<p>My D’s moved over this week and most times administrative offices are open over spring break.</p>
<p>Anyone still been waiting a long time since their audition moved over? The audition moved over for my daughter on the 28th (she auditioned on 2/16) but no info since then.</p>
<p>Curious if any MT students got into Acting BFA instead of MT and are considering it. Would love thoughts on that. May need to move over to Acting forum, but I know that many of those on that forum were straight actors. We are narrowing choices and Ithaca is a top choice but the MT versus Acting is such a tough decision for my S. If I need to redirect to some other thread, let me know. I’d love direct insight on Ithaca Acting BFA vs MT however.</p>
<p>I think you are in the right thread to ask your question. I don’t think a post in the acting forum is that likely to get a hit on a student who applied to Ithaca as an MT and is looking at acting. I know there were a few others in this thread in the same situation so you might want to talk to them. But the best bet is going to be talking directly to the school. I bet they can point you to some kids in the program know who applied for MT and were accepted as acting that your son can speak with about their experience.</p>
<p>I got into Acting instead of MT and I’m considering it bc for the first 2 years you they do the same courses. Acting majors are also allowed to do dance and singing lessons, as well as perform in the musicals. I also like that they see MT and Acting as one class. I feel like the IC program is similar to CMU but a newer approach, but I could be wrong.</p>
<p>actsandsings (and anyone else in this position)- I would ask your son to seriously consider it. Ithaca has an amazing program and to train as an actor is to train for theatre- most contemporary musicals require a different (dare I say stronger) set of acting skills than they used to. He will still receive incredible training in voice and dance, and with the acting background, there will always be dance classes he can drop in on, and his voice will continue to mature well out of college. That being said, I would also encourage him to look at any other offers he might have and weigh the decisions out based on what he truly wants out of his college experience. But don’t discount Ithaca based on getting in for Acting and not MT! Congrats on the acceptance!</p>
<p>For what it is worth, my son applied MT but was accepted for Acting, and Ithaca is still very high on his list. It is unusual in that Acting students with a musical orientation still get so much opportunity to keep up their skills. I am under the impression that Acting students take vocal lessons for an extra fee and that these lessons are given my grad students rather than faculty (heard about the fee during campus auditions and read about the grad student part somewhere on their site). My son applied to both acting and MT programs, and this is one of the few acting programs that made it so easy to keep up his MT skills. We’re still waiting to see what his choices and finances are, but I think you’d find company with Acting majors who have strong MT leanings.
One thing I have trouble guaging, and maybe MTCoach can help is the reputation and quality of Ithaca’s training. I know it does not necessarily carry the weight of a Juilliard or CMU, but is it good enough to attract quality agents to the showcases and be respected in the industry? So many other positives there, too, so that’s my only real question mark.</p>
<p>I’m not MTCoach but I’ve pretty extensively researched your question and have spoken to people in the business (we live in NJ, daugther has a manager and has done some professional work) and the answer to that is clearly “Yes”.</p>
<p>Thank you, ActingDad! I feel like we’ve traveled some common ground together. Thanks for your input!</p>
<p>fourkorz: Ithaca absolutely carries a lot of weight in the industry. Their training is top notch, without question. Take a look at this page - <a href=“School of Humanities and Sciences | Ithaca College”>School of Humanities and Sciences | Ithaca College; - to see how many of their grads have gotten work on Broadway alone, not even to mention TV/film, regional theatres, etc. In fact, David Boreanaz (Bones, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) in an alum and gave the keynote speech for graduation last year. Just a fun fact since I adore him 
</p>
<p>Congrats!</p>
<p>I really appreciate the insights. He is definitely leaning towards the reality that acting training is of primary importance. He’s tried a few times to connect with someone from the school but we are on the west coast so time change makes it hard. His spring show opens next week so his schedule is insane. He’s going to go take a college visit AGAIN…we are just trying to decide if it should be here or the other school he’s narrowed it down to. We were leaning towards here as Spring Awakening is running but I just heard from another parent the show is sold out. Going all that way and not being able to see the show would defeat at least part of the purpose which is to see the caliber of what they put up.</p>
<p>Since Ithaca is on spring break this week, even though there are people still around and about, I think connecting with them next week will be far easier. This is also just my opinion, but I think you both will get a lot more out of what the program is capable of by having him sit in on classes (as an admitted student, I’m sure they will let him); trying to gauge the program by watching their musical can be problematic because there’s a possibility that how you feel about it will be more an outcome of casting or a directors decision, etc. Like I said, just my opinion. If your son visits again, I’m certain he will be able to make an informed decision either way. Very exciting time for him (and all of you!)- Ithaca is such a great program :)</p>
<p>actsandsings, there is a waiting list for Spring Awakening tickets (personally, I’ve had enough of ALL waiting lists … to last a lifetime, than you). They open the box office an hour early to put people on the WL for tickets, but maybe you can talk them into putting you on now since you are so far away.</p>
<p>And MTCoach, Ithaca does let accepted students sit in on classes…they set up a whole schedule for my D to sit in on a variety of classes! She is very excited.</p>
<p>^^Re: tickets, have you tried contacting the department directly (rather than the box office)? It seems possible that they would have comps set aside for prospective students. We were offered (and accepted) tickets to a Muhlenberg show after my son told the program director we were hoping to attend, and the same thing happened with the dance concert at Otterbein. I know other schools do the same. I’d call or email and ask, at least!</p>
<p>We did contact the department! They even double checked with the box office for us. :(</p>
<p>Aw shucks! I had my fingers crossed for you. It can make such a huge difference to see a show! Is there a non-mainstage coming up that you could get to…? Good luck, monkey! <3</p>
<p>For those who go to Ithaca and sit in on classes, I would love to hear your insights. We are planning to go to Ithaca for the accepted student day on April 12. Because it is a Saturday, we won’t be seeing any classes. But I think this will be a good way to get a sense of the campus and program for my D. Neither of us has been there before. Due to Ithaca’s reputation, we feel pretty confident that the classes will be great. Now it is more of a question about living in such an isolated setting. So she will be looking at that aspect of it. She is an urban girl but also feels that living in Ithaca will help her focus on the work at hand - and not get distracted by other things - as she might be by NYC. So, any posts about classes is much appreciated.</p>
<p>prntosome, I will come back on and let you know about my D’s experience with the classes…she is going April 5th. </p>
<p>As for the campus, we have been there twice. It really is a gorgeous campus. The theater facilities were probably the nicest I have seen (and we saw A LOT). Ithaca’s black box theater is nicer than many of the main stage theaters we saw! And, the kids seemed to truly like each other and get along…and by that I mean ALL the kids: MT, Acting, tech, etc. </p>
<p>As for the isolation…the town of Ithaca is just down the (very steep) hill. It is a great college town: pedestrian friendly, lots of great restaurants and shops, etc. And, because Ithaca and Cornell students both hang out there, it is very … collegiate (for lack of a better word). Is it NYC or Boston or Philly? Nope! But it really is a nice town with lots of college kids. And, as I keep telling my D, I don’t think they are going to have a heck of a lot of time to be playing. But if they do, the theater kids told us that you can always catch a ride down into town, and I think there is a shuttle bus as well.</p>
<p>The only thing that concerns me about Ithaca is the weather. We’re from MA, so it’s not really that different, but my D was expecting to fall in love with an urban and/or southern school. Or preferably an urban southern school. She loves Ithaca so much, though, that she happily bought a new pair of winter boots and is ready to brave the elements.</p>
<p>I will keep you posted on how the classes are!</p>
<p>Prntosome, if it’s any help, we loved the town too–spent part of our visit with a friend of S’s who goes to Cornell, so we saw the other side of town, and liked the downtown pedestrian mall and beautiful natural surroundings. They did a group warm-up at the on-campus auditions that gave my son at least a glimpse of teaching style and general vibe, and he loved it. While I think he ultimately will end up elsewhere, it won’t be because he didn’t like Ithaca! We also really liked the way the academic and other buildings are connected, and I was VERY impressed with the current students who spoke with parents during the audition time.</p>
<p>Agreed on the town. Daughter loved it. Great college town.</p>