<p>About Barnard-- we looked there because I thought it would be a good match for my daughter, on paper, but for whatever reason (the tour guide was a chem major, the rest of the tour were chem major wannabes) she got a very blah impression of the school. The opposite of her sister, who toured Barnard years earlier and loved it. Despite many pointed questions, we got little information or sense of what it would be like majoring in theater at Barnard.</p>
<p>What I’ve noticed is my daughter seems to like the campuses that bleed in to the surrounding community. Williams is isolated but meshed well with the village of Willamstown. Bard is kind of an island unto itself - Looking at a campus map it looks like Vassar may be as well - but a good dept and student body would overcome that drawback. </p>
<p>That’s one of the reasons I’m thinking visit Barnard instead of Vassar, but if Barnard can’t accommodate a theater department tour and a class, we’ll use the two days to visit elsewhere. </p>
<p>She didn’t mind the unconventional vibe at Bard, but there were a few things that left her scratching her head. In the class she attended, the prof asked if everyone had read the assigned one-act play. She was confused as to why the prof would even have to ask, but was perplexed that only one student raisedher hand. Said prof was good, but students were not really engaged. Also, she was told professors are required to attend student plays. Why would they need to be required to do that? Also, we couldn’t see the main stage of the Fisher center as there was a cello competition in progress. The student who gave us a tour of the lobby told us the main stage was rarely used for theater or dance. </p>
<p>gh thanks for new info on Fordham - that’s good to know. I think she should see it.</p>
<p>These campus visits are funny. Different day, different interactions yield different impressions; but I suppose it’s better than relying only on those beautiful, glossy brochures</p>
<p>My son is in his fourth year (of five) at Bard - in the conservatory so, as Glassharmonica says, we have a different perspective. But I’ll be happy to answer questions about his experience. My son is passionate about learning - and will always read the required texts. All his friends (not in the conservatory) are constantly reading for sheer pleasure - and discussing and sharing with their friends outside the classroom. My son is the kind of student who had his choice of pretty much anywhere he wanted to go, and I was concerned that the other students might not be up to his weight. This has not been the case at all. His peers are wonderful - engaged, passionate, curious. And not into drugs or partying…</p>
<p>He’s never taken a theater course, but this year he’s involved with a major student production (he’s working with them on the music.) The theater department is very connected to a wider professional world, and the new head of the program has started a residency program which is constantly bringing in interesting people and theatrical groups to develop projects while at Bard, and to collaborate with the students.</p>
<p>He’s had the most amazing professors at Bard. In every department in which he’s taken classes. The relationships he’s developed with his professors I know will last his entire life.</p>
<p>As for crunchy granola type - not really. Yes, there is an artsy hipster vibe. And Bard does not provide the traditional college experience some students want. There is no Senior Social. Or Junior Ball. There aren’t the traditions like dunking in a fountain when senior theses are turned in (as at my older son’s school.) It is not as pre-professionally oriented as some schools - such as for the current popular goal towards I-banking. But plenty of students do go on to become lawyers and doctors and economists and scientists…</p>
<p>For my son, who is a composer and classicist, it’s been an amazing experience and he could not imagine where else he would have wanted to go. Are there things that I, as a parent, would improve? Of course. But nothing that would keep us from making the same choice again.</p>
<p>SM…thanks so much for the info on Bard. I also have a Junior who is looking at BFA and BA programs.( sorry to hijack your thread arwarw, but I promise to start my own soon). We went yesterday to visit USC and he absolutely LOVED the theater dept, but didn’t really like the school as a whole, and he voiced that he would rather be at a smaller school. The problem with that is that the smaller BA schools just don’t have the performance opportunities that the bigger schools have. I think USC said they put on at least 60 shows a year, and there limitless opportunities to put on a creative play of your own, and all shows are hugely attended. He liked that the there was no division between the BFA’s and the BA’s in theater. They both got to audition for all shows except one that was BFA only. It sounds like exactly what he likes. Do you happen to know, ( or anyone for that matter), how many productions schools like BArd, Vassar, Skidmore etc. put on a year?</p>
<p>A small LAC is not going to put on anything like 60 shows! But then, there aren’t enough students for 60 shows either, nor to attend. There are the major department shows with significant funding, which I would guess are no more than one or two per semester, but then there are many many smaller student shows - for moderation and for senior projects it’s a requirement - one acts, readings, full productions, etc. some under the auspices of the department, and some independent. Bard is the kind of place where if something you want to have happen isn’t happening, you start it yourself.</p>
<p>We saw a small student show at Bard the day/night we visited. It was actually the dress rehearsal of the thesis show by a playwriting major. The actors were Bard students but there was a professional director. The small theater was packed with faculty and students.</p>
<p>Oh yes, and what SpiritManager says about Bard being a place for self-starters-- this is something I have heard time and again. If you have a project, you can get support to make it happen.</p>
<p>Vassar is definitely a campus that bleeds into the community. Granted, Poughkeepsie isn’t beautiful, but it has lots going on and fairly easy transportation into NYC. Vassar is a classic college and is ringed with residential streets, shops, restaurants, etc. </p>
<p>I think visiting classes are like getting a particular tour guide. We had a completely charming guide at Bard, and I think that’s one of the reasons it stayed on my D’s list so long, because so much else about the school really wasn’t what she was looking for in the long run. Classes are a crapshoot, and while it’s hard, I wouldn’t put too much into what you see. Of course if you see really engaged, exciting kids, that’s a great sign. But if they’re not, well, maybe there was something really late the night before, or maybe there’s something about that prof you don’t know, or maybe it’s just one of those days it’s not fun to go to class. </p>
<p>I remember sitting in on a college class when I was a senior in HS - it was a Spanish Lit class, and they were going to read Don Quixote all semester. I was very offended that the first thing the prof said was that the translation was on hold in the library. Horrors! That she would even mention using a translation, when the whole point was to be reading in Spanish! Well, in hindsight I’ve always wondered just how much that translation was used, anyway, and what business was it of mine that people would have it available or not. I was very quick to write that school off as “not serious” about studying. Poor idealistic me!</p>
<p>Tisch does not allow students to sit in on the classroom. As a prospective student, this makes it tough, but as a parent with a student in the program, I think this is the right decision. With 1000s of students coming to look at the school, the classes would be overwhelmed with visitors. Moreover, the studio is a safe space to support creative risk-taking, deep emotional and physical exploration. Having outsiders watching would wreck this environment for the students. And, without any context for that day’s work, an outsider might find it weird or boring depending on what is going on that day in that particular class.</p>
<p>As for other schools to consider: I would encourage you to consider Carleton, Oberlin and Macalester. these schools will all provide the level of intellectual challenge and engaged students that your D is looking for. Carleton is a five minute walk from a really cute town; Oberlin has that “bleeding” into the town, and Macalester is part city / part campus: the academic and other facilities are on a small but pretty and bucolic campus while the dorms are across the street in St. Paul and there are cool stores, etc. right there.</p>
<p>The Twin Cities is one of the best theater communities in the country. Oberlin has merit aid. I think, but not sure, if Macalester does. These are all still highly selective schools, but higher admission rates than the ones your D has on her list so far.</p>
<p>SDonCC – does that even apply to accepted students? My daughter applied to Tisch though I think her odds of getting in are long given her academics and can’t see her going even if she got in given other choices. But I can’t see how she could even make in evaluation without sitting in on any classes. The 3 schools she is presently accepted to all encourage sitting in on classes.</p>
<p>Be sure you send in artistic supplements for any schools that allow them. I know that Williams does, the theater department looks at the videos and if your D is truly a strong actor, this will weigh in her favor and could be a tipping point for her against other students with similar academic profiles but lesser artistic credentials.</p>
<p>After my son was accepted to NYU, he was not allowed to sit in on a studio class. We were able to visit the studio and look around (and absorb the “vibe”) and talk to an alumna who worked there…and my son talked to a student in the studio whom we connected with through CC. That was the best we could do. It did provide enough information to base a decision on.</p>
<p>ActingDad, so far as I know, admitted students can’t either; but i might be wrong. I have to say that from my perspective, this is the right decision. There is a big difference between putting on a performance and having a sacred space to learn and explore. </p>
<p>What might be helpful would be if Tisch on its Admitted Student Day (or maybe a few other days) to put on sample classes in for admitted students only (where the prospective students would be taught, not an observation of current students). But even this, I"m not sure would be that helpful, because the philosophy and progression of the programs might not really lend themselves to a snapshot for kids who are entering with all different levels of experience, teaching and expectation. for example, Contact Improvisation, which my D LOVED and opened up her eyes to physical theater, starts out with rolling around on the floor. Think a student would pick Tisch if that’s what the sample class was about?? And, yet, they couldn’t offer a more advanced participatory class for incoming students.</p>
<p>Going beyond a few selected opportunities for students to take a class really does put a tremendous burden on the faculty. Many of these teachers are working artists themselves in addition to their classroom responsibilities and involvement in Tisch productions. They provide personal attention to their students and really get to know them as individuals, so it’s not like they don’t devote considerable time and attention to their students (just saying this in case I was creating the impression that they don’t have time for Tischies because of professional obligations).</p>
<p>^^^SDonCC is right. Even admitted theatre students cannot sit in on classes. I also agree it is the right decison. At decision time, it was a leap of faith that the instruction and peer group would be amazing. It has been a gamble that paid off.</p>
<p>No doubt there would be many a current student that would be more than happy to meet an admitted student for coffee and tell them about their program if you do visit.</p>
<p>I will chime in too 
SDonCC is correct and I too understand it now, although I was disappointed when we were looking at schools last year. NYU really has a different situation than any of the other drama schools. First off, they literally have thousands (we were told around 3000) of kids applying to their drama program. I don’t think any other acting program has that many. And many are applying from all around the world. So just imagine how complicated and distracting that could get. Secondly, which studio would you see? That may not be the studio you are placed in. Now I’m sure if you got in, and were placed in a particular studio, you may be able to go see it on your own ( Adler, strasberg, meisner, Atlantic) I think glassharmonica may have done that.</p>
<p>And I also agree that their studio time is very safe, sacred and sometimes incredibly emotional. The kids in the studio really become like a family and it is very intimate. It’s really not fair to the students for others to be there.
I feel like at the open house for accepted students, they broke up the kids by studio for a question and answer period. For my daughter it was NYU or bust, so for her it didn’t make that big of a difference.</p>
<p>I’m glad the “leap of faith” paid off but that is a very expensive leap of faith. I suspect the reason it may be the right decision for NYU has a lot to do with the number of admitted students and the extent of the disruption. As far as I know, I can’t think of one small program that does not let admitted students visit. We just got a letter from the Dean at UNCSA inviting her to sit in on anything she wanted to see including rehearsal for shows. In his words. “It’s the best way for you to get an understanding of our training and decide if this is the right program for you.”</p>
<p>I think seeing classes is iffy - for the reasons I stated above, and also from these other perspectives. What my D was able to do was watch a rehearsal. That was hugely informative. She learned so much, about the program and about the process. Talking to the students was a great opportunity. She observed a rehearsal because we couldn’t be there for a performance - but actually I think the rehearsal was a way better experience for her.</p>
<p>Actually this happened with my D1, too. She was a science major, but it mattered to her a lot if she would have good choral experiences as an EC. She got to watch a choir rehearsal and even got to sight read one of the pieces with them. That made a huge difference. She was in that choir for all 4 years of college. The classes she observed really didn’t mean much in her decision - sometimes classes are just plain boring, for whatever reason (and probably the ones that aren’t are the ones that shouldn’t have visitors, eh?).</p>
<p>“As for other schools to consider: I would encourage you to consider Carleton, Oberlin and Macalester. these schools will all provide the level of intellectual challenge and engaged students that your D is looking for. Carleton is a five minute walk from a really cute town; Oberlin has that “bleeding” into the town, and Macalester is part city / part campus”</p>
<p>I would love for her to see these schools - they all look fantastic. Also, there are some great LAC’s on the west coast I would like her to see, but, sadly, it’s getting too late in the game for us.</p>
<p>It’s been a challenge for us to make in-depth visits to 12 schools across the country this year, and I feel like we’ve done well to find four that seem like they would be really great fits. </p>
<p>I’m not sure how other parents manage this process. There are only small breaks in a high school schedule and Christmas and summer are usually not good times to visit. </p>
<p>If you don’t visit how do you know it’s worth the effort to apply and how would you be able to communicate to the school in a heartfelt manner that you really want to attend their school- as asked for on many supplemental applications? <scratching head=""></scratching></p>
<p>I completely agree that attending a class is iffy. I just see it as one more small piece of information to help arrive at a decision to apply or not; others which may include: touring the school, spending time on campus, attending a production, reading the web site, asking questions, touring the theater dept and facilities, studying the course catalog and required curriculum, reading here on CC. </p>
<p>Thus far, for my daughter, it hasn’t been one thing that prompts the yea or nay, but the entire impression - I suppose it’s sort of the same way for admissions when they pick the kids they want.</p>
<p>@actingdad, one often makes a leap of faith when it comes to what their gut tells them is the right choice. We don’t live backwards so there are always unknowns. In the case of my daughter, she contemplated whether she could make a leap of faith that she could deal with a rural campus for some of the other schools on her list that were happy to have her sit in on classes and give her what is really only a slice of the experience of actually being a student there. In every case, one ultimately decides what is worth jumping for.</p>
<p>I think those who are starting this process should take a long look at the accepted schools list…there are a lot of programs on there that are hidden gems. In addition, there are names of those who have probably done some research on them who would be a great beginning resource as well.</p>