<p>Theater program at UCLA has taken a hit in recent years due to CA budget problems. I’m sure it’s still a great program, and it may be just what you’re looking for, but the department has shrunk somewhat. There is more information about this on CC and elsewhere.</p>
<p>OOS is well beyond our budget so we would have to move before kiddo startts school if they get their heart set on UCLA. Acdemically, they have a chance at admission(I think). Is UCLA one of schools taht offers boht a BFA and a BA and the Ba altohgth competitive, is easier to get into than BFA? and kid and I talked; we will try to visit UCLA while we are out there; if kiddo falls in love with campus, school, and program, we’ll discuss options. if they could happiy see themselves at other schools too, we’ll just focus on other schools. and theatre mom, thanks again for the advice on Chapman. in reolooking over the school with a few months under our belt on what fine tuning what kid is looking for, it looks like a great choice. odds are kiddo will at least apply and we’ll take it from there.</p>
<p>UCLA is a hybrid program. It is a BA with lots of gen ed and possibility of minoring in other subjects AND a structured theater program teaching a core set of skills. It’s a lot of work, though, and the gen ed comes first. Both the school as a whole and the department are extremely competitive. As I remember, the tour was great, however. Ask lots of questions about cuts in the department budget and performance opportunities for undergrads.</p>
<p>ctl…do you have twins applying to theater? I can’t figure it out because you keep using the word " them", but also kiddo? Just curious:) We live in CA, about 2 hours from LA. We visited USC already and my S LOVED the the theater program. He didn’t really like the location of the school and the fact that you really couldn’t go off campus as it is ugly and in a bad neighborhood. They had armed guards at every street corner. It wasn’t bad enough in his mind to override how much he loved the theater program, so it is very high on his list right now. </p>
<p>Originally he hadn’t really thought about Chapman because it is too close to home, but he did a workshop with a Chapman admission rep, and now he is all about it. I also know someone whose S is having an amazing experience there in the acting program. Chapman will be seeing my S this fall at for an EA audition on campus. I think it is definitely worth a look. I have heard it is beautiful as well, you also can’t beat the weather. I think it seems true to it’s laid back, beachy, So Cal vibe.</p>
<p>My S has taken UCLA off his list. We have heard it is a VERY intense program, and have had too many budget cuts lately to make us feel comfortable. For the right kid it is probably perfect though. Contrary to USC, it is in the best neighborhood in LA, and a stunning campus.</p>
<p>5boys, just one kid. trying to conceal their gender for anonymity. that’s why I use “they” so much. “they” will be very fussy if they find this page :). and thanks for the tips. It sounds like UCLA may be too academically intense for mine too based on everyone’s recent posts. They could handle it if they set their mind to it but juggling college and acting interest will be challenging enough as is. We just added Chapman to our visit list and I’m juggling the logistics to make it work. we may have to cut Pomona visit or just do a Pomona tour on our own. luckily, we are staying part of the time near the OC beaches so at least we’ll be close to Chapman. USC does sound a bit scary as far as neighborhood goes… 
is the campus safe? Temple, which is in Philly is well known its surrounding neighborhood too 
but on campus is supposed to be very safe and there are a lot of Temple police officers to keep it that way. is USC similar? that does concern us as in the parents about USC. And perhaps our kids will end up in theater together at the same school!</p>
<p>I went to college in what was considered a “terrible” city neighborhood, but it never bothered me. The campus itself was beautiful and safe. If you did what you were supposed to do, you were fine - no need to live in fear. But some people don’t like that kind of urban atmosphere - especially parents! I’d say, if the kids are all right with it, go ahead and apply. Maybe when decision time comes, the location might be a factor, but it shouldn’t be a deterrent at this point.</p>
<p>actually, kid is anxious to go to school in large metro area. and Emmybet, ur advice mirrors exactly what the kid told me. and it did simplify the college search A LOT to focus only on big cities. What concerns me about Temple and USC is that both are adjacent to very bad neighborhoods. But as you noted, u went to school in a similar environment and it worked out fine. and it’s not a deterrent to applying at all. it is one factor I will give advice on but I plan to leave the final decision on where to attend college to the kid. in the case of Temple, we have discussed that the strength of their theatre and mass communications programs and robust merit aid outweighs the bad neighborhood issues. and I have had a chance to ask people who live in Philly how to make the commute as safe as possible if the kid moves off campus.</p>
<p>Hello everyone. Threed here. I have been off of CC for quite awhile due to work, however, I am checking in to see how things are going.</p>
<p>I have looked into Chapman due to their film acting prrogram and spoke to a very nice lady in the office who provided the following TENTATIVE infornation:</p>
<p>New audition dates are scheduled to be posted on or near 1 Jul 13</p>
<p>The actual online appt. system will hopefully go live on 1 Aug 13</p>
<p>The First Entrance audition date for the Dept. of Theatre will be 25 Oct 13</p>
<p>If you have questions please contact Chapman on or after Monday 1 Jul 13 when the dept. of theatre reopens.</p>
<p>Any specific information please send me a PM.</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Thanks for the info on Chapman Threed… I have been waiting on the EA audition dates, so this is happy news.</p>
<p>ctl… thanks for the clarification… I totally get it:) I am happy to have another theater mom going through this with me this year. Sounds like our kids have some of the same schools on their lists. </p>
<p>On Pomona… my S and I visited Pitzer( S did not like) and Pomona last year. He fell in love with Pomona. They have what looked like a great theater program, and you actually take all of your classes in your major their no matter what school in the 5 school consortium you are in, if you are a theater major. But, be warned, Pomona is a VERY hard admit. Take a look at their average test scores…Yikes:) But it may be easier for a kid outside of CA. </p>
<p>Of all the LA schools( we visited LMU, USC, OXY, UCSB and the Claremont schools) my S liked USC best, but OXY is a close second. If you come out to LA, I would check OXY out. It seemed to be a fantastic place for theater. I think they have a visit program in Decemeber, where you can stay overnight, attend theater classes, audition( for scholarship), and see a play. I’m pretty sure my S is going to do that. It is a BEAUTIFUL school, a ton of movies and TV shows have used their campus for shoots. It is in an upscale neighborhood near Pasadena.</p>
<p>5boys, thanks for the tips. We should stay in touch during process. I will put Oxy on list of potential schools. We are juggling school visits and vacation in a 2 week period so it is getting a bit tricky. We consider Pomona and USC to both be reaches. however, if kiddo could get in Pomona, it would be a ticket to get out to LA since they offer outstanding financial aid. we planned to look at Azusa Pacific and they are very close so I thought we could try to see both in the same day. and we will be staying VERY close to Oxy for part of the trip so that may be very doable. the campus looks lovely online. What were ur thoughts on LMU? I am thinking now that USC and Chapman are MUST see’s. we already have the visit on USC set up and I will set Chapman up. i will somehow prioritize any other visits based on availability of screen acting training, quality of program, and is school a good personality match for the kid… Truly appreciate ur insights.</p>
<p>Personally, I would stick to schools in LA or NY known for garnering connections in the acting community if your kid really wants a film, TV and voice career. LMU has a good film school like USC and Chapman with a good reputation in Hollywood. Id say that it is worth more of a look then Oxy if you only have time for one extra visit since the school as a whole has stronger connections to the industry. I gather that was your point for your question about going to college in LA or not. It’s for the intangible things such as the people you meet and opportunities within LA due to a school there.</p>
<p>LMU offers merit aid as well for stats like your kids.</p>
<p>Statistically speaking, the overwhelming majority of working actors in LA and NYC did not go to college there. </p>
<p>CMU is in Pittsburgh and it would be tough to name a school that has a bigger presence in New York and Hollywood. If you ask me, there is plenty of time to go to LA or NYC once a kid graduates. We are talking about 4 years out of what will (hopefully) be a 40+ year career.</p>
<p>I agree with shacherry that LMU is probably better use of your time if she does want to focus on Film/TV. Oxy is a small LAC that is not really known for that… although is does have a great theater program, just nor as wow, wow as say, USC or UCLA. LMU is an absolutely stunning campus with views of LA that will take your breath away. It seems to be dripping in money. My S just thought it seemed to much like his small private HS, and was too sleepy for him, and maybe not “edgy” enough. He likes the kind of hipster vibe. We unfortunately didn’t get to see any of the theater facilities on our tour, so if you go, try to check that out.</p>