<p>I stumbled on this website while "googling" for more information and less hype about the colleges my son applied to.
My initial search took me to a thread from March of 2005 that involved discussions on comparing the technical theatre track at various schools. Also, as I moved about I found interesting details on an only child going off to school.
Our son has applied to Carnegie Mellon, Boston University, and Ithaca. I am wondering whether anyone has had any experience with the technical track at any of these schools?
We have visited the campuses, and he has had his portfolio interview for Boston and will have done the others in the next two weeks. All are expensive and we are going to have to rely on financial aid and scholarships to get him in. My wife and I are both in our fiftties and are scared about piling on more debt so late in our lives when we should be looking forward to retirement. I also hate to see a kid just starting off in life saddled with a heavy debt. However, this is his dream and somehow we will make it work for him. He realizes our position and is willing to have a stake in this venture as well.
He will be the first person in my family to go to college. I stopped at high school because neither my parents (who couldn't afford sending me even back then) nor my school encouraged me to go. I got involved in theatre in high school then got a job at a summer playhouse after graduation due to the influence of a former teacher, and have been working in and around the business for forty years.
Also, he is an only child and even though he hasn't even been accepted anywhere yet, and will not be leaving home for seven months, I am already missing him. If I'm this bad at seven months I can just imagine how I'll be at seven days!
I am new to posting like this so please bear with me. I'm just try to make sense of what is happening, and since I do know something about his field of endevor I would like to hep steer him in the right direction.</p>
<p>Speaking from experience at Ithaca College (I'm a soph), there can be EXTRAORDINARY financial aid here. There are many people who go here who have the money to pay full tuition, but also a bunch who don't.</p>
<p>I'm not in technical theatre, so I can't help you at all about that, but if you'd like to know more specifics about my financial aid situation and the package they've awarded me, PM me. (click on my posting name and then click "send private message")</p>
<p>Hi, I have a son at Ithaca in Film and TV, but I can't tell you anything about financial aid since he is lucky enough to have us pay his way. I also graduated from Ithaca, way back when, but one thing you should consider is the amazing support that Ithaca Grads give to those now at the school. It is a real support system. With many amazing tech grads now out in the real world, and doing super, they take the time to come back to the school and give real world experience to the program. Tony nominated Paul Gallo ,a lighting designer, graduated with me and has had many an Ithaca grad working with him! Hope this helps! Cam</p>
<p>JimW, it can seem like a confusing mess at this time, but with your dedication to search for the answers you will find them, before you know it you will have it all worked out. As far as missing him, yes you will, we all do. I think students and parents appreciate each other so much more when they come back for a break, and it is very sweet.</p>
<p>Out of the three schools that he applied to I like the program at Ithaca the best. I think that they are doing excellent productions, and was very impressed that one of the department heads sat down and talked to us for almost an hour when we visited the campus. I am trying not to appear to be influencing his decision based on my observations. I'm not sure how to get my point across without turning him off. I realize that he is looking at different points than just the theatre. I work in theatre so that is an area that I am comfortable evaluating. I'm not really looking at the whole picture of the location, the campus, and what he might have read or heard about these shools.</p>
<p>If you're still open to looking at other schools you may want to consider SUNY Purchase. It's a bargain as far as the tuition cost and it is a highly respected program with lots of broadway connections. Its a BFA conservatory program and the kids choose their area of concentration first and are admitted into that program. </p>
<p>Our son is a lighting design/technical theatre major and he only looked at BFA conservatory programs. I realize there are other opinions about BFA vs BA programs but this was the right choice for him. </p>