<p>Sorry if this is a question that's been discussed before. I have a D who is a junior at a T20 LAC and a theater major. D has been involved in all of the main-stage productions as well as one student-run production at another LAC that's in a consortium with her LAC. She'd was very involved in drama in high school--loved being in the high school productions and won a drama award at a statewide acting competition as a senior. H and I never said we would prefer that she not take the BFA path, but I'm sure our views weren't unknown to her. She didn't apply to any BFA programs. </p>
<p>This semester she's participating in a study abroad program at the Moscow Art Theater (through a National Theater Institute) and she thriving. It's a conservatory program and she loves everything about it. She's also improved her Russian language skills! As a result of this experience, she mentioned that she was interested in MFA acting programs.</p>
<p>I know the programs are hugely competitive, but that's about all I know. Here are my questions. Do students apply right out of undergraduate school or do they apply after two or three years of real life experience--similar to MBA students? If a student didn't do a BFA is he/she at a disadvantage? I'm assuming that the various MFA acting programs may not all provide the same type of training. How does one learn about this? Are there MFA progams that are more likely to lead a student in one direction professionally than another? Does the additional training affect potential employment in a positive way? Final question--are programs that are not affiliated with a university considered to provide the same level of training as with those that are?</p>
<p>Tons of question, I know. Any information or links to previous discussions would be great. I'm always impressed with the knowledgeable people who post here on CC. Thanks.</p>
<p>My daughter just went through the application process for her MFA. She graduated from Tisch’s BFA program and originally wanted to go straight to grad school. But the application process is an enormous task and she took a gap year to get her material together.</p>
<p>Typically, most grads schools want students with experience so naturally she was starting the process at a disadvantage. Also, if there is any bias toward undergrad programs then the schools seem to prefer BAs with great cums from top tier schools. Take a look at the Brown/Trinity Consortium web site. They have a section that list the students (current and grads). This gives you a nice picture of what they are looking for.</p>
<p>My daughter applied to many schools and auditioned at the URTA’s. She just happened to audition for a large state university who was auditioning students in NYC at the same time. (She found this information from Backstage.com). Apparently, her audition went well and she maintained a steady conversation with the Department Head expressing her interest and was accepted. (Plus, she was able to procure a teaching assistantship and is attending tuition free with a stipend. - YEAH! We are still in shock after NYU.)</p>
<p>If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.</p>
<p>USC is located in one of the top entertainment centers. The School of Theatre offers a MFA in Acting as well as a MA in Applied Theatre Arts. A unique graduate choice is the MFA in Dramatic Writing in conjunction with the famous School of Cinematic Arts.</p>
<p>Hi Georgia Girl,
you wrote ages ago about USC, but if you are still there, I would like to ask you about USC. My son was accepted into USC and Calarts MFA acting program. How would you compare them?Any recomendations?</p>