<p>You hardly ever hear about Southern Schools that offer BFA degrees in Acting (aside from NCSA and the occasional reference to Miami or FSU)... My son is finishing up his junior year of high school and is keen to get a BFA Acting degree. He thinks he'd like to look at some East Coast schools in warmer climates (i.e. Virginia and south). A quick serach has revealed Old Dominion, Virginia Commonwealth, UNC Greensboro, and UCF to name a few. Does anyone have an opinion of these or other schools that offer good programs and won't break the bank?</p>
<p>I would check out Elon and UF. I don’t know how they are with financial aid or anything, but I’ve heard good things otherwise.</p>
<p>Florida State is likely the best in Florida.</p>
<p>Consider, however: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/florida-state-university-mt/718978-acting-bfa.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/florida-state-university-mt/718978-acting-bfa.html</a></p>
<p>Don’t overlook SMU and North Carolina School of the Arts …</p>
<p>All: thanks for the suggestions. Is SMU = Southern Methodist University? My son wanted to stay on the East Coast so this probably wouldn’t work. Where are all the Virginians to weigh in on ODU and VCU?</p>
<p>SMU is Southern Methodist University which has a very strong BFA in Acting program that is well regarded. </p>
<p>I will add my two cents. It is understandable for a student to want a particular geographic region for their college search and selection. However, when one is looking for a specialized degree program (which is what a BFA in Acting is) and there is a far more limited number of colleges that offer it compared to a regular college search for liberal arts subjects and the like (BA type degrees), I think one needs to expand the geographic criteria as one of the selection criteria and go where the programs that best fit the student are located and see where they get in and THEN if given a number of BFA acceptances, narrow it down then to perhaps within a region one prefers. I feel this way about anyone looking into a specialized degree program but particularly if you are looking for a BFA in Acting and are choosing the Southeast where that knocks out so many of the very fine BFA options off the bat. </p>
<p>My nephew is a senior in HS and applied to a different type of specialized degree program this year where there are a limited number of schools that offer it and it also requires auditions at most programs and while he made a number of mistakes in his college process, ONE of the errors, in my view, is that he limited his college search to a specific region of the country and that cut out many programs in his field and his list was also not long enough due to that as well (he got into none of his programs and he will apply again and this time not narrow the geographic region so much, as well as make some other changes). </p>
<p>I understand your son’s preferences in terms of location but given the finite number of BFA in Acting programs (and particularly good ones), I would encourage him to widen his search (he is not committing where to attend yet) and seeing his options next spring and then using criteria like location to narrow his options. Things like location are often a major criteria in selecting regular colleges but are LESS important criteria in selecting specialized degree programs where picking the right program (which is a commitment to the program itself and not as much the college) should be the number one criteria. I had one of my own kids who applied to regular colleges where location was a heavier factor in selection but my child who applied to specialized degree programs, had location as a secondary factor after the selection of the right programs. Once she had her options, she chose a school in a location she preferred. My other child applied to specialized grad programs and location became a bigger factor once she had her acceptances in hand but she was open to other locations in her college search.</p>
<p>Soozie – thanks for your thoughtful reply. Just to clarify, I said my son wants to “look at” some Southern schools not restrict himself to those. That said, I think he will probably have some self-imposed geographical limitations (e.g. Pittsburgh to the west – although I’m trying to get him to consider Chicago). My son is a good but not exceptional student (i.e. National Honor Society and SAT scores in the 1900 range currently – retaking this Saturday). He is very artsy and musically inclined (i.e. plays guitar and sings, performs in an improv comedy troupe, etc.). He is blessed to be a tall, good looking kid and has had no trouble being cast in every production he has auditioned for (including Providence-based community theatre). I think the best fit for him would be a school in an artsy community that would enable him to pursue performance opportunities in the areas cited above. Although he seems drawn to big city environments (e.g. Boston, New York, Philadelphia, etc.), I’m trying to get him to broaden his perspective on this. It’s a constant challenge to be supportive and provide some guidance and direction while remaining impartial. I just want to make sure he’s not missing out on a potential good fit because he has some pre-conceived notion about certain programs based on little or no information. At the same time, the whole process would be easier if we had a manageable list to start with (including some non-audition choices). I’m a big fan of visiting schools (preferably when they are in session). But this may not be feasible since the fall will be busy getting applications ready and trips mean additional expense and time away from work. We will probably do some visits this summer and a weekend or two in the fall – we’ve already done a few (during February and April vacations this spring). While the decision is his as to which school he feels best fits his needs, there will be family financial considerations to weigh as well. I’m still trying to get used to the idea that I have a child old enough to be going through all this…</p>
<p>Ah…I misunderstood and thought he only wanted East Coast schools south of VA, sorry! </p>
<p>Sounds like he/you are going about things the right way. Visits are good and even if you can’t visit all the programs in advance of auditions, he can see the types of programs that appeal to him and see the rest at auditions. But there is so much information online for each school to compare and contrast and lots on CC too. </p>
<p>I hear ya that it is hard to believe your kid is old enough to be going through the college admissions process. I feel the same that both my kids have now graduated college!</p>
<p>The University of Evansville is in the southern tip of Indiana and therefore only about 2 1/2 hours from nashville and even shorter from kentucky…they have a large Texas presence in their theatre program</p>
<p>Samford University in Birmingham also has a fantastic theatre program</p>
<p>Belmont University in Nashville has a good theatre program but most of the focus goes toward the musical theatre program which falls in the music department…the theatre department is somewhat overlooked</p>
<p>Baylor is in Texas and has a strong theatre program but—a huge downside is that they don’t give scholarships to freshmen so it kind of keeps kids on edge and worried about their sophomore year as freshmen</p>
<p>University of Miami has a good theatre program</p>
<p>I wouldn’t consider U of Miami the South. I have lived in Florida and I have lived in the “South”. Technically no one is actually from the South and it is nothing like GA, TN, NC, etc. There are a lot of old people (snow birds) in Florida and people are from everywhere. There is also a lot of people from New York and up east. In Miami, you will find a large population of Spanish people though. It won’t have the same feeling as if you were from UGA.</p>
<p>Poofy – thanks for the suggestions</p>
<p>Early – Thanks. I’ve actually lived in Florida so I’m familiar with the demographics. I was speaking strictly about geography and climate since that’s what interests my son. I think you may get an argument that “no one is actually from the South.” Perhaps you meant to say “no one is originally from Florida” – since it wasn’t one of the original 13 Colonies (but of course Georgia was)…?</p>
<p>Hey everyone. I don’t mean to hijack this thread, but I am new here and have been reading some of the information but wanted to know (since this thread is talking about Southern Schools) if anyone knows if SMU offers a BA in Theater? It doesn’t look like it from the website and I know I can contact them and ask, but everyone here seems so good at all this I thought I would ask here first! My son is interested in theater but also an academic person and loves other subjects and it probably going to go the BA route if he majors in theater in college. He has not been in theater long (just a couple of years) but is doing really well and loves it, so we will see what he decides. He just returned from a month at Tennessee’s Governors School for the Arts (summer program) and is considering his options. We are considering visiting SMU either way (BA or not) but it would be more attractive to him if they do offer this. </p>
<p>Also, if anyone reading this about Southern Schools has any suggestions of schools that have a strong theater department that offer a BA, that is very welcome too! He is not limited to the South but as far as travel goes, it would be easier to visit those now than those farther away from us. </p>
<p>Thanks so much for any help!</p>
<p>I teach at James Madison University in VA. We offer a BA degree with concentrations in Theatre & Musical. PM me if you have any questions, or would like more information. In VA – William and Mary, and UVA also have strong BA Theatre programs. Radford and Christopher Newport are also worth looking at in VA. In NC – I know that Chapel Hill, and Wilmington have strong BA programs. Eastern Carolina also has a BA program, but since they also have BFA programs I am not sure how the BA and the BFA programs work in terms of classes and opportunities to perform.is worth asking the department. In SC I know that Coastal Carolina has a strong BA program. I am from the Northeast originally, so I am not as familiar with schools in the other southern states. </p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>Thanks so much for that information on schools in Virginia and North Carolina and SC. That helps a lot and I will get my son to check those schools out online and with his guidance counselor. This is all so overwhelming and different than just choosing a college/university for someone who is interested in elementary education, as was the case with my older child! It is nice to have a place like this with parents and students who are experiencing the same things!</p>
<p>“Early – Thanks. I’ve actually lived in Florida so I’m familiar with the demographics. I was speaking strictly about geography and climate since that’s what interests my son. I think you may get an argument that “no one is actually from the South.” Perhaps you meant to say “no one is originally from Florida” – since it wasn’t one of the original 13 Colonies (but of course Georgia was)…?”</p>
<p>Yeah I’m sorry for the choice of words. But when someone asks for southern schools, I think they are asking for schools in the south. I don’t consider Florida the south. But I didn’t know you were talking just about climate. I would consider Florida then, but it does have a different feel to it then Georgia, NC, TN, etc… I meant to say that GA etc is not like Florida, the people are different. I have lived there too, lol. But I knew a lot more people from the north in Florida then the south.</p>
<p>There’s definitely a Northeast bias on these boards (i.e. Theater/Musical Theater) – I was hoping to get some first-hand assessments of Southern Schools’ BFA Acting programs. It seems like this is a difficult task although there are certainly a number of programs to choose from… We can’t visit them all, so I was hoping to narrow down the choices a bit…</p>
<p>How about FSU?</p>
<p>Early – yes, FSU was referenced in my original post and recommended in Post #3</p>
<p>I know they have a really good program, lol.</p>
<p>Wellmeaningdad… In post #5 you asked about ODU and VCU… I teach at JMU (a BA program in VA). I don’t know anything either way about ODU, because I have no experience with that program… I am pretty familiar with VCU — I looked at their graduate program in 1999 when I was looking at grad schools, I have friends who graduated from the program and/ or have taught (teach) in the program, a number of the students who audition for JMU also audition for VCU, and I have seen performances there over the past 3 years. I think the training at VCU is very good. I have been impressed by the shows I have seen, and the faculty I have met. </p>
<p>Richmond has a lot of theatre opportunities, and many students seem to also participate in performance opportunities outside of school. I think it is a school worth looking at.</p>