<p>This is getting to be deja vu for me, since you keep mentioning schools that were on my D’s list. I’m having a bit of a hard time understanding exactly what your S wants and needs, though. Is this correct?</p>
<p>Has high enough stats for pretty academically selective schools
Likes NYU (why? because it’s a city school? Hasn’t seen Tisch itself yet, right?)
Prefers BFA training
Prefers performance over tech/design
Less interested in BAs … yet does have academic interests (need clarity on this)?</p>
<p>Do visit the “Non-auditioned BFA” thread. A true safety is one where you enter as a BFA and never audition, and where your academic stats are far above their average.</p>
<p>You are right that there are many, many non-auditioned BAs. Virtually every college in the US offers a theatre major of some sort. Many are not performance or training oriented. There are a few threads on this forum that list schools with more of a training focus in their BA. Several schools get mentioned here often - and have been already on this thread. If I were to put some BA programs that are generally thought to be good for performance-oriented students, in a high-low order of selectivity, I’d list Yale, Brown, Northwestern, Vassar, Brandeis, Bard, Boston College, Sarah Lawrence, Muhlenberg, Skidmore, Drew, Goucher, UNH (I know virtually all of these are on the east coast, but I’m sensing that is your geographic focus) … and the list goes on. </p>
<p>I’m suspecting this is your first time doing a college search? It has happened to all of us, so don’t worry. It takes a lot of reading, asking, talking, and visiting as much as possible. Everyone’s choices are different, because everyone wants something particular that some schools have and some schools don’t, in various combinations and quantities. This is where apples and oranges come in, and there’s no getting around it.</p>
<p>You have mentioned now 3 schools that my D applied to and was accepted by. She, too, wanted a BFA most, but did want excellent academic opportunities. She strongly considered Brandeis, Bard, and also the University of Minnesota’s BA, all of which have excellent training and performing opportunities as well as strong academics. She chose to go to Adelphi, with an Honors College that gave her superior academics as well as BFA training, along with easy access to NYC and a large merit/talent scholarship. FYI, she applied to and was rejected from some of the most selective BFAs (including BU), was rejected from Northwestern and Vassar, and also got into URI, New Paltz and Goucher.</p>
<p>My D did want a well-rounded theatre education - she loves design/tech/directing/writing - so in that way she and your S may be very different. While I think you should look at Adelphi, he might feel that there is not as much time spent strictly in Acting training as in some other BFAs.</p>
<p>In my opinion, Brandeis is more academically selective than Bard. Neither is highly known for offering generous merit aid. He needs to be significantly above the general applicant pool to receive merit money at a school - I would think you’d have better luck at Muhlenberg, Goucher, Drew, etc. in that way.</p>
<p>Read all of the curricula very carefully - when comparing BAs we made detailed charts, since as NJTheatreMom says BA training and performance opportunities vary wildly. Brandeis has been redeveloping their theatre major (I think the whole department, really) over the past couple of years, so ask a lot of questions there. Thank goodness the websites these days give you access to course catalogs and practically everything else, so you can see very clearly just what program of study is really possible.</p>