<p>Sorry for the belated reply and by now your son may have decided. First, congrats to him on having such wonderful options and the achievements that got him to this place. I truly believe that both schools/programs are excellent choices and it is a matter of preference. My D did not apply to BU, but does have friends who went there that liked it a lot. </p>
<p>As you know, my D went to NYU/Tisch and has since graduated. She entered wanting MT, and was admitted to the MT studio back then, which was CAP21. I had no idea initially that she would ever do a different studio while at NYU but indeed she spent her final three semesters in ETW. She absolutely LOVED ETW!!! Once at NYU/Tisch, she learned how popular the studio is and how much the kids in it seem to enjoy it. She admired the acting work she was seeing in Tisch productions with the kids from ETW studio. The training includes some physical acting and she noticed a difference with these actors. She also was attracted to ETW due to its opportunities to create theater and not only be in established works. It sounds like your son is also into that. At ETW, there is an option in the senior year to do what are called Independent Projects which are basically creating your own original play or musical. My D wanted to try to write a musical while in college and ETW afforded that opportunity. She wrote and staged a musical in senior year. She never truly planned to write any more musicals after that. But that musical at ETW went onto being selected for various things like workshops and an eventual Equity production of it in NYC, and even was selected later on as a MainStage musical for Tisch. The outcome of her ETW musical also led to an offer of representation from a major agency for theater literary, a commission from a major theater to write a musical, and commissions from Disney to write music for Disney imagineering. That was just the beginning. Even though she has a career in full swing as an Equity ACTOR, working nonstop on stage in theater, and as a singer/songwriter, she has a busy third career as a musical theater writer/composer/lyricist, that really began with that one show she wrote at ETW. It has led to numerous selections for prestigious fellowships, residencies, etc. and to a recent selection/grant that is well known in the field for musical theater writers. She also has another commission to write a musical for a theater in NYC. So, I would say a lot of that emanated due to being in ETW! Even a show she has recently been cast in for next fall, involves her creating and not just performing in a significant capacity. ETW is full of those who like to create original work, as she does. Her long time boyfriend was in ETW for four years and she has numerous friends who also trained in ETW and most are successfully working in the field. She’s also in a professional musical sketch comedy group that is made up of Tisch grads, mostly from ETW, because every actor in that show, also must be able to write original material. That is the kind of kid you will find in ETW. I’m sure similar opportunities exist at BU, but I can only speak of experience with Tisch/ETW. </p>
<p>I do not believe one has to be in NYC for college so they can be acclimated to NYC upon graduation or even for other reasons while IN college. Tisch was the only college my D applied to that was even located in NYC for that matter. And Boston is a great city for theater too (I just saw two shows in Boston this week in fact, and my Tisch grad daughter is arriving in Boston this week to perform for six weeks in a show, even though she is based in NYC). That said, I can’t discount the benefits my D enjoyed by being in NYC for college, even though I DO NOT think it is necessary to pick a college because it is in NYC! But the Tisch faculty are all working professionals. My D even found work during college and after college in connections with the professional working faculty members. During her college years, she was already getting networked in NYC (though chose to not audition for any professional work that would take her out of college). She loved NYC so much that she spent all her summers in college but the first one, working in NYC in theater. She has never left living in NYC since arriving on campus to start college at age 16 1/2. She’s on a plane right now to NYC, after performing out of town the past few months. NYC Is truly her “home.” I feel she is very well connected in NYC after graduating almost 5 years ago from Tisch, but it began while still in college. As well, Tisch is a big school and so a lot of her networking is merely with her Tisch alum peers, mostly whom are working in many capacities and levels in the theater world. She is constantly getting work for her peers and they often lead her to work. Most of her college peers from Tisch are still in NYC, though some are now based in LA. </p>
<p>I think in your son’s case, he already did the summer program at BU and that would give him an automatic affinity toward it. </p>
<p>I would not put that much stock into the fact that the particular students you met at BU seemed more relaxed and the ones at Tisch/ETW seemed stressed. It sorta reminds me of who your tour guide is that might force you to create inferences about the entire student body at a college. I’d want to meet more than a handful of students before drawing such a conclusion. That said, the life of a BFA student at most schools (though I only have first hand knowledge through my D at Tisch) is very jam packed with a full schedule and many responsibilities. As well, the type of student I observed at Tisch were ones who chose to be very involved, more than required. For example, my kid was a musical director of an a cappella group, musically directed some musicals, etc. on top of classes, prep, training, shows, crew, etc. And she chose to write and stage (and perform in) an original work, which was, well, a LOT of work! But some students thrive on this sort of intensity. My D is now 25 and five years out of school and her professional life is practically 24/7. She is juggling three careers in theater and music at one time. She no longer has time for survival jobs (though her survival jobs have been professional jobs in theater and music too, such as she gave up last year’s survival job of teaching in a BFA program due to not enough time with her professional commitments). Her call home a couple days ago related to me so many opportunities and offers in her various areas of her career in the coming months, many out of town too, that she didn’t know what to do as she may have to turn down a prestigious offer due to no time! So, the intensity of life goes on even post Tisch, but it is a positive intensity. It is not for all people, however. But it sounds like your son may also thrive on all that!</p>
<p>I wish him all the best with his decision. I know he can’t go wrong and so it is a good “problem” to have. Let us know what he decides!</p>