That’s simply a matter of what you are looking for. We are looking for more of a conservatory approach and can’t afford the $50k plus room and board at NU. We are also looking for a school where we feel our son will be recognized for his talent, not just grades, and where he will get more personal attention.
@remartin67 - the ideas you list above are all entirely valid/rational criteria for choosing any school. But in your post #18 sounded very critical of Northwestern, (as does #20 in my opinion - but nuance is hard in this type of communication) and simply wanted to point out that whether or not their process works for YOU - it clearly works.
Also - I just checked tuition at DePaul - it’s $38k… hardly cheap - though I will freely admit I know NOTHING about their financial aide, as I never looked. If I am not mistaken, NU is a school committed to meeting full need based aide - idk if DePaul is or not. I know that there are many posters here where the COA for Northwestern was cheaper than other options. Room and board was comparable (about $1k different in the sites I checked) at both schools.
I want to make it clear- I think DePaul is a great program - especially now that they have done away with their cut system (which is part of what kept it from my D’s list several years ago).
I’m not trying to sound critical of NU, however, in my opinion, it’s a mistake to not weigh an audition as part of the whole package. DePaul does tend to give money–I highly doubt without extremely high grades that a student would receive any from NU. This is just my opinion, based on my research and obviously others can make their own decisions, but might want to consider both sides of the coin. I wish NU had an auditioned program, because we might apply were that the case. But obviously there is no chance of talent scholarship without an audition and unfortunately financially it is just too steep.
We got pretty crappy FA from DePaul, FWIW. (They provided an estimate before the audition, as I recall, and we almost cancelled the audition afterwards. S didn’t get in anyway.)
I don’t think talent scholarships generally add up to the big $$ at most of these schools. My D went to a PA HS so I have been “around” discussions of $$ for years (as well as all th threads here) a correct me if I am wrong, but talent $$ is smallest award (compared to need or merit) by a long shot. Again, need seemed to be the key factor at NU.
My D just graduated from Northwestern in straight acting. It is not for everyone, and people are for sure entitled to their opinions. But to correct a few misperceptions:
- Yes, for sure, NU is expensive. However, it has a large endowment and commitment to very generous need based grants/scholarships. Like Ivies, Northwestern does not award pure talent or merit grants. But as for my D -- she was able to go to NU for less than our state university. Much less. So, yes, if you do not qualify for need based aid, cost is expensive. However, if you do qualify, NU can help you more than many other schools so that you can graduate with far smaller loans (if any). And for financial aid, don't forget to factor in further adjustments for additional siblings in college.
- Yes, you don't have to audition to get in. Obviously, it's not an auditioned BFA. However, in her application, though it wasn't necessary, my D did send them a video of her monologues, and they did view them, as they commented on them. They also will look at your acting resume as well as letters of recommendation and of course, your essay. And you do have to audition internally for MT. Overall, the level of talent there was, in my opinion, not reduced because NU didn't formally audition; bear in mind that they accept about 50 students per year, and there is a huge range in interest amongst the students. My D took classes with students who wanted to be future directors, screenwriters, musicians, broadcast journalists, as well as engineers, physicists, etc. She herself viewed that as a plus.
We have yet to fill out FASFA, however I doubt we will get any aid there. I do know what a friend’s daughter was offered at DePaul for merit, and her GPA/ACT are not far from my son’s. That being said, if DePaul is already 11-12k less and it’s a possibility to get some merit or talent, it will certainly make a difference in affordability as compared to NU, where we likely won’t get anything. Yes, I supposed I could attach a video. But I already feel it’s too expensive and that NU focuses on GPA/ACT and our time and application money is better spent at other schools. As far as Chicago being ensemble driven–I don’t know. Someone gets the lead roles. And we are exploring NYC schools as well ad other schools. So people who have high grades and who qualify for aid may do better at NU than we will. Just because we don’t qualify for aid doesn’t mean we can afford 50k plus room and board.
This is a kind of interesting article about the differences and similarities between NY and Chicago theater. http://www.clydefitchreport.com/2014/11/second-city-no-more-a-roundtable-on-chicago-theater/
Interesting article for sure. But when you look at the size of NYC vs. Chicago, the costs of living in NYC vs Chicago–I also feel there are a ton of great acting jobs available in Chicago. LA has tiny theatres–definitely a place to go if your focus is film/television, but prob not to focus on theatre. So not the same league. When you already have an agent In Chicago as well as excellent acting and vocal coaches, when you’ve had callbacks at several major theatres like Goodman and Oak Park Festival Theatre, I’m not sure it always makes sense to uproot yourself and move to NYC. At least not for everyone. That being said–I don’t know where my son will end up. It’s just not that cut and dry.
Well, I will say that my kid is based in Chicago, and he’s submitted for things in NYC and gotten video callbacks, and so far, no offer, but if he got one, he’d go.
Good to know! Our son has also had a few major movie video submissions and callbacks, but still have a lot of navigating for colleges and decisions to make. Appreciate all the help and insight!