I have these two wonderful options, and I am so conflicted. I have no idea which is the better option. Any and all thoughts are appreciated?
Both are top tier programs, However (imo) it comes down to do you want straight acting or musical theatre? Everything I’ve researched tells me that Depaul is for a purist that wants to focus on acting while BoCo delves far more extensively into musical theatre. Though honestly…visit…
One issue to think about is that the contemporary (straight) theater major is new at BoCo. I don’t know if that is a good thing (getting in on the ground floor of a new program, full of excitement and energy) or a less good thing (have they fully figured out curriculum etc). I agree with the suggestion to visit if at all possible.
@newsomert @toowonderful Thank you for your opinion! You’ve given me some really interesting points to think. It is such tough decision, because BoCo has offered me a very generous $40,000 talent scholarship and DePaul has offered me a generous $20,000 talent scholarship. Both of the schools are obviously interested in me as a student, but I even received a special email from my BoCo auditor before my decision was release, and I can’t help but to be influenced by that. Anyway…I’m visiting both in the next few week…so I guess I’ll just follow my heart from that point.
My D has also been accepted into BoCo CT. It was her top choice going in because the curriculum is spot on with what she wants. She wanted something ensemble-based with ample opportunity to perform and write and produce original works with the ultimate goal of starting her own theatre company. She loves immersive theater and wants to shape the future of the industry. She likes that it is a new program at a place with the reputation of BoCo and feels completely comfortable growing into a brand new program.
I can’t speak about DePaul directly because D didn’t apply, but I do know of one person choosing DePaul over BoCo because the program offered more of what they are looking for despite the personal attention being given to the CT students. That person’s scholarship to both schools puts them even financially for them.
As a mom, it would be hard to turn down an almost full tuition scholarship at a top-tier school. The only way I would probably even entertain it is if my D was certain beyond most doubt that the other program (in your case DePaul) was the perfect perfect perfect fit/desire in both curriculum and affordability.
You are so fortunate to have such a tough decision! Good luck determining your path!
To play devils advocate Depaul is hardly considered bottom tier in comparison to BOCO hahaha. It’s acceptance rate isn’t too much better. These opinion threads are always difficult, because they are just that… opinions. Regardless you’re only going to be able make the decision after soul searching, however I don’t think either will steer you down any bad paths. When it’s all over we still all have to start the grind.
Thank you so much @2019theatremom! I very much appreciate your thoughts. I do indeed have a very tough
decision to make, and I really want to make the right one. My choice of training is really going the determine the course of my career. I have got some hard thinking to do.
I don’t think 2019theatremom was commenting on the tiers of the schools relative to one another, necessarily. I think she was only acknowledging that BoCo is a top tier program and that the OP is being offered nearly a full ride there, which is hard to reject - not denying that DePaul is top tier as well.
I think DePaul is an amazing program and tippy-tops, also. I didn’t mean for my comment to seem like BoCo was tippy-toppier. It was more commentary around the difficulty in turning down such a generous scholarship from a school of that caliber than anything else.
Purely subjectively speaking, my D preferred BoCo, so that’s why I lean that way. And I wanted to provide a contrasting example of another student accepted to both programs who is choosing DePaul because it gives her all the right “feels” and was her tippy-top choice going into the audition process. For her, DePaul is just as much of the “dream school” and “top tier” feeling that BoCo is to my D and has more of the curriculum she is looking for.
I think that if you’re interested in straight theater, Depaul is better. It’s a much more established program with alums everywhere and it’s in Chicago, the most vibrant regional theater scene in America. Just my opinion, nothing against BoCo.
For my two cents, I’m a prospective student to BoCo’s contemporary theater. I auditioned for DePaul in LA and was not called back, but the auditioners themselves were quite snippy and encouraged a strangely negative air in the audition itself with a certain degree of pretension. No disrespect to the program itself as I can’t speak to that; I worked with an undergraduate from DePaul who assisted a youth program I was with and she was incredibly talented and conscientious, as well as a fair amount of people I’ve known from programs have wanted to go to DePaul. But I didn’t get a very good feeling from the people orienting the audition itself. Meanwhile, Wanda was one of the nicest auditioners I met during all of the process of going through college auditions.
One thing I would note that based off of what I’ve read here, the applicant pool for BoCo was significantly smaller than the one for DePaul, which had 900 or so. I don’t know if that’s worth considering in your position, but it’s worth noting. The programs are, as you’ve acknowledged, very different (though DePaul was less traditional than I expected), and I’m excited to see where the contemporary theater program goes in its first generation.
@meurso So you are planning on attending BoCo? My D is also, so if you want to connect with a classmate I will get you in touch. She adored Wanda and all the BoCo staff she interacted with (auditioned in Boston).
@2019theatremom Sure. If you want to PM me, go ahead. I didn’t audition in person so I haven’t actually met anyone else who may be in the program.
BoCo is almost assuredly my final choice at this point as the only school I haven’t heard from is SUNY Purchase and the contemporary theater offering is looking much more appealing than any traditional drama major elsewhere.