@gatorbridget Thank you for asking about this. I think this could, although subjective, be a fun/lighter and interesting thread. And since we’ve not really had the opportunity to do many tours yet, it could prove to be enlightening.
If anyone has insight on any schools, maybe some answers could be shared, such as,
(I’m thinking for Freshman…obviously, things can change as they progress). Are MT housed together? Style of dorm (traditional vs quad/suite, etc)? New/older? Anything special?
For food, I’m assuming most/all offer the basics, including veggie/vegan/gluten, etc, options, but perhaps they do something special? Are there any ‘chain’ or specialty food venues?
@lithpool thanks for starting the ball rolling. I definitely need to know which campuses have Chik fil a, since I think my S lives off milkshakes and their chicken strips
When we toured Coastal Carolina it seems like there’s an Honors Dorm but not an MT/Acting/Physical theatre community . Missouri State had a lot of LLCs to choose from but we haven’t visited yet.
@gatorbridget what is a LLC?
@32barMom a “Living Learning Community”. It is either a floor or section or in some cases ( Florida State) entire dorm that are kids with similar majors. My older S ( who is not MT) is in the business LLC at Florida Southern Speaking of Florida Southern- they have the best freshman dorms, they are new and overlook the beautiful Lake Hollingsworth. My older son has no problems with the cafeteria and the under caf(quick food pick up)
One caution about the LLC (or as they were called at my daughter’s school FIG, Freshman interest groups). D was firm that she didn’t want to live in one, and I was surprised as she’s quite a joiner. But she was right. She had a dancer roommate, she was theater, and they had a friend who lived in the FIG who was theater. She (friend) was SO SO SO tired of those other 25 kids after just a semester. They had their classes together, they ate together, they lived together. Daughter and her roommate were happy to have a little space.
UArts has actual apartments that have been turned into dorms, which is pretty cool. So even freshmen live in real apartments with living rooms and kitchens on the Avenue of the Arts, a gorgeous city street lined with professional theaters. My D didn’t end up going there, but the living situation was REALLY attractive to her.
I just have to say, truly amazing nutritional options available now on so many campuses than when we were in college. Much more conscious of diet and a variety of nutritional needs. It’s a great thing for our kiddos. ( if they will opt for it!) It’s all about choices. But eating healthy is very “on trend” for MTers, thankfully.
So here’s the start:
Coastal - No theatre specific housing
FL Southern - New dorms overlooking lake
U Arts - Apartments turned Dorms on Ave of the Arts
Pace-no theatre specific housing and the dorms are all high rises in and around downtown Manhattan. Elevators break down FREQUENTLY, and if you live on the 20th floor, that can be a drag. Maria’s Tower has a living learning floor for arts majors, but it is the most run down of all the housing options.
@gatorbridget Rider definitely does NOT have a Chick-Fil-A. There was a story a couple of weeks ago where a dean resigned from her post because of the decision to not have one. They deliberately did not have one due to Chick-Fil-A’s continual contributions to anti-LGBTQ+ charities.
Coastal - No theatre specific housing
FL Southern - New dorms overlooking lake
Pace - No theatre specific housing. Dorms are high rises w frequently broken elevators. Maria’s Tower (arts major LLC need TLC)
Rider - No Chick-Fil-A
U Arts - Apartments turned Dorms on Ave of the Arts
@gatorbridget OCU recently got a Chick-Fil-A on campus! And OCU is very LGBTQ friendly.
As far as housing, they have a wide variety of dorm options like most schools. There are honors dorms, apartment style dorms and suite style dorms. Some have 2 bedrooms, each with a double bed and their own bath with a shared living room and kitchenette between them. And there are dorm rooms with shared baths between 2 rooms. I may be missing something. But there are a variety of options. D lived off campus her senior year. It was much cheaper than university housing and meal plan.
Also, be careful of meal plans. At least at OCU, MT students often didn’t get to partake in regular meal times because of their busy schedule. So some of those meal plan dollars really went to waste. You also have kids who never get up in time to go eat breakfast. I would go a little lighter on the meal plan if we had to do it over again.
Also check on Greek life. Many students at OCU participate in Greek life but the sororities are meeting houses only. They do not live there. Some fraternities do have houses in which you can live.
@lithpool I seem to remember that Pace has a special dorm for honors kids and many of the MTs are honors and could opt for that nicer dorm
Coastal - No theatre specific housing
FL Southern - New dorms overlooking lake
OCU - Chick-Fil-A on campus. Dorms-variety of styles. Check meal times vs meal plans. Check Greek Life
Pace - No theatre specific housing. Dorms are high rises w frequently broken elevators. Maria’s Tower (arts major LLC need TLC)
Rider - No Chick-Fil-A
U Arts - Apartments turned Dorms on Ave of the Arts
NYU has beautiful dorms, very well kept and modern. Freshman get the best dorms, sophomores next. Junior year a lot of students get apartments to reduce costs - there are some reduced expense dorm options but its all expensive. Fantastic food options on required meal plan but the MT kids don’t get to appreciate that because they are too busy to get to the dining halls. Broadway-specific LLC (which my D didn’t do and still ended up in a quint that is 3/5 Tisch Drama students, lol).
Coastal - No theatre specific housing
FL Southern - New dorms overlooking lake
NYU - Modern dorms. Great food but check meal times vs meal plans. Broadway LLC dorms available
OCU - Chick-Fil-A on campus. (LGBTQ+ Friendly campus) Dorms-variety of styles. Check meal times vs meal plans. Check Greek Life
Pace - No theatre specific housing. Dorms are high rises w frequently broken elevators. Maria’s Tower (arts major LLC need TLC)
Rider - No Chick-Fil-A
U Arts - Apartments turned Dorms on Ave of the Arts
As stated above, Coastal doesn’t have theatre specific housing, but do have honors dorms and some other LLCs. The dorms for freshman are all on the main campus. There is a variety of some older buildings, some of which kids have own bedrooms and others that are shared. They also have several newer dorms that are in suite style which are very nice. The honors dorm is in one of these. The students can study the dorm types and get to choose which dorms they want (though good to have several back up choices in case others have chosen before them- it’s a little bit of a lottery in terms of times assigned to choose). Sophomores can choose to remain on the main campus in one specific dorm called the Gardens, which has a shared bedroom and living/kitchen. But most stay at the “on campus” (but technically down the road) University Place apartments. They all have their own rooms and most their own bathrooms as well along with living room and kitchen. Very nice we thought for “dorms”. Juniors and up usually move off campus, but they can stay at UP/The Gardens if they want and if there is room. The food situation is fair. It is the south so may be different than many are used to. One nice thing is the theatre students have access to the “healthier” dining hall which was originally created for athletes. They also have a main dining hall, a separate dining hall with a Chik-Fil-A and other made to order type foods/grill/sushi/fast food/etc., an Einsteins, and a Starbucks.
When we toured CCM, they definitely had separate dorms for the CCM kids. Can’t remember if the Freshmen were required to live in those dorms, but they were next door to the facilities, so I think they all did.
TCU: lots of housing formats—too many to list. My D has her own room with a double bed and only shares a shower/toilet with one person and has a shared sinks area with 4 total in suite with a sitting area. Most freshman housing is doubles though. Three food plans for freshmen and 5 for sophomores (must live on campus first two years, but that includes Greek housing). No arts focused housing, but theatre building is the closest academic building to the dorms and she is there a ton with only one non-theatre related class.
Chick Fil A on campus right below main food court for dining plan. Special diet restaurant and about 4-5 other specialty food areas on campus that you can use with limited swipes with meal plan. Food court is main dining option. My D is very health conscious so she struggles because she likes to eat fresh and the “food sitting out” thing and typical dorm fare is not appealing to her…plus, freshest food is not when they have free time. But, she goes to Trader Joe’s and manages as they supply a larger fridge and micro in every room at no additional charge. Most other kids eat the pizza and burgers and other fare there with no problem.