NYU vs Pace vs Marymount

Hi! Because this is my first post, I would like to thank all of the informative posters on this forum, your advice has made my college process much easier. I’m creating this thread in hopes that someone can help me make this difficult decision. As of now I’m accepted at:

NYU- Tisch (Playwrights Horizons)
Pace- BA Acting IPE (was also accepted to honors college)
Marymount Manhattan- BFA Acting

Right now I’m torn between NYU and Pace. NYU is about 25k more a year for me, but it comes with the name. I’m worried the Pace’s BA program might not be as rigorous as NYU’s BFA. Any thoughts? Thank you in advance!

I can tell you that NYU’s BFA program is very strenuous in both academics and arts. Not saying others are not- just have no direct experience, though I have “heard” (mostly through reading threads on cc) that academics are not as intense at Marymount or Pace. NYU requires more academics than many BFAs - which for my kid was a positive, (others are looking for a more conservatory experience) not sure what they BA curriculum is like at Pace.

I am in PH and Pace too. I just went to the NYU revisit day yesterday. I have decided to go to NYU. I like the fact that they do care about what they call “gen ed” or general education. I hope to see you in PH next year.

Congrats @iamlucky! NYU has so many academic opportunities, I hope you love it! Your 1st year academics are set for you (Intro to theater studies/Intro to theater production, and Writing the Essay) but after that the possibilities are endless. One of the negatives people sometimes talk about with NYU is size- and I understand (though that is not how my family saw it), but their size allows such diversity in class choices. In your sophomore year kids have to take a class on a historical genre- by my count there were 30+ to choose from. The hardest part for D was picking which one!

thank you for the info @toowonderful. I am really so excited.

Thank you for your response @toowonderful I realize NYU and PH is a fantastic program but I’m wondering if it’s worth the extra $100,000 of debt. I am lucky to live in an upper middle class household, however, paying for college will still be a struggle and I find NYU’s bill of $64,000 a year being almost unmanageable.

$100,000 will buy you a lot of acting classes and NYC setup (or wherever else you plan to start auditioning) when you graduate. To graduate debt free would be the best gift you could give yourself.

@AJBuffaloNY - I totally get it- NYU is a steep price tag. Every family needs to make the choice of what they are comfortable with in tuition, debt etc, and balance that with what they are looking for in an education. For my D rigorous academics were a priority, and when we looked at her choices (final 4 were NYU, Syracuse, Northwestern and Boston) NYU offered the best fit. After scholarships etc It was neither the most expensive nor the least expensive. It does require sacrifices and debt from her dad and I (she will graduate debt free, but we will be paying for awhile) but for US (and every family is different) it is worth it. Certainly helps that D is an only child, I sometimes joke that I am paying the price of two college educations for one kid! But I wouldn’t have it any other way!!

aj, i imagine you have made decision by now but as good as NYU is, i don’t think it’s worth the price difference, esp if you are taking out loans. this is a hard field to make a living in and you will likely be able to spend more time chasing your dream post graduation with 100000 less owed. pm me if you want to talk more.