<p>^^Amen to that post, Marbleheader! I will confess that we use the “top tier” jargon at our house, but only to organize my son’s personal school preferences. He has his own top three, followed by a couple of levels of preference, and at this point his nonauditioned schools are in the bottom tier (though not entirely out of the running). When all results are in, I suspect there’ll be some mobility between the different levels as he delves back into curricular, financial, and other distinctions. Meantime we have recurring conversations about what really matters to him most, and it’s still a bit of a moving target!</p>
<p>After years of hearing about rankings for regular colleges, I’m thoroughly cynical about that kind of approach to assessing which school(s) would be the best fit. Some of my international students have described how their parents rely completely on USNWR rankings as a method of determining which universities are acceptable. All it takes is a quick glance at a Playbill or list of Tony winners (some of which have been posted in past years by fishbowl freshman and others) to see that while some schools are more highly represented than others, working actors come from ALL kinds of backgrounds. Obvious…but it bears repeating!</p>
<p>Fourkoz, you are probably right about voice lessons being easier to take at Ithaca than BU. BU is very good for dance (my son is a dance minor there), but I don’t believe the opportunities for singing instruction are as strong.</p>
<p>That’s interesting about Ithaca’s creative writing program. There are definitely student playwrights at BU. My son took a playwriting class, and for his senior thesis this year, he will be directing a play that a classmate wrote. I don’t really know that much about what is offered at BU in terms of creative writing in general, or screenwriting in particular.</p>
<p>I think most of the students at BU regard it as a remarkably nurturing program.</p>
<p>Almost all of the BU SOT BFA students live off-campus in Allston after freshman year. This area is very close to BU. Sharing Allston apartments is cheaper than living on-campus. </p>
<p>Theatre BFA students don’t get “distracted by the city.” They are extremely focused. Living off-campus, in addition to the financial advantages, helps them be able to rehearse scenes, etc, in their apartments in a way that would not be possible in the dorms.</p>
<p>Also re: fourkorz’s post–Ithaca seems to have excellent opportunities for working with film (and television) students on collaborative projects. And I have heard the same things NJTMom mentions in terms of how nurturing the BU program is–as well as how focused students there are (vs. being distracted by their surroundings). Both great programs!</p>
<p>Agree that they are both great programs. Personal fit reasons for Ithaca over BU include the better opportunities to develop MT skills and while the theater arts track at BU is a great plus for kids wanting that flexibility, she’s certain she’d never be a theater arts kid and sort of likes the idea of a core group of acting kids from beginning to end.</p>
<p>^^Those are sensible reasons! And it seems pretty clear that your daughter has a very clear idea of what she wants, coupled with a strong sense of direction. </p>
<p>My son loved his BU experience last summer and enjoyed the city, but also really loved the Ithaca campus (and with a good high-school friend at Cornell, he would have some other social options). If he ends up lucky enough to have both schools as options, it’ll be a very tough choice!</p>
<p>That makes sense, ActingDad. One of the reasons my son liked BU immediately is because there is NO MT there. He has always done musicals, both at school and in the community, and enjoys it for the most part, but his passion is straight acting! And that is the focus he wanted. He knows he can do a cappella if he wants to sing (good luck doing that while doing the BFA!) and BU does do the occasional musical, so he could try out for that if one comes up during his four years.</p>
<p>Again - the fit is perfect (we hope - you don’t know 'til you are in the thick of it) for him, but the program lacks a few components that are important to your daughter. Thank goodness there are so many programs, all with aspects good and not-so-good!</p>
<p>Yes, it would be a big mistake to go on reputation alone. As many said earlier in this thread, Julliard and CMU are at the top of the food chain but my daughter would have zero interest in those schools and did not apply; although she was encouraged to by her coach. </p>
<p>She wanted to take academics and lots of writing courses and be with all sorts of people. Those conservatory programs may be the best with acting training but they are certainly lacking if you are looking for a more complete education.</p>
<p>Marbleheader – her is what is really funny (well, at least we can laugh now) – my daughter has never been able to get even a decent part in a musical at her high school. (She has done well in community theater shows.) She pretty much dug her grave when she showed no interest in the choirs. Yet I think her singing ability plus all her years of dance training were a big plus to get her into UNCSA. It is not an MT school but voice and dance is a big focus for actor training and they put on MT shows.</p>
<p>I think going to a big name drama school definitely will open some doors. Especially right out of school when you don’t have much on your resume but educational credits and where you went to school. However, once you are through that door, it is up to you, not where you went to school, to get the job. Of course all these big name drama schools will give you the tools to be a working actor. However, so will lots of not so big name drama schools. In fact, many working actors never had formal training, but just took classes at private studios and it worked out fine for them. There are many routes to becoming a working actor, and going to a top drama school is just one route.</p>
<p>Here’s a funny story while I was waiting for my CMU Acting audition I hear a handsome guy (just graduated from their BFA M.T.) talking to the lovely girl working the auditions about just being cast in a show as the lead in my hometowns 1800 seat theatre and guess what I’m in the same show! It seems so funny that me with know college experience (yet) is going to get to work with a CMU Grad!!!</p>
<p>So as we sit here anxiously waiting for decisions, I think I can safely say we do care about which program our kids attend (for the students on this thread…I am speaking as a mom). I think as families, we have put a ton of time and effort into narrowing down the list, our kids have worked hard on their audition materials, essays and applications. They have spent hours tirelessly practicing for their brief audition moments. And why? Because it is important that you choose the right program for you (or your child).</p>