@NYYFanNowMTdad - They do check a lot of boxes and they said all the right things and the one professor’s talk had me wanting to sign up! And I was amazed at the amount of performances they put on. Probably on two downsides are distant (not so much the miles but a pain to get to) and the size of the school. Do you know anything about the academics? Also, love the user name!
@camban…when we flew down in November there was 1 non stop flight /day to and from OKC->Newark…I think it might be seasonal? there was a rumor that American was adding a non stop flight from LGA but with all airlines drastically cutting routes who knows what will be going forward. I cant say I know a whole lot about the academics. I know the school is on the smaller side (~2000 students) but my D doesnt really care much about the big college/big school experience so it wasn’t really an issue for her. She also considered several conservatory type programs so the gen eds/ academics were also not a huge consideration for her. I guess it goes to what each person is looking for AKA the ever popular “FIT”
@camban - our D graduated from OCU MT a few years ago. Happy to try to answer any questions you may have. We are from the Southeast - wasn’t an easy commute (13-14 hr drive; no direct flights). But we felt the program was worth it. Academically it is decent. Forbes and US News & World Report tout it as one of the top regional universities. MTs can and do participate in the honors program which is something to consider if you want a more rigorous academic schedule. The school has a law school, business school and nursing school offering more than many other liberal arts schools of its size. They also have fielded a surprising number of national championship teams in their NAIA division. They also have some greek life if that is of interest.
Are there any other online forums like CC where we can speak with other parents /students about the search / decision about choosing the right school for Musical Theatre.
Regarding post #243…you may wish to be aware fo this College Confidential rule:
@vvnstar - Thank you for any info you can/ have provided. Did your D feel a sense of community with the students/program? They talk a lot about that but so does very school. Also, they mentioned you come out of there as an auditioning machine, was your D prepared for the real world? Thanks again.
Hi! My D auditioned at Syracuse. Syracuse Stage is really nice. The people we met in Syracuse, from the cabbie to the hotel staff to the waitress across the street… so nice. We are from Louisiana so that impressed my D. She loves the idea of being in NY —- as opposed to OKLAHOMA (OCU is her other choice right now). Is it worth it? Hard to know. I’m pushing for OCU. I note a few things: I was not impressed with the facility itself, which shares the building with Syracuse Stage… the professional part is nice, but I found the school part… small rooms, I found it older & just not impressed… to be fair, OCU’s facility is bar none. BUT she was busy auditioning while they gave the parents a tour for both schools so she didn’t see what I saw. Also, apparently the Acting & MT building at Syracuse is pretty removed from the rest of campus… it was -6 degrees when we went, so we didn’t wander around. (It’s an hour from Canada!). At SU they have to stay in dorms for 2 years. AND Another concern is that Ralph Zito (a Julliard alum) is the department head at Syracuse BUT he’s going on sabbatical this year… my D thinks it actually for 2 years. That kinda sucks. Don’t know if that is a big deal. Frankly, I am still waiting for NYU, if I have to pay THAT much money, I’d rather pay it for NYU. OCU is half the cost. OCU is perfect for her… kids!! Can’t wait till
April 1st is here. If it boils down to just OCU & SU (likely)…I have to find a way to go to both schools again to show her… just don’t know. Is Syracuse worth it? I really would like to know too. Would NYU be worth it?? … at least it tops every list.
@StanfordAI2019 - not sure if someone has responded but I have a friend whose daughter left after freshman year at LIU - she had an issue (her mom didn’t really go into the details but it made us not put the school on our list at all). She also didn’t feel the dance training was enough - this girl was teaching kids who wanted to do more dance. One of the reasons Molloy made it on my daughter’s list is because she could get a traditional college campus at Molloy and then gets to be in the City for the Cap 21 part.
@MTisNutz - my daughter attended NEXUS 2 different summers and her experience was very different than your daughters.
My daughter was thrilled to be able to pose with a real Tony and never took it as anything than an honor. Kaitlin is actually in the process of moving her mom to her home in San Marcos because she fell and needs more care than she can give her if her mother stays in LA.
Type classification is actually a reality of the career these kids have chosen. In HS, most kids play lots of roles outside their true type because of the limitations of casting from a small group of students. Which on one hand is good because it stretches kids acting chops but the reality is that some girls will never play the ingenue or princess and some boys will never play the hero or athlete. Teaching them to learn what their type is actually will help them professionally because they will know roles to audition for and roles that are outside their type.
The food at NEXUS was meh - partly because sometimes it was fixed by those college students assisting with the program and partly because the meals that aren’t fixed by the students are done in one of the usual dining halls on a summer camp meal plan. The school has a ton of summer camps and freshman orientation camps going on all summer so it’s not necessarily what they would get during the school year on a full meal plan. Don’t get me wrong - dining halls in colleges are dining halls - most don’t have the best choices but usually the kids figure out what they like and what they don’t and make do for the year or so they are in the dorms.
As for the male vs female treatment: first of all, there was about 10 males to 50 females both years my daughter went. You probably aren’t going to see as much negative so it might have appeared that way to your daughter. My daughter didn’t complain about any mistreatment. She adored Kaitlin and so did the other students she made friends with as a matter of fact, my girl complained that many of the students were so in awe of Kaitlin, it appeared they kissed up to her. The current students that my daughter talked to all had wonderful things to say about Kaitlin, Michael, the rest of the faculty and the entire program.
When I’ve seen Kaitlin in other areas interact with her NEXUS students outside of the camp itself, she loves them all and knows all of them. When we were on campus for my daughter’s final audition, she knew EVERY student that was auditioning by name very few who were actually from NEXUS so I don’t think favorites are an issue either.
@RMT549 I’m glad your D had positive experiences.
Like you we are in Texas. I would have loved for DD to go there from a financial and distance standpoint.
This board is about providing accurate information to other parents and students. In this case our family had direct experience with both the faculty and students. Not “I heard…” or “their reputation is…” or “so and so said…”
I have gotten PM’s from others on CC whose experiences echo ours. I didn’t know that would happen when I posted, but I will say mine is not a lone voice in the wilderness.
Like everything, YMMV. Best of luck with your decisions.
@Camban - she had a great community of friends at OCU. An extremely supportive atmosphere. This has continued post -grad. She lives in NYC (yes, she’s there now. Eek!). And there are so many OCU alums there who help and support one another with things big and small. From housing, to survival jobs, to auditions and shows — the support is amazing. I can truly say her best friends are her college friends.
And yes, they do understand and know how to audition after 4 years of auditions at OCU. They are run very professionally. There are a large number of performing arts majors at OCU and all can and do audition for shows. MTs must audition for all musicals and operas. And they can and do audition for straight shows as well. In addition, D was fortunate to get work with one of the local equity houses during her stay there. And went through their audition and callback process several times also. So she felt well prepared for professional auditions post-graduation. I know some people prefer not to have such competitive auditions. But I do think it prepares them well for life after college.
@onette thanks I appreciate your reply and it’s very helpful. He’s been talking to to the students and hopes to sit in on an online class this week too so hopefully that will solidify his decision.
@Alisa I wouldn’t let Ralph Zito’s sabbatical deter your D from attending SU. The interim head is Holly Thuma. My D worked with her at November auditions and was very impressed . Before coming to SU she taught theatre at Penn State and Carnegie and is a graduate of NYU drama and has her MFA from University if Pittsburgh. As far as the distance to Syracuse Stage it seems to not really be an issue for the students.They walk together or take the SU bus together . My D is an ED committed student for acting so I am a little partial to Cuse !! Best of luck and I hope your D ends up in a program she loves!
My daughter attended Nexus and loved it, Kaitlin, and the other teachers. She is still very close with kids from Nexus. She did not pass the pre-screen but knew she wouldn’t. She had been told many times about her “twin” who was a rising Sophomore. Kaitlin was very kind at Unifieds and she and the other faculty who had gotten to know my daughter went out of their way to come up and hug her and ask about her auditions. This happened daily, to the point other people were asking her if she had already been accepted. She had to explain she hadn’t even passed the pre-screen. Yes, there were favorites, but to my daughter’s surprise, the favorites from her summer were not accepted to Texas State that year, with one exception who was am amazing talent. Kaitlin also reached out to former Nexus kids that year and helped my daughter weed through her offers to pick the best fit for her. She offered pros and cons for each option that were extremely helpful. Everyone has their own experience, but that was my daughter’s and she would have loved the opportunity to study further at Texas State. She is, however, happy for the way things worked out and loved her Freshman year at Rider this year. Things happen for a reason.
Has anyone attempted to put together a decision spreadsheet that will help their child compare the programs they have been accepted to?
We did not get a chance to visit any of the schools our D got into - all trips got cancelled. She will be doing zoom calls with students and faculty, but we need to make a master list of questions. Thoughts, advice?
@Looney2020 - we did a spread sheet, it included:
- School
- Type of program
- Costs
- Merit/scholarship/aide etc
- Pros and cons
It’s helpful to keep it all in one place to reference. Put on a shared platform so adjustments can be made.
For us, the decision centered around whether she felt she could get the specific training she wants (she aspires to be a dance captain/associate choreographer), which includes either intensive, leveled, no-ceiling dance training or acceptance into a dance minor, as well as outstanding, consistent, supportive vocal coaching and training. Secondary considerations were location and school setting (big campus in the middle of nowhere? Small campus in an urban downtown? A combination of those?) and study abroad options. Cost factored into the initial application list, but is of course a factor in the final decision.
@camban
Such a good idea! My son is stressing over his choices since he can’t visit the schools. We did not have the foresight to visit beforehand but he applied to 12 schools so that would have been tough lol. We have it narrowed down to 3…
@Alisa I really liked OCU too! What did you like best? Are you excited about how Kristin Chenoweth will be teaching some of the masterclasses? My DD is really looking forward to that prospect!
@MadameT my D was accepted to OCU in the fall & it has been a leading choice for us since then. KCHEN is a huge cherry on top… the facilities were the finest we saw all year, BAR NONE. their alumn success is staggering considering how little OCU gets mentioned amongst the " top tier " schools… we think though no program is perfect its a true triple threat program. Most people readily name them as superior voice/vocal health training… I guess the potential " cons" is slightly larger class size ~30 lends its self to stiff competition for main stage opportunities…for us in the northeast OKC is not the easiest place to get to… a strong contender for us