I’m a transfer and was lucky enough to get into these two amazing programs. I previously lived in NYC and became very depressed for a number of reasons one of which I think might have been the over stimulation the city provides, but I do like the artistically rooted program NS provides. It seems like they really want to round you out as an artist and not just an actor.
But I also really loved the city of Philly. I felt so at home there and comfortable. I like their program too but am worried I might not have as many opportunities the new school would provide.
Another problem is Uarts doesn’t have the Liberal Arfts education I’d like to receive but they have the Musical Theater program that The New School doesn’t.
I’m prepared to make sacrifices, I just want to make the best decision for my career and my craft.
Do any of you have any information of which school has a better program?
From what I know they are very different programs. U Arts is a conservatory program that is performance based. New school, as you said, is a broader “dramric arts” program that isn’t focused mainly on performance. The curriculum is more flexible at new school. From those I know at New School their days are less structured than other BFA programs. There seems to be more free time -which some love and use for creative purposes and others may not like as much. U Arts has the more traditional BFA of classes every day, plus rehearsals, etc.
Both are urban schools.
Both have good programs -just very different.
Older adult wisdom - I’ve lived in many different urban cities in my life, all moves were based on job opportunities (not in theater). Each city had its own vibe. I’ve lived on both coasts, and also in the middle. Even when I liked my job, one city just wasn’t a good fit for me. I met plenty of people who loved it there, I wasn’t one of them. So while programs may be the main focus, I’d say don’t ignore your spirit. One needs to be in a place that feeds the spirit.
“I previously lived in NYC and became very depressed for a number of reasons” That might be all you need to know right there in your decision making process.
That’s obviously a big part of my consideration of the school but I feel like The New School would help me the most in my career and I feel like that’s something to consider
My D is a MT student very happily at UArts, so I could address some of your questions there. She didn’t audition for New School, so I can’t really compare the two.
UArts has a lot of opportunities: main stage; student-run; known outside professionals directing, etc., frequently (many come in from NYC); professional theatres literally at your doorstep (which is great both for casting possibilities and audience possibilities, especially with discounts); clubs such as cabaret, Improv, etc.; opportunities such as the one my D will be participating in this summer, which is a production directed by a recent alumni and cast with alumni and current students which is going to Europe for the summers in many Fringe Festivals; all faculty are working artists, and successful ones at that; the possibility to minor in MT; great flexibility in the curriculum; etc.
As far as liberal arts opportunities go, we discovered that, unless the possibility to double major was present, the conservatory type programs (whether housed in a big university, a LAC with many other majors, or an art conservatory) had similar general education requirements for theatre BFA majors. But, to find out what exactly the difference would be between the two programs, compare the details of the curriculum requirements side by side. I suspect (although I don’t know for sure, as aforementioned), that you’ll discover they are pretty similar. If you do this, you’ll also see that UArts does require gen ed courses outside of the arts; it’s just that their courses all deal with the arts in some capacity within those subjects.
Feel free to PM me if you’d like.
thanks for your input! @myloves
@bfahopeful I’m trying to decide which is the better more prestigious program over all and because the new school is so new i can’t really find anything on it! Could you maybe provide some input?
I don’t think one is more prestigious over the other. They are different so it is hard to compare. As noted above, one is a conservatory and one is not.
Just depends on what you want from a program. I would go through course curriculum in detail and see which speaks to you more.
Honestly I think if you want the intensive training at a conservatory than U Arts may be a better fit. But if you want more flexibility and a broader curriculum that is not necessarily performance based than New School could be perfect for you.
Have you joined accepted students Facebook pages? Maybe you can ask questions about what a typical day is like at each.
I suggest really digging into the four year curriculum to see what fits your vision most. Good luck.