Hi! I was hoping to get some input from people who know about the programs I’ve been accepted into to help me make a decision on where to go! I’m still waiting on 6 schools but they’re all reaches so I’m trying to focus on the schools I’ve gotten into right now. I want to major in theatre, likely emphasizing in performance but I’m not too sure. I also want to double major or minor in linguistics or some form of communications. Having music classes is important to me as is strong study abroad programs. I’m from Washington state and would really like to go OOS but I’m not ruling out the Washington schools solely because of that. Prestige isn’t the most important to me but that does not detract from the lure of it! I’m also vegan so it’s important to me I have food options and I don’t drive so I’d like to have good public transportation.
Acceptances so far:
Northern Arizona University - I really only applied here because my father wanted me to, I don’t think this school is in the running anymore.
Western Washington University - This was also a safety, I honestly don’t know much about it.
San Diego State University - I got to tour the campus last year and absolutely adored it. I auditioned with the musical theatre track and got approved but am not sure how I feel about having to audition for the musical theatre class each round. Also not sure how I feel about the grad students getting priority for roles. I’m also worried it might be too much of a party school for me? Still waiting to hear back from the honors program
Chapman University - My cousin goes here but I drove by the campus and really didn’t like the area. I’m admitted as a Theatre BA but I’m concerned the BFA students would get higher priority in classes, shows, etc. I got the Provost scholarship but it’s still about the same price as SDSU.
University of Washington - I know a lot of people who go here which I honestly kind of wanted to get away from. This is one of the schools I didn’t have to submit supplemental drama material for which makes me worry I don’t have a gauge of how well I’d artistically fit in the program. Admitted into the honors college.
UC San Diego - Admitted as a Drama major in Muir College. I honestly don’t know much about the school, I liked the virtual tour I took though.
Hey, congrats on your great options! I’d say Chapman’s probably best for theatre but you don’t seem too crazy on it which is cool. I agree the area is kinda bland lol (no offence to everyone, just not an OC fan). I’d suggest you look in further detail into both San Diego schools. SDSU is probably better for theatre and you seem to have the most optimistic feelings about it. There’s always a danger with getting lost in huge state schools like that though, so keep that in mind as most of your options here are big state schools. What are the 6 schools you’re still waiting on?
Did you check the housing price - over four years for each contender? SDSU was the most expensive on our list for on campus. I believe UCSD seems mfa focused though not sure so would ask and is a very academically rigorous campus. Chapman is an excellent program and the neighborhood has great restaurants and proximity to Disneyland (for jobs and fun) and beaches is great (though you get that at SD too).
Thank you! I have heard strong things about the Chapman program and will probably continue to look into it. Do you happen to know if the good reviews of the program are general or focused in the BFA? I was also thinking SDSU has a better program than UCSD but I’ve seen multiple lists which have UCSD as one of the top 5 acting schools in the country which confuses me. Could be the grad program? I don’t have huge concerns about going to a large school, I’ve gone to really small schools my whole life so I’m looking for a change. I’m waiting on Lehigh, UCB, Northwestern, UPenn, Harvard, and Stanford.
I’m not too worried about the cost. I’ve accepted that I’ll probably end up in California so I’m expecting it to be expensive regardless, I mostly want to make sure I’m getting what I’m paying for. I did get to look in one of the dorms at SDSU and didn’t really feel like that would be my money’s worth so a good portion of that decision could very well stem from my honors college decision since the virtual tour I took of those dorms looked nicer. I guess I should keep looking into Chapman. I feel UCSD’s overall cost kind of balances out SDSU’s housing cost. Thank you for your input!
Interesting about the differences in rankings. I think there’s definite advantages to attending a UC over a Cal State in terms of how certain things are funded, so from the outset I might give UCSD an edge. However that’s obviously just one factor. I think Chapman is specifically quite well regarded for film, can’t speak about theatre. And out of those 6 reaches I’d say there’s statistically a decent chance of getting into one more! So your list may well evolve.
1 Like
Off campus prices near Chapman are much more reasonable than UCSD or SDSU, just saying!
Going to CA from out of state is going to cost around 65k a year. Drama is just not employable enough to pay that kind of money for a degree. If you’re planning to take out large student loans to pay for it…just DON’T. It’ll wreck your life in ways you can’t imagine.
That being said, you need more in-state match and safeties on the list. I would suggest WSU. UW is a good school, but if you ever want to change your major to something marketable, they’re near impossible to get into. Western WA sounds like a “get dad off my back” kind of safety school you’re not serious about. WSU is a good balance of “great school” with flexibility if you decide to change your major.
Going out of state is generally an unwise decision. The cost is triple to in-state with no additional benefits. Also, if a layoff/business failure happens (happening a lot more lately), you’d be in a very bad position, and would have to lose credits transferring back home. With in-state, you could finish your degree on student loans and be fine.
Hi. I don’t want this reply to at all sound rude but I have thought through each of these issues. I don’t mean to brag about my family’s wealth but my parents do intend to pay for my college tuition and they are aware how much CA will cost. I don’t plan to take out loans, my parents have been working towards paying for my college since before I was born. My father is from SoCal so he knows what we’d be getting into.
There is little value in finding match and safety schools when I have already gotten into some of my top choices. I am aware drama is difficult to earn a living in which is why I plan to double major in some form of communications as well. I’m also looking into gaining certification to work as a vocal coach, possibly not within college, which does pay fairly well. I have done my research on the schools in Washington and UW and WWU are the only schools I found which have my desired programs. I don’t need to get into why I want to go OOS on this forum but I have broader reasons than “dad get off my back.”
In regards to your point about a layoff/business failure, I assume you’re referring to my parents. Again, I don’t need to get into personal details on this forum, but neither of my parents are at all in positions of risk.
Again, I don’t mean for this reply to come across as rude but I did not appreciate the assumptions made about my future career goals and about my family’s income. Your points are fair, but they could have been made a lot nicer 
1 Like
Update: Accepted to Lehigh, rejected from UC Berkeley
Neither my parents nor I are too stoked about Lehigh’s location and I didn’t finish applying for financial aid so it’s not looking too likely that’s where I end up but I’m still open to hearing about the school/theatre program!
Stanford is probably my top school, what are the chances of getting in after getting rejected from UCB? I got rejected from UCLA too but that one didn’t faze me at all because I had to submit an audition supplement and the material wasn’t the best choice, which I knew.