Hi everyone. I’m currently a junior and was accepted to both UNCSA and Interlochen for senior year programs. I am having a very difficult time deciding. I visited Interlochen, not UNCSA yet. Money is not an issue but a factor, as UNCSA is cheaper. I am interested in a BFA acting for college or a small liberal arts school like oberlin, reed, etc. Can someone help me weigh pros/cons, any info on admissions for both schools, how hard really was it to get into these? College placement, academics, guest lectures? Any information would be helpful. Also, I’m a male from Long Island, NY. Thank you!
What a nice problem to have. UNCSA is a very rigorous program. You will be working from 8am to 9 or 10pm Monday - Friday plus you’ll have Saturday rehearsals. Sunday is your only “free” day and you’ll have homework & laundry to do. Going through this program will give you valuable insight into what it takes to make it through a BFA Acting program. I don’t think it is useful to ask “how hard is it to get into this program?” The question you should be asking is “Am I willing to leave friends and family behind to pursue my craft?” The training you get at UNCSA will prepare you for your college audititions. The entire Drama class goes to Chicago Unifieds as a field trip. The students end up with offers from CMU, SUNY Purchase, Rutgers Mason Gross, U of Minn-Guthrie, RADA, LAMDA, CalArts, NYU, DePaul, etc… The high school academics are very good. A few things to remember if you decide to apply to BFA Acting programs; any school you have to audition for cannot be considered a safety, your grades will not matter if you don’t get past the audition and the top Acting programs have acceptance rates of 2% - 5%. It is a big decision. Please let me know if I can answer any other questions. Best wishes!
Interlochen is highly competitive and rigorous as well. The days are 8-6 M-F. Academics in the morning, arts in the afternoon. And depending on the time of year and if you are in a performance, you have after 6 pm and Saturday rehearsals. Sunday is the only off day. Lots of Masterclasses at IAA in all areas. The academics are AP level. You can go to the Academy Profile and see a list of where recent graduates have been accepted. It is always an impressive list. I have only good things to say about IAA.
Hey! I am an upcoming senior theatre major at Interlochen. I can first off say that Interlochen does amazing things to prepare students for college auditions. There is one audition tech class each week dedicated solely to perfecting college pieces. Then in February the whole Senior class takes a trip to Chicago for Unifieds. Having Interlochen on your resume is something that is going to give you a huge boost into admissions for BFA programs. Message me, and I can talk to you about the program/answer questions 
Also, if you toured, we may have met!
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