Decision Help ASAP!

College Majors Musical Theater Major
1

<p>Hey everyone. I'm looking to obtain a BFA in Musical Theatre. I've been accepted into the following schools and am having an impossible time making a decision and I'm really running out of time. Please help, any and all opinions (good or bad) would be welcome. Thanks in advance.</p>

<p>Part of the issue is that I really want to be in New York City, but I know that I still want some of the "traditional college experience" as well (not completely, just enough so that I'm still going to parties, having fun, and living the college dream). </p>

<p>Fordham University Lincoln Center (BA Theatre Arts)
Marymount Manhattan College (BA Theatre Arts, MT Minor) (LIKE.)
NYU Tisch (New Studio Broadway BFA Drama) (LOVE.)
Pace University (BFA MT) (LOVE.)
The University of the Arts (BFA MT)
University of Miami (MT BFA) (LOVE.)
Texas Christian University (MT BFA)</p>

<p>I'm looking to be in a prestigious well known program that will challenge me and help me grow while still getting a good amount (not a majority amount) of the college experience. For example, I don't need tailgating at a football game (bleh) but I do need dorm house parties and wacky student activities.</p>

2

<p>I vote for Pace! My daughter is about to graduate from there with a BFA in MT. She was accepted into eight big name MT programs and chose Pace for location, program, and opportunities. Best decision she could have made! She is graduating in four years, but has done two Off-Broadway shows, a dozen school productions, was the female lead in a documentary done by LonnyPrice, saw most of what’s on Broadway, many for free through school, and is in final callbacks for a national tour. You just can’t beat the opportunities for growth at Pace.</p>

3

<p>Oh my gosh. Are you serious? That’s absolutely amazing, sounds like an MT college experience dream come true. If I’m being honest, I’m already quite strongly leaning towards Pace. My only hesitation is: How much of the “traditional college experience” will I have. Look, I already know that I’m going to a University in a big city with a campus in and of the city to study Musical Theatre, so I know that there won’t be football games and rowdy beer pong frat parties - I’m okay with that. But I would like to know if your daughter still felt she had a fair college experience. Fun times with people in her dorm, big quirky social events for the student body, and things of that nature. Obviously I’m not saying I want the All American College Experience. I don’t. If I did I wouldn’t be looking to study MT in NYC obviously :slight_smile: I just want to make sure that I am truly truly going to college. My other slight hesitation, and this is more in relationship with NYU, is that it doesn’t same that Pace is well heard of or well known. It seems like NYU is the recognizable name that opens more doors and Pace is a bit more under the radar? Just speculating…</p>

4

<p>Start by taking some of those off your list that don’t fit what you describe. And unlike the other posters, I think that Pace isn’t what you are looking for (doesn’t fit that "traditional college experience in the least) Neither is UArts, because they are an art school at heart. They are very wonderful, but definitely non-traditional. The rest seem to fit that bill, NYU especially. You are lucky to have those choices! Good luck to you!</p>

5

<p>My daughter goes to Fordham and she loves it. But it’s a theater program, not MT. Although it’s a BA, it’s basically a conservatory degree with a lot of academics-- she had 19 credits first semester. It’s a lot of work. And if you want a traditional campus, you would probably not like the urban setting.</p>

6

<p>It looks like you’re really deciding between 3 options (the ones you listed as ‘love’)-- and they’re all great, so you can’t lose. </p>

<p>If MT is really your thing and you want tons of dance and music and ear training…then you probably have to decide against NYU (looks like you were placed in the non-MT side of New Studio?) In that case I’d say Pace would be a dream school for you-- their MT program is soaring. You’d lose some of the campus-fun side of things…BUT…once you’re in a conservatory with the 12 hour days and the intense bonding that comes with that-- you might not care that much about that side of things.</p>

<p>On the other hand, maybe you love acting and are crazy about Shakespeare and dream of directing one day, and can get more voice and dance outside your program, in which case NYU might be just the ticket. I know a young woman who switched out of MT into acting this year for just this reason-- she just wants more time in classical theater. </p>

<p>Miami I know the least about but it would definitely have more of a typical collegiate experience, along with a wonderful conservatory, in a terrific university…in, um, Miami. And there are real advantages to a small conservatory like that over larger schools in larger places. There’s a kind of seriousness across disciplines that’s bolstered in that atmosphere. </p>

<p>REVEL in this decision!! It’s a great one to have–congratulations. You can’t really go wrong.</p>

7

<p>From my understanding, you will have the least of the ‘college experience’ at Pace and Fordham. Pace is what they call a ‘vertical’ campus - you mainly live in the same buildings you have classes in. NYU is big, but there is still a campus feel about it, as there are so many buildings spread around Union and Washington Square and SO MANY activities for students. Pace’s MT program is is really rising, so certainly don’t discount it on the basis of it’s being fairly new. My daughter is in MT at NYU Steinhardt and loves NYU!</p>

<p>You will find the largest college experiences at University of Miami and TCU, both of which have very selective programs. We have a very talented family friend, female, who will be in the MT program at TCU this year and is extremely excited! </p>

<p>Remember, there is no perfect college experience and many routes to Musical Theater. NYC will always be there to move to!</p>

8

<p>GwenFairfax – don’t be misled by his calling it BFA Drama after NSB. That is the degree for MT and only Acting. I would imagine that if he were not placed in MT his post would have reflected that.</p>

<p>All great decisions. I can only speak for NYU: it won’t be the “typical” college experience, but you will have a ton of things to do, make great friends, and if you want to get involved in activities beyond theater, you can do that. My D has friends who have done sports teams, sororities, clubs, etc. (although these might only be her Acting friends, not MT ones). There is also the opportunity at Tisch, as noted above, to explore other types of acting training in depth in junior or senior years if that’s of interest. </p>

<p>The focus of NSB MT, as I understand it (my D is not in it), is to develop skills that are applicable not only for classical musical theater productions but for the new styles that are current and evolving. That is reflected in the dance and voice training I believe. That may be something to consider. </p>

<p>To me, Tisch offers the small home base, family environment of the studio along with the vast opportunities of the university and opportunities to network across studio lines – my D has friends from a number of different studios. The freshman dorms also have opportunities to personalize the experience with theme floors. </p>

<p>The educational experience of Tisch is likely to be different than the others, too. I don’t know the requirements of the others, but at Tisch, you take seven semesters of Theatre Studies and these courses offer a wide range of academic options from Classical Greek theatre to Political Theatre to Theatre in Therapy to Tennessee Wliiams to Producing and so on… The point is that you get a real academic look at theatre from an intellectual, historical, analytical perspective. In addition, there are Gen Ed requirements (I can’t remember the amount of those) which may be more – or less - than the other schools. </p>

<p>I also don’t know the focus of the other programs, but my experience with TIsch is that it looks to train artists, not only people trained in a craft, and this involves focusing on how one looks at and engages with the world and not only the details of technique. </p>

<p>The bottom line for all these schools, though, is no matter what program you do, you will be very busy with schoolwork, productions, rehearsals, etc. The majority of your life will be spent in the theater world no doubt.</p>

9

<p>OP: Also, if you are more specific about why you put “LOVE” next to three schools and not the others, we might be able to help you further.</p>

10

<p>One of my boys is in the BFA MT at Pace and there are plenty of activities in the dorms, within the performing arts department, and on the NYC campus as a whole. To be honest, he’s so busy in the BFA program and with performing opportunities that he hasn’t had much time to avail himself of everything. This S wasn’t necessarily looking for a traditional college experience, but I’ll say that Pace NYC does an admirable job with student life activities for those who want them.</p>

11

<p>The only ones on your list that offer “traditional” college experiences are Miami and TCU- no matter how anyone else spins it. A BFA will definitely keep you really busy and you should focus on that- not partying. Many times, you won’t even get out of rehearsals until late at night and then you have to get up early for class. And don’t kid yourself- class attendance is extremely important in a BFA/BA. </p>

<p>All of the schools mentioned will have student activities. Guess you just need to decide your priorities and where you want to spend your time- NY, Philly, Texas, Miami… which one will allow you to study your craft and also give you great exposure to professional theatre. Don’t know if your FA pkg will have an influence on this either.</p>

12

<p>What about comparing each school’s course of study for all four years?</p>

13

<p>Wow guys, all of your feedback is really helping me! Thank you so much! Here are my clarifications.</p>

<p>Regarding NYU, I was placed in New Studio Broadway for MT. The high cost of NYU is definitely a negative factor, but I really feel like while Pace’s MT BFA may be more suited for my artistic perspective and development, NYU is a more prestigious and well known name that has more to offer as a University as a whole. That being said though, I visited both campuses. You know that feeling of “this is it, this is the right place for me, i love this place, i love these people, this feels correct” - yeah got that at Pace FOR SURE. I just hate when I tell people I’m considering going to Pace and they’re like “what’s that? where is it?” I know that’s really petty and stupid.</p>

<p>Regarding my desire for a “traditional college experience” I feel like I should clarify. I want to be in a conservatory. I want my art to be first priority. I want to spend the majority of my day in the studio working my butt off to get better. I just don’t want to feel like I’m giving up the college experience all together. I want to know to know that I’ll have the ability and opportunity to enjoy college life if/should I choose to. I want to be in New York City, and I know that means that no matter which school I go to I won’t have a traditional campus - THATS TOTALLY FINE I DONT NEED A “QUAD” OR PRETTY FLOWER FOUNTAINS OR SPORTING EVENTS! I’m talking more about the spirit of student community and camarade and spirit when I say “college experience”. Will there be fun student activities? Wacky themed school spirit days? Parties (yes, it’s important to me - after all it’s college!) </p>

<p>Once again guys, all your feedback is so excellent and informative. I couldn’t be more grateful for all of your wonderful opinions and input. </p>

<p>Oh! And to the mom of the Pace graduate: Congrats to your daughter on all her success! That’s amazing! I definitely am OBSESSED with how encouraging and accommodating Pace is regarding professional opportunities for their students - you just don’t find that everywhere.</p>

<p>That being said, I know that TCU does this thing where they help all their BFA MT’s find summer work at professional regional theaters by loading them up and taking them on an audition tour of all the summer regional productions. Does Pace do anything similar? Do other schools?</p>

14

<p>The Strawhat auditions for summerstock were held at Pace in NYC this year. Pace held a workshop to prep MT students for these auditions (and for other summerstock opportunities, i.e. SETC/NETC/Muny, etc.). This is probably standard practice for MT since my other S at Rider had a similar master class to prep for summerstock auditions. </p>

<p>As for social stuff, my Pace S probably doesn’t tell me everything :wink: but there appears to be no shortage of parties and fun stuff at Pace. Also, fyi, both my sons had NYU NSB MT as an option, too, but the finances were simply out of the question. Truthfully, we haven’t regretted the decision for them to go to smaller programs. </p>

<p>And as for people not knowing Pace, you might be hearing that from your non-theatre friends, but among the NYC MT crowd, it is very well-known. When I tell my non-theatre-minded, adult friends that my sons go to Pace and Rider, their eyes kind of glaze over. But then I explain a little about the programs and they get it. (i.e., having Adam Guettel as the artist-in-residence this year at Pace!)</p>

<p>(For Pace, I usually throw in “have you seen ‘Inside The Actors Studio’? – that show is filmed at Pace.” Even though it isn’t affiliated with the MT program, somehow mentioning that show seems to help make a connection for people…LOL)</p>

15

<p>Neither Pace nor NYU are true conservatory programs. Outside of MT, Pace does not have a music program. If academics are important to you, NYU is your best bet because it is just the most selective academically. What about weather? If you live in Hawaii, how do you feel about NYC winters? And yes, very good advice to print out the curriculums of all the programs and compare them. When we did that with my daughter’s acceptances it made a huge difference.</p>

16

<p>@MTTwinsinCA
Not gonna lie you kinda just said exactly what I needed to hear. That really helped, thank you so much and congrats to your child on all of their success. Great stuff, very much put my hesitations to rest.</p>

<p>@Calliene
Haha very true, but the weather concern is not a concern. I’m sick of this tropical paradise crap and ready for some Four Season Fun! We visited campuses during auditions while it was still quite cold and I not only tolerated the weather but found myself rather enjoying it. I’m embracing that change and challenge. I know NYU isn’t a true conservatory, they publicize a 50/50 approach between arts and academics. But with Pace, I’m not so sure. I’d venture to say that they are a true conservatory. My numbers are a little off but I know the credits breakdown is something like 80 MT studio credits and 40 Liberal Arts credits.</p>

17

<p>No Pace is very clear that they are a BFA in a liberal arts setting and not a conservatory. Way more Gen Ed’s than in a conservatory program. Compare curriculums with, say, CMU or BOCO. Very different.</p>

18

<p>I went to info days at both of these schools and didn’t end up applying to either one, but’s here’s the difference I noticed. And it was huge difference. NYU wants students. PACE seemed to take more of a trade school approach. NYU doesn’t want you auditioning for things outside of school. PACE encouraged it and plugged that as a positive. NYU has strong academics. PACE, not so much. I guess it depends what you want but the difference was dramatic so it should be an easy choice.</p>

19

<p>^^ COuld not agree more. Great description of the diff between these 2 schools. We talked to a student at Pace who said she attended the first day of an academic class the middle day and the last day - and still passed. NYU demands more academic rigor. Pace encourages auditioning and getting out there to work, while NYU will not allow it. Very different programs. ANd I believe the cost is quite different as well. So maybe that is a factor?</p>

20

<p>wow that’s a new perspective, thank you.
Don’t know how I feel about going to a place labeled a “trade school”…</p>