Hello CC! I’ve been wondering around the theater/drama majors thread for about a year now looking for information on colleges, and now I’m finally a senior and application time has come! However, like many of the posters on here, I’m having difficulty finding a safety that I really love. Most of the schools on my list are difficult to get into, so I was wondering if anybody could help me find some more matches and safeties where I wouldn’t feel like I was settling for less, or where I could still get a strong education. I’m mainly looking for colleges in or around big cities because I’ve discovered that I prefer that atmosphere and the opportunities available in these locations more. I have a 4.0 uw gpa and a 28 ACT score, but I’m studying to retake and I’m aiming for a 31 or 32. The schools currently on my list are
USC (BA)
Northwestern
FSU (BA)
NYU (BFA)
CMU
As you can see, I’m mainly looking for a BA, or a flexible BFA. I’m also looking at Denison University and Kenyon, but I don’t have as much knowledge on those schools, and they don’t have the bigger city environment I’m seeking, but any info on those schools would be appreciated! I also have an interest in film (I just attended the NHSI film program this summer) so bonus if the school has a strong film program. Thanks for any advice or recommendations!
I know Kenyon well… If you like an urban environment that is NOT what you will find there. It is more the idyllic rural sort of thing. My D - who also wanted urban, and ended up choosing NYU- was NOT a fan. She liked Denison better (and she got great merit there). You might want to look at Mulhenberg outside of Philadelphia. They have a strong BA program.
Check out Drew University in Madison NJ very close train ride to NYC. My daughter is a JR there and loves their theatre program. Her stats were comparable to yours and she received AMAZING merit monies that we couldn’t pass up. They have an honor’s program to give you the challenging curriculum you may want. Message me if you have any questions.
Thanks for the replies and input! Will definitely be checking out some of these schools, definitely interested in Muhlenberg and Drew! I was wondering if somebody could provide some clarity on Loyola Marymount because I’ve seen a few posters on here say it is non-audition but I could have sworn that I read somewhere on the website that an audition submission was required so now I’m a little confused. Please correct me if I’m wrong!
I live near Denison and my daughter has participated in some student films there. The setting is Norman Rockwell like…small, charming, upscale small town. Much of campus is in quaint older buildings. Beautiful, not urban. They seem to have a rather vibrant theater school compared to others in the area (Kenyon is comparable or higher). Otterbein, which is closer to Columbus proper, but not downtown by any means, has a well known theater program. Outside of Ohio, my daughter was considering Pace or Syracuse or SUNY Purchase for NY area safeties.
Any more ideas on LA area safeties for theater majors? My daughter is also looking for a BA option for the flexibility.
The NY safeties you mentioned are all auditioned so I would NOT consider those safety schools. UCI, Cal State Northridge, Occidental might be good for you.
@TS0104 Pace may be an academic safety but it is very selective for acting and MT. Thousands apply. Same with SUNY purchase BFA. (They have a BA too) and Syracuae BFA. None of these BFA or paces’s BA are safeties. They are extremely hard to be admitted into.
@TS0104 I have made this comment on other threads but will repeat it here. I would not necessarily consider the SUNY Purchase Theater BA a safety. My D was accepted into the BFA Acting program but rejected from the BA program. Slots are limited and they are particular. When we asked about why she was rejected from the BA, the program head said it is obvious from some students’ application packages that they are not seeking a BA - but would rather be settling for a BA track if they didn’t get into the BFA. Not what the school prefers. Just anecdotal here. I didn’t push further since, in my D’s case, that was certainly the case!
Thanks all for the cautionary words about “safeties.” I always worried that it would be hard to find safeties in this major, and yes, it is. Thanks for the recommendations though; adding to the list and continuing to seek!
@SRWard - you are absolutely correct that Boston’s BFA is competitive. BU is a school that weighs both academics and the audition - so you have to pass both measures
A safety is a non-auditioned program, that is an academic and financial safety, that you (your child) would, hopefully, be happy to attend.
Over the years on CC I have read about students whose academic and financial safeties were artistic reaches (as are most all auditioned programs, because you never know… it is too subjective), and whose artistic safeties/ matches were academic/ financial reaches. Quite a few discuss that they were admitted academically, sometimes with merit, to the academic safeties, but then not admitted artistically to those schools’ programs, and admitted to other programs that they cannot afford, or shut out artistically because of academics. This is why it is recommended to find at least one or two school that are safeties in all three areas (artistic [non-audition], academic, and financial). Some students choose not to pursue this strategy, and if shut out of all affordable options take a gap year and reapply the following year.
If you have substantial financial need, there aren’t going to BE any academic/financial/artistic safeties. The schools that meet need are very selective, there are not that many of them and they don’t take a lot of low-income kids, especially if there’s no hook. If you have an in-state school that’s reasonably inexpensive that’s probably going to be the closest you’ll come. (Our in-state flagship is $31.5 BTW, so even that may not be much help.) This is not specific to theater schools. It’s just the way we do things in the US, where we just don’t care whether non-rich kids go to college or not.
“If you have substantial financial need, there aren’t going to BE any academic/financial/artistic safeties.”
@Jkellynh17, I totally hear what you’re saying and I agree that our system needs a ton of work. But at the same time, I don’t want students of high financial need to read your post and throw up their hands and say, “Well, what’s the use then.”
My own kids were (are) high financial need–there were several years when their EFC was 0.
It’s true that they were fortunate to have high stats, in most cases. However, for students who have less-ideal stats, there are more schools than you’d think that will give you ample need based scholarships and grants, on top of the smallish Pell Grants that help make a dent as well. (There are also a handful of colleges that offer free tuition.)
The strategy we used was to research colleges that have a) a commitment to need-blind and low or no loan policies with b) a high endowment. This doesn’t have to be only elite colleges. This type of college is generally a private LAC, although not always.
It increases your chances considerably if you apply to at least two of these colleges that are ‘below’ your own stats. These are more motivated to recruit you with scholarships. One caveat is that you cannot make geography a primary factor–you have to be willing to put financial aid as a more important factor than location. The field then widens considerably.
Obviously, you’d have to want to go to the colleges. But many LACs have theatre programs; and with the money saved, you can also enhance with summer theatre programs or semester abroad programs in theatre.
I’m not saying it’s always possible to land these scholarships, but it’s more possible than you might think, especially if you search out the colleges for the criteria that fits you, and you don’t restrict by geography
I know that one of your kids got into Northwestern which is everything I just said, full need, very selective, doesn’t take a lot of non-hooky (that is non-minority, non-legacy, non-sports) students. It’s great that you won the lottery. We didn’t. Lots of people don’t. I think all this talk of finding an academic/artistic/financial safety is ridiculous for most people. You do the best you can with what you’re offered.
I’ve been wondering around the theater/drama majors thread for about a year now looking for information on colleges, and now I’m finally a senior and application time has come! However, like many of the posters on here, I’m having difficulty finding a safety that I really love. Most of the schools on my list are difficult to get into, so I was wondering if anybody could help me find some more matches and safeties where I wouldn’t feel like I was settling for less, or where I could still get a strong education. I’m mainly looking for colleges in or around big cities because I’ve discovered that I prefer that atmosphere and the opportunities available in these locations more. I have a 4.0 uw gpa and a 28 ACT score, but I’m studying to retake and I’m aiming for a 31 or 32. The schools currently on my list are