It took until later in the month for my daughter to hear.
She did not get a phone call but a letter that she was on the waitlist. She visited classes to show interest and she was eventually admitted ( ended up at UNCSA but also LOVED Purchase).
All this to say …no phone call does NOT mean that you’re out! Same with UNCSA. Best of luck!!
@stressedactor above comment was for you. Love your name. Hang in there. Last year was agony. It gets better!!
That horrible teacher is no longer there as there is a difference between tough love and abuse and student spoke up to affect a change so I have heard. So while I agree that the NO was well deserved at that time for a valid reason ( talented young people can go elsewhere without abuse)- Purchase believes in strength of character development as actors need to have constitution to accept alot of negative critiques and failure and be able to persevere as for every 30 or 40 audition then you might land a role! No exaggeration it takes alot of work and perseverance. SUNY Purchase is not the right fit for every talented and hard working student, but for those who have the discipline and strong enough constitution the young actors graduating with BFA are shining. Within one year graduating many are equity,a few SAG, and all are being booked in work such as: TV shows like Law and Order, NCIS, Orange is the New Black and others; commercials, pick up modeling , and of course theater. Guaranteed you have seen SUNY Purchase Grads but did not know it as they are working but not the huge names YET. Soon there will be household names we all know from recent graduating classes. But they are starting out on those shows, some to be on Netflix, lots of regional and off broadway theater , places like Williamsburg Theater Festival but also at The Public in NY and in Hamilton. Upcoming work includes some major motion pictures already shot to be coming out in 2019 with big names. That is one recent graduating class-- So YES, this is a solid school with graduates who are getting excellent representation and auditioning before casting directors regularly. They are working it! (Of course you can find them behind the bars, waitresess and baristas in Harlem, Brooklyn and elsewhere in NY and LA in between auditions and before the big break out roles). They have both the talent and hard work- and yes the grit to keep at it with confidence even when not the right person for many roles until landing the ones they are right for! SUNY Purchase definitely prepared them well and I keep hearing that the Purchase grads are some of the most prepared at their auditions. They run into each other at times-and this is when the short list is called back- those final few after the thousands were narrowed to the 100s and then the 20 for an audition. One recent audition I heard of was a NY show that narrowed to 8 in NY and 12 in LA and my child was one of the 8. Didn’t get another call back but heck if you are in that room at that level consistently it is only a matter of time for the larger role. This is a school to keep on your short list as you consider, even if on West Coast as the grads are getting work in LA (as well as internationally as a few have global agents).
Awesome information. My son interviews tomorrow for lighting design…fingers crossed!
this thread is incredibly helpful, thanks. My D was accepted to BFA acting program at Purchase and it’s definitely a top choice for her (also accepted at Guthrie program and on wait list at UNCSA). But I’m really worried about attrition at Purchase. Someone was quite emphatic in an earlier post that Purchase does not have a cut program. But it’s clear if you look at size of the graduating classes, they are losing approximately 25% a year. So regardles of what you call it, for one reason or another a significant number of students are not finishing the program. I appreciate that if a student isn’t hardworking enough they don’t belong in the program. But what happens if a student is deemed to be untalented, a poor fit, or not making progress fast enough? Do they get asked to leave, or not invited back? Could a student not be liked very well and not get invited back? For a student to commit a couple of years to a program and then be cut is terrible. Those BFA credits simply don’t transfer and they’d be left with few alternatives. My D has spent hte last four years at a very rigorous PA high school
continued from post above: My D has spent the last four years at a very rigorous PA high school and knows what it means to work hard, but even at the HS level I’ve seen students treated poorly, unfairly overlooked, kids becomes favourites, that sort of thing. It’s a big decision and I can’t say I love the idea of my D committing to a program that could decide down the road they’ve changed their minds. Would appreciate feedback/thoughts, particularly from any current Purchase students or alums. Thanks.
@nelamom19, I can’t speak about Purchase personally, but attrition doesn’t mean that students are being asked to leave. In any BFA program, there are always students who decide that they don’t want the rigors of an intense BFA program after all, or they want more academics, or the school isn’t the right fit, etc. It’s worth asking about, but I wouldn’t consider it an automatic warning sign. It’s very common.
@nelamom19 I’m a Purchase parent of junior. The program is not technically a cut program (meaning they do not accept a larger number than they expect to graduate). My D’s class has lost 3 or 4 (started with 18). One left to be on a show on B-way; 1 got very sick; 1 got homesick and went home. I’m not sure about the 4th. It is definitely NOT a warm and fuzzy program; the program is difficult and the feedback can be very direct and, in my parental opinion, exceedingly harsh. I am not an acting professional and don’t know if I buy into the system of completely breaking down a young actor in order to build them up. That said, my D still believes the training is top-notch. She had choices (including UMinn/Guthrie) and maintains she believes she made the right decision.
@artkids Yes, I see what you mean about the natural attrition. Someone posted about students not being “invited back” which sounds like a different thing entirely. I attended a BFA conservatory myself, many years ago (I’m no longer an actor) and I am not a believer in the “breaking you down to build you back up” approach either. Getting tough direct constructive criticism is healthy, but being “exceedingly harsh” is never called for in my opinion. Thanks for your candor, it definitely gives me pause. Kudos to your daughter for having the strength and courage to stick with it, she will certainly prepared when she gets out of school. It does take an incredibly thick skin to bear the slings and arrows of the life of an actor!
@artkids I’m new to this forum. is it possible to have a private exchange?
I think I can send you a private message - and you can respond with your questions.
@artskids that would be great. can you please go ahead and send me a private message? thanks1
@nelamom19 I’m a current Purchase acting student. If you have any other remaining questions, I’d gladly answer them. 
I know this is very old now but my daughter is at NYSSSA now and one of the people teaching there is from UARTS and she thinks it would be an amazing fit for her.
I don’t know where people are getting their information from but SUNY is still one of the most respected BFA programs in the country. Young actors who graduate from this program are welcomed to the New York City community/industry with open arms and respect.
SUNY has a faculty of WORKING professionals such as: Rosalyn Coleman, TONY award winner Trazana Beverley, Christopher McCann (current chair), Respected casting director Susan Shopmaker, Pamela Prather who was previously at Yale School of Drama before becoming the head of Voice and Speech and A. Dean Irby who’s been on faculty since the early 80’s.
Colby Hollman ’19 was approached by Gersh and booked a series regular role on a promenade TV show while he was in his fourth year of training.
The program is still intense and sometimes referred as the "boot-camp.’ it prepares these young actors for a LIFETIME career.
Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians), Shea Whigham, Jason Ralph, Micah Stock, Amanda Seales (Insecure), Chris Perfetti, Rosal Colon (Orange is the New Black), Alano Miller, Marcus Callender (Power), Paige Gilbert, Yasha Jackson (The Flight Attendant), Caleb Eberhardt (Betty HBO), Malcolm Goodwin are just a few more recent graduates who are still working.
Yes the program has an impressive group of alumni from the early days such as Edie Falco, Stanley Tucci, Parker Posey, Melissa Leo, Adina Porter, Wesley Snipes…
Hi My D has been accepted into Purchase BFA Acting and we would love to learn more about this program. Your post is from more than one year ago so perhaps not active but if you get this would love to connect. Thank you.
The user has not been active for many months. If they want to connect, they can PM you. Closing ancient thread.