion, the BA acting IS a BFA program, it just doesn't have the title yet. I don't see what major changes will be made to the curiculum after the BFA is in place. The only change I can think of is that the number of students admitted into the program will be smaller to fit the BFA standards. Am I right Eve, or is there more?</p>

10

<p>Right - BFA in Acting will mean a gain of another lower division acting course (freshman "improvisation and instrument awareness" course). The auditions will be held at the end of the sophomore year - the same time as they are currently held, and the same format (incidentally, this is the same acting jury the Musical Theatre BFAs must pass - we don't delineate which are actors and which are Broadway babies).</p>

<p>The numbers in the upper division will have to be cut down a bit, as NAST accreditation requires this...similar to the BFA numbers (a total of junior and senior class combined). The numbers depend on the appropriate faculty available to teach the upper division coursework.</p>

<p>It also means that the Shakespeare class (with Svetlana, whom the students adore) will likely NOT be available to musical theatre students (with rare exception, when unexpected openings occur).</p>

<p>On the grad programs, I don't know of too many students moving on to grad programs. Our BA actors are essentially doing the work of a BFA program, without the credit (at this point; hence, the pending BFA in Acting). When they graduate, they go out and start auditioning. However, I'll ask my colleague (who has been here longer than I).</p>

<p>Thanks for asking! And welcome to the thread TitanLady! (I swear, I am blessed to have such great students!!!)</p>

<p>:)</p>

<p>eve</p>

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<p>i forgot to add that i am one of i think 2 current BFAs that came to CSUF from out of state *hi everyone, its jessica!!! :) * The reason I really wanted to post on here was because I wish I could've talked to someone at our school about what it was like to be an out-of-state student on a commuter campus like CSUF. I've had such a positive experience but being so far from home definitely presents its challenges -- and I'd be happy to talk to any prospective students out there that have similar fears!</p>

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<p>Thank you, Lady Titan! Out-of-state student status is a unique situation that indeed needs to be addressed, both from an emotional standpoint and from a financial (how does out-of-state tuition rate, when can you be declared a resident, etc.).</p>

<p>I am referring ALL prospective students to this website, so hopefully the questions about the program will start POURING in soon.</p>

<p>:)</p>

<p>eve</p>

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<p>Students, please consider using this thread as a "blog" site for your experiences. What was your classwork like in the first years, and now that you are in the program (size, quality, length, etc.).</p>

<p>What are your peers' talents? Weaknesses? Where did you most worry about your level of preparation, and how did you address it?</p>

<p>Did you live in dorms, off-campus, with family, etc.? How far do you have to drive in? How long does it take?</p>

<p>What is the general education like? Too much? Too little? Beneficial (well maybe not this one)...</p>

<p>Anything that will give an idea about life at CSUF would be appreciated. You'll note that we get MANY visits, but not everyone leaves feedback or a response to the thread. So take heart.</p>

<p>:)</p>

<p>eve</p>

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<p>My experience is similar to lady titan's, because although I am not from out of state, I am from northern california, so I'm a good 300 miles away from my family.</p>

<p>My first two years at fullerton, I lived in the dorms. The dorms at fullerton are not like traditional dorms. They are apartments, basically. There are bedrooms (3 to 4 bedrooms per dorm depending on what type pf door you live in), a kitchen, two bathrooms, a living room, and a balcony. Each dorm is home to four or six people (again, depending on which type of dorm you live in) and is FULLY FURNISHED. There are two types of dorms at fullerton: the old dorms and the new dorms. I've lived in one of each. Freshman year I lived in the old dorms, Which have three bedrooms, two to a room, six roomates total. There are no meal plans in the dorms, which I really liked. I thought it would be horrific having to cook for myself everyday, but in the end it turned out to be a good thing, because I can eat what I want, when I want. I really hated living in the old dorms, just because I was not very compatible with the girl I was sharing a room with. Thankfully she (and almost half the people who live in the dorms) went home on the weekends. The dorms are always very busy during the week, but on the weekends they quiet down since so many people live close enough to school to be able to go home all the time. For this reason, I recommend having a car- for groceries and weekend activities. </p>

<p>My sophmore year I lived in the new dorms, which was sooooo much better than the old dorms in my opinion. The news doors have four bedrooms, one person to a room. The rooms are about the size of a walk in closet, but it was nice to have my own space. Plus, since the new dorms are only about 3 years old, they are in much better condition than the old dorms.</p>

<p>I really enjoyed living on campus, and I think it made it easier to make friends on a commuter campus. Like i said, many people go home on the weekends, but I still was able to meet some great people and have fun memories of living in the dorms. Plus, since parking is difficult to find at school, it was nice to be able to walk to campus and come home in between classes without driving.</p>

<p>What I remember most about meeting people in the dorms was that about 1 in every 3 freshmen I met was a musical theater hopeful.....just a random side note :)</p>

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<p>The freshman classes in the theater department were very intimidating, I remember. There were SOOO many people who wanted the BFA MT program that the competition factor was high.</p>

<p>All freshmen take voice and movement their first year, and I remember that that class made me so nervous. The first day we all sat in a circle and said what program we would eventually be auditioning for, and about 95% of the class was BFA MT hopeful students. The class is very demanding and as result, by the end of first semester, I'd estimate that about 30% of MT hopefuls changed their major. And by the end of freshman year, there were about 40 of us left.</p>

<p>Sophmore year you take beginning acting and fundumentals musical theater. By now, since the number of MT hopefuls is much smaller, everyone knows each other. I remember coming back for my first class sophmore year and feeling like I was coming back to my theater family (I did not feel this way freshman year- I felt more like a tiny grain of salt....if that makes sense...). The competition was fierce sophmore year because the only people who were left were the people who really wanted the BFA and were talented enough to get it. After all, you can still pass all your auditions and not make it into the BFA :( Despite the level of competition, everyone was was extremely supportive of each other. I loved my theater classes sophmore year because of all the great people I became friends with.</p>

<p>Juries (auditions) were very bittersweet. I was happy for myself and upset for my friends who did not make it. I thought that our friendship would be afftected as result, but that wasn't the case- we still remained good friends despite our different majors. </p>

<p>Junior year in the program was insane and I loved every second of it. Being a part of the BFA program is basically like being in a conservatory. It took a little while to adjust to the courseload, but after I adjusted, the program was everything I had hoped itwould be. I took 24 units both semester junior year, because there were so many theater classes I needed (as well as GE's). I think everyone in the BFA had at least 20 units a semester. I know it sounds like an extreely busy schedule, but it's easily doable. It was very easy for me to manage because I was so focussed on my training (and 4-6 of those units were for dance classes). The BFA program keeps you moving with one thing after another. There are dance classes, acting classes, singing classes, theater history classes, performance classes, play rehearsals...it just keeps going :)</p>

<p>I've been rambling now about my experience at fullerton for two very long posts now.....Any specific questions you have about living on campus or my experience in the theater program, just ask!</p>

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<p>Since we live in CA and are affiliated with the CSU my d will naturally apply (she's a rising jr now). Your input is greatly appreciated as is the wealth of info your department chair has shared.</p>

<p>Could you descibe the audition and subsequent jury process? What do you think has given you an edge? What were the general nature of the problems unsuccessful student had?</p>

<p>How difficult is it to grapple with an extensive GE load as well as a full mt curriculum? What helpful ideas can you offer about this?</p>

<p>Anything glaringly missing, redundant, just plain awful in the curriculum? What part of the curriculum/program are you really excited about? </p>

<p>Is it a really a commuter school? How are the weekends/pms for those that live in dorms. What are the dorms like? Is the lack of a meal plan ever a problem for you?</p>

<p>Is it a faculty commuter school? are faculty accesible to students?</p>

<p>Thank you for your willingness to let us into your exciting world. It is very generous of you!</p>

17

<p>Hi, Sasha:</p>

<p>Hope the kids will respond soon (getting ready for school in two weeks, and pick-up rehearsals for the revue group next week).</p>

<p>I just thought of something - if anyone out there in cyber land is interested, I can email to you a copy of the "BFA requirements," a "Four-Year Plan of Study," and a letter (explaining the program odds, auditions, retention, etc.) that I send to all prospective students. If you would like this, just drop me a note:</p>

<p><a href="mailto:ehimmelheber@fullerton.edu">ehimmelheber@fullerton.edu</a></p>

<p>Take care, and thank you for asking about CSUF - our first real question to this thread!</p>

<p>:)</p>

<p>eve</p>

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<p>WOW! This website is amazing! I'd love to get the requirements for the program. I actually am switching over into the realm of broadway. I am a big soccer fan, and actually had been invited to the CSUF soccer camp and met with the coach one time. I am starting to decide whether I want to play soccer or sing in college, but the more i sing and see plays the more I love it! I'm fairly new at singing, I have been in choir for about 4 years and am just starting to get voice lessons. I grew up doing alot of acting though, so hopefully I can work on my singing. Anyway, I would love to get a copy of the requirements. </p>

<p><a href="mailto:Wormlett00@yahoo.com">Wormlett00@yahoo.com</a></p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>By the way, I actually live in Anaheim. So i'm right next door, hehe.</p>

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<p>how many males would you say are in the program? Or is it pretty evenly split between males and females?</p>