Hi everyone! I’m an international student (living in Dubai) who wants to pursue screen acting as a career. I was accepted to UCSB, UC Irvine, UC Berkeley, CalArts, Loyola Marymount University, Boston University, Pepperdine, and USD (scholarship) and was waitlisted at Emerson College and NYU Tisch.
I’m deciding between LMU, BU, and Berkeley for a major in acting/theatre but since I’m international, I don’t know much about the programs at all, despite all the research I’ve done. The difference is only BU is a BFA program in acting/theatre, whereas the other two are BA programs in theatre arts (LMU) and Theatre and Performance Studies (Berkeley). I’ve also heard stories about Berkeley and how they don’t have any opportunities in the creative arts, nor do they give it attention whatsoever. I know LMU has one of the most amazing programs but it doesn’t hold the prestige that the other two do. I visited LMU and loved it, but didn’t visit Berkeley or BU.
I want a school that has the best program for an aspiring actor, amazing connections in the industry, and a great college experience, school spirit, and scene.
If you have any advice whatsoever, please reach out to me as the deadline is May 1 and I am completely torn. Thank you so much!!!
So the BU BFA program is a intensive conservatory based program that has an extremely competitive application process. Congratulations on an incredible admit! If you are interested in an acting career you cant go wrong with that choice.
I can’t see why you’d consider Berkeley, for what you want. It has neither the intensive program you want, nor a particularly advantageous location for performing arts. (I assume you know that Berkeley is not at all close to LA - the “connections” are more likely to be in Silicon Valley than Hollywood!) Plus it’s wildly overpriced for non-residents, and the housing crunch is nightmarish.
Leaving UCB aside, it seems to me that the most important consideration between LMU and BU is whether you want the BFA or the BA. You sound as if, all else being equal, you would want a BFA, but maybe I’m reading that wrong.
If you do want conservatory-level intensity in the context of a university that’s well-respected academically, the BFA at BU seems to me like your best bet. There’s always the LA Semester program to make west coast connections USA Los Angeles Internship | Study Abroad
LMU is good too - lots of industry connections - if you were a film major I’d probably give LMU the edge, but for acting, the BFA vs. BA tips it in favor of BU in my opinion. (It’s a close call, though… and maybe, coming from Dubai, you’d rather not learn about the joys of winter in New England? )
OTOH, if you want to be right in the thick of things and doing auditions the whole time you’re in school, with an eye toward breaking in whether you’ve finished school or not, then CalArts might be the way to go. But (again, impression based on limited info) you sound like you want the full college experience and the academic prestige - you’re clearly a strong student too, to have gotten into the schools you did. Given all that, I think BU covers your bases the best.
thank you so much for your reply! i actually have had the exact same conversation to my mum and came to the conclusion that BU is the best place for me. I just committed today and i am so excited to join in the fall!!! thank you so much for your reply tho, you’re completely right