Northwestern has a beautiful campus right on Lake Michigan. Lots of green space. I’d describe it as urban adjacent as opposed to urban. It’s one of S24s favorites.
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I immediately thought Colorado College, and AustenNut beat me to it. After listening to the extensive recent interview with their admissions person on YCBK podcast, I think this student - outdoorsy male, top 10%, full pay - might be more of a match than a reach, especially if willing to apply ED. You’d want to look into the unusual block schedule system, as it sounds like it works better for some than for others.
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Northwestern is in Evanston and is really suburban. We toured it and were pleasantly surprised! They were very big on mentioning actor alums and acting opportunities on our tour /visit day(though mine applied in Engineering) . It has a lot to offer and definitely does not feel urban—D didn’t end up choosing it in the end, but it was in the final group seriously considered!
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Is he not interested in Ivy’s? Brown seems to fit his other requirements and many of the Ivy’s give big boosts to actors.
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Yes. And Macalester has a strong visual arts department plus allows students to enroll 1 class per semester at MCAD (Minneapolis College of Art and Design.)
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Colorado College was my first thought too!
Agreed, the block schedule is not for everyone, but it might actually be a nice option for an actor who would like the freedom to take short leaves for professional projects, without having to tank an entire semester. Each block is about three weeks, I believe.
And it certainly fits the artsy/outdoorsy + climbing/snowboarding parameters! It’s a little over an hour from Denver International, which is a pretty convenient travel hub.
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A couple thoughts -
—I think you could safely treat Lewis and Clark as a likely. (UPS would be as well.) Acceptance rate right now is about 80% and I think he’d be a strong candidate.
—I expect you’re thinking about this, but we have some experience with it - even though first round auditions are now largely virtual, you still have callbacks etc. where you may need to be in person, and so being several hours from a major airport (like Whitman) may be a hindrance.
Outside of that concern, I think your ED candidates are great - your son might find the theater performance opportunities at Hamilton to be weaker than Vassar or Wesleyan, but more than would make up for it for outdoor attitude and activities (though I don’t think any of the ED schools are in strong snowboarding territory?), and I think is the only one on the list with an open curriculum. Hamilton and Wesleyan are both very walk-on-friendly crew programs.
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Grading scale is as follows:
A+=4.33 A=4.0 A-=3.67 B+=3.33 B=3.0 B-=2.67 C+=2.33 C=2.0 C-=1.67 D+=1.33 D=1.0 D-=0.67
He has a few A+, as well as a few A- and one B+ from 9th grade.
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Thank you for this thoughtful reply. We have a close family friend who attends Bennington currently and who has used their work terms to work as a PA on various tv projects in LA–they have really valued the work term as part of their experience for exactly the reasons you list.
Conversely, we have heard others bemoan the strong “summer camp vibes” that campus can give but I gather that varies from person to person based on preferences.
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Brown is a little big for his preferences–but I agree that out of the ivies it is the best match for his interests.
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We’ve been lucky that all of his callbacks/producer sessions have been virtual the last few years, but you are right that getting from Walla Walla to a major airport would add an extra layer of challenge!
He’s going to be in college for four years. What if he gets cast? Some schools are more flexible with allowing time off than others. This can be a concern for actors, as well as athletes who are training for major competitions.
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How many actors went to Yale. I would say acting is a big “hook” in the Ivies. Being a SAG member now might resonate with the current labor situation too.
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Was just about to comment with the same thought after intensely researching another school on the One Class At A Time block schedule.
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With respect to your son’s interest in outdoor activities, you may want read through this site for any schools that you may have overlooked:
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There is a difference between actors who are trained at Yale and their very very prominent MFA program vs this young person who is already a professional actor looking for a non acting based program. Harvard seems to be the school that is most interested in well established actors as a hook, there are several there now.
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Interestingly, I know an actor who was admitted to Yale. The student was cast in a TV series and Yale wasn’t flexible with their acting schedule. They attended USC because USC allowed them to be a student while also working as a full-time actor.
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If he is cast he will take time away. If he cannot continue at his first school he will evaluate alternate options for degree completion. This is a challenge he has worked through since elementary school. The other option would be to put his career on pause during college. He is the driver in this process, ultimately.
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@helpingthekid73 I was just pointing out that many prominent actors including Paul Newman, Lance Reddick and I believe Jodie Foster attended Yale as it seems to attract many with high arts pedigrees, be it professional or through performing arts schools.
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Paul Newman graduated from Kenyon, as did Allison Janney. They have impressive theater facilities for a SLAC, but I’m not sure that the location offers the types of outdoor activities that the OP’s son is looking for.
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