<p>My daughter and I will be visitng NYC for one week at the end of October and want to take advantage of the opportunity to visit a few campuses while there. On my list currently are PACE, NYU, Montclair and Cap21. Are there any others in a reasonable radius that would be feasible to fit in during our time there? </p>
<p>Wagner, Marymount Manhattan</p>
<p>Montclair and Rider are both close and accessible from mass transit. (Rider would be a short cab ride from Hamilton station (NJT), but you may be able to arrange a ride through the admissions office.) </p>
<p>You could also do UArts in Philly if you took bus or train from NYC to Philly. </p>
<p>Thank you so much. Very helpful recommendations!</p>
<p>Fairleigh-Dickinson (BA) is 12 miles down the road from Montclair - two musicals per year and a faculty with solid experience. Long Island Post (BFA) is a 1 3/4 hour train ride away. Hofstra (MT Minor) is a 1 1/2 hour train ride.</p>
<p>If D is at all interested in an auditioned BA, Fordham has a fabulous program in a great part of the city </p>
<p>Hofstra is about 40 to 45 minutes by train from Penn Station in NYC. Then you need to take a shuttle or taxi from Mineola station for about 15 minutes. Same with LIU Post. It is a 50 minute train ride and about a 10- 15 minute cab ride from the station.</p>
<p>If you have the time you should stop by Wagner College on Staten Island. Their theater department was just ranked #1 by the Princeton Review. They offer a BA in Theatre and Speech with a concentration in Performance. </p>
<p>I wholehearted agree that a visit to NYC area schools for theater or musical theater should include Wagner College. </p>
<p>I feel it is not entirely accurate to call their theater DEPARTMENT ranked #1 by Princeton Review. To clarify, these particular rankings are based on what students attending the schools tell the PR about their colleges and their experiences at them via a student survey. The Best College Theater Ranking List is based on students’ answers to the survey question: “How do you rate your college’s theater PRODUCTIONS?” So, this ranking is not really about the program, per se, but about what students on campus (not just students in the program) think about the quality of theater shows on their campus. Certainly, this is worth noting! But this is not the same as “best college theater program” (even if there is such a thing, and there truly is not).</p>
<p>Well the confusing regarding what college theater ranking by Princeton Review means is entirely understandable. Even Wagner’s own web page interprets it to mean their program is ranked #1 and is not the only school high up on this list to do the same. I say party on since the beauty is in the eye of the beholder anyway and there is, as you said, no way to really rank the best college theatre program anyway. <a href=“Wagner College featured in Princeton Review’s ‘Best Colleges’ guide - Theatre and Speech Department”>http://wagner.edu/theatre/theatre-news/wagner-college-theatre-1-on-princeton-reviews-best-colleges-list/</a></p>
<p>Yay Wagner! What a great boost to their program :)</p>
<p>It certainly is a nice boost and it is really cool for Wagner (or any other school). I think it just helps those new to the search for MT colleges to understand what it is that list is referring to. Information can’t hurt. Party on!</p>
<p>Yes information is very helpful…Students who don’t rate their school’s theater department in the top 10 tells me a great deal…</p>
<p>What is nice about making this particular list is it reflects that the general student body supports theater life on campus. That’s a positive thing. </p>
<p>Sopranomtmom! Hello! Soprano D loves NYU Steinhardt! Definitely the perfect place for her. Classical and MT class is 30 (approx. 15 each) so very small and very much like a family. The entire vocal performance class freshman to senior meet each Friday together for interaction. I am so impressed with this program. D got to be a dresser for Man of La Mancha even though they cant get cast the first semester. They can audition for spring semester productions. NYC tips: Get the hopstop app for your phone for your visit and sign up for Uber car service!</p>
<p>Thanks for all the great advice. We just returned from our trip and it was a very enlightening experience. We toured a few campuses and I would say that her favorite was definitely Pace. But, that being said, I think she also discovered that jumping into a big city campus might be a bit overwhelming for a girl from the suburbs of California. Even living on the outskirts of Los Angeles for her entire life hasn’t really prepared her for just what a different lifestyle it is. She hasn’t ruled out NYC or some other big city as a potential college destination, but I think it did really drive home the reality that she would definitely have to overcome that fish out of water feeling. And maybe there is enough stress just adjusting to college and being away from home that adding in trying to assimilate to a really different style of living might be too much. Suddenly she is much more willing to consider schools in less urban locations and even some schools closer to home. I think that she has discovered that even though living and working in NYC might be her ultimate goal someday, she doesn’t absolutely have to go to college there in order to pursue that dream. What she does need in a college is a place she can thrive because she feels happy and secure. It was a very good lesson! </p>
<p>@sopranomtmom where did you wind up staying?</p>
<p>sopranomtmom, that trip sounds VERY worthwhile. This is the kind of thing you want your kid to discover by visiting colleges and seeing where she would feel most comfortable. So, perhaps smack dab in the city may not be her thing. Further, she discovered that the idea of having to be in NYC to study theater is not necessary. Mission accomplished. Ya know, it is NOT for all people. But some adjust fine, just saying. My D had a bigger lifestyle change than your D would have because she grew up in a rural area in a town of 1700 people. We didn’t even have a traffic light in our town! We lived on a dirt road in the mountains and you had to drive to get to anything, no walking to places. And there was no public transportation. She went off to NYU and the number of kids in her dorm was nearly as many people who lived in our entire town, LOL. She started college while still 16 and she loved both college and NYC. But again, I don’t think it is for all people. That is why college fit is really important!!</p>
<p>We stayed in a tiny but really great Air BnB aparmtment in the Hell’s Kitchen area right in the heart of the theatre district. I chose this as it was really great way for her to get a sense of what it might be like to live there someday.</p>