Where else did you love? What are other small urban schools?
Have you checked out Marymount Manhattan, Columbia college (Chicago) or Roosevelt in Chicago?
We will definitely put CCC on our list. He’s a potential design/tech major and Marymount and Roosevelt don’t have that.
My son, who is applying as a theater tech major, has a friend who just finished his freshman year at CCC. He liked it. It’s on my son’s list but I don’t think it’s financially feasible for us.
Pace may be too big but they have it. Does DePaul?
What else is on your son’s list Techmom99?
Jane -
SUNY Purchase, which he visited and liked, and which I can afford, even without aid, is the number 1 choice.
Pace, which he’s seeing next week, but which my daughter says is not worthwhile. Her exbf’s cousin started there and is transferring to Brooklyn College (CUNY), which is now also on the list, because we can also afford it without aid. It will be a struggle but I have one away at a SUNY who is graduating in May, so I can redirect funds. I heard that Pace gives a lot of money, but my son isn’t really a Manhattan kid and I don’t know that he will like it or relish the commute if he has to live at home (the commute that I do every day, lol!).
SUNY Fredonia and Oswego, possibly Oneonta.
We’ve looked online at Montclair, Otterbein, U of the Arts in Philly and they’re still on the list. Others, like Meuhlenberg and Ithaca, were axed because of money and the fact that his numbers aren’t good enough for enough merit aid.
The other issue is BA vs BFA.
What schools are on your child’s list?
TM
We’re still at the beginning of this process. I think he’s going to extend high school for another year and apply in 2018 instead of '17, so we’ve got some time.
I think the next trip we want to make is to Point Park, Otterbein, and Wright State. I’d also like to to take him to see UNCSA. He’s not sure if he wants to go further than that. If he does decide to look further afield we might look at Cornish, or Emerson.
We’ve also seen Shenandoah. He really liked the school but not the setting. He really wants to be in a city.
Not small, but VCU is in Richmond and has a BFA tech/ design program.
VCU is on his list to look at. I’m not sure whether a relatively small school of the arts within a larger university will feel like a big school or a small school to him, so I want him to to go see for himself.
UNCSA has an amazing production and design school. Winston-Salem is not an urban city like Philly or NYC. The school has an actual Campus but it is in the city of Winston Salem - so not out in corn fields. But not in Manhattan either. You will have to let us know what you think if you visit
My D is starting in the drama school there in two weeks. She is a city girl-- but really liked it there
How do you extend HS? My son is talking about taking a gap year, which the next 2 kids up did. I did tell him that I wanted him to apply and then defer if he opted for the gap year.
UNCSA looks interesting and we are thinking of retiring to NC eventually, so that might warrant a trip. My husband can’t travel - he’s having knee replacements in the next couple of months - so I have to figure out how to get my son down there. I don’t really have much vacation time left this year. I may have my son apply early to a bunch of programs and do Unified portfolio reviews (of course, I have no clue how to have him do one of those) and then visit schools he is accepted to. My daughter didn’t see the college she graduated from until after we paid a deposit.
In terms of location, he has no clue. We live in a suburb of NYC, but, as I said, he’s not a kid who goes to Manhattan for the fun of it. He has seen Stony Brook, New Paltz, Purchase and Plattsburgh and liked all but SB.
I was thinking of sending my kid off on his own to tour. In some ways, I think it would be a great experience for him, but I worry he’ll be the only kid without a parent on the tour and that might feel weird.
It’s too bad you don’t live closer, we could send them off together!
He’s technically a homeschooled student, although he’ll be taking most of his classes at our local community college, and the rest online. He had some medical issues sophomore year and so his transcript has some holes. So, we might give him another year to finish high school, or we might have him do a year of Dual Enrollment and apply as a transfer. Either way, it’s likely that he’ll go to college in '18 rather than '17.
I forgot about Point Park, the brother of one of my current, one of my former (sisters) students goes there for tech/ design and it sounds like he likes it a lot.
I loved the New Paltz area… great little town, and I thought the campus seemed nice too.
If you looked at Shenandoah, but are looking for a bigger town and campus you might look at JMU where I teach. A BA program, where a portfolio review is required. Lots of opportunities for students, great facilities. Students and alums are successfully working in DC, NY, and regional theatre (both performers and designers/ techicians). More academics required than many BFA programs, so not the best fit for everyone. Let me know if you have questions.
KatMt -
I heard that it is very difficult to reach JMU by public transportation, which took it off the list for my second son, who is studying poli sci. Is that true? I am also not sure if his stats, 3.3 and 27 ACT would qualify.
Jane -
I don’t know that my son could travel by himself but I am sure that I am underestimating him. I am fortunate that my daughter was able to take him to Purchase (by bus and return by railroad) and that she will take him to Brooklyn. I will probably take the afternoon off and see Pace with him. My oldest son said that he would drive us upstate to see Oneonta and Oswego. although I don’t know how suitable their programs are for him, but we have to plan trips for his weekends off (he is with USPS so doesn’t always have them off). If he wants to see Fredonia, we’ll probably fly up to Buffalo, see Buff State (he wouldn’t get into U of Buffalo) and then take a bus out to Fredonia. In reality, I don’t think that my son has the stats to get merit money so we are pretty much limited to SUNYs and I don’t know that Purchase is anything other than a pipe dream.
My understanding from both UArts and Shenandoah is that some merit money is available based on portfolio and not on grades. I am hoping that is true because we have no instate option, and your kid’s stats (posted in the Parents forum unless I am confusing you with someone) look gear next to my kid’s.
My son’s gpa is 3.3 and his ACT is 27. I know those aren’t awful stats but they are likely not enough for merit aid at most schools. I ran the numbers at UArts and it said he’d get something like $10,300, but that still leaves 30K+. My budget is 20 -22, which is the cost of a SUNY without aid and without loans. I took loans to put myself through school. I told my kids I’d remortgage the house and take loans if they got into an Ivy or similar, but none of them was interested in doing the work necessary to take me up on that offer! and I won’t take loans for any other schools.
I haven’t looked at Shenandoah yet, heading to its website now.
My D is heading to the Otterbein tech program with a 3.37 GPA. She got $12k merit and $6k talent money, which I think is pretty typical, and makes it one of the more affordable LAC programs (the total cost w/o aid is just under $42k). She also disliked the area around Shenandoah enough to cross it off her list, but thought Westerville was acceptable, though she really wanted more urban. In the end, the faculty and the culture in the theater program at Otterbein won her over.
We definitely have Otterbein on our list to see. I have heard great things about it.
I think he would do OK with a larger town if that town had a lively feel with things in walking distance. Shenandoah, even though Winchester is a pretty large town, is pretty isolated. There isn’t much to do right around it.
Any thoughts on other small LAC type school in vibrant towns? Ithaca?
I thought Ithaca (the town) was really lovely. Oberlin was also a really neat, vibrant (really artsy) area