<p>MODERATOR'S NOTE:
THIS QUESTION/POST WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED IN THE SUMMER PROGRAM DISCUSSION THREAD BUT PRECIPITATED A DISCUSSION REGARDING STUDYING ABROAD AND SO I TOOK THOSE POSTS AND PUT THEM INTO THIS NEW THREAD ON THIS TOPIC WHICH IS NOT REALLY ABOUT SUMMER PROGRAMS PER SE.
COLLEGEMOM</p>
<p>has anyone here heard anything about the Duke in London drama program?</p>
<p>DramaLady,</p>
<p>I had not heard of the Duke Summer in London program before you mentioned it, but it sounds like it could be an interesting experience. I do not think it has mentioned by anyone on this forum. You can read about it here:
<a href="http://www.aas.duke.edu/study_abroad/summer/drama.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.aas.duke.edu/study_abroad/summer/drama.html</a></p>
<p>My D, a junior MT major at Florida State, is completing a full semester of study in London next month. Florida State is one of several universities that offer specialized theatre programs in London. My D has had quite a whirlwind fall. She is studying voice at the Royal College of Music and is working with British theatre professionals in classes at the FSU London Centre. She has seen an incredible number of productions since arriving at the end of August. She has also toured many places in Britain, Ireland, Scotland, and has been to Florence, Rome, and Paris.</p>
<p>dancersmom, I don't want to divert too much on this thread but just a quick note...I didn't realize your D is studying abroad this semester. It sounds like she has had amazing experiences. My junior D is also abroad this semester, studying in Florence (in architecture). We just came back from visting her in Florence (and we went to Paris too). Like your D, she is having awesome experiences in her program but also a wealth of travel all over Europe on her own and educational trips with her program every weekend within Italy. Rome is coming up this weekend. These sorts of experiences are really great.</p>
<p>Soozie,</p>
<p>I knew that your older D was studying in Florence this fall. I must say that I envy her and my own D :). Italy is number one on my list of places I must someday visit. </p>
<p>I'm looking forward to my D's return in 2 weeks. I'm "chomping at the bit" to see all of her photos. She's e-mailed a few, but most remain to be seen.</p>
<p>I feel the exact same about seeing all her photos too. When we were there, she was going to show them to us (what she had so far) but we ran out of time as we did SOOOO much with her in the three days we had with her as she had mapped out our entire itinerary for our time in Florence (and we all went to other places in Tuscany) with her and then for our time in Paris without her (she has been to Paris four times including twice in the past few months). So, the pictures have to wait until she gets home which is in about 3 weeks. She has traveled a great deal this semester but also over the summer (let alone in the past) and even though she will call and say how fantastic each place is, she'll rave about the next place. She was just in Lausanne, Switzerland a few days ago and said it was one of the prettiest places she had ever seen and she has truly seen so many places. She is even going to be skiing in the Alps in about ten days and did so in August too. We even brought her her ski helmet when we were just there, LOL. While my D hasn't spent time in London on this trip (though has been there before), she was passing through on a plane connection between Amsterdam and Paris recently and had a long layover so she took the train into the city and walked around, particuarly the theater district and the Old Globe Theater (while she is not studying theater, she has done a lot of theater and is into it too). I can't even name all the places she has been in the past five months, lol. What a life. I'm glad our girls had this experience. While my D is pretty fluent in French, I couldn't believe how much Italian she had learned in three months.</p>
<p>OK, back to summer programs (but this diversion is the tip of the iceberg in terms of doing programs abroad).</p>
<p>This is slightly OT, but when kids spend semesters abroad (as soozie's is doing), does the tuition that parents (or whomever) are paying to the kid's school take care of those costs, or does it cost extra? College tuition is so high in the first place (and so many kids leave college in tremendous debt) that it is scary to think of having to pay a substantial amount more for an overseas experience, wonderful though it may be! :)</p>
<p>I can only respond to SU's program since my older daughter is going to London in January. SU has their own campus in London, with their own profs/staff/etc. So her tuition is the same as if she were in Syracuse. She has two choices for housing - she can either choose SU pre-arranged housing or find her own (with the help of local realtors who deal specifically with this). She is choosing the 'find your own flat' since several of her sorority sisters have spent a semester in London and have given her the scoop on where to stay, etc. (she already has one of her friends lined up as a roommate while she's over there - your fees for London include a weeks stay at a hotel, allowing you time to find your own place). I do have to say I was amazed at the airfare rate the SU sanctioned travel agency was able to secure, so we also took advantage of that. I'm guessing the main increase in costs over being in Syracuse will be the shopping she wants to do, the traveling, etc. </p>
<p>I know every school handles it differently, so it would depend on the school. I have actually heard rumblings that some programs run through universities abroad have cheaper tuition than a student would have here. It's the living costs/extra expenses that get you, though.</p>
<p>Lisa,
Coincidentally, my D who is in Florence this semester, is in a Syracuase Abroad program as well, like Teriwtt's D will be, though my D attends Brown University. While Brown (like other colleges) has its own programs abroad, it also has a long list of approved programs abroad through other universities. My D wanted a program that focused on architecture since that is her major and that is how she landed upon the Syracuse in Florence Program. The students in this program come from MANY different colleges from throughout the US. My D's roomies attend Wellesley and Tulane, for example. </p>
<p>Generally speaking, the cost of a study abroad program is the same as staying on campus when it comes to tuition, etc. In our case, Brown pays Syracuse what we would pay Brown. Brown is still the one who grants us the financial aid, as well. However, there have been some extra costs beyond what we normally spend per semester. For one thing, there was the flight. She flew with the Syracuse program and so that was a costly extra that we don't have other semesters. The majority of students in this program live with host families. However, the architecture students are housed in apartments that the program has secured for them. I think this is because architecture students put in long hours at the studio (ala BFA in MT kids!) and they'd be coming home late each night, etc. I think the cost for that was also the same (but I forget at the moment and would have to look it up), though we had to put a security deposit down (which she will get back). However, the food expenses are greater in this program for those residing in apartments. The program fees covered a certain amount for food, but the school recommended a dollar amount that your child would need for food beyond that. The school gave each kid their amt.(from what we paid toward tuition/room/board) toward food and we had to give our kid the recommended food allowance beyond that and it was hefty and more than we pay for her meal plan back at school because on weekends, she has to eat out in restaurants (will explain). Thus, so far the extras were the flight and a bit more for food than normal (I won't include security deposit here). Other smaller extras were costs of the Visa, shots, foreign cell phone, etc. </p>
<p>This particular program has educational trips almost every weekend of the semester that are required and are connected to the studies (they go with their professor and the trip is not merely pleasure at all but chockful of things related to their classwork) and most all of these are included in the tuition. The school pays for the hotels, etc. However, for some courses, there were extra fees for the trips (which you basically have to pay as they are required trips) and maybe that was about $1000 extra in fees. So, I think those are the only extra required monies beyond what we pay to her regular college. Thus, it did cost a little more than usual but not a lot more. The larger fees for food are due, in part, to the fact that every weekend they are traveling on these overnight trips and eat out.</p>
<p>After all those required fees, there is spending money of course though my kid has that back at regular college too. My kids have saved up their own earnings and gift monies for spending money, plus we give them monthly allowances. So, my D who is abroad has gone on EXTRA trips beyond the MANY required trips throughout Italy (her program has taken her on overnight trips to Sicily, Rome, Venice, Pisa, Lucca, Como, Milan, Vicenza, Venice, Gubbio, Assissi, Perugia, Todi, Orvieto, Verona, Mantova, Tivoli, and Rome). On her own, she went with many others who are studying there on an organized trip to Cinque Terre one weekend. With us, she went to Sienna and San Gemignano. On one weekend coming up she is visiting a French girl who was her roomie this summer when she worked in France and she lives in Lyon and she is also going skiing with her in the Alps. Then, the program had a nine day break a month ago and all the kids left and traveled on their own. My D first went to Amsterdam to meet up with two friends from Brown, one who is studying in Prague, another in Barcelona. She then visited a Brown friend studying in Paris at the Sorbonne. She visited French young women she had worked with this past summer in France, one in Tours, and another in Southwest France. Also, this past weekend, when her school trip ended in Mantova, she went on her own to Lausanne, Switzerland to meet up with a young woman she worked with this summer who is residing in Lausanne now. So, any trips on her own have come out of her own spending money. But there have been just about weekly trips through her program, the majority of which were included and some were extra course fees (like field trip fees). I don't think she has bought too much, however. She has taken a ton of pictures, all which will have to be developed. </p>
<p>My D who attends a BFA in MT program would also love such experiences. She is not keen on missing any semesters of her program and so that is a bit of a dilemma. Tisch has a terrific summer program in Amsterdam which she would love to do but we cannot afford to do an abroad program in summer on top of regular school year expenses, so that is not an option. Knowing what her sister is getting to do, along with her own interests to do such things, she recently was talking of maybe studying abroad in fall of senior year because CAP21 is basically a 3 1/2 year studio program (though college itself is 4 years) and the one semester in senior year is devoted primarily to the showcase related semester stuff and there is the option to do that in fall or spring and so possibly the other semester, she could study abroad. However, that D is getting to go to Brazil (for free I might add!) next month for ten days with Tisch Scholars, and while it is not a full semester experience, she is very much looking forward to it and working with people there in the arts. </p>
<p>So, that's a peek into what is involved. </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>PS, like Teriwtt's D's SU program in London, my D's program through Syracuse also has its own school in Florence. Courses are with Syracuse professors and are in English. However, she is required to study Italian and she has really picked it up in a short amount of time.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks! I guess, as the parent of a junior, I am beginning to freak out more seriously about the upcoming bills ... cha-ching!! :) </p>
<p>The SU program sounds fantastic, and when my D and I visited SU's drama/MT dept in late October, they did mention opportunities for actors and MTs to study abroad and in NY. Nice to know that, one day, perhaps, my may have such an experience. </p>
<p>Off to count my pennies,
L</p>
<p>NotMamaRose,</p>
<p>I thought I'd chime in too regarding the cost of study abroad programs. As the other moms have said, each school is different. Florida State has a study center in London and in several other cities all over the world. The theatre program is located in London. The university has other programs devoted to other specific areas of study and several generalized programs. Tuition for the study abroad programs is different than for students going to school in Florida. My D's London Program fee includes her tuition for her theatre coursework, her housing, and a few school sponsored field trips. The price for a semester in London is comparable to her out-of-state tuition plus her housing costs. My D's Florida classmates in London probably had more sticker shock than we did because their in-state tuition is so low. Financial aid can be applied to the London Program costs. </p>
<p>D's semester in London has not been inexpensive. The total cost has been more than we initially thought it would be. Most of the sticker shock for us has come because of the exchange rate. Students in the FSU program are housed in flats in the study center. They shop for their own food and do their own cooking. Because of the poor exchange rate, living expenses in London are about double what they are in Tallahassee. </p>
<p>D is also paying out-of-pocket for voice lessons at the Royal College of Music. Lessons are very pricey because of the exchange rate. (FSU's London Theatre Program is not designed for MT students - in fact, my D is the only MT student who was allowed to participate in the program this year -so, there are no voice lessons or dance classes offered.) </p>
<p>Students are encouraged to see as much theatre as possible while in Britain, so they have their ticket costs to add to the bill. Thankfully, students can get some great bargain prices on theatre tickets. </p>
<p>The kids are also encouraged to travel Great Britain and the continent while they are living in London, particularly during their 10 day fall break. The costs for their travel are not included in the program fee. (Round trip airfare from home to London and back is also not included.)</p>
<p>All in all, the price of a semester in London has been considerably more expensive than a semester in Tallahassee would have been, but I think it has been worth it. D has had some wonderful experiences. The people she has studied with have been wonderful. The instructors are all working British theatre professionals. Her teacher at the Royal College of Music is a full professor of voice and has been a pleasure to work with. </p>
<p>The biggest concern for me and my husband was the fact that our D would not be performing at all during her junior year. She obviously could not do any productions this fall since she was out of the country. She was told last spring that in all likelihood she would not be performing during the Spring 2007 semester either. Rehearsals for the spring musical, "Sweeney Todd", have already begun. D was told that since she would still be in London when the rehearsals would begin, she could not be cast in the show. As it turns out, they were short a female singer for the ensemble. The department co-chairs recommended D for the part and the guest director cast her without an audition. D will be learning her music on her own and joining the cast in January. She is thrilled that she'll be able to be on stage this spring.</p>
<p>The one other thing that we are having to take into account is handling auditions for summer stock next year. D will have to do things differently than last year because of her semester in London. Last year she attended the SETC auditions. They are the country's largest theatre conference, so most FSU students do their auditions there and nowhere else. The SETC holds preliminary auditions for non-professionals (i.e., college students) in November through each member state. D had to miss the preliminary auditions in Florida, so she is not eligible to attend the SETC auditions in March. We will be deciding what auditions she will be attending in the very near future.</p>
<p>Would it be possible for this topic to have its own thread? (for future reference)</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>Dancersmom, thanks for the post. It's clear that when students decide to study abroad, there are some benefits and some drawbacks (besides cost! :)) Your D must be truly amazing to be cast in Sweeney without an audition. Please make sure to tell us about how rehearsals are going when she gets back and begins. I would love to know who she will be playing, as that is one of my favorite shows of all time.</p>