<p>Hi! I know this is early, but I am thinking about programs for next summer. I am attending Atlantic Acting School in NYC this summer, and for next summer I am looking at BUSTI, Carnegie Mellon, UNCSA, UARTS, NYU, Brown/Theatrebridge and Ithaca. I am leaning toward BUSTI because I LOVE the school and you have the option to apply ED and I feel it would increase my chances. But I also love CMU's program? What do you guys think? I know Carnegie Mellon Drama is nearly impossible to get into, while BU is very difficult but more reasonable. I plan to go for a BFA acting by the way.</p>
<p>This will be old news if you’ve read the previous threads about pre-college programs, but here goes anyway: DON’T based your decision on the idea that attending the summer program will help you get into the BFA at that school. Just don’t, because it won’t. Base your choice on the summer program itself.</p>
<p>Both BUSTI and CMU summer pre-college are fantastic; I think CMU is a week or two longer. There are plenty of parents and kids on here who have experience with them, so if you have specific questions or want to be in touch with a student, that’s always an option. My son attended BUSTI two years ago and loved it, and felt it made a huge difference in his preparation for auditions, his understanding of what it’d be like to be in a conservatory program, and his sense of himself as an actor and an artist. He’s still grateful for what he learned there! You can’t go wrong. Do factor in whether you’re the kind of person who does better over longer stretches of time; for some kids (like mine), the longer sessions like CMU and BUSTI work better than the shorter 2 or 3 week programs, but that’s not true for everyone. Good for you for thinking ahead, by the way! :)</p>
<p>hey, thanks a lot! It’s not just getting in, i just love Boston much more than Pittsburgh as well. I do very well being away for a while. @times3</p>
<p>D did NYU summer program last year and LOVED it. Times3 is absolutely right to warn you that you cannot assume attending a program will improve admission chances, BUT in our experience, we have found that many kids who attend a summer program do well in the audition for that school b/c they feel greater familiarity and comfort at the audition…they already know the school. One thing I would be careful of, is to ensure that the people you work with in the summer are faculty during the regular year- that is not always the case. At D’s NYU audition she had worked with the dance and drama adjudicators for a month, and it really helped with the stress of the process. Good luck!</p>
<p>Son did CMU pre-college for MT last summer. Almost all of his instructors were members of the faculty. Son was very new to the idea of majoring in performing arts, so the six weeks he spent in the program were transformative. </p>
<p>The year my daughter went to CMU faculty was about half CMU and half hired for the summer. I think that is pretty standard. But outside faculty were also very good. Interestingly, she ended up bumping into the voice teacher she had at CMU during her auditions at a different school. </p>
<p>Not sure how familiar you are with Pittsburgh and CMU but the school is very close to a lot of vibrant areas in Pittsburgh and my daughter very much enjoyed seeing some of the Pittsburgh neighborhoods when she was there. I’m not trying to talk you out of BUSTI. By all accounts, its a terrifice program. Just offering my 2 cents to have an open mind about Pittsburgh if you haven’t been there. </p>