<p>This topic has come up on other threads, so I thought I'd give it a home of its own. I think it is very helpful for anyone with experience to help give us all perspective on why a theatre student in particular might choose to leave a program, and when, and what they might do instead. No judgments here - just honesty, with the intent to help our young people grow.</p>
<p>I don't know much about this in theatre, but I certainly know lots and lots of kids who have made changes in their college plans - whether it is a gap year, time off, transferring, changing majors, or even just making smaller adjustments (choosing to live differently, or shifting their focus within their major). Family issues, money and health cause many kids to leave school abruptly; I think there are more than we probably hear about.</p>
<p>From reading this forum for a few years, I believe that it is common for students in a rigorous BFA to find out that it is not right for them. It's a huge commitment of time, energy and emotion, much along the lines of studying pre-med, engineering, architecture, etc. They give up a lot, and their passion for theatre has to be sustained constantly at an enormous level - a quite different experience than many of them expect, even if they have spent years really loving being in shows, seeing theatre, reading about it, etc. I think many of them are surprised also by the natural simmering of competition and ego, and of the shifts of friendship and intimacy.</p>
<p>I don't have any real statistics, but I have noticed that many BFA programs that take 20 or more have perhaps only a number in the teens as seniors. I guess I'm not surprised. I'd like to think that the 10-20% of BFA freshmen who do not finish the program do so in a confident, organized way; I hope they are finding other pathways that suit them better, on a reasonable timeline (such as not dropping out mid-semester). At some schools, it simply means adjusting their curriculum to a different plan (like a BA from a BFA, or a new concentration). At some schools - or for some kids, for many reasons - making such a change means they have to transfer.</p>
<p>My hope is that kids who choose to leave intensive programs like BFAs for other options that fit them better feel successful in following their own path to achieve their own goals, especially since "success" in theatre can be achieved in so many different ways.</p>