Hello there!
I am a high school junior looking into colleges- hopefully a BFA in acting, but if not, a double major in history and theatre arts.
I would be interested in hearing some perspectives on college programs. I know one is to cast a wide net for BFA acting programs, but due to health reasons, my choices are rather limited. This is something I am okay with- history and acting are both my passions, and I will pursue them no matter what obstacles come in my way, or even if the path is a little unconventional!
The schools I am to choose from are in the Upstate NY area, with a few Pennsylvania exceptions- the list is about 30 schools long, and they’re all very good options, so while in technicality I am limited, I certainly do not feel that way.
Specifically, I’m interested in hearing more about Nazareth. Regardless of if I make it into the BFA program, the location, liberal arts emphasis, and not too big-not too little sizing makes it #1 on my list, for both acting BFA or history/theatre arts double major. I want to hear EVERYTHING, though- as someone from upstate NY, I hear rumors of it being a wild party school. And I hear varying accounts of it’s BFA acceptance rate (the lady I emailed said it was 50%, which seems impossible as we all know how BFA programs are in demand! She then said class sizes range from 6-12… a typo? A miracle? I have NO IDEA!) Before I get my sights set on a dream school, I’d love to hear some perspectives. From parents, auditioners, acting or drama students, history students, heck, any student!
If there’s a program you absolutely LOVE in the Upstate/Pennsylvania area, please pass it along. The BFA acting world is much smaller than the BA history world, so my knowledge of good history programs is much smaller than my knowledge of good drama departments! Either way I am beyond thrilled to spend the next years of my life studying something that truly inspires me down to my bones.
I know several people who attend Nazareth for Musical Theatre and Music Theory . They all are very happy there. From what I have heard is that the party scene is left up to the person. No pressure to party. It will be very difficult to double major in a BFA program. You may want to look into some strong BA programs. SUNY New Paltz has a strong theatre program that encourages double majors. My D will be attending Syracuse for a BFA in acting and she will be able to have a minor. My son attends Buffalo State and is a History Education major. He loves the history program and they have a vibrant Theatre community. They offer major and minors in Theatre. Williams College in Williamstown Ma is excellent for both as well Skidmore College in Saratoga and Gettsyburg College in PA. Best of luck on your college journey
SUNY Cortland and SUNY Fredonia are both schools with Acting BFAs. Cortland just went to a BFA from a BA, so might have some options for double majoring that aren’t too onerous. In PA you might check out Muhlenberg College - a highly respected theater program in a liberal arts school that encourages you to take a broad range of subjects. They’re in Allentown, PA - I’m not sure how far outside your radius that might be.
Best of luck!
I’ve heard wonderful things about SUNY Fredonia. Great training in a tight knit community.
Thank you! I do have a friend in New Paltz with a theatre minor, and she absolutely adores it there. She’s been in a few shows now and enjoys it endlessly. I do not know if that is completely in my range of proximity, but I’ll have to double check! Thank you so much! Super cool that Syracuse lets you have a minor as well, congrats to your D 
It’s definitely understandable that BFA programs don’t allow much room for double majoring, it sounds very intense. Regardless of what I end up with, I’ll cast as wide a net as I can and work super hard!
Ooh wow, I’d been looking at Cortland but had no idea they had a BFA program! Thank you so much for bringing that to light, I’m going to check it out right now! How exciting! I know a few people at Fredonia and they all seem to enjoy it very much. Muhlenberg sounds super awesome! Thank you again!
Oh and just to clarify- my main interest is in Acting! As fun as musical theatre would be, my allegiance lies to good ol’ plays. (And while the acting world may be tight, those musical theatre programs sure seem like a whole different kind of intense! Good for those guys though. Me, on the other hand- I cannot dance to save my life! The thought of 7 semesters of ballet makes me freak out!)