<p>My goal for my theatrical loving child: Fall in love with a school you can get into. Her test scores, grades, activities and writing are STELLAR, so she can reach, but I want a fall-back school! We are renting a car, because I don't know what to do with our luggage during tours, and our visting is SO short, I don't want to get lost on so much public transpo that I do not know how it works. Might ditch the car in NYC, but it costs the same per day as gettting a taxi to return to the airport... She has never been out East, but I lived briefly in NYC. Inexpensive hotel advice is welcome!
Tuesday: Flight lands at 10 am into Boston, BU Tour 2:30 pm (confirmed), drive by Emerson, Harvard. Northeastern? Hotel on Newbury St
Wednesday: Tufts Tour 9 am (1.5 hr drive fast to) Brown Tour 2pm
(2 hr drive to New Haven), Hotel near Yale
Thursday: Yale drive by, drive (2 hours) to Vassar Tour 1:30, drive
(2 + ? hours) to NYC See NYU; Hotel near Times Square
8/12 Friday: Columbia Tour 10 am, to LaGuardia airport , flight at 4 pm</p>
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<p>You have quite the tour. I would suggest one change.</p>
<p>Instead of driving to NYC from Brown…drive to Poughkeepsie on Wednesday after your Tufts tour…the night before the tour of Vassar. Stay there. It’s less expensive than NYC by a lot.</p>
<p>Is it possible to change your Vassar tour to the morning (assuming you drive there the night before from Brown)? That way you’d have most of the afternoon to drive to NYC and could…do the following:</p>
<p>Go to the Vassar tour in the morning on Thursday and then drive to NYC in the afternoon…perhaps by way of New Haven…it’s not exactly “on the way” but it’s doable.</p>
<p>Then proceed to NYC where you would stay Thursday night in prep for your Friday morning tour of Columbia.</p>
<p>We found it was best to be AT the place where the tours were taking place the night before…rather than taking a LONG drive to the tour the day of it. Both of our kids hated schools where we drove to the schools “the morning of” the tours…better to get there the night before, have time to sleep in or get up early and poke around…in my opinion.</p>
<p>The only problem I have with this is that you are missing some primo schools for theater-loving students.</p>
<p>Brown and Columbia are fine, but not necessarily easier to get into than Harvard or Yale. If your daughter is truly a stellar candidate, she should probably apply to all four of them, but with the limited time available to you on this trip touring any of them isn’t going to help you find a good match or safety.</p>
<p>In Boston, I am not certain you are right to slight Emerson in favor of BU or Tufts. For someone really, truly committed to a career in theater, my sense is that Emerson might be the #1 choice in the area (or the #1 choice after Harvard).</p>
<p>Yale is always worth a visit in my book. (You have to get out of the car, though – you won’t be able to see anything nice if you are actually driving by.) And it’s theater heaven; it ought to be your daughter’s first choice. But you don’t need to visit to know that. Meanwhile, Wesleyan is half an hour away, and it is a great academic college with a tremendous collection of kids with strong interest in the arts, including theater. And the kind of kid who looks like she belongs at Yale has a much better chance of getting in to Wesleyan.</p>
<p>I would also consider taking a look at Bard and/or Sarah Lawrence. Bard is about 30 minutes north of Vassar. It’s a place that can really challenge good students, but it has a very artsy spin. Sarah Lawrence is a small college right outside of NYC, 30 minutes from Grand Central Station on a commuter train that runs all the time. Both colleges have serious theater programs (including at Sarah Lawrence an MFA program) and lots of ties to Broadway, within the context of a liberal arts curriculum. Both of these colleges are somewhat less popular than Vassar or Wesleyan (or, indeed, any of the schools you are touring), and thus less of an admissions crapshoot.</p>
<p>In NYC, Columbia is obviously a great college (and so is Barnard, its across-the-street sister college that only accepts women), but in theater terms neither holds a candle to NYU’s Tisch School. Of course, Tisch may be harder to get into than Columbia or Barnard; it’s not a second-choice kind of option.</p>
<p>Finally, if you are looking for that perfect blend of academics, arts, and admissions predictability, you may kick yourself for failing to explore the five colleges around Amherst MA (Amherst, Smith, Mt. Holyoke, Hampshire, and UMass), two of which only accept women, and all of which except Amherst are pretty safe matches for a strong student.</p>
<p>My head spins just reading your travel plan! We did most of your schools in 3 separate trips. Granted, we combined vacation and school visits to give us a break and even then, one school blends into another after awhile. Give yourself time to rest and digest information. It can be overwhelming.</p>
<p>Having driven to most of those schools, I suggest to pad your driving time for construction, unexpected traffic congestion, etc. What looks good on Google map does not always translate to real time. Think twice about driving in NYC. I was very glad to pay for the taxi to avoid the aggravation and stress! Add in the exorbitant parking fees and it will be cheaper and faster to take taxi, train and metro.</p>
<p>I think what the determining factor in all of this is whether or not she wants to major in theatre, or just have performing opportunities. That’s a HUGE difference in the list of schools proposed. I’m guessing she’s not necessarily going to pursue performing because if she was, there’s quite a number of schools on that list that do not belong, and a number of schools that are missing.</p>
<p>Perhaps the student just wants to be within close proximity of performance venues so that she can take advantage of seeing lots of shows while in college. </p>
<p>‘Theatre-loving child’ has lots of meanings, which would influence decisions on which schools parents might recommend.</p>
<p>I am so glad I posted this - you have all given me much to think about! My daughter is an actress, but wants to get a BA in theatre arts, not just acting, since she may want playwriting, directing, producing or even acting in her future. Emerson has many students from our home town, and has a limited range of classes (she likes math!) so it isn’t on her list, just mine. She wants to be near a large city, as she is also interested in improv and is “city” girl from the suburbs who wants the whole college experience… We did not add the wesleyn, etc. schools because of time and they are low on her list and her list across the country is very long. Might only get a car to go from Boston through to edge of NYC - the tours at Brown and Vasar say tey won’t watch our luggage - so what do we do with it if we take the train?</p>
<p>You can’t really learn anything about Harvard or Northeastern or Emerson by just driving by them. They are all in very urban locations and , in general, you won’t even have much ability to slow down as you drive by. Driving in Boston/Cambridge is also not easy, and parking can be very hard. You would be better off just using public transportation and/or cabs.
Hotels on Newbury Street are unlikely to be inexpensive, although they will be convenient. You might try the Midtown which is convenient and fairly basic, I think.
Emerson does have a limited range of classes, but it is very strong in all aspects of theatre, and has a solid alum connection which can make a big difference. If she is quite sure her future is in theatre, it’s a great place to be. It is very small and right in the heart of Boston, and it’s close to BU so I would suggest doing a tour if you can manage that. They are often pretty flexible about tour times.
Yale is also pretty urban. I don’t see much point in just driving by.
How soon are you doing this tour? I suggest doing some research and cutting down the list.</p>
<p>Tufts to Brown to New Haven in one day is a lot of driving. You’ll be stuck in rush hour traffic getting to New Haven. </p>
<p>Vassar to NYC is going to be a long drive too since you’ll also be dealing with NYC rush hour traffic. You’ll have been on the road at least 4 and possibly 6 hours that day, which means you may be dead tired and there won’t be much to see at NYU after you check into your hotel. </p>
<p>ARe you good at driving in cities you don’t know? Driving and parking in NYC is not for the faint of heart.</p>
<p>It seems like a very tight schedule. A delay in your air trip or in traffic could be quite a setback.</p>
<p>rachelima - you may have already done lots of research on this topic, but are you aware that getting a BA in theatre arts at a school that also offers a BFA will severely limit your daughter’s performing opportunities?</p>
<p>So you are right regarding Emerson being low on the list. Not only are their academic standards very low, especially for someone who likes math, but she would be competing with BFA students for parts in shows. </p>
<p>Your daughter sounds a lot like mine… very bright, but as far as theatre goes, has not limited herself to just the stage. She will have had two of her written plays produced at the school she just graduated from as of this fall. </p>
<p>Do you also know that CC has a theatre forum?</p>
<p>[Theater/Drama</a> Majors - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/]Theater/Drama”>Theater/Drama Majors - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>I think it’s just too tightly packed. You have no margin for error, nor any time to spend if you accidentally discover that you really like one of these colleges and want to see more of it.</p>
<p>Also, with respect to the car in New York City, have you factored in the cost of parking it? Parking it overnight near Times Square will cost you $55.00 if it costs you a penny–maybe more. And as you surely know, having a car in New York is about as helpful as dragging around an anvil.</p>
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<p>Maybe a CC parent has a kid at those schools that would let you store the luggage for a few hours? My D hasn’t done that (yet) but she has met up with a few kids of CC parents when they have toured her college and she met up with them to give additional unofficial tours and info. I second JHS into looking into the Amherst area schools, there is a very nice blend of academics and arts there. Paying3Tuitions had a theatre kid at one of the Amherst schools who is actively working in the industry, you might get some good feedback from her.</p>
<p>My experience is that “drive-by” tours are worse than useless. You remember them for reasons that have little to do with academics or even lifestyle – negatively because of something as trivial as an unexpected traffic jam, or positively because of some chance encounter with an advocate of the school.</p>
<p>I live in New Haven and can’t imagine you hitting all these schools in such a short period! Why not do 2 seperate trips? I took my daughter to Harvard in April via Amtrak and believe you me, that was a full/busyl day and we only visited one school! Dont you want to visit a lecture?(which you can do during the regular academic year) and sit in on a admissions session? I feel that this express checkout/12 items or less style college tour will leave MORE questions than answers… Imagine you get back home after all of your running around and she can’t make heads/tails of her trip? </p>
<p>In my NEVER to be humble opinion, (am I channeling Dr Laura?) 9 college visits in 4 states in a 4 day period is a bit much! </p>
<p>As far as luggage… you may have to use backpacks and take very little in the way of luxuries… shorts, flip flops, t’s, a hoodie,uinderpinnings, etc!</p>
<p>I agree that it’s meaningless to “drive by” an urban school, particularly so in the case of Emerson, where it’s possible you’ll have finished driving by before you even realize you’re in the right neighborhood. I suggest you look at some of the campus maps on the colleges’ websites to get a sense of how much (or little) perspective you can get from the street–Google Earth might help, too. And keep in mind you won’t be able to pull over and gaze.</p>
<p>It’s extremely easy to take the train from Logan to Providence, and for us, renting the car in Providence was a lot cheaper. You might consider doing Brown @ 2:30 on Tuesday and then combining Tufts and BU on Wednesday morning and afternoon.</p>
<p>If you tour Northeastern, consider the Midtown Hotel (ask for the Northeastern or BU discount). They sometimes have good deals. Rooms are plain but large. Parking is $20 (cheaper than most hotels in Boston). It’s walking distance to Northeastern. A T ride to BU.</p>
<p>I’m going to give advice which contradicts that given by other posters.</p>
<p>First, I don’t know what “stellar” means. Maybe your daughter truly is STELLAR. Or maybe she’s a big fish in a small pond. </p>
<p>That isn’t meant to be mean–believe it or not. Some of those big fish in small ponds are still big fish in an ocean–but others aren’t. It’s hard for admissions officers to figure out whether they are. </p>
<p>What the heck am I saying? Well, if your daughter is applying to Yale as an actress, she should be aware that a lot of the people who do that have acted professionally. Or they’ve gone to drama programs like Stage Door Manor and have gotten lead roles. If your D hasn’t done the equivalent, she should be aware that she is unlikely to stand out as an actress in Yale’s applicant pool. Or in Brown’s, for that matter. </p>
<p>So, she needs to make a decision. Which matters more–acting or academics? Because getting into Vassar as an actress is a heck of a lot harder than getting into some much more highly ranked colleges as an actress. That’s especially true because it “sounds” as if she isn’t going to be applying ED 1 or ED 2 to Vassar, and the odds of getting in during the regular admissions round as an actress, if you aren’t URM or otherwise “hooked” are not good. It’s NOT a safety for a middle class white kid who is applying in the regular round as an actress unless, of course, your D is truly STELLAR in an objective sense. Vassar will admit very, very few white or middle class kids whose strength is acting in the regular round because it will have admitted a lot of kids like that in ED I and ED II rounds. The same thing is also true of NYU–Tisch is one of the most desirable schools in the nation for actors. If your D is planning to apply to the school of arts and sciences rather than Tisch and isn’t going to apply ED, the odds really aren’t very good. </p>
<p>So… you need to have a talk with your D. If it came down to attending a top school academically which has some opportunities to act but isn’t famous for it or a school with fewer students who were academically outstanding but which attracts a lot of outstanding actors, which would you choose? </p>
<p>I think the list your D has now is sort of bifurcated. I don’t know her stats or credentials but she’s got reaches–Yale, Brown–and safeties–Northeastern, probably Emerson. She doesn’t have enough “matches” --assuming her stats are truly stellar, Tufts might be one but it’s called Tufts syndrome for a reason–because even though, if you look at just stats BU, Vassar and NYU might be matches, they really aren’t if you are an actress and aren’t applying early–again assuming your D isn’t a URM. </p>
<p>I’d be dragging her off to look at Boston College, Brandeis, and other schools where visiting is a plus and that aren’t going to be absolutely inundated with actresses in the early rounds. Again, that’s assuming that she wasn’t the lead actress in a major motion picture or some such thing.</p>
<p>Can you return car in Poughkeepsie…after the tour…and take train to NYC? </p>
<p>Extra day of car rental isn’t going to be the main expense…parking it in NYC will be the main expense.</p>
<p>Try bidding on Priceline for NYC hotel…especially since you know you want to stay in Times Square. Bid on a 4 or 5 star hotel…they should all be fine. Just need to be sure of the date.</p>
<p>Is she considering any schools other than the east coast schools you’ve listed?</p>
<p>Jonri and I are more or less on the same page, but with different recommendations. Yale, Brown, Columbia, Harvard, NYU-Tisch – they are all reaches. You aren’t going to learn a lot by visiting them. They are beautiful and exciting, and you will love going there if you get in, but spending hours there doesn’t get you a decent safety.</p>
<p>Vassar, Tufts, Wesleyan are reachy, too, even for a kid with great stats. Much more realistic than the others, but nothing to count on. (Wesleyan is not meaningfully farther from New York City than Vassar, by the way, and it’s a heck of a lot closer to the Yale Rep and Long Wharf. Plus it has its very own serious Hollywood mafia.)</p>
<p>BU, maybe. (I don’t know why jonri thinks it’s a problem. It really doesn’t have a theater program, and its admissions always seemed almost completely predictable to me based on GPA/SAT.) Emerson, probably. But I don’t think either of those will necessarily hit the sweet spot of academic and theatrical breadth and rigor, so if I were the OP and Daughter I would be investing my time looking elsewhere. </p>
<p>And for crying out loud, visit Times Square, don’t stay there. You can get actual cheap hotels near NYU or Columbia.</p>