<p>After visiting Texas State, my son said that was the kind of school he wantsa traditional university with school spirit (meaning a decent football team, I guess). I never thought that would matter to him, so I never considered it before when thinking about schools that we should visit. Where else should we look? His grades are mediocre, so I think Penn State and Michigan are out. (Yes, this is the kid who said he wasn't going to college at all just a few months ago. I must thank those kind people at Texas State for changing his mind!)</p>
<p>Here are some good programs at a university where you will find intense school spirit and sports</p>
<p>Arizona State
U of Arizona
U of Colorado
FSU
Central Florida
Ball State
Indiana
Western Michigan
Syracuse
U of Oklahoma
U of Memphis
U of Utah</p>
<p>After auditioning at both conservatory type programs and programs based at more traditional colleges, I think my D is happy she’s going to get the full college experience (Ball State).</p>
<p>Coastal Carolina University in Conway/Myrtle Beach, SC would be worth looking at, especially if y’all are in WV. Intense conservatory-style BFA program in a liberal arts setting at a state school. 
Shouldn’t be a problem grades-wise, either.</p>
<p>Also:</p>
<p>UCLA
TCU
Sam Houston
USC
Wright State
James Madison
Northwestern
Cal State Fullerton
Northern Colorado</p>
<p>If you want big time sports and big time MT, I agree with some of the above mentioned schools, but must add (despite the recent controversy) Penn State and U Michigan.</p>
<p>CCM is part of the University of Cincinnati which has some great sports teams. In fact the football stadium is almost out the conservatory’s front door. If you are from WV, some other regional schools you might want to give consideration to include Western Kentucky University which has a BFA in MT and University of Kentucky which is starting to offer an MT certificated, although it isn’t a full degree program. I think you get a theatre degree and a certificate. Not too far away is also Belmont which also has a great traditional campus feel and sports teams. Elon would be another suggestion although it is tough to get in both grade wise and by audition. Other schools I have read about but don’t have first hand knowledge of that might fit the bill include James Madison University, Ball State, Indiana University, Illinois Wesleyan, Southern Illinois University, University of Alabama, Florida State, University of Tampa, University of Miami (FL), University of Central Florida, University of Memphis, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, University of Arizona, University of Utah … the list could go on and on!</p>
<p>dcsparent - AlexaMT mentioned Coastal Carolina. Since you’re in W Va, CCU’s BFA is a part of the academic common market for you.</p>
<p>I went to Syracuse undergrad MT BFA… Penn State grad Directing MFA… teach at James Madison MT/ THEA… can vouch for the fact that all three have lots of school spirit and MT/ THEA kids who go to games… :-)</p>
<p>I got my BFA from Syracuse, too-- I can definitely vouch for the school spirit there! Camping out for tickets and going to the football, basketball and lacrosse games were some of the highlights of my 4 years at college! As of yesterday, SU is now in the ACC-- Go Orange!!</p>
<p>I know people say the MT kids won’t have time to do a lot of “after school” activities-- but at a campus like Syracuse it’s hard not to get caught up in the hype of a sports team doing well. The Carrier Dome is in the middle of campus and also hosts concerts. Great facility!</p>
<p>My D just graduated from the BFA program at Penn State and she absolutely loved the big school atmosphere and the school spirit. She is not even a big football fan but said the games were so much fun she went anyway. I believe that Penn State weighs the audition heavily so don’t automatically assume he won’t be accepted because of grades.</p>
<p>Also Cal State Fullerton is not known for school spirit- I don’t believe they even have a football team currently. It is more of a commuter campus and is probably not what your son is looking for if he likes a traditional campus with school spirit.</p>
<p>University of Kansas has ridiculous amounts of school spirit. The football team isn’t great, but a lot of students go to the games and there are a lot of really cool traditions. The basketball team is amazing though, school spirit is insane there. Allen Fieldhouse is the loudest arena is the nation, students camp out for the best seats, again there are a LOT of cool traditions, the rock chalk chant will give anyone chills. Basketball games are truly awesome. There’s school spirit all-around though, not just at the basketball games. EVERYWHERE you go in lawrence see multiple people wearing KU clothes. My friend went there for a semester because it was close to home but transferred after a semester because she hated that everything was all about KU in Lawrence, it was overwhelming. </p>
<p>The admissions requirements aren’t over the top either. Out of state students must have a 2.5 in the required curriculum, OR have an ACT of 24 OR Graduate in top 1/3 of class, so his grades shouldn’t be a problem. </p>
<p>If school spirit is the number one factor it’d truly be a great fit.</p>
<p>UCLA has one of the most decorated athletic programs in NCAA history. UCLA has won 109 NCAA team championships, more than any other NCAA Division I college or university. Football and basketball games are especially well attended, even by theater students! :-)</p>
<p>UCLA also has a great MT program. However it is also very competitive academically so the OP’s son may not have the grades. Otherwise it would be a great option!</p>
<p>I’m not in musical theater, but I’ll second the University of Oklahoma recommendation. There’s a ton of school spirit, and on game days 83,000 people come down to cheer for the Sooners. It’s not terribly selective and a B student should have little difficulty getting in (not sure how competitive the musical theater admissions are though). If you want more information about the school, feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>These are all great ideas. Thanks! I wish we could visit them all–I enjoy the college visits as much as he does. Now to narrow it down to those where dance skills are not much of a factor – and colleges that we can afford. His grades will earn him no merit money. That’s why Coastal Carolina and Texas State seem like such good deals.</p>
<p>Don’t discount schools completely because of cost. My D got a great talent scholarship from Penn State that made it far less expensive than any of our in-state schools, even after factoring in cross-country travel. Some of the more expensive schools she applied to became viable options with talent money. As long as your son understands what your financial limitations are up-front, it might be a good idea to include some financial reaches on his list. ,</p>