<p>So, this past summer, I toured Roosevelt and thought it was just great! From the main building to the dorms to the general Chicago feel, I could really picture myself in this area, and it moved the school just a little bit higher on my (huuuge) College List.</p>
<p>However, I’ve been doing further research on the schools I’m applying to, and some stuff with Roosevelt kind of bothered me. For example, many reviews from current students and alums state that the university is just CCPA vs. non-CCPA and that the performing arts students are usually the most catty and negative and sometimes certain departments (such as fin. aid, housing, etc.) will prefer and/or help students in one group over another.</p>
<p>At first, I just figured it was just a few disgruntled students, and that it probably didn’t apply to the majority of the school. But recently, on a website (not sure if I can say the name on this forum)'s page that profiled last year’s freshman, it stated that only <b>52%</b> of them returned for their sophomore year.</p>
<p>I know a school is more than it’s numbers, but it’s hard to ignore when half of an entire class is so dissatisfied with the school that they transfered. Can someone please explain this? I would really, really love to attend here, but not if I’m paying thousands and thousands of dollars for a lackluster experience.</p>
<p>i wonder whether the 52% statistic was in reference to Roosevelt University or CCPA. Roosevelt, the main university separate from the conservatory, was established to give inner-city people an opportunity other than a community college, so no, ROOSEVELT is not the most highly esteemed school in Illinois and probably does have a pretty substantial drop rate. CCPA, however, is a whole other entity that merely shares a building, title and one Gen Ed class a semester with Roosevelt. The formal title of the conservatory is the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and thats truly what it is. We have a separate scholarship situation and a separate tuition and have very few interactions with people outside the conservatory. </p>
<p>Hope that clears some things up! I’m a junior at CCPA this year, so if you have any other questions about the school, let me know.</p>
<p>I was not accepted to CCPA, but I had a wonderful audition experience with them and they were very nice in the application process. Thought I’d drop that in! If their application process is anything like the college experience you’d get there, I think you’d be just fine. :)</p>
<p>The 52% statistic was for Roosevelt University freshman as a whole, including CCPA.</p>
<p>While I’m glad the drop out rate doesn’t really apply to the CCPA students, your comment about inner-city people disturbs me a little. Why do you say that they’re the ones who give Roosevelt a bad reputation?</p>
<p>its just the case. Roosevelt its self I’ve heard has lower admission standards, so that people who might not have come from the best situations are given the opportunity. The school’s mission statement is all about social justice and the student population reflects that. It makes for a very open, and versatile learning environment with an array of all kinds of people that i appreciate very much. But again, if you are going to be in CCPA, your interactions with people outside the conservatory are pretty limited.</p>
<p>The retention rates for the Performing Arts kids are much higher. 85% of those who started in Fall 2009 came back for 2010. This is pretty normal for an arts school and actually higher than many conservatories in the country. The type of education you recieve at a place like CCPA is VERY intense and time consuming. And while one can research alot while in high school, it’s impossible to really understand what it is like until you get here. Hence we do loose some students after their freshmen year.</p>
<p>My staff and I would be happy to answer any questions you may have about the school.</p>
<p>Give us a call-
312-341-6735</p>
<p>Dean McCowen
Asst Dean of Enrollment
CCPA
Roosevelt University</p>
<p>Hey Guys!!! I’m Pablo and Im a freshman MT at CCPA! It is an absolutely amazing conservatory program! Please please please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions about anything :)</p>
<p>And I am a senior at CCPA! We’re all pretty passionate about Roosevelt, you can talk to someone form every grade! Let any of us know if you have any questions, we’ll be happy to answer them :)</p>
<p>Dean McCowen, Pabs, Starshine -
Can you give us an idea of numbers? Approx. how many prospective students audition for MT? for Acting? Approx how many will be accepted for MT? for Acting? What are the enrollment goals for MT? for Acting?
What is the current enrollment in MT and in Acting by grade.
Thank you.</p>
<p>I’ll let the Dean handle the prospective students and enrollment goals question!</p>
<p>I don’t know how many people auditioned my year, but I think MY freshman class was 48 (That’s MT’s and Actors), and they try to keep the classes around that number. Now the senior class consists of 31 (21 Mt’s, 10 Acting Majors) It’s so nice having such a small group, we get much more attention, and help in our classes, and we’re all very close.
Our school’s reputation is really growing, and every year the number of people who audition increases significantly, so I’ll leave that to someone who knows :)</p>
<p>Just thought I’d chime in here while as well! I’m Becca-- a Sophomore MT at CCPA and work study student in the CCPA enrollment office. Good luck with the whole application/audition process, and let any of us know if you have any questions!</p>
<p>Hello! So…I have long had Roosevelt on my list of schools to apply to. But when I told my voice teacher about it, she laughed and said “NO NO NO NO NO. That program is such a joke.” If my voice teacher normally was abrasive, rude and definitively negative about things I wouldn’t take much notice, but she’s a very down to earth, reasonable, optimistic, upbeat person. So I was reading here that it’s an intense program. CURRENT STUDENTS: Is the training good? Do you get personal attention? What opportunities are there for performance (inside AND outside of the university)? Should I be taking this off of my list if I’d like to be involved with my future school as a whole and not just the musical theatre department/aspect of it? Will I ever stop asking questions? haha you’re insights are appreciated!</p>
<p>As a current student, I can tell you that the training is in fact very strong and the program is very intense and focused. We get plenty of personal attention, as class sizes are normally quite small. I really feel like I’m growing as a performer and as a person and learning a lot in this program. As far as performance opportunities go, we all audition and are guaranteed to be cast in one of 6/7 productions that our school does every semester, but we can also be excused from the casting pool if we get a show outside of school at one of Chicago’s many reputable professional theatres. Being in Chicago is definitely a plus, as there are SO many opportunities to work professionally and build your resume while still in school. I’ll be honest and say that because we are a conservatory program and our class and rehearsal schedules are extremely demanding, there is not a ton of time to be involved with the rest of the University. I know that it’s like that at most conservatory programs. However it CAN be done, and I know people who have found ways to be involved. If you’re interested in Roosevelt/CCPA, I encourage you (if you can) to come visit campus, take a tour, meet some of our students, and maybe even sit in on a class so you can really get a feel for the school and form your own opinion. If there are any other questions that I (or anyone else) can answer, please let me know! Good luck with your college search!</p>
<p>Thanks a lot! It’s great to hear from students who can give you the straight facts and not just hearsay. I really appreciate your response, and am glad to know that one of my longtime schools on my list isn’t a “joke.”</p>
<p>Hello,
Do you know why your teacher would say that? My daughter just got accepted for vocal jazz and she’s had the same response from two of her teachers - they say don’t go there, but they really don’t say why. They just say she should go to Berklee instead. Thanks.</p>
<p>Huh. Well. My bf was just accepted to Berklee. I feel that they pretty much accept anyone with a little bit of talent and a lot of money (tuition and room and board are RIDICULOUS there). He was only going to go if he got a scholarship…but to no avail. I went back and asked my teacher specifically why she dissed Roosevelt at my last voice lesson. She said that it didn’t have very accomplished/talented faculty and that it just didn’t seem to produce marketable talent. I don’t know how she’s measuring the production of marketable talent, and from what I hear/read they do have qualified faculty. My teacher kinda skirted my question though and it sounded like she just threw something out there without thinking about it as to why she doesn’t think it’s a good program. It’s strange, because this is the only program I’ve mentioned that she says this about. So I don’t really know what basis she has to come to this conclusion. I have a friend who is a freshman MT major at CCPA. She said she likes it there, but didn’t seem to be real thrilled either. So I guess I’ve just come around full circle and am not of much help. But if you visited the school and your daughter can picture herself there and feels that she would be happy there, that’s a real nudge in the right direction. The same goes for any other school you’ve applied/auditioned to. Sorry I’m of no help.</p>
<p>Hey-- Just throwing in my two cents again! Hopefully it’ may be of a little bit of help. As I said before, you should really come visit, meet some students and sit in on a class before you make your decision. You really can’t get the true facts from hearsay or from other people’s opinions, so it’s always best to check it out for yourself. Choosing a college is extremely personal, and what is right for one person may be completely wrong for another. </p>
<p>In regards to faculty being untalented/unaccomplished, I feel like that is quite far from the truth. If you visit our website, you can read bios of our faculty. The cool thing is that the majority of them have and are still working in Chicago, and therefore have a wealth of knowledge about what is currently happening in the business in both Chicago and New York. I know I may sound biased, but I personally really respect our faculty. They treat us like the professionals that we are becoming, and I really value what I have learned from them thus far in my college career. :-)</p>
<p>Let me know if anyone has any questions. I know choosing a college is complicated, so if I can help in any way, please let me know!</p>
<p>CarolAnneMT and music<em>is</em>life - thank you both for your comments. Does help - I appreciate it. It’s just kinda weird that my daughter got the same reaction from her teacher as CarolAnne. I have a feeling there is some past reputation or something. The sample lesson my daughter had when she visited was great - the instructor was really good and does a lot of studio work in Chicago. I will just tell her to try to stick with her own opinions - it’s hard for her to ignore the comments though because she really looks up to her teachers.</p>
<p>Thanks for all this info! We plan to visit in a few weeks – D has an audition. </p>
<p>BTW…HER current teacher didn’t know much about the school, but LOVES Chicago – she (the teacher) was very supportive of D’s decisions. We have had some bad experiences with -opinionated- teachers over the years. D has learned, now that she is a graduate student, to investigate & decide for herself.</p>
<p>Like I said, It’s always good to make your own decisions! If you have any questions prior to your visit, feel free to let me know! </p>
<p>And as far as pizza goes, while I’m not a huge fan of deep dish pizza and haven’t had a lot of it, I do enjoy Pizano’s (located on Madison St. between Michigan and Wabash). Also, you can’t really go wrong with Giordano’s, which has several locations around the city.</p>
If there are any other questions that I (or anyone else) can answer, please let me know! Good luck with your college search!</p>