<p>Hi, my name is Allison and I am a senior this year at an elite prep school in Pasadena, CA. I am interested in studying set design as an undergraduate. I have designed and built the sets for 9 shows so far 2 of which I did professionally for a theatre company in L.A. Unweighted I have a GPA of 3.3, but weighted I have a 4.0 (This is b/c of a SERIOUSLY STEEP upward trend between soph and senior year. I am taking all AP courses this year and am receiving A's). I am looking into a prestigous theatre program with strong connections to film and theatre. My other interests include strong business and art history programs. My ACT score is a 32. </p>
<p>I am applying to...
Carnegie Mellon
UCLA (dad works there)
USC
UC Irvine (ultra safety)
UC Berkeley
NYU (tisch)</p>
<p>Then I am choosing 4 from this list...
University of Cincinnati Conservatory
Boston University
Sarah Lawrence
Ithaca
DePaul
Pomona
Scripps
Emerson
Brown
UCSD
Cornell
Wimbledon (part of the Central School of Arts in London)</p>
<p>Can you help me determine which schools above would best fit my interests? </p>
<p>Any ideas about any of these schools would be helpful!!!</p>
<p>Btw, this doesn't have to specifically be set design. Any schools with strong tech programs in theatre are what I want to hear! Even just great theatre. Let me know!</p>
<p>I know students from Claremont who went on to study set design in grad school, but there's no such undergrad major at Pomona or Scripps. There have been numerous old threads re: Claremont theatre and the general consensus is that it's quite good and quite easy to get involved in, but is not a program that appeals to everyone (nor is its reputation anywhere close to on par with, for example, Tisch). That said, the schools are small enough and the theatre department is active enough that I'm sure you could get involved in set-design very easily if you were content to do it extra-curricularly. Try contacting the theatre department (or The Druids, the 5C student theatre group) for more info.</p>
<p>If you still want to apply to Claremont and are really interested in both, I'd suggest choosing Scripps over Pomona given your GPA (both excellent schools, both provide access to the same theatre department, both share a fair deal of one another's applicant pools, and Scripps has a much smaller applicant pool).</p>
<p>Still Considering:
BU (considered to be a safety/match by my college counselor)
Brown (reach in my opinion)
CCM (""match)
NYU (""match if I'm applying to Tisch)</p>
<p>Applying to:
UC Berkeley (reach b/c of GPA)
UCLA (reach)
UCI (safety)
CMU (match)
Pomona (reach)
Scripps (match)
USC (?)</p>
<p>Right now I'm concerned with NYU b/c of its rep for giving little financial aid. I'm also concerned about Brown b/c the app is 3 essays and if I have NO chance of getting in then why should I waste my time? Any suggestions? Anyone know anything more about NYU, Brown, and BU? I'm interested in Art History, Communications, Set Design, and Business fyi. I love getting advice from you guys so keep it coming. </p>
<p>Oh and here's a link to my photobucket so you can see some of my sets. The storybook one was a super low budget ($350!!) summer show that I was paid to design, build and paint. The other is a show I also designed, built, and painted with obviously a bigger budget)</p>
<p>CMU -- does that mean Carngie Mellon University? I believe that admission to the Theatre tchnology program at CMU is VERY competitive. You should check to make sure, though... You may be a match for the school academically, but I do not think that CMU Drama can be considered anything but a reach for anyone who applies. </p>
<p>Yes, CMU= Carnegie Mellon University. It is my number one choice. </p>
<p>Newest List:</p>
<p>Considering:
Brown
NYU (Tisch)
USC (my parents might make me apply as a CA backup...we'll see)</p>
<p>Applying:
Carnegie Mellon
UCLA
UC Irvine (ultra safety)
UC Berkeley
Boston University (for the theatre program)
Pomona
Scripps</p>
<p>I'm still considering Brown and NYU, but it is so hard to choose. Brown is amazing, but it doesn't have the level of theatre that I want AND on top of that it is crazy difficult to get into. I just wonder whether or not I'd be wasting my time. Any thoughts? Does Brown sound like a good fit and do I have a decent chance?</p>
<p>Next, my parents don't want me to apply to NYU b/c it can be so expensive and mostly b/c they don't want their 18 year old loose in NYC. Should I still apply to Tisch and just see what happens?</p>
<p>Just to mention..., we actually found Tisch more "affordable" because they based aid on FAFSA rather than the Profile. For us, even though NYU only claimed to provide 80% of need, we came out better than at schools that provided 100% of need as figured by the Profile.</p>
<p>Jasmom- I hope this doesn't come off as too inquisitive, but did NYU meet your son/daughter's financial need? Did you need to take out any loans? My parents can pay $20,000 max. Was your family in a better or worse situation financially?</p>
<p>I do not know much about the quality of the design opportunities for undergraduates at Tisch... the graduate design program is amazing, I would look closely at the undergraduate design programs in the Tisch studios in which you are interested.</p>
<p>It is not on your list... but you might want to look at Syracuse University.</p>
<p>Thanks for the pointer, but I have already looked into Syracuse. It is a great school for theatre, but unfortunately it is more of what I would call an "actor's school" because it seems to be more invested in its actors then designers. The amazing shop that they are affiliated with is a union shop so essentially I have no shot of getting hands on experience building. Thanks for the suggestion though. </p>
<p>Anyone else have thoughts about NYU, BU, or Brown?</p>
<p>Allison, I strongly suggest that you visit University of Cincinnati. I was just there and met with the head of the dance department and theater department. I couldn't believe how nice, friendly, and helpful they were, and I wasn't looking into theater or dance for my kids! I was just visiting the school and wanted to kill some time seeing what goes on at their Cincinnati Conservatory (CCM). The school is unbelievably vibrant. Every kid that I interviewed noted that Cincinnati has a huge success rate in placing their kids on broadway, and almost everyone thought they had one of the best if not the best program in the country. They also bring in lots of visiting artists and designers plus they have a school of design that rivals anything you are considering including CMU, NYU etc. If you add to the fact that it is a lot less expensive considing most out of state kids get a$5,000 Cincinnatus scholarship for just showing up at their competition, it is a huge bargain. </p>
<p>I should also note that they will give you a terrific college experience with strong athletic programs and fabulous work out facilities. In fact, they have some of the best, newest facilities among the many schools that I have visited.</p>
<p>Obviously all schools have a different culture,which is why I strongly recommend that you visit each school and meet with their theater/stage design folks.</p>
<p>Thank you Taxguy for all that information! It makes me want to re-look at CCM. I had crossed it off my list originally b/c graduates seem to get the shows and b/c some of the shows didn't appear very professional. Perhaps I would have a different outlook if I visited, but unfortunately I cannot afford to. If you have any more insight into this school I would love to hear it. Have you by chance seen any other college's theatre programs that you could compare to it? CMU? NYU? Northwestern? BU? etc. </p>
<p>Anyone have any information on CCM for stage design? </p>
<p>Taxguy, the stundent's you interviewed thought that CCM was a rival with top schools like NYU, CMU, BU in musical theatre or in set design?</p>
<p>Allison, I didn't meet any set design folks. The students that I met were either in musical theater, dance or drama,but every one that I met raved about the program and raved about their theatrical opportunities available as a result of their CCM affiliation. I can't imagine that the set design program isn't terrific. Just check out the url that I posted above for the curriculum.</p>
<p>Also, the people that I met were mostly UNDERGRADUATES who were in plenty of shows. Where you heard that graduate students are the only ones who get the shows is bizarre.</p>
<p>If you don't mind, I would like to advise you as if you were my daughter. Properly researching these schools can't be emphasized enough.
You said that, "you can't afford to visit the schools." If this is the case, you can't afford NOT TO visit the schools. You will be making a huge financial commitment for the four years that you are there. BU, NYU and especially CMU is hugely expensive. Your four year commitment could be as high as $100,000+. Personally, if I were going to commit my livelihood, my shot at a top notch future,which is very competitive, not to mention $100,000, I surely would visit the schools and research them in depth.
My Tony award winning uncle could have gone to any conservatory he wanted. He chose CCM. The lead singer/actor at our magnet school could have gone to almost any conservatory on scholarship but chose CCM.</p>
<p>Note, I am not saying that you should go to CCM in particular or only visit CCM. You should visit all of hte schools that interest you. Do your homework. It may be one of the most important decisions in your life. Don't be swayed by rumor and innuendo. Ok, enough of my preaching. LOL, you probably get enough of that from your parents. :)</p>
<p>PS: By the way, my daughter's name is Allie, although she spells it differently from you and is attending the DAAP school at Cincinnati.</p>
<p>actually, I know this school was only on your list the first post, but Sarah Lawrence has a very active and passionate theatre dept. When I visited, I was pretty much mobbed by all the great things they had to offer even though I wasn't interested in the subject.</p>