My D is super interested in Pace…I am not fan of the NYC location nor the obvious fact that they take so few plus the high sticker price. I was wondering if anyone can chime in on the benefits of this schools location regarding making contacts during college because of being in NYC & I am to understand they let you audition during your time there which other schools don’t? I recently was reading some resumes of some girls represented by a talent agency in NYC and there are tons of graduates from there. Actually I was getting discouraged reading them because most of the people graduated from the well known schools…so now my D is on her “if I don’t go to a well known program I’m doomed” kick again …sigh
I think people get good aid from Pace…at least some people. I know a boy who was very talented (WL at CMU) whose best offer was from Pace and that’s where he’s going.
Everyone I know who has applied to Pace has gotten more than decent aide. (However, very few have been artistically accepted)
NYC was a HUGE concern for me as well. D was/is a very sheltered only child from Midwest- when we started the process I was NOT a fan of the urban college experience (which was something D wanted). Since I know your D is younger, one thing you might want to think about next year is a summer program in the city. Mine did the Tisch summer program in between junior/senior year, and her 4 weeks there (which was far more “chaperoned” than college would be- so I could put a baby toe in) really helped convince me that they city WAS going to be ok. To be honest, I don’t know specifics of Pace facilities etc- but NYU has a wide variety programs etc, and I have learned to feel “more” comfortable than I ever thought I would 
We loved Pace when we toured. It is in the Wall street area of NYC so very busy during the day, less so at night. The dorms were wonderful – but it is city living in NYC. My d loved that aspect of it. She got an amazing aid package from Pace, was accepted academically, but rejected artistically. It was near the top of her list when we visited mainly because we had a great tour guide! They do send many many emails, even after the rejection. Manhattan is in general pretty safe and there are so many students around that I felt comfortable – same for New School and NYU.
My S was offered a very nice scholarship from Pace. He was offered admission to the Pforzheimer Honors College and was artistically accepted (off the W/L) for Musical Theater. When my S auditioned (class of 2018), the faculty was very supportive of students who wished to audition for professional theater. They are very flexible as far as deferments and working around various scheduling issues. In fact, the most flexible program my S considered. The facilities are beautiful; the main theater/dance classrooms are located 1 - 1/2 blocks from a subway station. The campus felt about as secure as a campus in NYC is going to feel. It is near the financial district and Freedom Tower so during the week, has a very “corporate” feel. I know it was a tough decision for my S to turn down the offer to be in the City from Day 1. Even with excellent aide, it was much more costly than BW given the delta in room and board. I was selfishly ok with it since my fear all along is he’d land a job, leave school, and decide he didn’t need to go back (a debate for another thread, for sure!). My second (a D) is going through the process now and I know I will be looking at safety and security with more scrutiny. Pace is on her list; I’ll have to see if my thoughts change after a campus visit with a D vs. S lens.
Forgot to add that it is one of the few programs that will let you take acting jobs while studying – also they have a great intern program.
I have a friend there who’s on a big scholarship. I know she’s been to several auditions already, and she’s only entering her sophomore year.
One thing she doesn’t like is that the technique taught there is very heavy in Strasberg (method acting). She and I came from a place where we were studying very up and coming acting techniques (viewpoints, Practical Aesthetics, Suzuki), so the switch to something traditional was pretty stark, or so I hear.
I don’t know your D’s history or background. More traditional technique is a huge draw for some people. Just something I thought might be worth mentioning.
The big draw at Pace in addition to good training is the fact that they let you audition and take jobs while in school. Many programs don’t. And they do give good academic aid.
I always hesitate when a student feels they must be in NY for college. For some it will be the perfect choice. But it is not mandatory for making it in the theater world. Really examine what the pros and cons of being in NY are for your child and your family. If the cost and distance are significant for you, I would encourage them to strongly consider other options. . If your child is convinced they must be in NYC to make contacts and get ahead and that is the main reason they want to go to school there- remind them of this. NYC can be a great place to go to school and there are some good programs there like NYU and Pace. But many of what are considered to be “top” MT programs are not in NYC at all. Carnegie Mellon, Michigan, CCM, Baldwin Wallace, Ithaca, Syracuse, Penn State, Northwestern , OCU… all of these schools have a pretty good track record of working alums and not one of them is in NYC. It has not hindered there graduates to not be near NYC.
Just something for students to consider when deciding where to go to school.
*their" – not “there” – too late to edit in my previous post
What does it mean when one says Pace is flexible with allowing students to pursue outside work and audition? Does that mean a Pace BFA student could skip a class and go on an audition and have it be just fine or does that mean if the student books something, their program is flexible enough to allow a student to leave the program and then return? Or all of the above? Or none of the above? I have a friend whose talented son is a rising senior at Pace. He booked an off Broadway show this past academic year which required some agreement and wiggle room in order for him to participate. But I think the bulk of the flexibility actually came from the theatre company that wanted him and was willing to work around some of his school requirements vs. from the school. Truth be told, my daughter also booked an off Broadway show last fall which would not have required her to leave school entirely, but it would have meant she would have to take an academic semester (which would mean greater class scheduling flexibility) and not do studio training. She wrestled with it and sure could have used the money but eventually turned it down because she didn’t want to miss the studio training.
NYU Tisch MT students audition for things all of the time and some book things and leave school to do them and come back or not. It is not encouraged, but it happens and sometimes is actually supported quite nicely for the right opportunity for a student in good standing. This happened recently for a friend and classmate of my daughter who is on a tour of a new musical. The flexibility of the program can create pockets of opportunity to take a job and not have to walk away from your education. For advanced studio students (juniors and seniors), attending professional auditions might just mean jumping in an elevator or walking down the hall because their studio classes are held in Pearl Studios where many of these auditions actually take place. But no, you can’t just skip a class to audition and expect it to be sanctioned… that would land you in trouble city. You would have to use non studio time to get it done but proximity makes the logistics obviously easier as I’m sure they do for Pace, The New School, Marymount Manhattan and others as far as New York goes and ditto for opportunities in Chicago for Northwestern, CCPA, DePaul etc. Cornish, PLU, UW in Seattle, USC, UCLA, etc. in LA, auditioning for MUNY if you are at CCM, Webster, etc., etc. etc. Proximity matters in a practical sense… it just does.
@theaterwork, the fact that you something from a NYC talent agency which showed heavy representation from a particular NYC school is likely a reflection on proximity. Yes, there are very talented students that come out of that program, but they are also logistically there to get in front of that agency. I would encourage your daughter not to read too much into it. There is so much talent distributed all over the country in excellent programs and more than one city (or middle of nowhere summer stock location) that can provide meaningful and career launching work.
I’ll jump in here since my S at Pace is the one @halflokum is mentioning in post #9 above who did off-B’way show with Pace permission. I can really only speak to our specific experience and it was definitely NOT encouraged as it came in the middle of the semester and my son had to advocate strongly for himself to be able to do it. (Guess what? Mom wasn’t involved in these talks either, which meant S had to really get organized and show the school / individual professors (including Honors Dept. academic classes) how he would juggle classes and be able to get his work done AND go to professional rehearsals during the day. There were countless logistical switches – among them, he had to move into 8 a.m. tap class with advanced dancers for a few weeks + had to do the service hours required for another class early on weekend mornings. Every step required communication with the teachers, the director of MT and the theatre. He didn’t sleep much that month. Also, he doesn’t have an agent, so handled all this himself. He literally made a spreadsheet. I was so proud 
@halflokum is right that the theatre company being willing to work with him was the key to this happening. They were willing to set his call times around a few classes he absolutely could not miss. FYI: The whole reason he even got the show was because he had worked with the writer/director on a previous project and asked him to come in to read for a specific part. I think their desire to work with him helped him make his case to Pace. It wasn’t one of those offers that was like “take it or leave it, we have 10 more boys who will do it without the conflicts.”
OK, so who are the Pace kids we all hear about who are auditioning and working? The highest profile ones I know of are students who auditioned in the spring, went through callbacks, booked a national tour or a Broadway show and then took the following semester or year off to do it. They literally take a leave of absence from the school – there is a mechanism to do that – and return at the next session. (I’ll share that there is a Rider boy on the Newsies tour and his decision followed similar timing.) You may have seen some of the press coverage about the girl from Pace who will be lead in new “Sound of Music” tour. She’s taking leave next year to do it. Bottom line is: You can’t just come in-and-out of the school during a semester doing projects here and there.
(Edit #1 – I can also think of two students who were seniors my S’s freshman year, who were in B’way shows that were running at the time in the evening and attended class during the day.)
So that’s the thing – as I said above, my son’s opportunity came up quickly in the middle of a semester. We’d already paid tuition that I was not willing to lose. Unless S figured out a way to stay enrolled AND do the show, he wasn’t going to do the show. He also has an honors scholarship that requires him to pass an honors level course every semester – so dropping that class mid-semester wasn’t going to happen. I think it helped that it was a limited run with a clear end date – it was a crazy month, but when it was over it was over. He also has very good grades so had a good track record to point to with his teachers. All of this was part of the puzzle.
As a casual observer of Pace students, I think there is definitely more leeway for seniors to audition in their final year – although they can’t just miss class willy-nilly for auditions; remember, everything must be preapproved by professors and director of program. I also think the school would grant more leeway for a student to miss class and/or take a leave of absence for a high-profile project than for something small. Not the best example, but if you’re gonna be the next replacement Hamilton and you have an offer in hand, my unscientific guess is that I think they’d work with you. There may also be more leeway if a NYC-based show has a very short run (as my S’s show did).
The underclassmen aren’t “encouraged” to audition – but they can with the director’s approval – in large part I think because Pace wants students to audition when they are trained and ready, not just because they are in NYC. Students are supposed to run all auditions past the director beforehand. (Do they all do this? My guess is no. But my son tends to be a rule-follower so he has always done it.) In his case, he’s been counseled not to try a few things for a variety of reasons – age / type / timing, etc. – and encouraged to try others. The school also has internal communications for students and definitely lets the MTs know when there are audition opportunities they should consider.
Are there amazing Pace kids who have agents / equity cards / Broadway credits in the program? – YES. But as I said, many of them have had to take a semester or a full year (or more) off to do the professional job, and then return to the program when the show or tour ends.
Here’s the thing though: Let’s say your amazing kid books a show in the spring, goes on tour for a year with every intention of going back to school. Then books ANOTHER show. (It happens.) Would they really return to the program? I don’t really know – I’d argue that there’s a case to be made that you ride the wave of employment while you’re hot.
I do think there is value to auditioning and auditioning often, for experience. Although, truth be told, most of our kids are still REALLY young for most of the roles that are out there. I’ve encouraged my son when he has dipped his toe into the professional pool, and he’s had his share of rejection, with a couple of really great results. But all in all, I think the auditioning experience itself has been very worthwhile.
I’ve rambled a lot here and not sure I’ve explained this clearly. I try to check in regularly but often miss a few weeks. Feel free to PM me with specific Pace questions. My S who is in the program knew it was the place for him from the get-go and has really made the most of his entire time there. But I’ll also share that my S at Rider, who didn’t get into Pace, has had equally stellar training and wonderful experiences – and has also done some professional auditioning. By all means, audition for Pace MT and throw your hat in the ring; but “cast a wide net” as we say around here.
(Edit #2 – A LOT of the auditioning that the college MTs do during the year in the winter and Spring is for summer work – I.e., regional theatres and small summerstock theatres. Pace definitely encourages – even helps prepare – students to do those auditions; as does Rider. I can only speak to those two – but I think that’s pretty common in BFA MT programs.)
As to location, the “FiDi” or Financial District where Pace is located, is quite fabulous with beautiful restaurants and stores; very safe. Near Seaport, WTC / 9-11 Memorial, and brand new Fulton Transit Center. Lots of security, NYPD etc b/c of Wall St., City Hall, important banks, memorial, etc. However it is expensive. I’m looking forward to next summer after graduation when he moves to cheaper neighborhood
@MTTwinsinCA , thank you so much for ratting yourself out. I’ve invoked your name directly enough times recently that I didn’t want you to think I was forcing you to come out and play if you didn’t want to.
wow @MTTwinsinCA great info about Pace…thanks! I think it will stay on our list and that can be a school D applies to and just lets the chips fall where they may. She wants a few reach schools so I will relent and maybe have that be one so she can get off my case about it! We were just in NYC and did not go see Pace…dumb us! We were too tired and amazingly she did not mention it! I like that it is in the business district actually I am familiar with that area somewhat. I just think she would be perhaps she would be better off in a regular campus environment.
I found the city environment (as opposed to a “traditional” campus) was something I struggled with - even after D started school, and was loving it. I had just had such a different image in my mind for her college…one much more like her parents (smaller, idyllic college town setting— basically what you see on every college brochure with leafy trees and red brick buildings…). And I sure that my “baby” needed to be in a much more supportive/protective environment than the big bad city- which is what I had liked about some of the smaller schools and theater programs. BUT - she has chosen what is right for her, and I love how much she loves it there
I also had some qualms about my boy going from a cow town (literally) of 5,000 to inside the Loop in Chicago, but he took to it immediately and has no regrets about the lack of quad/dorm football/college sports in his college experience. One of the benefits of this process is that your kid gets a lot of in-person exposure to different kinds of colleges and will likely have a better handle on what she wants at the end than the typical kid who just mails off transcripts and SAT scores.
^^My kid went from a cow town (literally) of 1,700 to living in Manhattan for college. Our town had no traffic lights. We lived on a dirt road where we could not see any other houses from our land. Quite the change. She went off to NYC at 16. My kid loved it. I would not choose that for college but I surely understand why she loved it.
We might have known some of the same cows, @soozievt.
This is probably a whole new thread topic, but the themes in posts #14-#17 about reconciling what we as parents want for our kids’ college experiences and what they want for their own experiences is interesting. I went to a BIG U with BIG division 1 Football team in BIG city with all the bells and whistles, a campus quad, town & gown, greek system, major alumni, the whole deal. At the time, you could not have convinced me that I wanted anything less. Because I have such fond memories of ALL THAT, it was hard for me to let go of that for my boys. But honestly, they wanted nothing like that. Didn’t care about sports, didn’t care about traditional campus, didn’t care about greek system or HUGE universities. I thought a vertical campus felt like going to college in an office building, but my S at Pace loves that he hits the sidewalk and the city is his oyster. My boys were both open to all things “non-traditional” when it came to college versus what I wanted way back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth , and I really respect that now. In fact, having seen many of the schools we toured, I can look back on my own life and wonder how it may have been different had I taken a different path. All very interesting. So yes, be willing to hear what your kids really want from a campus – and what they’re “just not that into.”
It looks like Pace (not MT, but acting BA) is still on my D’s list. She wants to double major in business and acting (thus chose BA, not BFA). I’m struggling with the school’s overall reputation, ranking, seemingly a lack of academic rigor (she was offered a honors program), that type of thing, based on some posts/student feedback here and other websites and many different rankings. I know it’s all based on what she wants to get out of the school and how seriously she wants to pursue acting (this could change over a period of time…). Any thoughts on how to help or guide her to look and balance various aspects of this school would be appreciated.