@DoinResearch my child was pursuing MT. In this process and acting you really have no safeties. There were schools that were academic safeties that alluded us artistically. She had very specific goals and had she not been accepted at one of her 11 choice schools she would have taken a gap year!
@DoinResearch : I understand your concerns about your son supporting himself—definitely important! But this piece in the Washington Post was quite interesting, I thought. (I’m not directing this at you as if you were a “parent who won’t let her kid study literature”—your remark just put me in mind of the article I’d read the other day!)
Take a peek and see what you think, if you’re inclined:
Hi @letterhead I’ve had people say to me “You’re going to let him do that?!” when I say acting is his thing for college. and yes, I’m definitely going to let him do that. I went to design school, and 31 years later I started my own design business. If I can live as an artist, he can too. He’s seen me go from corporate job to design business. I just don’t want a shocked, deer in the headlight realization that the college cocoon produces the butterfly, and then there should be some flyin’…the expectation and belief that he can/will support himself while he works at living his dream.
Interesting article, with the economy the way it is, I understand why parents are looking at return on investment. I often wonder, should Dude take a gap year, go out there and audition and work crazy hard, learn how to deal with rejection, and then go to college for acting, once he’s been exposed to life’s realities, knowing he can handle what’s at the other end? Which of course is a different thread. Right now I’m just creating a college list for the fair. But when I asked him how he’d support himself while working for his “break” he replied “hot dog vendor” 
Eeek! @toowonderful , You mean a precollege program is different between BA and BFA schools? I just really was looking for an easy drive. And also, I think he prefers a more urban setting.
@DoinResearch - I think strong pre college programs are a reflection of what actual curriculum would be. (As opposed to theater camp that takes place on a college campus). Others would know more specifics, but Northwestern is a BA not a BFA- therefore I would think their summer program might reflect that. Therefore, if your S want to “try out” a BFA style curriculum, that might not be ideal. But to be honest - I don’t have concrete knowledge of the cherubs curriculum. My D applied and was accepted, but ultimately chose a different summer program. She does have a number of friends who went- and liked it a lot.
My D went to the precollege programs at Rutgers and at CMU. Both were helpful, and both were representative of the time committment and intensity of a BFA program. Further, I think colleges value when kids do these programs, because I think they then know that these kids actually know what they are getting into.
I didn’t decide to get a BFA until my senior year of high school, so you’re very ahead!
In addition to all of the great advice already given, I would have liked to have known that while this process is stressful, it all ends up okay! Everything is temporary and in the end it doesn’t matter how many schools you get into, because you only ned up attending one, anyways. It’ll all be ok!