<p>Thanks mamamia, and thanks also to NMR, babar, sozievt, letsfigureitout, hcis, JM-MT (?) and others who have given me good advice. I look forward - whether good or bad news - to telling the conclusion to the story of our application process. </p>
<p>Kudos to CC. My son is in constant contact with the kids in last summer's BU program. He is surprised that many of them do not know what he is talking about when he asks them whether they are going to Unifieds. Very few are aware of CC. Most are applying only to the high-Brand ID programs. If they go to a HS like the one that my S is at, they are not getting any advice. I visited my son's guidance C. on Monday and handed him a list of 12 schools that my S is applying to. He had no clue as to what is involved in applying to BFA programs. He did not know CC, fairtest.org, etc. I should have charged the school my standard consulting fee. It's a shame that students and parents make decisions on an investment (a BU degree = 4 Lexus SUV's) with very little information. College visits help, but, in my opinion as someone in the business, they are not as informative as often assumed, though decisions should ever be made without visiting, as 'being there' at least provides a 'first date' intuition.</p>
<p>i new at this. i am in a real sticky situation. i am plannign to apply for a acting/ theatre program but i am sooo confused as to what unviersities should i apply to. i read the discussions here...i need to bank upon lesser unviersites incase the best ones dont take me. and choosing among the lesser ones is problem...i guess it would be really cool if someone suggested a few decent programs like university of minnesota or university of texas. and to make the matters worse i only get my SAT scores mid Feb...but i think thats not a problem with most unversities.</p>
<p>please excuse my grammar i am in a real hurry right now.</p>
<p>Minnesota is a VERY VERY competitive program to get into, so I wouldn't consider that one of the "lesser" programs or one of the merely "decent" ones, lohiaaditya! I would recommend reading through the whole theater and drama colleges thread (which has several parts) and then coming back with questions. My bet is many of the ones in your head right now will be answered that way. Good luck!</p>
<p>lohiaaditya: The late SAT scores might hurt with some schools. My S is taking the ACT next week (by the way, if you are in the states, you can probably register for the DEC 8th ACT, with a penalty fee). In fact, if you read this today, I bet that you can get a seat at tomorrow's SAT. Go to the websites and register. Pay the late fee and show up. Few take the Dec. tests, so there will be seats. My S showed up at the wrong school in Oct., and it was not a problem finding him a seat.
Regarding safety schools. Read back thru the threads. I have tried to initiate a few conversations about 'safe' BFA programs. I received little feedback. Nevertheless, if you state what part of the country you are willing to live in, I will give you my opinion re: safer schools.
Back to the SATs. There are some programs that will not grant you an audition until they have your scores -FSU, Purchase, NCARTS, Rutgers, for example. But there are a lot of schools that will be OK with getting FEB (likely later in the month - takes about 3 weeks, if taking writing test) SAT scores. A quick list for those who want a 'safer' BFA application and need schools that do not require high GPA/scores - a few of these look to be classy programs, though they do not have BrandID: West Virginia (audition 1st yr), Wyoming (not sure whether audition at all), Montana, Marietta (no audition), Drake (typically audition in March), Rhode Island (horrible web site - last year auditioned, but this year's procedures are not specified). Would love to get a discussion going on - let's call it - third-tier BFA Theater programs (qualification - I do not consider some of the abovementioned third-tier - i.e., Wyoming).</p>
<p>My prize for 'hidden gem' for those who are looking for a good BFA program, if by 'good' is meant good educaton and not post-graduation success on the coasts is the University of Wyoming. The state has been going thru an economic boom and wants out-of-state students (like southern universities pre-80's). Its out of state tuition is the lowest that I have seen for a principal land grant institution. Last week we were informed that nonresident tuition will be lowered by 4K if you have a 1000SAT and 2.5 GPA. The reduction goes up, the higher the test socre/GPA - ceiling is 7K, which, if I am correct, gives you a $5k/per year tuition. Laramie is not a great place (cold/windy, Cheney-like), but drive 30 miles and you are in outdoor heaven. The campus is nice. The theater facilities are state-of-the-art, and the program has out-competed many that have BrandID. True, Rodeo is a major sport, and it would be a culture shock to my son - and it has a bad reputation, given the brutal crime that was committed near Laramie a few years ago - but it is an option that we are considering, especially because they are noted for their stage combat emphasis and they have a new facility for 'acting for the camera'.</p>
<p>Yes, unfortunately, most people from the East Coast only know Laramie from "The Laramie Project," which is a profoundly moving piece of theater/art but doesn't make one wish to rush out to live there. :) It's great that you checked the program out, Brian, and are reporting back that it's a very good university and program and a really top notch "value for your money" choice. (As an aside, when I was a kid in western New York State, I was big into horsebackriding. I rode English and did a lot of jumping, but I boarded my horse at a stable where the owners were very into barrel racing and rodeo riding. To my surprise, I learned to do a little barrel racing and how to haze and dog a bull .... quite fun, once you try it!)</p>
<p>NotMamaRose: About 10 years ago I was toying with a book called 'Surfing Sports' - never wrote it. I was doing triathlons, adventure races, fencing, rock climbing etc. So I started riding (jumping) and liked it, sort of. I noticed that there were few men doing dressage or jumping. Also, it seemed that the women were much better riders. Then I realized, it's a 'man' thing. We feel insecure sitting on a huge animal that has a mind of its own; we want to control the damn thing without understanding it. I have climbed cliffs, run 100 miles, etc, but nothing scared me more than riding a horse, especially getting it to leap over high bars.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
There are some programs that will not grant you an audition until they have your scores -FSU,
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>Test scores are required for admission to FSU, but they are not necessary to obtain an audition time. For an audition appointment, a student (or parent) only needs to call the School of Theatre and request the appointment. The number is (850) 644-7234.</p>
<p>Thank you to everyone who have answered to my post. I truly believe that the internet was a blessing to mankind. lol, anyways.</p>
<p>Now i have enough time to write a long post. I am getting over the fact that because of my carelessness or whatever one may call it, i was unable to apply to the UC's. Actually my last two years of high school have not been the way i would ve liked them to be.( Just btw i if you find this part of the post to be rubbish you can just miss out the few lines but i felt it was important to say everything). So i have been studying in India for the past 12 years but i am not an Indian national. My educational background is very good. For the majoriity of the people over here my English is excellent. I have a very American taste or so my family members say, thats not to say that i dont like my culture but thats the way its been all my life. My uncle who has studied in the US for 12 years tells me i could really gel very well in the US, because of the way i am. Now all that my sound like a cart load of **** but the reason i said that was because so that people would know where i would stand once i am there in the US. Now what happened during the last two years of my high school is that, i chose to go the British way by opting to do the A levels instead of continuing the Indian style of education.
Everything was fine until i chose a bad school which was believe me truly BAD, and i cannot forgive myself for choosing a school of that sort and i myself cannot believe how i happened to choose that school, anyways, now since the final examinations are held twice a year, in A levels it coincides with quite a few SAT test dates. I had planned to give my SAT in the first week of October. But since my examinations were starting a week after i opted not to and instead decided to gie them on the 1st of December. It so happens that i was so caught up with the exams that i didnt apply quickly enough to get a seat ( which believe me is pretty unpredictable) I would have had to apply a month early. But i only have myself to blame for that. After all this i have landed in this situation-</p>
<p>SAT scores come out around mid Feb
Toefl scores- end Jan
high school reports should be still earlier Jan.</p>
<p>This is the jist of the problems that i actually encountered during my high school ( i m not sure i listed them). And in the middle of all this rucus (spelling?) i kept delaying my plans to take an acting workshop. So now it means that i have to do it before i actually get to the US for college as i would prefer to have the first hand experience of acting in a major way. I have done a few roles which were very very minor during my high school although i know that theatre isnt a piece of cake. I have seen lead actors of plays preparing and devoting themselves so i basically know what it takes to live life in an actor's world. All that is not a problem because i truly want to do this otherwise i wouldnt be mad enough to go to US from here just for this and especially aiming to make a living of acting in the US being a foreiigner. LOL I think thats a pretty long and a boring post. sorry for that. The reason i dont want act in India which itself has a very flourishing industry iis for different reasons one beign that i wanted to act because of English films that i have seen so its pretty natural for me to want to act in the English medium. Whatever. So now i first have to select a unviersity so far i have decided to apply to these-</p>
<p>california state university fullerton
emerson college
purchase college ( i might drop the idea)
university of arizona
university of texas</p>
<p>the UC's are out as i told you earlier.</p>
<p>So now since you know me ( lil bit for sure) you could help me better.So could you please help me choose a good program which i can get into atleast with high chances. I didnt intend on taking the generalization of the forum away but i thought you could heelp me better after knowing me and my education a lil bit.;) Thankx. If i have missed out anything important then please let me know.</p>
<p>GRrRRR Thank god i copied the post the internet is giving me soo many problems i hope it works this time.</p>
<p>I cannot speak from the standpoint of academic admittance to the schools on your list. However many of those schools with the exception of University of Texas and I think Call State Fullerton (BA option), and University of Arizona (BA option....an audition IS required for the BFA training program) require an audition AND are HIGHLY selective in terms of artistic admissions. Meaning -- many more qualified applicants apply for the degree programs than they can accept, and the audition is a significant part of the admissions process.</p>
<p>Do you have a guidance counselor at your school in India who can help you with the intricacies of the international admissions process.</p>
<p>Also -- since Emerson, Purchase, and Arizona (BFA option) require an audition.... have you contacted the schools directly to see if they will accept a tape or DVD audition? Do you plan to travel here to audition?</p>
<p>This is my first post, but I have read this thread with interest because my HS Senior son is passionate about acting and wants to pursue a BFA. He has applied to the competitive program in our state (FSU) plus some other well-known programs, but, like BrianSteffy, we would like to find some other programs that are good but perhaps a bit more "under the radar."</p>
<p>The acting program at Saint Edward's University in Austin sounds great in their brochure (as they all do, of course!), but I haven't come across any mention of this school on CC at all, even with the search function. Do any of you well-informed parents and/or students have any first-hand information about this place, or even second- or third-hand?</p>
<p>Yea, i have sent emails to them regarding whether they would accept a dvd tape or something other than on the spot audition but i am yet to hear from them. Its been like a few days already i havent heard from them. So i dont know whether i should email them again or still wait for their reply. And well we do have counsellors here but they charge exorbitant prices plus in most cases they are affliated with a selected few universities, which means that without telling you they will create an impression in your mind that a certain university is good for say acting and then later you would realize that they did it just because that was the best they were affiliated with.Althoguh recently i have met a person who is very sounrceful but all he can do is provide me information because he is not in the same city. And he also does not charge me.;) He realy brags about getting me into any university program that i like, not undergraduate and stuff but then some programs like 1.5 years courses and stufff. i really dont know the extent of truth to that but since i dont want all that i have just asked him to help me with undergraduate for the moment lol.
anyways
have fun</p>
<p>A-Polly: My S is auditioning at FSU (acting) Jan. 25th. I would love to hear about the experience (can send as 'private message). My wife graduated from FSU many decades ago, so she is escorting him, as its been a long time since she's been in Tallahassee. I do not know of St. Edwards. Are you aware that Auburn has a BFA. I know nothing about it, other than what I've read on their web site. Of course, the state of FL. has a number of BFA programs.</p>
<p>A-Polly: Some under the radar programs; my relatively uninformed opinion. I do not know anything about the west coast.</p>
<p>-Penn State's(expensive for nonresidents) BA Performance program (I've received some positive feedback from current students - lots of students double-major). Audition required on campus.
-UCONN (expensive for nonresidents): some rate as best university in the northeast; must audition on campus and acceptance is provisional (audtion again Freshman year). Downside - From the web page, I get the impression that it is more dedicated to the MFA program; read the website and see if you get the same impression.
-Oklahoma(well priced for nonresidents): audition at unifieds, but I think that you eventually have to go to campus for callback. Must be accepted to U. before they assign audition time, according to their web site.
-I've already mentioned three well priced (for nonresidents) BFA programs: West Virginia, Wyoming, and Montana (recently voted best place to live by Adventure magazine) - none of these may suit city folk.
-James Madison (well priced for nonresidents) = not under the radar screen for regular CCers
-Private Universities/Colleges:
-Drake: requires on campus auditions
-Marietta College: no audition; very active theater program; looks like an interesting program for someone who wants to get a lot of theater experience and is looking for a launching pad into a MFA program. Pretty town and campus, though supposedly the theater facilities are beat. Not for you city folk.</p>
<p>It's an interesting question/discussion: why would I (thinking for S) get a BFA from a program that is unlikely to directly launch a theater career? Why not just get a BA degree instead? Well, we (son and parents) are still debating this one. Obviously, our preference is Guthrie, FSU, Syracuse, Evansville, Purchase, Rutgers, as these programs could serve as a decent launch pad. If left with the choice between a LAC/Penn State BA and a 'lower tier' BFA, the decision will be tough. My son loved Bennington College: its eccentric, organic-vegan, and beautiful, and it offers an open curriculum with lots of fringe theater courses.</p>
<p>My S is applying to Minnesota on a priority basis - application due by 12/17. He is definitely not conservatory material and fears that a BFA will cost him a normal college experience. I know that the BFA program is in collaboration with the Guthrie, but does anyone know if there is any participation with/by the Guthrie in the BA program?</p>
<p>Frenchlaw: I was asking myself the same question. The web material is vague on this point, but if you look at the BA curriculum, it looks like it is distinctly different. Whether faculty teach in both programs is an interesting question. I am very familiar with the U. (another Department). It is a huge (makes the SUNY schools look small), bureaucratic institution, and when I was there its focus was research and not teaching. Graduate students staff too many undergrad classes, as the U's reputation lies in its graduate programs. Perhaps its strategic focus has changed since I was there. I am not critical of the U. I would be pleased if my S had a BA degree from the 'U'. The Guthrie program is a small oasis within an overwhelming organization (my opinion). If you are looking at Big Ten BA Theater programs, you might also want to check out Iowa and Indiana (if college town type) Minneapolis is great.</p>
<p>Frenchlaw: Has your son thought about a BA in theatre from USC? They have two programs - the BA and the BFA, not to mention one of the countries top film schools (which can give the acting students a chance to act in some student films - however, the film classes themselves are not open to students not in the film program). And you can't get much more of a "real college experience" than USC if you're talking things like football, fraternities, rah-rah spirit, etc. Some worry about its location - not the best part of LA - but I know of many kids who have gone there and not one problem for any of them, knock on wood. It's expensive, but they offered my son a terrific financial package (he didn't end up there, but it was a great offer!). It's BFA program is tough to get into, but the BA not nearly so much. Although it looks like you're from New York - LA might be too far and too much of a culture shock for him! Brian mentioned Oklahoma, and I think by that he means University of Oklahoma in Norman aka OU (Oklahoma City University has an excellent musical theatre program and Oklahoma State aka OSU in Stillwater also has a theatre program, and they all get touchy about being confused). OU does have a very strong acting program - and great traditional college experience/atmosphere, and is very affordable. University of Texas in Austin has an okay theatre program and is affordable but again a wonderful traditional college experience (and Austin's great - wonderful music scene and excellent film program with more and more films being shot in the Austin area). UT is very competitive academically, though, and can be tough to get into as Texas has a program whereas if you are in the top 10% of your graduating class you are guaranteed a spot in a state school, and lots of kids apply to UT so it's very competitive. When you mentioned your son wanting more of a traditional college experience, those schools just came to mind. My son is at Depaul, which is a BFA conservatory program, and whereas he thinks he made the right choice, he has his moments where he wishes it wasn't so limited and he had more of that "traditional" experience himself. Good luck on your search.</p>
<p>I've been waffling back and forth between BFA/BA. I like my academic classes, so it's kind of been "go for BFA and try to fit in plenty of other academics, maybe a minor" or "go for a BA and maybe try to supplement it with other theatre opportunities." My toppies right now are Northwestern, NYU, and BU. can anyone recommend programs that are:
-urban or very near good-size city (willing to bend a little on this one, i guess)
-offers theatre arts/drama, not just acting or directing
-potential to take classes outside of theatre</p>