The story begins: a thread for rising seniors

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
101

<p>Hi! I’m a rising senior (god that’s scary) from Louisville. I’ve done theatre casually most of my school life but never thought much of it until I joined a conservatory after school during my sophomore year. I fell in love with theatre there, and thought for a while that I wanted to act professionally. I’m no longer sure I can handle the emotional turmoil and uncertainty of that profession- I don’t have the backbone. But I’m directing the school play next year- I think I’m the first student director the school’s had-and I’m attending CMU’s acting pre-college program next year, both to be sure I don’t want to act professionally and to scope out their dramaturgy program. I think I either want that BFA in dramaturgy (or directing if I fall for that) or a BA in theatre, possibly as a double major with something else.</p>

<p>Where I’m looking:
Yale
NYU (probably not Tisch- CAS or more likely Gallatin)
Middlebury
Kenyon
Vassar
Reed
Swarthmore</p>

<p>Safeties: Bard College, Centre College</p>

102

<p>peggysue, if you do fall for directing, you might like NYU/Tisch/Playwrights Horizons where you can study directing. I realize that is not a BA.</p>

<p>If you are of the level to apply to Yale…then take a look at Brown. And if you are at that level of student, you might like Skidmore as a safety.</p>

103

<p>Soozie- thanks. If I do decide directing is a viable option, I’ll start looking at directing BFAs as well.</p>

<p>I strongly considered Brown for a while, then visited and wasn’t crazy about it (even though Emma Watson was in my intro to Italian Cinema class!). Academically, I’m at that level but a lot of my extracurriculars have been theatre-related and I’m worried I won’t stand up to the novelists and cancer researchers. I’ll look into Skidmore- thanks.</p>

104

<p>A word about Drama Schools in London ~</p>

<p>After receiving my BA in theatre I went to Drama School in London and trained for 3 1/2 years. Our final term was spent on the showcase. I was in a class of 12 and was the only American. Rightly so, the showcase was focused on the British kids because it was attended by only British agents, managers and casting directors. I did virtually nothing in the showcase.</p>

<p>You should check with Drama Schools you apply to and ask if they do a showcase and if American agents/casting directors attend :)</p>

105

<p>peggysue, glad to hear you did explore Brown. If it wasn’t for you, then that’s that. It happens to be very good for theater. Anyway, do not fret that you are up against cancer researchers and novelists! If your interest is theater, you show achievements in your field of interest. The fact that you are directing the school play is something that will be noticed. I have had students get into Brown for theater and their achievements are in…well, theater!</p>

106

<p>I thought I’d chime in since my daughter’s college list seems as if it would be similar to peggysue’s: an initial list for a high achieving student with a strong interest and extracurricular focus in theater. My student wants to double major, so a BFA is not suitable. Also, she would like a strong academic program. So far I would say Northwestern, Yale, Bard, Brandeis, Vassar, Fordham (as the only audition program?), Brown, Wesleyan, USC, Columbia, the University of Michigan, Oberlin, and Williams College.</p>

<p>I definitely want her to heed Soozie’s warning about not applying only to the most selective schools, and we hope that our student will be able to receive some merit aid as well, so we’ve been trying to factor that into the list. Does the above list seem to be on the right track?</p>

107

<p>Ariel, I don’t know nearly enough about your child to comment on her college list. Two things strike me at first glance, however. One is that U of Michigan is a BFA program, not a BA. If she doesn’t want a BFA, she should strike UMich from the list. It so happens my niece is in that program. </p>

<p>The other thing is that while you have great schools on the list, and assuming your D is a tippy top student across the board, there are no safety school on the list. Seems like there are good reaches and matches though. Fordham isn’t a safety due to it being an audition based program (even if it is an academic safety I am assuming…don’t have your D’s profile of course). I can’t say for certain what is a safety for your D without her detailed profile but I’ll put out there as possible ones if she is a tippy top student…Skidmore, Conn College, Muhlenberg. All very good for theater.</p>

108

<p>I didn’t realize that UMich is a BFA program–that was one we just thought about adding and hadn’t done the research yet. So that one is off–thanks for your correction!</p>

<p>You’re right–we need safeties on the list, and those seem to be the most difficult to choose. Yes, daughter is an outstanding student, but we are fully aware of how competitive college admissions is these days.</p>

<p>Fordham probably is an academic safety for her, and I suppose she could attend there and minor in theater if other choices didn’t work out. We had thought about Kenyon as another possibility, but she’s not wild about the location (really would prefer access to a city or at least a bigger town, though I realize that not all schools on our list offer that).</p>

<p>One more question for Soozie: Does it make sense for a strongly academic theater kid to consider schools not specifically known for theater? For example: Stanford or Princeton?</p>

<p>Thanks for your help! And thanks too to EmmyBet for starting this useful thread.</p>

109

<p>Ariel…does your D want to major in theater or just do it as an extracurricular?</p>

<p>Most schools offer theater. But since there are so many great schools that exist, it makes sense to me to pick schools strong in theater as a department and/or as an extracurricular. I had a student apply to Stanford, Yale, and Brown this year for theater. Yale and Brown are very strong in theater. I rarely hear Stanford mentioned for theater. She did get into Stanford and Brown (was deferred EA at Yale, then denied). She has chosen to attend NYU/Tisch. She only had two BFAs on her list. At Fordham, which was an academic safety, but is not a safety school overall due to the audition, she did not get into the theater program. I would not apply to Fordham and attend if only admitted to the school and not the program, if interested in theater. Rather, I’d pick a safety school strong in theater where I could attend for theater…thus I suggested schools to you like Skidmore…very strong in theater and there is no “second tier” major or minor, as would be the case at Fordham. Muhlenberg has decent access to NYC and Philadelphia. The girl I just referred to had Northeastern has her safety school, where she was admitted. I really think your D needs safety schools. By the way, Bard is pretty rural. Williams too.</p>

110

<p>That makes sense, thank you. Daughter wants to double major or do a minor in theater along with an academic major in the humanities. Thus, she would like a strong theater department AND plentiful extracurricular opportunities. We had heard something about Stanford trying to increase its arts focus in the last few years but haven’t found any more specific information. But maybe she should stick to more theater-oriented schools; however, she herself says that getting a strong undergraduate education is her first priority. </p>

<p>Yes, I do think that Williams and Bard might be too rural for her and perhaps just a little too small.</p>

<p>Skidmore sounds like a good possibility (no merit aid though).</p>

<p>And, of course, all of this could fly out the window once she sees a few of these schools and figures out what she really likes!</p>

111

<p>If you are seeking merit aid, none of those Ivy schools offers merit. You may know this, not sure. But you mention Skidmore has no merit aid but then many schools on your list also do not offer merit aid.</p>

112

<p>Hey, great stuff! Thanks for writing, everyone.</p>

<p>I made that comment about talent for a couple of reasons - so that no one would think (in a CC way) that only kids who were practically pros in theater would be posting here, and so that there wouldn’t be any reason for people to feel they needed to prove anything that way, since it’s impossible to assess over this medium, anyway. Also, as soozie says, while academic admission is a crapshoot, the BFA route is even more so, with mostly lower admissions statistics based on much, much less quantifiable data (if you can even call it that). So I just wanted to get any comparative worries off the table.</p>

<p>Safeties, as with so many college lists, do seem to be a huge issue for theater. It is very hard to tell with BA programs if they really are exciting and rich in educational and experiential opportunities. All of the websites make them look great, and BA curricula are often pretty much identical. CC is so helpful because we get way more anecdotal information from students/families, and also from people who know the programs either professionally or because they live near them. This is an enormous help!</p>

<p>We’ve found many BA options from CC. It also seems true that schools with “artsy” reputations do usually have good arts programs - not just a stereotype. But there are little quirks everywhere … I just read yesterday somewhere on CC that Muhlenberg has gotten so popular with its non-audition degree that competition to get into classes and productions can be pretty tough (this from a student there, I think). We won’t go running from the school, but you do have to really look.</p>

<p>I agree that going to a BA where there is a BFA would probably have more negatives than positives. Another issue can be the presence of MFA actors, when the dept focuses a lot of attention on them. We’re just trying to ask a lot of questions.</p>

<p>One of my D’s safeties is UMinn - the BA major in theater. I don’t know if she’ll apply to Guthrie; she hasn’t researched it yet, and might decide to. But we have a very good friend who’s going into her senior year as a BA (deliberately, didn’t want the BFA). At such a big school, there are so many theater activities that she hasn’t felt slighted at all, or to have had fewer opportunities. She happens to have enjoyed the liberal arts experience (just came back from an amazing non-theater study abroad) but is very committed to her love of theater. So UMinn specifically does seem like a good place to get a BA, at least in our opinion, even with the BFA there. But it’s taken some asking and checking to find that out.</p>

<p>I agree with peggysue that getting experience now is a very important way for students to know what they really want - this is why we’re not pushing a summer job currently and allowing for this “mega-theater” summer. Next summer, she can focus on getting some cash.</p>

113

<p>I actually think that there may be better opportunities at schools that aren’t so known for their theater programs because there may be more personalized attention and greater casting opportunities – the bigger fish in the smaller pond theory. My D did make it into a BFA program, but if she hadn’t, her second choice would have been a school never mentioned here for theater, but she really liked the theater class she sat in on and the faculty are working professionals in the city’s local theater community. She did apply to all the “usual suspects” for BA theater mentioned here and got into most of them. She did apply to alot of schools, but she really wanted to keep her options open!</p>

<p>I am just a parent and not an expert in theater or college admissions, but i absolutely think that it’s worth applying to the school that fits you best academically and work in the theater. A good actor will find his / her way! We recently saw a show in NYC with a Dartmouth grad, for example. </p>

<p>In fact, going into a school less known for theater may make it easier to get in. Depending on where you’re from, Arieltemp, a theater applicant to Vassar, eg., is a difficult demographic!</p>

114

<p>Would you be OK sharing the name of the BA school? It’s so hard to be able to visit everywhere - as you say, the way she found out was not so accessible.</p>

<p>I learned recently via CC that Emory has a very vibrant theater community and a great relationship with the local professionals. This kind of info is so valuable!</p>

115

<p>It was Wash U in St. Louis (not a safety, though!!). But the professor was SO warm and caring, and she was very impressed with the comments he made to the students.</p>

<p>My D also applied to Emory – they have a professional theater company that the students can get involved in, as I recall. </p>

<p>Macalester was also a school that we really liked – Twin Cities are AWESOME theater town!! Cold there, though!! </p>

<p>She did not sit in on a theater class at Macalester, and never visited Emory, though. </p>

<p>I was going to add, too, that if anyone saw the movie “An Education,” the male lead (the sleazy guy!) was a Wash U grad.</p>

<p>Our strategy was to apply not just to those “usual suspects,” but to schools in cities with access to theater. </p>

<p>Oh, and at WashU, I spent time talking to a student who said that the theater students really had a sense of community, which I thought sounded great. </p>

<p>Another school that sounded good on paper – D applied, but never visited – was Occidental. </p>

<p>I guess I just believe that a kid doesn’t have to go only to the school “known” for theater to get a good theater education! </p>

<p>For ArielTemp, if you live in the northeast, your D should consider Bard’s IDP program. It has a high acceptance rate, and it gives you a decision before Thanksgiving! Also, if your D’s stats are good enough for those top schools, I wouldn’t be too worried about Brandeis, BUT I would be sure that she shows interest!! </p>

<p>Brandeis and WashU both give merit aid.</p>

116

<p>deleting, my comment did make it into post above.</p>

117

<p>PeggySue, I would encourage you to add Williams College to your list, if you’ve got the stats that your list seems to suggest. Check out the summer theater lab on its website. Williams doesn’t have too many theater majors, but it has a great program and a strong alumni network!</p>

118

<p>@ArielTemp</p>

<p>Re Fordham. I know a professional actress who chose to minor and she is perfectly happy with the program, doesn’t feel “second tier” at all so I wouldn’t rule it out particularly given the generous merit money Fordham gives to kids with high academic stats. I recommend that your D apply and audition and see what happens first. It’s the only Jesuit school on your list and you just can’t beat the Lincoln Center location! :)</p>

<p>My S is going for the BA (at Fordham actually) and looked at several of the excellent programs on your list. He had a very specific location criteria and that helped eliminate many programs right off the bat, so really, if you know your D won’t make it at a rural college then it’s quite easy to cross them off the list even if the program is tops. Your list of programs is all over the map! Are you planning to visit them all? It’s essential AT LEAST when making your final decision. All the programs look great on the web! </p>

<p>I also do think that it makes sense to consider other schools that aren’t necessarily talked about for theatre if they meet other criteria that are important to your D. It’s all about personal fit. Just don’t forget to include a financial safety on that list unless it’s not a factor. Good luck! :)</p>

119

<p>I also just want to chime in with the warnings on the prior page posted by soozievt about not assuming that because you’re very talented, even a superstar, in your own community you will have BFA audition success!! And, the corollary is not to preclude yourself from auditioning even if you weren’t the star in high school…</p>

<p>I also want to say that I remember that person who got into Vassar (as noted in Soozie’s thread), but was rejected from all BFAs, and stalker that I am :-), I remember checking out the person’s stats and seeing that “she” was in fact a “he.” “He’s” who apply to Vassar have a 35% admittance rate; “she’s” have 20% acceptance!!</p>

<p>And, even though people keep putting Bard down as a safety, I would really caution against this! Their acceptance rate is around 25% or so, and for students in the arts, I am sure that it is a tougher admit, because they get so many of those applicants. When we went up to the school and filled out the information sheet at the admissions office, they asked about involvement with sports and foreign languages, but had NO questions about the students’ participation in the arts! I recall seeing someone on the Bard forum with pretty impressive stats who had gotten deferred in EA (and later accepted), who the parent said they didn’t understand because everything on the student’s resume screamed “Bard,” and my response was, that’s probably why!</p>

120

<p>Thank you so much to all of you! You’ve offered the kind of information that we are seeking and is so difficult to find.</p>

<p>Soozie: Yes, I know that the Ivy schools don’t offer merit aid, but I think that a few of them might be more generous in terms of financial aid because of programs for middle-income families, so they’re worth a try!</p>

<p>EmmyBet: I’ll look into UMinn–that sounds like a great program. It’s definitely worthwhile to think about the larger programs that might offer more performance opportunities.</p>

<p>SDonCC: I really like what you said about the possible benefits of attending a school not “known” for theater. In particular, I had been wondering about Emory and Wash U since these schools are said to have wonderful academics and strong communities. I just didn’t know anything about theater at either place.</p>

<p>It seems to me that a student could get a solid education in theater at a number of schools that would also offer varied extracurricular activities. But I don’t know what the Bard IDP program is. I will have to look that one up!</p>

<p>Sandkmom: Thank you for your comment about Fordham. I do think that my daughter should at least audition to see what happens. As far as visiting: We are going to have to pick and choose because of limited time this summer, but we would definitely visit a school to which she has been admitted before making any final decisions. The “demonstrating interest” part can be a challenge since, you point out, these schools are all over the place. But I like your suggestion about eliminating some schools based on location and maybe size. Otherwise, the wealth of possibilities begins to be a bit daunting!</p>