Current Undergrad or Parent Help needed

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
1

<p>I am a high school senior looking for any and all inside advice that can be offered on BFA theatre/acting programs. Right now the list I'm looking at includes:</p>

<p>SUNY Purchase
U of Minnesota Guthrie
U of North Carolina Greensboro
Rutgers
DePaul University
University of the Arts, Philadelphia
Boston U
Carnegie Mellon
Ohio U
Northern Illinois U
Columbia College
Florida State
U of Cincinnati
Roosevelt U
Emory & Henry
U of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Otterbein
Emerson College
Syracuse U
NYU Tisch</p>

<p>Now I realize this is a really huge list, but that's exactly what I need help with. I need to narrow down my choices to a smart and well-informed handful. If you can offer any help or inside info please please do!
Thanks</p>

2

<p>I’m currently a B.A. at Florida State and would be happy to answer any questions.</p>

3

<p>Okay, let’s start with one thing that jumps out (I’m a parent, btw). I’m having a hard time seeing a list that has Emory & Henry and BU/Florida State/Emerson/NYU and like others. One of these things is definitely not like the others!!! what do you like? Urban campus, college town or completely rural (and I mean really rural – you don’t get much more rural and tiny than Emory & Henry!) Is it on there because you think it’s a safety? Your safeties should mesh character-wise with your dream schools (in terms of setting, academic interests, offerings) Where do you live? that would help. some of these are possible academic safeties if you are applying non-audition, but we’d need to know more info.</p>

4

<p>I honestly didn’t know HOW rural E&H was. I live in virginia so it was sort of appealing as a safety school with in-state tuition. Most of the wonderful big name schools which have a great big city atmosphere (which is really what I’m aiming for) have a higher price range and are kind of my “reach” schools. </p>

<p>Sparkycircuit: Thank you! Compared to other schools you might have auditioned for, how competitive would you say the Florida State ones were? Is the acting program very broad and connected with the rest of the school or is it more focused like a conservatory would be? Is there a reason you chose a B.A. over the B.F.A.?</p>

<p>Thank you so much for your input :)</p>

5

<p>The Florida State auditions are very competitive, particularly for musical theatre, though the acting ones are no slouch either. there are between 5-12 people in each B.F.A. class for either musical theatre or acting depending on what the program needs and the people who audition. Near as I can tell in my time here, the acting program tends to have slightly more people in it then musical theatre. I personally do not know what exactly the auditions are like because I’m studying design, but I know that one thing to know is that your monologues have to be within the time limit because they will stop you. </p>

<p>The acting program seems pretty focused and puts demands on the classes you take. It’s very hard to minor, and it seems like there are only opportunities for the gen eds and few electives that you have to take. Take this with a grain of salt though, as I’m not in the program, and this is only based on what I’ve heard. That being said, there is still time for the B.F.A.s to have a social life and all in all, the whole school socializes pretty well. We’re a tight knit group. </p>

<p>I chose a Bachelor of Arts as opposed to a B.F.A. because I wasn’t interested in either of the B.F.A. programs that FSU offered seeing as how they’re only acting and musical theatre, and as mentioned earlier, I’m studying design. But I know several actors studying as B.As who are perfectly happy, get cast, and are very good at what they do. I think the biggest difference is the kind of education you want. With a B.F.A, you’re going to get more focused and intensive acting training, but it will limit your ability to take other classes. If you’re a B.A. you’re going to get less intensive acting training, but have more opportunity to pursue interests outside of theatre by getting a second major, taking other classes, etc. It really comes down to what you want out of the program. But again, take all of this with a grain of salt, since this is only my impression of the program. </p>

<p>I hope that helped.</p>

6

<p>colourtree – there are many state schools in VA which have strong theatre programs that you may want to look at as instate options. </p>

<p>VCU is an auditioned program with both BFA and BA majors. Being in Richmond it is certainly in an urban environment.</p>

<p>George Mason is an auditioned BA program close to DC, so has more of an urban environment.</p>

<p>James Madison is an auditioned BA program in Harrisonburg, which is more of a small “city”/ college town.</p>

<p>CNU has a non-auditioned BA program in Newport News, a small city.</p>

<p>UVA, VTech, and ODU, Longwood, Radford… VA state schools with theatre programs.</p>

<p>You do not mention your academic stats. This information may help people make suggestions to narrow down your list, or suggest specific schools that meet your academic stats.</p>

<p>As you mention, your list right now is very long, with many different types of programs on the list. Some are more conservatory based, some offer conservatory style training within a liberal arts context, some are strong liberal arts programs, etc… they also vary significantly in terms of part of the country, size of school, academic admit profile, etc… The more you can share about yourself and your educational goals (keeping in mind that this is a public forum and you do not want to share personal information :)) the more people here may be able to assist you.</p>

7

<p>Thanks, Sparkycircuit, getting an insider’s perspective definitely helps!</p>

<p>Also thanks for the advice, KatMT. So far I haven’t been really impressed by the in-state schools, but I definitely have to keep them in mind. I know schools like VCU are inherently good, but I haven’t really heard a lot of success stories coming from them.</p>

<p>More about me! I’m a senior at a public school in Virginia. Most of my theater experience is from amateur high school shows. I’m pretty strong academically, with a 4.0 GPA and 1800 score on my SAT. My passion is acting, and I’m looking to audition for a BFA in performance. I’m already looking for and working on monologues to audition for schools in the spring, but need to narrow down my options. I’m really looking for a more urban environment because I feel there will be more immediate job opportunities in resident theaters. Going to school in a city might also set up important connections with people in surrounding theaters.
This is what I love and want to pursue, but I’m worried because of my lack of experience and resources which would help me get accepted into a good program.</p>

<p>Which is why I’m here. :)</p>

8

<p>Hey – Reading your most recent post, I noticed that you mentioned that you are working on your monologues for “auditioning in the spring.” First, let me say that a) it’s better to schedule your auditions sooner than later and b) most of the auditions are in the winter, with National Unifieds in February. But maybe you are using “spring” to mean spring semester. If that’s the case, then ignore what I just said…</p>

<p>Where to start. Well, first I’d start by looking at your list and the list of schools likely to attend Unifieds. You have a few that overlap with Unifieds, so you may want to consider figuring out which, if any, unfied date you plan to attend and get your applications into those schools starting now.</p>

<p>Check out the list that’s been compiled on college confidential of how many people are accepted and how big the classes are. This may give you an idea of what you are up against. </p>

<p>Since you are in Virginia, you should consider going to the VTA One-Act Play festival Halloween weekend in Northern Virginia and maybe auditioning for colleges and attending their college fair. These are “cattle call” auditions that familiarize you with the school and the school with you, but they can be a big help in getting to know schools and what they offer. VTA is attended by Virginia schools, public and private – it might be nice to have a “financial safety” (re-in state) in your pocket among your school choices. That financial safety could also be a theater school…</p>

<p>You cannot consider any BFA audition program a safety. There are many people who audition for BFA programs and don’t get into any. I’m not saying that’s going to be you, but keep in mind, it is a possibility. </p>

<p>So, consider all BFA and BA audition programs your “reaches.” Pull a list together of 12 or so you’re interested in and start researching them as to whether you’d really like to go to school there. Picking a few of the elite schools (your dream schools) and those with larger class sizes may give you a nice spread; add a few BA programs – target schools and safeties --that you are likely to get into with your GPA and SAT. your GPA is great but definitely pay attention to applying to schools where your SAT scores fall into the 25-75 percentile so you won’t have any “reach” BA programs – you don’t need any more reaches than you’ll have with your dream BFA programs. </p>

<p>Since you want to be in an urban or near-city environment, scratch the schools of the list that don’t meet the criteria. </p>

<p>looking at your list, I’m wondering if you are straight theatre or MT?</p>

9

<p>What and where are the National Unifieds? Is it just a get-together of schools to audition students? Do their applications need to be a priority? </p>

<p>Is there like a master list in College Confidential of school acceptance and class size? Or do you mean a general remarks in threads?</p>

<p>Are the “cattle call” auditions at the VTA festival for college acceptance or just a way of introducing yourself to schools? I think I’ll definitely try to attend their college fair this year…</p>

<p>I agree that an audition program can’t be counted as a “safe” school. Also your advice on how many schools and where to apply to is awesome. </p>

<p>I’m definitely shooting for straight theater, though I have some experience with music (mainly in chorus and with a voice teacher). My strength, and what I enjoy most, is acting.</p>

10

<p>Unified Auditions occur in multiple cities. It is an opportunity for students to audition for multiple schools in one location over one weekend. You apply to each of the schools and make audition appointments with each of the schools directly. If you do a search you can find threads here and on the musical theatre forum that discuss the Unified Auditions.</p>

<p>VTA would be a terrific way for you to practice auditioning skills, and get a sense of the programs in VA. I am pretty sure that most of the programs that require an audition for admission DO NOT use VTA as the audition, rather as a way to see and meet students. I teach at JMU and I know that we require students to come to campus to audition even if we saw them and called them back at VTA. The VTA auditions are not as extensive as what we do on campus. As I said, I believe most of the schools that have a required audition for admission are the same way. I do believe there are a few non-auditioned schools who will use the VTA auditions for scholarship consideration.</p>

<p>Most of the BFA programs regarded as “top” schools have a 2% to 10% admit rate to the theatre major. In general, even less selective auditioned programs will have a 10% - 30% admit rate. This is why you will want a balanced list with at least one non-auditioned academic and financial safety, a few auditioned schools that have a higher admit rate that are academic/ financial matches/ safeties, and a few dream schools that have low admit rates.</p>

<p>If financial aid will be an issue in your decision making, you should have a talk with your family to find out how much they can afford to help pay. If all of the schools on your list will not be affordable to your family you could end up in March with great acceptances to schools you cannot attend. :frowning: You, as the student, will only be able to borrow 5500 for college your freshman year. If your families EFC is low you may also qualify for a Pell Grant and/ or Perkins Loan. </p>

<p>I can’t speak for all of the schools in VA, but I teach at JMU and know that we have alums working and living successfully in NYC, DC, Chicago, LA, Baltimore, and Philly. I am sure that many of the other schools in state could say the same. Taking a closer look at the VA school options could allow you to round out your list with some in-state financial safeties.</p>

<p>If you look through threads here and on the MT Forum you also may be able to get a sense of the admit rate on the schools on your list. </p>

<p>Good Luck! Let me know if you have any additional questions about VTA? Even if your school does not attend you still may go to the auditions I believe.</p>

11

<p>Thanks for answering, KatMT! I’ll also try to help out:</p>

<p>'What and where are the National Unifieds? Is it just a get-together of schools to audition students? Do their applications need to be a priority? "</p>

<p>Information on National Unifieds can be found here:</p>

<p>[National</a> Unified Auditions](<a href=“http://www.unifiedauditions.com/]National”>http://www.unifiedauditions.com/)</p>

<p>“Is there like a master list in College Confidential of school acceptance and class size? Or do you mean a general remarks in threads”</p>

<p>There is a really extensive list of how many kids are in each program here:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/653553-size-freshman-acting-class.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/653553-size-freshman-acting-class.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>“Are the “cattle call” auditions at the VTA festival for college acceptance or just a way of introducing yourself to schools? I think I’ll definitely try to attend their college fair this year…”</p>

<p>VTA is not for college acceptance. It’s for familiarization and experience purposes. But it is handy. Many schools attend conferences like VTA and SETC and other festivals to get a first look at kids and also for the kids to find out about the schools. </p>

<p>If your high school doesn’t attend VTA, you can still go, but I think you have to pay the conference fee. Still, you get to see some great theater, network with other kids and audition. It’s really a neat experience.</p>

<p>I have to second KatMT’s support of her school, JMU. Beautiful new facilities. Great faculty. Accomplished alumni (and I mean really accomplished – the stage manager for “Follies” and 'Ragtime" at the kennedy Center/so many other successful folks) and really talented current students. My s was fortunate to perform at Wolf Trap with one of their current students for a major production and I can tell you … wow!</p>

12

<p>Diverging a little from the last few posts…I’m a current freshman acting major at the University of the Arts, and I’d be happy to answer any questions about my school/program that you have!</p>

13

<p>I am currently a BFA Musical Theatre major at BALL STATE UNIVERSITY.
If you are looking for a powerful and intense program with the interest of finding each of their students jobs…</p>

<p>Check out-
<a href=“http://www.bsu.edu/theatre[/url]”>www.bsu.edu/theatre</a></p>

<p>For information on course curriculums, majors, guest artists and directors (including Sutton Foster who is directing “The Drowsy Chaperone” this year), work shops, and much much more!</p>

<p>If you have any questions at all, ASK AWAY!
:)</p>

14

<p>KatMT: Thanks for the advice! I’m currently working on a good list of reach, target, and back-up schools with realistic tuition. The VTA sounds like a really helpful experience, but the website makes it look like you have to attend with your school. How can I attend independently and maybe sign up for auditions?</p>

<p>theatreguy321: What was the audition process like? How about the teachers and staff? Do you like the campus? Do you have to take a lot of core classes unrelated to you major? What is a typical week like for you at University of the Arts? (sorry if this is a lot)</p>

<p>kylerkays: Whats the Ball State campus like? ie is it more rural, or a collegetown…? Can you tell me anything about the acting program?</p>

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<p>P.S. UVaHoo87 that College Confidential list of class sizes is unbelievably helpful haha :)</p>

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<p>I will check on how a student may attend VTA if they do not go with their school.</p>

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<p>It’s not a lot at all, I’m glad to help! I did my auditions through Unifieds (which, if you don’t know, is where a bunch of schools go around to major cities together and hold auditions over a few days to make it easier for students to schedule auditions), so my experience was very different from auditioning on campus. I had scheduled an audition time in advance, but because of inclement weather the auditioner’s flight got changed to be several hours earlier that night. But the school was really great and called all of the students whose times were being affected, and tried to squeeze them in. It was really nice because it made it feel like I was actually WANTED, especially when Unified auditions are normally only 5-15 min each. So when I got in the room the auditioner was there, and was great! It was honestly one of my best auditions. Even though he was pressed for time he was still very present, had me do my two monologues, then worked with me on one, then had me do that same one in gibberish with an emphasis on the physical character, then talked with me for several minutes about my resume, what I was looking for in a college, and the University itself. It was all extremely friendly and welcoming, and left me with a great impression of the school.</p>

<p>The teachers and staff are all AMAZING. Everyone here is again, extremely nice, friendly, warm, etc. During one of our floor meetings for my residence hall, several people actually mentioned how amazed at how great everyone (including students) were personality-wise. The teachers are also very engaged with their students as well. Also, almost all of the teachers here are also still working professionals in their field, which is a huge plus in my mind. Granted…my Freshman Writing teacher is a little batty…but still she is quite nice.</p>

<p>Personally I love the campus. It is in the middle of the city, so if it is a traditional-style campus you’re looking for, UArts may disappoint in that respect. But you’re in a thriving and interesting city, with things to do going on all the time. You’re also located right in the middle of the whole art scene of Philadelphia (UArts is literally on the “Avenue of the Arts”), and therefore there are several great, professional theatres in easy walking distance of the school. Some I even pass on my short 5min walk to classes.</p>

<p>Core classes – As a freshman at UArts, the only core class you have that is unrelated to your major is Freshman Writing. Besides that, all your classes (unless you take extra electives) are part of your major. In later years there are a few more electives that are geared towards making you an artist that is intelligent and educated enough to comment on history, society, people, etc. Those classes can be seen in the curriculum (here: [Program:</a> Acting - Bachelor of Fine Arts - The University of the Arts - acalog ACMS?](<a href=“Program: Acting - Bachelor of Fine Arts - The University of the Arts - Acalog ACMS™”>Program: Acting - Bachelor of Fine Arts - The University of the Arts - Acalog ACMS™)). But they don’t appear to be too bad, and I agree that you do have to understand things to use them relating to your art.</p>

<p>Typical weeks are…well, a lot of work. But I love it. That’s one of the big things at this school…the students have to be dedicated to their art, or they won’t succeed. That’s not me saying you can’t party at all, hang out with friends, relax, or anything like that. But you’re in class several hours a day, have crew hours, “club” meetings, homework, etc, and it adds up to be a lot. My class schedule right now is Mon/Thurs: 10 - 2:20, Tues/Fri: 10-5:20, and Wed: 1-2:50. Also in the curriculum you can see the hours for each class each week.</p>

<p>I hope that helps!</p>

18

<p>@colourtee</p>

<p>Ball State has a very up and booming atmosphere as far as college towns go. :slight_smile: The city is fairly big, but being a theatre kid you have barely enough time to stop and breathe with all of the intense training you endure.
It all really depends on where you’re coming from too. If you move here from New York City, it’s going to be small. If you’re coming from the middle of nowhere, BSU might be the biggest thing you’ve ever seen. Haha.</p>

<p>The acting option here is awesome. I’m currently a transfer Musical Theatre major, and coming here has been a treat ever since. The faculty mermbers were warm welcoming, and the campus is gorgeous. The program itself is very intense. Including various acting classes, stagecraft, stage combat, design courses, studio training, guest artists and workshops, voice, movement, etc.
You are also able to take many electives including voice and different music based courses.</p>

19

<p>Hello colourtree, Im following up on your question for Kyler as I am also a BFA MT at ball state.</p>

<p>The campus is pretty large, and just about everything you need is on or around the campus, but the town is about one hundred thousand people, so its obviously not a city environment (but i do know that some people do professional shows down in indianapolis and commute the 45 minutes).</p>

<p>Its a BEAUTIFUL campus. Very new, great place to live. You rarely need to leave for anything, and its so clean and safe. Off and On campus housing are all very nice. Truly im loving the life here.</p>

<p>The acting program is very attractive. This semester my acting class is half MT and half Acting, and they are all excellent. The upperclassmen actors are absolutely superb and along with the regular training for stage, they get quite a bit of Shakespeare and also have screen classes, and auditioning for the screen classes. The actors here take their craft very seriously, and I have a huge amount of respect for the Acting Option, and I encourage you to look into it and message me with any questions you have!</p>