<p>Never posted to a forum before. Sorry if I should be in a different section. D needs to decide between NWU Cherubs program and BUSTI at BU. Advice -- both for specifics of being in the program (I have seen some posts) and for how program helps w/ college-- application and preparation. Thx.</p>
<p>I can’t speak to BUSTI (what an awful acronym!) but Cherubs is a fantastic program. NU loves its Cherubs – it’s the one summer program that actually may be a boost for admissions.</p>
<p>D was at BUSTI last summer and just loved it-- it was really all intensive theater all the time. This year she was thrilled to get in to Cherubs–which is said to be even more intensive!–but in the end she didn’t want to go so far from home. One of the big differences between BUSTI and Cherubs is that at BUSTI the performances are developed within each group-- they are more “experimental”. This is great for an all around theater experience including playwriting, directing etc. But at Cherubs they do full shows-- which is, after all, what most aspiring actors aspire to!</p>
<p>I think either can help you for college-- or could hurt, for that matter. At BU you really are working with the professors who you’d be studying under in the BFA-- and they get to know you, get a deeper chance to see your talent and personality than they would in a 10 minute audition, and they can make a better informed decision. One way BUSTI definitely helped was in giving an idea of what a BFA is really like-- they say it’s the first quarter of freshman year at BU, condensed into 5 weeks, and that helped kids decide whether they really wanted such an intense experience, and also helped them get a deeper sense of an actor’s art. I know D’s audition next year will be much stronger for all that work. </p>
<p>You can search on BUSTI and Cherubs in the theater or MT forums…there are a few answers to similar questions there-- but I think it’s good that you posted here. Just more traffic!</p>
<p>Hi MomtoC,
My son did Cherubs after his junior year and is just finishing up his freshman year at NU.
He said, like many others did, that it was a “life changing experience.” They are working from 8 a.m.-10 p.m., pretty much every day, although it is a little more relaxed on the weekend. They have core courses and electives. He has ~23 Cherubs in his current theatre class '14 at Northwestern.</p>
<p>Thanks for your responses! Gwen, can you tell me a bit about BU and essays? I read somewhere (in a Forum topic?) that kids at BUSTI write essays. Not sure the D wants to do that, would like to know how many, how long, if true. (Having trouble figuring out how to search, found answers to begin with via Google.)</p>
<p>Yes, I believe they had weekly essays, on Hamlet. Maybe 500 words, I’m not sure? Essays are not D’s favorite thing either-- but it wasn’t that taxing. (They lived on the 13th floor of an un-airconditioned dorm through last summer, which was one of the hottest on record…so the whole thing took an a surreal aspect! At some point writing essays was preferable to all the physical exercise in that heat.) And it helped her writing. At the end of BUSTI, seniors can audition for BU-- they can let that audition stand or do another one later-- but it is a nice feature. Still – I think only 5 or 6 are off to BU–a few are going to Northwestern too! </p>
<p>If you go to Discussion Home-- to the left here-- you will find forums for different subjects…the search function at the top of the page will search the whole site or individual forums.</p>