<p>I am very conflicted between going to Fordham University or Lewis and Clark for a number of reasons.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I want to study theatre, and have a guarantee of being a Theatre major at Lewis and Clark. At Fordham I did not audition in, so would be able to audition during Freshman year. </p></li>
<li><p>I've been told that it's extremely difficult (almost impossible) to get into the Fordham theatre major during sophomore year. Apparently being a minor is still good, but I really want to be able to participate in a lot of theatre. </p></li>
<li><p>I don't want to get to Fordham and find out that I won't be able to participate in theatre and that all of the roles are taken by majors—either that or auditioning and not making it in. </p></li>
<li><p>I'm not sure how good the Lewis and Clark theatre major really is. I haven't been able to find much about it online. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>As of right now, I'm kind of planning to commit to Fordham, try to audition in and then see what happens. However, not making it into the major worries me, especially if minors cannot participate as much as majors. If anyone knows how difficult it is to audition into the major/how much minors can actually participate, please let me know! I have until Friday to commit to Fordham, and I don't want to miss an opportunity like this. </p>
<p>I don’t know a heck of a lot about the theater program, only that is a very strong, very well-known theater program, but will attempt to answer your questions: I only hope some others with more knowledge on this subject will jump in.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Lewis and Clark is a good liberal arts school near Portland, OR and has a decent theater department. That you can be a major in theater right off the bat is a good thing, so you can do more and be in more productions. Fordham has a very competitive theater department. Auditions I would imagine would be of a higher competative level given how serious majors take this program. Even if you were a major, there is no guarantee you would get the best parts. To be honest, I think a theater minor in one of the best theater programs in the nation (right on Broadway!) would be comparable to (if not better than) a theater major in a smaller liberal arts school. Big fish, little pond or little fish, big pond might be a good way of looking at this.</p></li>
<li><p>I don’t know how hard it is to be involved in the theater program as a soph, but you might have a shot at it and even as a minor, you will be involved in some excellent productions and have excellent opportunities. Then again you could be a star at Lewis and Clark…could be.</p></li>
<li><p>Yes…it is very competitive as stated. If you are good, you will have a shot. More opportunities at L&C College? probably, but your talent is what will take you far. There are thousands of Theater major grads from small colleges across the country; the vast majority will only do community theater when they get out. Which school will push you, develop your talent? I have an idea how to test for that in the last question.</p></li>
<li><p>Lewis and Clark has a decent theater department and may put on some very good productions of that I have no doubt. Is there a way to judge outcomes? Well, what you can do is look at L&C wiki page of the well known graduates to see who are in the arts. Of the names I saw, I only recognized two (Monica Lewinsky and actress Markie Post). Then look at the Fordham alum wiki page at well known graduates in the arts and draw your own conclusion. Your path is your own to make.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>If your decision to come to Fordham must have a guarantee of acting opportunities and if that is your true calling, then perhaps you might be better off at Lewis and Clark where you can be a theater major and be assured of parts.
Then again…Broadway vs. Portland…for an actor is worlds apart. </p>
<p>Does anyone else have something to add?</p>
<p>I thought the deadline for committing to Fordham was May 1. So I dont know what is going on with queen. Perhaps some special arrangement.</p>
<p>I am not the person to ask for anything really LC or Theatre related. I know kids at RH do lots of theatre but its not a major, just an avocation. And they have fun.</p>
<p>Acting careers are a tough road. Really tough. Depends on the talent and the inspiration and drive…willing to wait tables and bartend to make ends meet until the call for real work comes in. Even kids at conservatories for theatre face this problem, including USC and UCLA. </p>
<p>Nothing wrong with Lewis and Clark but its a small school in a part of the country that is very different from New York. </p>
<p>I also wouldnt put admissions as the folks who know a lot about transfering majors as they dont have any control over that, its the department heads, the Dean of Students, and of course any auditions you do. Admissions employs people to answer phones…just saying.</p>
<p>at the end of the day, this is your decision and its the first big adult decision in life you will make. Its not easy. But we cant do it for you.</p>
<p>My view is get a good education to fall back on in case acting/theatre doesnt work out, regardless of whether its our major or not. Be wary of the starving artist syndrome.</p>
<p>Hi! I was actually admitted off of the wait list, which happened after May 1st, so I have until the 23rd to respond. I’m just trying to figure everything out. As of right now I think that I’m going to try to transfer into the Theatre department, and if not try to minor in it. Thanks for your advice/information!</p>
<p>Email the Theater dept.'s chair and ask for numbers: how many Theater minors get roles? How many get into a theater MAJOR after auditions, if they choose to go that route? How many Theater majors double major with something else?</p>
<p>I’ll do that, thanks!</p>
<p>I asked my S a few questions to help you out and here is what he said…</p>
<p>First, there were 5 transfers into Performance for the Class of 2014. Two were minors to major and three were from other schools. One of the transfers did not graduate. Matthew (head of the program) says the acceptance rate is equally the same but everyone else thinks it is much easier to get in from outside. Some of those admitted as freshman transferred to other majors or schools as well and they ended up graduating 17. </p>
<p>Second, and I don’t mean to sound harsh, but minors don’t get parts if they’re not good. You have to be right for the part AND talented. But even if you audition and are not cast in a MainStage…and not getting cast doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not good…there are a lot more opportunities to be cast in studio shows. In fact, getting cast in a studio show is one way to get noticed and invited into the program. And the studio shows are really good! </p>
<p>So you risk coming to Fordham and not being accepted into the program and honestly, you should probably expect the worst but prepare, work hard and hope for the best. So…can you be happy as a Theatre minor? I know from your other thread that you were planning on majoring in English and minoring in Theatre. I think that is an excellent plan. Even if you get in, it is doable but VERY difficult to double major with Theatre Performance. My S’s roommate did it but I have no idea how many AP’s he came in with or where he placed with the language requirement. My S doubled with Playwriting and he worked his @$$ off. Scheduling classes in two majors can also be very difficult bc the Theatre dept is so small and there are only one or two sections offered per course.</p>
<p>You also risk going to L&C and discovering that they just aren’t able to provide the training you desire and your classmates may or may not be that talented. I’d be a little worried about not finding out much about the program before you go. But then again, I’m not sure what it is you are looking to do after you graduate and so it might not matter. If you are just looking for opportunities to get on stage as much as possible you might get that at L&C. Then again, you might not.</p>
<p>Here is the info on the theatre minor at Fordham.
<a href=“http://www.fordham.edu/academics/programs_at_fordham_/theatre_department/prospective_students/training__curriculum/theatre_minor_69143.asp”>http://www.fordham.edu/academics/programs_at_fordham_/theatre_department/prospective_students/training__curriculum/theatre_minor_69143.asp</a></p>
<p>If you are ready for New York, then come and train with the best (faculty and students) whether you are a minor or major. Audition for the studio shows your first semester and hopefully you will be cast and get noticed. And if you sing at all, do NOT miss taking Song as Scene with two time Tony nominee, Alison Fraser. It was one of my S’s favorite classes at Fordham.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>So when I read this over this morning I realized there are two other points I think you should think about. </p>
<p>First, the Fordham theatre minors are NOT all major rejects. Some did get rejected for the major but I would bet that most of them simply have multiple interests and chose to minor in theatre bc the major is so time consuming it doesn’t leave a lot of room to pursue other areas of study. In fact, I could see my S having just as easily majored in English or French or Art History and had he done that, well, he could have graduated a year early but what I’m going for is that he could have had time to take more elective classes or study abroad or pursue an internship and that just wasn’t an option for him. </p>
<p>Second, my S’s gf transferred in from a school in CA during her Sophomore year. She said that she knew her first semester that her first school was not going to challenge her. A good deal of work in Theatre Performance is preparing scenes with your peers. She felt her peers in that first school were not focused enough or as talented as the students in the top audition based programs. She came to Fordham bc the students were, for the most part, serious about their studies and she felt that could only bring her skill set up. I know she is not unhappy that she transferred to Fordham BUT she never quite felt like she had the full college experience that my S had since she didn’t start with everyone else. Still, she was in several MainStage productions and a number of studio shows as well.</p>
<p>So you need to decide by tomorrow. You probably have as much info as you can get to make an informed decision. But don’t discount the power of your gut feelings. I hope you come to Fordham personally if you are excited about it but don’t come just bc you got in off the wait list if you just feel more comfortable attending L&C. New York can be a bit much if you’re not ready for it and it will still be here when you graduate. Good luck, er, break a leg! :)</p>
<p>Hi—first, I wanted to thank you so much for taking the time to reply so thoroughly. I’ve thought about this a lot and struggled with it greatly, and in the end I’ve realized that it just isn’t the best place for me to train. Fordham is a great school, but not the school for me. (There were also a lot of outside issues involving finances, family, etc.)</p>
<p>Thanks for replying. I know that this is a cutthroat world, and in all honesty the chances of me being able to transfer in are so low as to be impossible. I just had to be realistic with myself. I don’t know where I’ll end up in three years, or five years, but I am confident that it will be somewhere great. Thanks again!</p>
<p>We are sorry to lose you. I did forget that you were a waitlist admission.<br>
You will always be welcome at Fordham I am certain.<br>
Theater and dramatic arts are a very tough career choice because its so competitive. Nothing wrong with dreams. Nothing wrong with making your best efforts. But the world of professional artists often depends on agents and other factors to get big breaks in the business. This is true for musicians and singing artists as well.<br>
We werent trying to scare you off, but instead give you the true picture of that career choice. On the other hand, being a theater major or minor isnt limited to acting as a profession. Any liberal arts degree is very pliable and applicable in many career situations. </p>
<p>New York is a competitive city. Its fabulous, but its also very serious and hyperactive. Its an adjustment for anyone coming from another part of the country. However, New York also boasts the highest number of out of state students in the country. Tens of thousands of them. It is transforming for most of them. Including my kid, who is a Fordham Phi Beta Kappa graduate, has a Masters Degree now and is very likely returning to New York early next year because she is going to marry her Fordham sweetheart. </p>
<p>We all wish you the very best in your college choice and your career, regardless where that will be. </p>
<p>God bless.</p>