<p>I would love to hear updates on how all the students are feeling about their BFA/BA programs after all that time and effort we all spent on helping them make the perfect college selection!</p>
<p>My D is at Ball State, BFA Musical Theatre and Honors College, and says she is having the time of her life and is 100% sure she made the right decision to attend. She loves the professors and curriculum and mostly, "the passion every performer has for his/her craft." She said she has never experienced anything like this and ironically, she attended a performing arts high school!</p>
<p>Hope your students' comments are equally as favorable.</p>
<p>I’ve heard a lot actually but it feels like I could give a more meaningful answer and provide some specifics to the theatre/MT experience if I wait longer to reply. Also some students, especially those in schools on the quarter system just got to school in the last week or so.</p>
<p>I’d suggest bumping this thread maybe in January after the students have been home over winter break?</p>
<p>I will report–D is an AT at Hartt and just loves it. Has a lot of friends who are MTs, and the ATs and MTs have acting and some singing class together the first year. It’s very intense–freshmen don’t perform but have crew assignments and D was assigned to stage manage a mainstage show–rehearsals began the first day of school and take 25 hours/week. They do 10 fully staged shows a year, and 8 sophomore workshop shows. Each class goes through as an ensemble. </p>
<p>The freshman AT class is 12 (8 boys), MT is 24. It’s said they are planning for a smaller MT class next year. But even so this makes for a family atmosphere. There’s been real challenge, in class, in readings, in just fitting everything into the day–but there’s been such friendliness and welcome and a sense of working hard together that it’s less stressful than it might be. She feels the teachers, and the directors of the shows (some are professors, some are guests) are wonderful and that she’s learning so much.</p>
<p>It’s a very suburban setting–West Hartford makes a perfect college town, but the center is 3 miles away and the bus only runs Fri-Sun. And it would be nicer if the (gorgeous, brand-new) Performing Arts building was on the main campus, instead of a five minute shuttle ride away. The academics, few as they are, are limp. But for a kid who wanted to dive deep into theater, it’s heaven.</p>
<p>I can’t speak too much about the classes or training, since I think it’s too early for me to evaluate that without a long chat with my boys – but I’ll share some initial observations:</p>
<p>Both my boys are happy. The freshman classes are both filled with friendly, talented kids and they’ve all bonded. It’s very cute to hear about all this via calls, texts, facebook posts.</p>
<p>S1 at Pace is loving the program. He says the talent level is very high. He likens it to “playing in the majors” i.e., all the kids were the leads in their high school shows and they all have great community theatre credits (and some even have professional credits.) He loves all his new friends and the upperclassmen have gone out of their way to welcome the new students. He enjoys working with Ryan Scott Oliver and is excited that Adam Guettel is the new artist-in-residence at Pace. Of course, being in Manhattan is the icing on the cupcake!</p>
<p>S2 at Rider also loves his program. Each week they have a master class with an expert. Already they’ve had Laura Osnes; the dance captain and another cast member from ‘Newsies,’ as well as a few top casting directors. He loves that. Also loves all his new friends and again, the upperclassmen have been very welcoming. In various groups, the freshmen have gone into NYC via the train to see shows and to visit the Broadway flea market in Shubert Alley. S2 especially enjoys working with his private voice teacher who also works with established performers in NYC, and with the dance professor Robin Lewis.</p>
<p>I don’t check in here as much as I used to, but skimming the boards the past couple days puts me right back at this time last year, so to all the parents out there starting the process, try to enjoy it! Stay organized and keep your sense of humor. The right school is out there for your kids.</p>
<p>My S is at Wagner College, Staten Island, NY as a Theater Performance (BA MT) major and is in their Honors program. He’s a ferry ride from Manhattan, and has already been navigating his way into and around the city. He loves his classes and has found the faculty to be engaging and very helpful. The school produces 4 Mainstage musicals, 4 Stage One plays, and two different student run Theater groups also exist on campus, providing another 8 production opportunities. Freshman don’t perform in Theater Dept Mainstage shows in their first semester since those shows were cast the previous spring. My S has been cast in a student run production of [title of show], so he’s thrilled to be back in “show mode”. He’ll also be working front of house for the next Mainstage musical. All Theater Performance majors must work 4 productions (tech, crew, design, house mgmt) before graduation, so many try to knock those assignments out in their first two years. Freshman must audition for the Spring shows, so he’s excited for that opportunity. The best part for us is he’s less than an hour from home, so we can see the shows on campus, or can meet him in Manhattan. We just saw the first Mainstage show of the school year, Sondheim’s PUTTING IT TOGETHER, and the director was able to get approval from Stephen Sondheim for changes he wished to make for this production. The Maestro would be proud…the talent was tremendous! We’re excited to see him in [title of show] in 2 weeks, and looking forward to the next 4 years of Wagner College Theater. After the first few weeks of settling in at school, he feels confident he’s made the right choice and is where he belongs. We do, too…it’s a huge relief after the stress of the college admission/audition process.</p>
<p>Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using CC</p>
<p>S1 (BM MT) and S2 (BFA MT) are thrilled with their first 8 weeks and are fully immersed. Their class of 9 MTs is already a family and the upperclassman, are also very welcoming and supportive. Freshman are permitted to audition for FSU productions and both S1 and S2 have been cast in mainstage and student directed shows. Lots of long days with classes at 9 am and rehearsals ending late into the evening, but they would not have it any other way. We will be excited to see them perform in a a few weeks. They have an excellent balance of dance, voice and acting training. The faculty is very gifted, available, and supportive . Although they are a long way from NY, FSU brings in alum and Broadway performing veterans to work with the students and one is choreographing one of the shows. After a very taxing audition and application process last year, it is of great comfort to me as a parent that they are in the perfect place for them.</p>
<p>Thank you to everyone who has posted updates! As a mom to a senior who will be auditioning soon, it is nice to know there is light at the end of the tunnel :)</p>
<p>Nccpdad, I would love to hear about differences your Ss have found between the BM and BFA programs at FSU. My D is applying for the BM…her audition is in February. She is very excited!</p>
<p>I agree with halflokum. One of you might want to bookmark this thread and revisit it in January. Initial impressions of a program or campus, while interesting, aren’t as reflective, or useful, as they will be after a semester there. It will also have the possibility of providing contacts for this year’s applicants when they’re at the point of looking for more information on the schools on their list. A current student who has been through at least one semester can be very helpful.</p>
<p>Of course more will be known in January, but I hope people will keep posting along the way-- maybe some upperclassmen or parents of, who can post here, and I’ve learned a lot from these posts already. Wish we’d had a resource like this last year. (Though the freshman year experience thread helped a lot…hmmmm, I’m going to see if I can bump it.)</p>
I agree with Gwen Fairfax. Initial impressions (and this is 2 months into the semester for many) are useful in a different way than reflections made halfway through or at the end of the year. The narrative arc provides a record. I’m interested in reading these impressions and I hope that poster will not be discouraged by well-meaning admonishments to hold back.</p>
<p>With all due respect, where did I admonish anyone to hold back? It’s perfectly fine to share experiences and first impressions, but I can assure you that the information to be shared in January or June will be more useful and informative. I wasn’t admonishing anyone to wait until January to post anything but rather to be sure to share what they know by that time. Most students have only been at school for less than a month and a half. We often see initial reports here and then no continued reports in any degree of detail that would actually be helpful to this year’s applicants. My comment was in the hopes that that would not be the case this year.</p>
<p>My daughter is on the other side of the country in a +3 time zone and I won’t actually lay eyes on her until December. Although I’ve heard from her and she has shared initial observations I don’t feel close to being able to tie up my impressions of NYU’s MT program with a bow yet. For example if she says: “The classes are incredible”, what exactly does that mean? I’d like the luxury of time to ask her in what way she finds classes different from the kind of training that she had before college and for more details about the experience of working with her talented classmates. I feel like if I could share something more concrete, it would be more helpful to anyone considering NYU. Otherwise I’d just be saying she likes it. But my daughter liking it doesn’t mean someone else considering the program would like it. </p>
<p>Over a chat, Skype or phone call, we never get to this sort of detail because there is always something else that needs to be covered like “it’s getting cold and I don’t think my coat is warm enough” followed shortly by: “I’ve got to get back to my homework now”. Over break I’ll have the luxury of extended conversations specific to the program. Then I promise to write the most helpful post I can come up with because I do think NYU is fantastic and it is the sort of experience where one should truly understand what they are getting into. The MT program is big and NYU is NYC. The boundaries of where the campus ends and the city takes over don’t exist and it is a lot to take in.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the responses! This is the best of both worlds…those of us who have kids already taking midterms, and those just getting their feet wet. I do know for a lot of kids their initial few weeks in impression of college will either make them feel like they’ve made the right decision, or make them feel like they want to jump ship. </p>
<p>So, post now if you like and I will definitely bump this back up in January too.</p>
<p>I know at almost halfway through her first semester, my D is happy to be working hard doing what she is passionate about, despite very little sleep…usually 4-5 hours a night! Her free time isn’t typically spent at parties or sporting events, but instead at the college productions, shows in town, or shows traveling through. I love that she is making time to support her fellow performers in that way. She considers ALL the MT’s, actors, dancers, techs, etc. her friends and extended family. She is learning new techniques from her voice teacher that are helping her expand her range and surviving critiques from her Russian ballet teacher : ) She has survived learning to do laundry (even the tights/leotard drip-dries), her first bad cold/trip to the Health Center, figuring out public transportation in her area, and how to live on a budget! I couldn’t be happier for her.</p>
<p>She is excited to be able to audition in November for the Spring shows. Freshman couldn’t audition for Fall shows which was fine with her because she wanted the time to get established in her new environment.</p>
<p>My D is adjusting to life in on the opposite coast from her family and friends. Just wanted to let everyone know that, while I love hearing about the kids who are thrilled with their schools from the get go, it is also normal to take some time to settle in and feel comfortable. D came from a very supportive environment with a very close circle of friends, and a place at the top of the “food chain” in her theater department. It was a bit of a shock to land 3000 miles away with a bunch of strangers, all of whom are uber talented as is she. Labor Day weekend was hard, as it seemed that most of the kids at UArts went home, and she was alone. My mommy heart was sad.</p>
<p>Now we are 6 weeks later, and all is well. D is happy, has friends, realizes that she does, indeed, belong there with all the rest of the talented kids. She loves her academic classes, is working hard in her acting and voice classes, is getting her butt kicked in 3 different dance classes. She is walking all over exploring Philadelphia and seeing alot of shows. And happy to report that she just got cast in her first production (one of only 4 girls cast in a Cole Porter review). </p>
<p>So, if you get less than stellar reports from your freshman in the first few weeks, hang in there, be encouraging, and most likely things will work out just fine.</p>
<p>My D is at Pace in the BFA-MT program and absolutely loves it. The first week or two was a whirlwind including unexpected BFA meetings, and auditions for diagnostic feedback and the fall productions. These were usually held after classroom hours sometimes going until 10pm. Her daytime schedule took some getting used to too since her classes are located in the financial district, Canal St. for dance and the Upper West Side for voice. She has no complaints because she loves the city but is looking forward to the new performing arts building opening soon! [Pace</a> University - Performing Arts - New Building - YouTube](<a href=“Pace University - Performing Arts - New Building - YouTube”>Pace University - Performing Arts - New Building - YouTube)</p>
<p>My S is a BFA-MT freshman on the opposite coast at Pace University. He has wanted to go to school in NYC since he was in grade school and was in heaven when we has accepted, with scholarships, into three top notch programs in the city. For years it has been NYU or bust in our house but as he learned more about the program at Pace from friends living in NYC and his own research Pace took over as his top choice going into auditions last winter. He is thrilled with the program so far and the very high level of talent of his fellow students. In a note sent a couple of days after classes started he patted himself on the back for choosing Pace. I can say this feeling has not changed at all so far. He is thriving in the city, has made numerous friends and has zero signs of homesickness. He is enjoying all of his classes. One of which is a 6 unit honors class that is an integrated learning community on Middle East religion and history they have already spent 2 classes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art! It is thrilling for him to be studying music theory with Ryan Scott Oliver. S was cast in the fall main stage musical Spring Awakening, which is directed by NYC casting director Bob Cline (also on the Pace faculty), and he is very honored to have that opportunity as well. He is also over the moon excited about Adam Guettel (Light in the Piazza composer/lyricist) as the artist in residence this year. We see him already, in just the month and a half he has been on campus, starting to build those connections that will hopefully serve him well in the future which is what he hoped for in choosing Pace. It will be interesting to see how he feels at the end of the semester and get more in-depth discussions when he is home for Christmas break.</p>
<p>I watched the video about Pace’s new performing arts building. It’s a very exciting addition to their program. Glad all of your students are doing so well. Looks like a great school :)</p>