<p>Which schools have the best programs? I would love to go to a few different places, and stay there for a while, but would it be hard with a BFA program?</p>
<p>You might be able to participate in several study abroad programs while in a BFA program if you attended during the summer. At FSU we have BFA students from other universities audition to participate in the fall semester acting intensive in London but it takes careful planning with their home institution to make sure our program fits with their curriculum.</p>
<p>Are you looking for a theatre program abroad or a more general study abroad experience?</p>
<p>Michele</p>
<p>Syracuse has one of the best abroad programs in the country, and it is possible to do a semester abroad with their BFA program.</p>
<p>A more general study abroad program. I think it would help to do both though.</p>
<p>Ironically, our safety school choice has a wonderful study abroad program. Stephen F. Austin’s BFA students spend either their junior or senior year entirely abroad. It’s the same tuition and they have assistance with airfare; the only cost difference is the different cost for rent and food. They spend the fall semester in London and the spring in either Spain or Estonia. In Spain they have the choice of a Spanish language immersion experience or they can choose a program where they speak English.</p>
<p>SFA is our safety in three ways: it is not audition to get in (though they have to audition to get into the BFA as a sophomore which I need more info on but I get the impression it’s nothing like getting into a capped MT program), her grades are more than comfortably above the median and there is no doubt she would be accepted, and even if we got no aid at all, we could probably scrape up enough money to afford it, but, they are generous with aid. It’s a three way safety. My only reservation is that she might have to make an effort to be challenged; not that I think the professors are not good, but I’m not sure how much friendly competition the other students will give her. My daughter does not like cut throat and vicious environments but she thrives on competition in a positive and friendly environment, so that she will not become complacent. I hope it does not sound condescending to assume any school would not have competitive students but either a school is a non audition safety or it isn’t - what I imagine is there will be some who did not get into audition programs for one reason or another (not necessarily because of talent) and some who maybe are there because they are not as driven. I don’t know.</p>
<p>But, I sure would love for the other schools to have a program like SFA does.</p>
<p>I <em>love love love</em> their study abroad program - they also go to Dublin every summer for a couple weeks! - none of the other schools, even the really choice and top hard to get into highly desired ones we have looked at, seem to have a study abroad program that exciting and accessible. ( or if they do, it is not something they volunteer the information about, because I missed it.) One does not have to go abroad for that year though, they partner with schools here including Guthrie, that one could choose instead. (oh if only you could do both!! but it’s just one year!)</p>
<p>I don’t know if that alone is enough to pick a school but if offers from elsewhere are dissappointing it will certainly take some of the sting out. It is offered only for BFA’s and she might just might need a BA so she can get enough costume work in there, we don’t know, but if she went there, she’d do the BFA because the BA’s don’t go and it’s definitely one of the high points of the program.</p>
<p>I’ll check it out, because I’m in Texas too. It sounds great, and the top colleges I want either don’t have a study abroad program at all (WSU) or it’s limited (TSU)</p>
<p>Agree with ALL4FSU – a general study abroad program would be hard to combine with a BFA, unless you do it during the summer.</p>
<p>Some schools offer “Wintermester” or “Maymester” study abroad options in addition to the summer options. While the stay is shorter, it is an option for students who are in BFA programs where there isn’t as much flexibility in when you take your core BFA classes. I know Coastal Carolina offers these and I remember some of the Elon students talking about it when we were on campus there.</p>
<p>Onstage - that was why I was so pleased about SFA’s study abroad, because it was part of their actual program and curriculum, so it is of course seamless and already all figured out. You would not have to juggle and jockey and fanagle a way to fit it in. And apparently not many schools do it that way, from what I can tell so far. That was the first drama department we looked at and I kind of assumed they might all, or most of them, or many of them anyway, have something very similar, but have not found anything other than just some short programs, so far. But we are far from having looked at every program.</p>
<p>I like things which are already figured out. ;-)</p>
<p>I just found out today that just this year, SFA is now audition for admission to theater, and there is a limit to how many students they can take, but, I do not think it is anything like the tiny tiny percentage that someplace like OU takes. That will probably lead to a higher quality program over all but I kind of hate to have that safety blanket pulled out.</p>
<p>So I guess technically it’s not a safety now! Though I think it’s a very very good fit school. And it’s still a safety as far as general admissions and financially.</p>
<p>Okay, now we need a non audition BFA safety…are there any??</p>
<p>Southwestern University in Georgetown is a non-audition BFA in Theatre and they offer an MT emphasis. They also have study abroad program as one of my D’s friends is a Theatre major there and is headed to London for the fall semester. They also offer internships in New York and London. You do have to audition for theatre scholarships.</p>
<p>Southwestern sounds great and we are definitely looking at it. I like a lot about it and think my daughter will too when she checks it out.</p>
<p>Unfortunately I don’t consider any private school a financial safety, not for this family, alas.
Anything we have to hope for some pretty good luck - getting in, or getting enough aid (not loans), is not safety. It won’t stop her from shooting for it especially if she really likes the school! But I wanted at least two nice safeties on her list…</p>
<p>Theater sure is a freaky major! By that I mean there seems to be about seven more layers of complication in every aspect than any other I can think of (in my limited experience.)</p>
<p>If I understand it correctly, a “safety” is one that you are really certain you can get into, but I personally don’t consider them a safety unless they are a financial safety too, which I define as we could scrape up the money somehow even at sticker price; or, that we can be positive we’d get enough aid to make it affordable. (for example they have university scholarships that are generous and are based on objective criteria that she already meets, such as ACT scores, and are basically guaranteed for pretty much all of them who qualify) </p>
<p>One hears rumors of getting enough offers at private colleges that they are comparable to a public school. I wonder just how much we ought to actually count on THAT, especially in this economy. Also it seems most schools aren’t <em>nearly</em> as worried about how my daughter is going to pay off big loans in the performing arts as we are. (No really! Hard to believe, isn’t it? lol) One private we talked to told us they had such a great employment track record for their drama graduates that one needn’t worry about paying off a loan, <em>shrug</em>. I didn’t bother arguing back that a performing arts job that will be over with in a few months is not exactly the same loan repayment security as a job in a normal field that unless the company downsizes or something, you could under normal economic times expect to last a while. Certainly longer than the average acting gig. You struggle between jobs and miss a payment because you simply do not have the money in the bank or under the mattress and BOOM default hell happens. Though I guess bank of mom and dad could help unless dad loses his job too! But I digress.</p>
<p>Anyway, the list of safety schools is small enough: (and the kid has to like it enough, too, even if it wasn’t first choice) when you factor in that admission into the student’s major is iffy and in some cases more competitive, numbers wise, than an Ivy League, well it’s a pretty tiny little list!</p>
<p>Oh well, that’s the penalty you have for being talented and wanting to use it. I am just now learning about all this theater stuff but 30 years of being in the visual arts field which is just as tough, has taught me that life is just SO much simpler if you are better at math! haha! But fish gotta swim, and all.</p>
<p>My daughter is about to head to Syracuse U’s London semester this fall. She is an MT BFA (junior) but her studies during the program will center around acting. She will have to do her dance and vocal training privately while there (meaning we’ll be hiring a voice teacher and my daughter will take dance at a place similar to Steps). One exciting component is that she’ll be studying acting at the Globe Theatre and they actually get to perform on the Globe stage. This program is really fabulous from what we’ve heard. I can report back on this forum once she is in London. Most of the kids going are acting majors – about 4 or 5 are MTs.</p>