<p>My D is a sophomore MT at UMich and I have posted EXTENSIVELY about the UM program as has Coach C. You can check through our posts (I for one always try to put subject headings on my posts so it is easier to discern their content) by clicking on our screen names to the left of a recent post and linking to "Find more posts by Theatermom/Coach C". After that, if you have specific questions about the UM program, feel free to email me by clicking on my screen name to the left and following the link to my email. I'm always happy to help.</p>
<p>I don't even know if the original poster is even interested in a reply anymore, but we live in NC and my d has attended NCSA in their summer programs (and has friends who attend there now for both h.s. and college). They have excellent training, BUT they do not have MT and while students in acting get some training in voice, the various programs there (i.e. dance, drama, music) do NOT allow the student to train in multiple "schools" so to speak. This is the reason my d chose not to apply there. Their programs are small and students get a lot of individual attention. NCSA is a unique setting where high school, college, and graduate students all live on the same campus. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>soozievt,
Thank you SO much for your very thoughtful reply. I appreciate your taking the time to go into so much detail. The information was very helpful. There are many similarities between our two D's. Interesting, though, how your D began to like certain programs more after visiting, while mine began to like some less after visiting. Maybe that's why an initial list of 11 applications/10 auditions feels shorter now. Also, she wanted to/had to branch out, but I think her heart is in NYC. Thank you again.</p>
<p>I think visits help sooooo much! I had an original list of about 15 schools...mainly becuase I was incredibly worried that I wouldn't get into any of them. I definitely was able to narrow it down to 3 schools based on visits!!</p>
<p>Eliza's mom, you are welcome. I hope by sharing, we all glean things that are helpful. I hope you will share your D's process when you are ready and let us know where she got in and will enroll and how she came to that decision. Stick around and you can help next year's group! </p>
<p>Just to comment....after visiting....same thing happened with my D as with yours....in some cases, she liked the school more. Some schools that were higher initially went down, not so much maybe cause of the visit but more once she knew about more programs, she found she liked some better. Still her top choices remained top ones in terms of her favorites. And while she opted to NOT do ED to Tisch, she came full circle in the end, and after fully exploring the other schools, she can honestly say she picked Tisch in a thoughtful way as she really looked at the whole list and just came back to it in the end. I'm glad she did RD, not ED (though ED would save money and angst if it had worked) but now she really KNOWS she wanted to go there. And of course, you have to go with what options you are handed. It is funny in a way, that she did end up at the one college she wanted to go to when she was pretty young. In that way, when the acceptance did arrive, it was like a dream come true because I think the fact that she initially heard of Tisch was the start of this aspiration to go on in her field and now those goals had been realized.</p>
<p>The acceptance to Tisch especially was very sweet because of when it came. It gave my D hope and something to look forward to. One year ago, yesterday, my D was in a very serious car crash with severe injuries that landed her in intensive care. She was in the hospital for ten days, including surgery, and in a hospital bed in our home for ten more days and then could not walk on two feet for two months. She got into Tisch while in utter pain and could not move and was on morphine. My husband read her the news over the phone as he went home that night from the hospital and got the mail. Luckily my D survived and luckily she has recovered and can go on with her dreams and also dance again (one of her injuries was a fractured pelvis). She got selected to Tisch Scholars and got a Trustee Scholarship while in a hospital bed in our living room....also found out she got CAP as her studio in that bed too. The Saturday in the Square event was held only two days after my D was allowed out of a bed. We were not sure how she could make it to NYC and attend but it really was a goal to get there so that she could have hope that she had something to strive for and get better in time for college. She made the long trip which was difficult in her condition and we also had to rent a wheelchair. I even had to give her her daily shot in the stomach! in a lavoratory at NYU between the sessions. There was a luncheon for Tisch Scholars and now my D is on a trip with them and arrived in Appalachia in Kentucky today with that group. She has come a long way and I'll tell you, we all want those acceptances but in her condition at the time, it was a godsend to have something happy to look forward to. Opening rejections in that condition would have been hard. Her accident was one week following her 8th and final audition. What timing. She did get a happy ending. But I must say that acceptance to Tisch that day in the hospital brought tears of joy because a dream was kept alive while she was just being happy that she was still alive, which was already something. So, thinking about this is kinda emotional. We all want our kids to be happy and reach their goals and dreams. It took on a particular significance when my child almost died and then had to make a comeback and hope she would be able to physically do what she had hoped to do. We just had to hope and pray she'd get through all the precarious aspects and also that she could get to college, be well in time, and also dance again. Thankfully, it had a happy ending. I hope nobody else has to go through that during this college waiting period! Just to say, no matter what, kids can and do overcome setbacks of all sorts. If they don't get into the college they hoped for, something else will happen that is positive. There are all sorts of setbacks. Sorry to get off topic a bit but this whole memory of the decision process and the letters and everything brings back the whole situation. Life is not always a smooth ride.</p>
<p>My d is a senior MT at CMU. As I have said in a few other postings, she is thrilled with the training she has received. Since voice has always been her strongest talent and acting her weakest, she wanted a school with a strong acting program. CMU was her first choice, and she's never had a doubt that it was the right one for her. </p>
<p>I would be happy to answer any questions you might have regarding CMU, the audition process, or specifics about the MT program. Although she was accepted to BoCo (MT as well as Vocal Performance), Webster, Emerson, Miami (BA), Michigan (Vocal Performance), I cannot speak about those programs with any firsthand knowledge - only as the mother of a student who applied and was accepted.</p>
<p>Whew!!!! I never anticipated what direction my question would take when I wrote it. WE have been researching different programs and reading several threads but just picked schools out of the dialogues to visit during spring break. If anyone can suggest others they have personal knowledge of, it would be helpful for those of us with juniors. Are there any west coast standouts?</p>
<p>Wow - this was a heavy thread after my 3 day absence! </p>
<p>Frozen, see the "big list" and see another thread that is specifically about west coast MT (not quite as many good options).</p>
<p>A couple of thoughts back to Matt's original notes - his opinion is that CMU is a big university - my opinion is that it is medium to small, I think at about 5000 students. This is a good size, in my opinion.</p>
<p>On his comments about shows and about dance training at UM, I'd have to say that A Chorus Line that we saw at UM in Oct., 2004 is probably the single best college performance we have seen. It showed off the training in all 3 areas of acting, singing, and dance, but the dance was the part that impressed me the very most.</p>
<p>I'll give a few other thoughts about some of the other college shows we've been able to see. We liked the 2 Elon shows we've seen, the technical part - set (Jekyl & Hyde), lighting, etc., is really special, and the dance there really wows me as well (Westside Story). OCU has incredible singing. My son was very impressed with acting he saw at Ithaca (a play), PPU (a play), and CMU (junior class one-acts). We thought BW had a very good show that showed off strong singing and acting. Indiana University has wonderful acting and a great new theatre building. We regret not seeing shows at all the schools, and I've probably left out something we really liked. All of these are of course just my opinion.</p>
<p>wct - Good to hear from you (I think you and I have a mutual CC friend in your part of the US). </p>
<p>We went with a CMU sophomore drama major (who is from here) to 2 one-acts on a Friday night in late Sept., may have been 9/23. I can't remember the names of the plays they were from, but my son was impressed with the acting. They were both comedies, I guess, and one I liked, the other I didn't (due to the topic of the show). We were in Pittsburgh that day for a PPU audition.</p>
<p>Sorry it's taken me a bit longer than anticipated to get back to you about how to "talk to" current BFA students or recent grads - I was mired in the swamp of grad school! :)- Here's what I've come up with so far for those who don't have "easy access" to performers or current BFA students:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Be a stage door visitor and "inverstigator." If you see summer stock, regional, tours, or Broadway theatre, check out the bios, especially of ensemble performers, and don't be afraid to have your S politely approach those young actors, give a brief compliment to their performances, and then say, "I am really interested in _________ (name their school) and wonder if you could give me your 30-second impression of it." Such performers will usually be REALLY candid - you'd be surprised how many will be negative if that's they way they truly felt while at the school and will go into a bit of detail about that. By the same token, if a performer immediately gushes about his or her school when asked in the stage door setting, it is usually really genuine. Performers, especially ensemble people who don't have tons of fans waiting for autographs, etc., are usually MORE than glad to talk to an aspiring young performer who is a bit dressed up and is very polite and humble. My students have not only gleaned valuable info in this way but sometimes have actually developed friendships with young performers, meeting them for coffee, etc., while in NYC.</p></li>
<li><p>Read! broadway.com has a feature called Fresh Face, about "new" performers on Broadway - playbill.com always has interviews with performers - talkinbroadway.com has a feature called "Spotlight On" - all of which give performers opportunity to talk about their training, whether it be school or other types of training. If a performer DOES mention his or her college program in an interview, you can be assured that he loved it, and the articles will often detail why. This takes a bit of time to do, but you will glean lots of valuable general theatre knowledge as well as beginning to shape (or continuing to shape) impressions of many programs.</p></li>
<li><p>Talk to teachers, directors, parents, anyone you can ferret out who knows students who attended or are attending the BFA programs you are examining. Networking with "friends of friends of friends of..." will often get you GREAT info.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>One final note: Although most students who work auditions will be very supportive of their schools, as you have aptly pointed out, it is also a good idea to observe how they discuss OTHER schools. My personal preference as an educator is to be very wary of any school that puts down others in order to elevate itself. Several times over the past 3-4 years, I have had students accepted to several programs who were caught in a "bidding war" which certain schools tried to turn ugly by openly insulting their "competing" programs. I think the overall demeanor of students not only toward their own programs but toward other programs is very telling in terms of the type of attitude students develop while at a particular school and also the general atmosphere of the program. If a school permits its students to put down other schools, again, I am wary of it from an enviromental perspective, regardless of caliber of training. On the other hand, a school that does not engage in such one-upsmanship but is simply secure in doing what IT does gets high marks from me. That is simply my personal bias.</p>
<p>I have a question about CMU. Is it more like a conservatory or a liberal arts school? Is CMU like NYU in that it's not strictly a conservatory, but there are a few (Like the essay writing class) that you must take?</p>
<p>Commenting on what Coach wrote at the end...we did run into students at a program my D really liked a lot and where she liked the kids a real lot too, but one thing that was off putting was that the students put down another program to her that she was also applying to and considering. They did so in a very negative way. They'd tell her not to go there if accepted, it wasn't any good, and called it names. It did NOT color what she thought of the students making the remarks or their program because she liked both. I also don't think the program would encourage or "permit" them, as you say, to have said these things but kids are kids and they did. It wasn't so great because it did affect my D some, though it didn't affect what she thought of them or their program as she thinks well of it. Further, she tried not to let it affect her own interest in the school that they put down where she garnered many opinions/perspectives of the program from students actually attending.</p>
<p>I have to say that I cannot imagine my kids putting down other schools on their list. They had favorites or preferences but they liked the other schools on their list enough to attend and didn't think poorly of them. I can't imagine them speaking poorly of other schools to other students. They could tell why they wanted their current schools more than another but they don't DISLIKE or think POORLY of the other colleges but just did not pick them for themselves. Why kids at some of these programs we visited would put down other programs was troubling and disconcerting. I'd rather hear why they picked their own program and how it might contrast to another they considered. What I do find fascinating is students who put down other programs in a negative fashion and they actually applied to these very same programs themselves! Why they applied, I don't know. Then, knowing my D was an applicant, and the way they bashed the programs she was interested in, wasn't in the best of taste. Yes, I am talking of BASHING....and not talking of what they thought was weak at a school or things of that sort. It was more that the program was "no good". Luckily, she has her own mind and didn't take it to seriously but they'd make her question her own preferences. Again, we didn't take anything against their programs because we liked the programs and kids themselves, just not tone or nature of these remarks. As well, we had to keep in mind that they were merely past applicants, not current students with first hand knowledge of the programs they were bashing.</p>
<p>Forevaeva...no CMU is not like NYU. CMU is mostly conservatory with very few liberal arts courses all four years. NYU involves conservatory training but you ALSO take liberal arts with that BFA program (more than essay writing...there are distribution requirements). At NYU/Tisch, you attend conservatory for three full days per week and do liberal arts on the other two days. </p>
<p>Examine the curriculum at both schools and you will see the differences. CMU is one of the BFA programs with the least amount of liberal arts in the curriculum.
Susan</p>
<p>Your comment about negative comments from schools is right on. While at UMich (drama dept.), the professor running the parent info meeting had negative things to say about CMU. Whether or not it was true, it left a bad taste for me, as most schools told us that many schools have great training and it was important to find the right one for you. CMU must be used to it, because a friend of ours that had a D auditioning at CMU MT, was asked by a professor, "What's the latest negative rumor being spread around about us?". While generally programs support each other (at least on the surface), they are all competing for talent.</p>
<p>That happened to us at MMM last year (running down another well known program), and it left a bad taste in our mouths. MMM never seemed the same to us after that.</p>
<p>Coach C, thank you so much for your ideas on ways to obtain objective info on the schools. My son has, a number of times, approached cast members at the stage door to greet and compliment them, but would not have thought to ask them about their training. A great idea, as is your suggestion about reading articles and gleaning much not only from what is said but what is left unsaid about their training. </p>
<p>I absolutely agree with your comments on schools that feel the need to put other programs down. This happened to us on the school visitation trail; a huge red flag went up for us when we heard a director of a major program take a not-so-veiled swipe at another school. To me, if a school is confident in its offerings--and is coming from a place of true commitment to teaching--there is no need to attempt to aggrandize themselves by faulting other programs. Thankfully, most places were gracious about their competitors: "They have a good program--they're particularly strong in XYZ." I appreciated that, and felt that it spoke volumes about the type of professionally respectful envirnonment they foster among their students.</p>
<p>I have to say thanks once again to the parents, coaches, teachers, and students who share such good information on this site. A year and a half ago, when my s was getting serious about this, he asked his guidance counselor for help. Her response was, "Oh, you can major in MT?" We were really at square one. The folks here have been a godsend.</p>
<p>Hi there,
i have been auditioning all over the place for bfa acting programs. I was wondering, everyone talks about school rankings.. but i can't find them anywhere. To your knowledge what is the official ranking of acting schools in the us at the moment? do you have any idea where i could find an answer.. is there any way to really tell... thanks for the help.</p>
<p>We don't have a clue who anyone is on this forum. We don't know how credible they are or even how honest they are. They may be the most learned and honest people in the world, or just the opposite. This forum is nothing but opinion, simply because no one here can possibly be held accountable. It's simply a chat room. The only absolute information will come from your own research. I thought this forum was to share thoughts and ideas. I don't see how we can limit the posts to those who have thoroughly researched and determined that they are accurate. Every post here is simply opinion and must be taken as that. And based on that, if people are not given the freedom to post what they think, this forum is worthless. It seems to have gotten very serious and a lot of people don't feel free to post for fear they might be criticized for posting invalid info or censored altogether.</p>