<p>I'm from the east, but one of my top schools is CalArts...where I'm probably going since I didn't get into my 3 other tops (Juilliard, Carnegie, NCSA)...people around here definitely forget about great west coast schools lol!</p>
<p>UArts acceptance for D...with very nice scholarship. We are excited and glad that this stress will soon be over. Best of luck to all still waiting.`</p>
<p>blueroses1: Have you heard from SUNY yet?</p>
<p>Lady Mac,
Drew has a great program - There is a Shakespeare Company on campus and they have wonderful internships in NYC which is only a commute away. Have you visited?</p>
<p>Nope, unmedkidd, I still haven't heard!...Purchase is the last one I'm waiting for before I make my final decision...aahh!</p>
<p>holly06, congrats on the UArts acceptance. They can be very generous, for sure!</p>
<p>Has anyone heard anything from our friend, briansteffy?</p>
<p>I agree about the lack of comments about the great schools out west. I remember a lot of comments about Arizona, but what a great program they have there. Good luck at CalArts.</p>
<p>Yes, well, Arizona may have a great program, but they also have a cut program (at least in musical theater), which is why a long discussion ensued ... :)</p>
<p>Yeah, I read all those posts about their cut program. It was interesting to see all the comments. My son has been accepted at Arizona, Pepperdine, Northern Colorado and some others. He has not made a final decision yet, but we are definitely aware of the cut program at Arizona. No surprises... I guess if you know ahead of time, you can't cry too much.</p>
<p>Well, you can cry, for sure, but you can't complain, I guess! :) DePaul is the same way, apparently. Both programs are very high profile and successful, so I guess the cut thing works for them. It's definitely a matter of individual choice and some are willing to take that chance.</p>
<p>Kinda like real world acting and auditioning...!</p>
<p>Yes, but I would posit that college ain't the real world. It's a training ground FOR the real world. In my opinion (and please know that I recognize that there are dozens of other opinions just as valid out there!), college programs should, within reason, commit to helping a kid maximize his or her talent/training for four years, and then let the market decide if they are employable or not. Mind you, I am not talking about keeping on kids who don't show up to class, who goof off, who are distracted and unfocused, or who clearly do not -- despite a good audition -- have the goods. Those kids deserve to lose their places. I am talking about cutting kids who are talented, who work hard, etc. in favor of other kids who transfer in that the administrators and teachers think are better bets. On this discussion board a few years ago, we heard from kids who were earning A's at Arizona and who still lost their places. If a kid who is earning an A in his classes can be cut, well, then no one is safe at a program like that. Yes, if you get through, the training is good. But in the end, I challenge anyone to put forth a good reason why the cut system is supposed to be good FOR THE STUDENTS. It's clear why it is good for the university/college/program. In fact, it's stacked almost completely in the university's favor. I just cannot see how it helps the students. And with so many fabulous BFA actor training programs across this country and elsewhere, why go where the odds are stacked against you?</p>
<p>I don't recall hearing about kids that were earning A's getting cut...I'll need to look back. There are many schools of thought though, and some may say that a degree from SUNY or Arizona or any other school does not get you the job. Your audition does. I'm sure there are exceptions but the training you get at many BFA program will be similar. You can look at the resumes of currently working actors in features, primetime and on Broadway and you will see alumni from both "well known" programs as well as "lessor known" programs. In fact there are MANY working actors that have very little formal training or degrees in theatre arts. I do agree with you about cutting good students. It seems kinda wacky. I remember an Arizona professor explained the process on this site, and the students that were cut (17??) was unusual. I think I'll go back and reread those posts...</p>
<p>channelsurfer dad, I am going to look and see if some of the discussion occurred on the musical theater site/threads. </p>
<p>Look here, and focus on the posts by samia:</p>
<p>NotMamaRose: This is also just my opinion - for what it's worth. My son is a student at Depaul and I've defended the cut program before - this time I'll do it in his words. Back when he was going through the audition/acceptance process, I asked him about going to Depaul with the possibility of being cut, and his response was that he would rather be given the chance there and be cut then not be given the chance at all. If Depaul restricted its freshman class to the number they ultimately want to train and graduate, then many students wouldn't be given the chance. Kinda like the little leaguer who begs "just put me in coach, just give me a chance". Sometimes that results in a homerun, sometimes a strike-out, but at least he/she was given the chance. Do some talented kids get cut? - without a doubt, but it is an assumed risk. My son also said even if he ended up getting cut, he would still be glad for a year's worth of excellent training - no one can take that away. As long as it is an open, acknowledged cut made clear from the get-go (and Depaul's is), then it is the student's choice to accept the risk or not. I think criticism for cuts should be more accurately directed at the programs that have hidden cuts - and many do as well discussed on this forum. Again, just another viewpoint, no criticism intended of anyone else's opinion.</p>
<p>Hello All,
I am a first timer here looking for comparisons between University of Minnesota's BFA Guthrie Acting program and SUNY Purchase BFA Acting program. We are trying to make a final decision. We visited SUNY a couple of weeks ago while in NYC but they were on break so weren't able to see or speak to anyone. Planning on visiting Minn in 2 weeks and perhaps back to SUNY, but it is a big deal coming from CA.
Thanks</p>
<p>Hi everyone
Channelsurferdud- I am in Southern California, but applied to east coast schools (and OCU) with only Cal State Fullerton as my back-up. I got into everywhere I applied as a MT, but am probably going with either BoCo or Emerson. California is just not considered as strong in MT as schools elsewhere. I have done a lot of regional theater and am constantly grilling the older actors about their experiences. The consensus seems to be that while CA has great film programs, MT is lacking. UCI definitely does stand out among the better MT programs here. There are others, but after investigating, I felt the eastern schools just had more solid programs.</p>
<p>channelsurferdud-
There were students at the U of AZ making A's in theatre classes who were cut. There were also parents who asked specifically about the cut system and those parents were not given accurate information before making a final decision. There were also students who were cut from U of AZ who were given no warning...no warning..not a word spoken, written, texted, e-mailed, faxed, or any other mode of communication.</p>
<p>Buyer beware.</p>
<p>I will be glad to pm with you if you would like more information.</p>
<p>garyspaul, if you look on this discussion board, you should find a thread labelled "University of Minnesota/Guthrie" program, in which I asked people to post information on/opinions on the program. (My D was, like you, one of the very lucky ones accepted to the Minnesota/Guthrie program for next year's freshman class, so chances are, you two met during the callback weekend.)I can't say much about Purchase because I don't know much about it, but I do know that the Guthrie program, while newer, is considered by many to be on the same tier as Purchase and NCSA and prides itself on offering a very challenging, but also nurturing approach to actor training. One really big advantage of Minnesota's program over Purchase, to my mind, is the close association with the Guthrie Theater, as well as the fact that it is part of a really strong, comprehensive university. No one is going to argue that the academics at Purchase are top drawer, I don't think. It might also help you to look at how many of those who enroll in both programs as freshmen end up graduating. I believe that Minnesota, for whatever reason, ends up graduating a larger percentage of its class than does Purchase.</p>
<p>Hi, my name is Ally and I am a set design major. I have been accepted to several colleges among them, NYU, BU, USC, and UCLA all for set design. I have also been priority waitlisted at Carnegie Mellon (crossing fingers on that one). I need some outside opinions both on my potential debt and the caliber of the school. </p>
<p>NYU--> graduate with 36k in loans
BU--> graduate with 55k in loans
USC--> graduate with 18k in loans
UCLA--> graduate with the 50k I didn't spend in my pocket</p>
<p>Btw, I would like to work in both theatre and film. </p>
<p>So which is the best choice?</p>