upstate, this was 4 years ago, so the design opportunities may have changed in the program. But I would think it would be fine (after admission is in hand) to call the department and ask them more specific questions. Some schools allow UG to be Asst Designers or Apprentice with MFA or older UGs. Some req. student do tech on a number of shows in the first year (example be part of the costume shop, do fittings, alterations, run shows, or?), but not design shows. Still others consider training (class projects) to fulfill a lot of design and portfolio desires while giving student more in-class guidance. UCLA, for instance, at admitted students day, said BAs (they don’t have BFAs) do not design any shows. Period. So my son (!) decided we had to leave. But (mom speaking) different approaches can all work well, I think. Still a student is better off knowing before they commit what those differences are and how well they work for each individual.
I am not sure why so many switch out of these design majors (in the past–I don’t have current info, but it was a trend back when he was checking the program). One young man he emailed with (he was on cc back then) said there was frustration (in his year–so very specific) with it taking so long (freshmen! So impatient!) to get to actually specializing in their fields. This school takes very talented kids and so, naturally, many are driven to dig deeply into their design specialty right away. And CMU is a very rigorous school in general, so all the GE courses are part of the bargain. Some are great with this, but perhaps others didn’t find that easy to fit in along with all their design classes/projects. But beyond these GUESSES, I am really only passing along a few kids’ concerns as told to my S four years ago. I really believe it’s a lot like lucking into the right (or wrong) college tour guide. That small sampling has a big effect on the HS senior making the big decision. For that reason, I hope someone else with current/first hand knowledge of the program can give a fuller view. I know several very happy Acting and MT students and moms post on CC, so it would be great if more tech students/moms could correct (or acknowledge) some of these questions.
My S is at USC. He double majored in their film school, so he got great training and experience in everything he was looking for specifically (production design/scenic design, great internships, local LA film industry connections, etc). But students thrive at many different schools–each offers unique advantages/disadvantages. Sometimes the fit is how it feels to them. He just fell in love with USC. And as a positive note: He was offered a great job for after graduation. Sometimes you just can’t predict where each road may lead. That’s the part that makes it hard to offer advice.
I agree @madbean I really think that your child needs to choose the program that feels right for them and where they’ll get the experience that they want and where they feel comfortable. My D will be working in all areas of production her freshman year (including her major) so that she gains a perspective for all of the majors in the program. The great thing about DePaul is that they don’t have MFA’s in production and design, so students DO get a lot of hands on experience and can design their own shows. Most of them are designing 2 shows per year by junior year, but have a lot of experience working with BFA candidates in their junior/senior years as ‘assistants’, so technically they’re gaining some incredible experience. My D is still waiting on CMU, but wasn’t particularly taken with their program because of the things that you mentioned. She also wouldn’t be getting as much hands on costume design experience because of their MFA candidates taking precedence over all of the shows. There’s a lot to be considered for sure! @upstate13 I can’t wait to hear where your d decides to go! It’s so exciting!
The absence of the MFA program at DePaul is very compelling.for sure. We just spent a while looking at the detailed curriculum for BU/DePaul and CMU - and thought DePaul’s was the best. D is emailing a BU student who reached out to her also right now regarding her first year experience. My D has so much experience already, I think she needs to be stretched and challenged, she has NO problem working crew and looks forward to that - but paying a fortune to support an MFA program would be a letdown, perhaps even more to me ha-ha.
I feel like we should have done this legwork already, but again - a few months ago we didn’t even think she would have choices :). Thanks for your insights @madbean and @vogelpitts - so glad for CC.
But she got in and that’s awesome! Yay for choices!
My D got wait listed at Carnegie Mellon. 
Didn’t know this thread was still going after all this time. My D was admitted to several great schools including CMU, USC, Emerson, and NYU. After visiting Emerson the second time, she decided it wasn’t for her which is fine because they didn’t give much FA. Haven’t heard about USC yet, but have a feeling it won’t be enough. We also never had an opportunity to visit there. She had her heart set on CMU and we are appealing our FA from there to see if it can even still be a possibility. Last night though she began to have doubts about CMU after speaking to someone who goes there who said the social aspect of the school (or the lack of, I should say), was very hard to get used to. She was offered quite a bit of aid at NYU, and is thinking harder about it. Found @SM2010 posts to be very helpful. We would really like to hear from others who have done theatre design as an undergrad at Tisch, particularly concerning their overall experience of the university and how they feel about the connections they made there in the industry and their future job prospects. I actually would like her to go to a smaller private school near home. They really want her and have offered full tuition, but she insists that in this business, the connections you make in college can be just as important as the education itself. Any thoughts? Also, Pepperidne begged her to apply at the North Texas auditons. They also offered a lot of money, and have been calling her, but it’s only a BA program, we have never visited, and she’s not entirely certain that she would want to go to California anyway.
@bearlife does she have a specific area of theater design that she’s concentrating in? I have to agree that connections are very important. We visited USC and to be honest they seemed less supportive of certain tech fields than they are of acting and film majors. The campus is gorgeous but set in a pretty sketchy area of LA. 
My d got in to CalArts but after interviewing there and spending more time in LA she decided against Cali. Your d got in to some great schools. I have heard great things about NYU and their production program. My d is going in to costume design and they have an MFA so she didn’t apply. My d’s close friend is a directing major at Pace and the connections that he’s made in NYC have been great. NY is such a great place for that. My d was wait listed at CMU but wasn’t incredibly interested for reasons that you’ve stated and the fact that they have an MFA program in costume which would hinder her prospects at costuming shows of her own. It’s also super pricey! Yikes! Could she chat with a theater design major at NYU? It might help wit her decision. It is so difficult. My d had a long weekend after decisions to make up her mind. She had big pro con lists, and that helped her to make a decision.
@vogelpitts So where did your D decide to go? Mine wants to do set design. Maybe costume as a second choice. They have grad students at NYU, but the person who interviewed her said they are kept pretty separate to make sure the undergrads have a chance. I know a lot of Broadway designers have a MFA there, but not sure about the undergrad program. It’s a very hard decision. All of her friends are going no more than three hours away, so that’s hard too, but she thinks she’s ready. Unfortunately, I’m not ready to see her move all the way to New York!
@bearlife I hear you. NYC is a big city and far for most families. My d got in to Pace and received a big scholarship and it was definitely on the table for her for a time. However, she has decided to go to DePaul in Chicago. Their conservatory program and BFA in Costume Design is tops and she was lucky enough to earn a slot there and also received a half tuition scholarship. My d’s friend LOVES NYC. He’s a directing major at Pace and has really loved being there. The only drawback is the cost of rent, etc. However, if your daughter got a nice aid package it might not be too much of an issue when the time comes. Have you visited the campus? That might help you feel better as a parent. Your child sounds independent like mine and wants to try going away. It’s not easy for parents is it? ugh.
@vogelpitts It’s very hard as a parent. She’s my only daughter, and the last to leave home. Both of her brothers stayed close to home. We did visit in January for an interview, but since the wind chill factor was below zero, we didn’t get to explore the neighborhood. We thought about applying to DePaul but there was only so much time and money to travel for interviews. I hear it’s a very good program. She has a good friend who is going into acting, and DePaul was her first choice, but decided on Roosevelt when she wasn’t admitted. I do feel better about NYU after seeing it in person, but I selfishly would like her to stay closer to home. We will have a lot of thinking to do the next few days. Also waiting to see if CMU will come through with more money. I’ll be glad when everything is decided.
It’s so hard! I wonder if it’s more difficult on us than them at times. 
Good luck to her!
Thank you. Good luck to your daughter as well.
Would still like to hear from someone who has or knows someone who has graduated with a degree in set design. The local private college here has an absolutely amazing set design instructor who is also an outstanding scenographer. I feel like his portfio is more impressive than a lot of the professors at nationally renowned universities. She would also be a big fish in a small pond, and would graduate with a large portfolio which I personally feel is very important. She still feels the name brand of the college will give her more connections and that that is more important than the portfoio. I’m not sure how they put together an impressive portfolio when they may not get to design their own show until senior year. Any thoughts? Is a lot of hands on experience with a lot of shows under your belt better, or is going to someplace more prestigious to make connections more important?
Are any of the schools that she’s interested in telling her that she’ll have a lot of show experience? What will she be doing during her 4 years? That’s such a tough one. What about professors at NYU, CMU? A good majority of professors in theater are working during their tenure as well. Could she speak with the professor at the small college near you?
I am trying hard to get her to reach out to them, but she’s very stubborn.
I think she needs to talk to the professor at the small college and ask what the path has been for other scenic designers coming from that program into the profession. How well are they guided to summer opportunities, networking opportunities, etc. The smaller program can be valuable. Going to a larger program will offer good connections, true, but not every student coming through can benefit from limited opportunities. There will naturally be more competition for top spots. That said, professional theatre is a competitive field, one that requires constant searching for work. It may be very valuable indeed (especially since your D seems up for it) to test herself against this larger world of competition while in college to develop the toughness of mind and people-skills needed to make it in the real world. A good fit for one student may not be right for another. But neither of her choices is clearly wrong or a mistake.
Here is a recent article in BU Today about one of the scenic design professors. He designed the wonderful set (altho he doesn’t like to use that word!) for the PBS production of Sweeney Todd with Emma Thompson. Very interesting!
http://www.bu.edu/today/2015/thinking-outside-the-box-set/
Very true. She probably needs to figure out the path that she’d like to make in her profession. My d wants to eventfully costume film and television. She knows that her program, the vigor and the connections that she’ll make , are what she needs. DePaul has a Graduate showcase senior year that can open the world up even more to her. It really is all about what she wants to do- smaller theater shows, Broadway, films, etc. Every program has its pluses and minuses for sure. It’s such a difficult decision. What if she were to try a larger program for a year and see if it’s what she wants? If not maybe she could transfer to a smaller program later?
Thanks for the suggestions. I’m trying to get her to email a couple different places so she can ask more questions. Whether she’ll get around to doing it is another thing. This decision is coming too fast, and she is so busy at school right now involved in a One Act Play competition. The BU article was interesting. We toured there last summer, but didn’t like the fact that the theatre was quite a ways off campus in a shared space with a community theatre. The student who led us around didn’t seem very enthusiastic which didn’t help. Still wish I could hear some personal stories from students, but then again everyone’s experience would be different. Hopefully my D will email and keep an open mind if she does. Curious if anyone outside of Texas has heard of TCU, especially those in the industry.