<p>Hey there! So I'm a junior in High School (so I know, I know... me going through an obsession with college searching is a bit premature at this point--but it's all so exciting!) I was wondering what people thought of Fordham. At this point I seem to be really drawn to the school. My only slight concern with Fordham has to do with it being Jesuit (It's the only religious affiliated school on my list thus far). I love many aspects of the Jesuit education, concerning many of the values like their volunteer opportunities, their fabulous education standars, caring teachers, etc... however I'm actually Jewish (reform) and though I fully understand the religion is not pushed on anyone at the school, I just kind of wanted to make sure that I wouldn't feel "out of place" per say. Along with this I am very liberal, and though of course expect to be in an environment with people of varying views, again I don't want to feel like I don't belong. I am going to be auditioning as a Theatre major with a minor is psychology or political science probably (still havent decided on minor.... i have time! ;) Therefore I would definitely be at Lincoln Center (I would prefer this anyways... born in raised in a big city, I'm a city girl-can't help it!).
Again, I really don't think this would be much of an issue, after all this is New York, AND PERFORMING ARTS! But I just wanted to know what students (or others) thought about this at the school. From what I've heard so far it seems perfectly accepting of anyone and everyone, but I just wanted to kind of discuss it first hand :)
Also! for anyone else still reading this long post, if anyways has anything to say about the school as a whole (or theatre department, Lincoln vs Rose Hill, students, faculty, etc...) I would love to hear what you have to say!
Thank you so much :)</p>
<p>My daughter, also reform Jewish and liberal, feels very at home at LC. No issues. She is going to minor in theater, just hasn’t fit in a theater class yet. She loves everything about LC, especially how close it is to Broadway. Not fond of her suitemates, they are rather slobby, or having to cook for herself. But she likes most of her classes, and has made friends.
If you are going to be a theater major, I believe you have to go to LC.</p>
<p>I’m glad to hear she’s enjoying it so much–too bad about the roommates though! Thank you, that’s just what I wanted to hear!</p>
<p>Hello, hellomano!</p>
<p>A prospective theatre major, huh? Let me tell you that you are NOT starting your college search too early! Not only do you need to decide on schools but you need to look at the degree (BFA or BA) and program, audition requirements, non audition safeties, financial issues…it’s a VERY complicated application process so good for you getting a jump on this!</p>
<p>My S is a sophomore Theatre double majoring in Performance and Playwriting. Yes, you MUST apply to LC but it sounds like you would want to be there anyway and it is a fantastic location for a Theatre major! It is a BA program and you are required to take all the classes in the very large core curriculum minus one Fine Arts class, but all of the Theatre majors I have spoken to absolutely love the core! You will receive practical training in a collaborative, supportive environment and the faculty are outstanding. Your religious and political views will have no bearing on how you fit in at Fordham LC, trust me, you will be amongst your people! I recommend that you come visit and see for yourself! If you do come, you can feel free to PM me and I will put you in touch with my S. He is actually meeting a CC family and prospective student later today!</p>
<p>Here are some things I think you should consider at this stage of your search:
- Location…do you have any location requirements? My S only applied to schools that were in or within 1 hour of NYC, or in Boston which was the only other city he considered living in. There were some fantastic programs that we didn’t waste a lot of time looking into bc he just didn’t want to be that far from home and his location parameter narrowed down his search.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Degree and training…do you want to spend ALL of your time studying acting and acting related classes? Or do you have a variety of academic interests (it sounds like you do given that you want to minor) and you want to combine those interests with practical training? Or are you primarily interested in the academic study of theatre? These are some basic differences between BFA programs and BA programs. However, you need to look carefully into the specifics of each program because they vary wildly. </p></li>
<li><p>Non-audition programs…you need to have some on your list just in case you don’t get into any of the audition programs you are interested in. Believe me, it happens, so make sure you choose schools that you can also afford and that you would be perfectly happy to attend.</p></li>
<li><p>Once you have your list, you need to prepare according to the audition requirements for each school and again, these will vary wildly.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>You are right…it is very exciting to look into all these different programs to find the one that is right for you! Be prepared that you probably won’t find THE perfect program and you will have to decide what aspects are most important to you and what you can live without. This is really personal and everyone will have different opinions on what you should do…but going to the school that is the right fit will make all the difference in your college experience.</p>
<p>Spend some time on Fordham’s website.
[Fordham</a> University Theatre Program](<a href=“http://www.fordham.edu/academics/programs_at_fordham_/theatre_department/index.asp]Fordham”>http://www.fordham.edu/academics/programs_at_fordham_/theatre_department/index.asp)
[url=<a href=“http://www.fordham.edu/]FORDHAM.EDU[/url”>http://www.fordham.edu/]FORDHAM.EDU[/url</a>]</p>
<p>And spend some time reading through the Theatre/Drama and Musical Theatre forums. There is a lot of great information there and people who are willing to guide you through the process.</p>
<p>And if you are still interested in Fordham and want to read more, PM me and I will be happy to share the link to Fordham Theatre’s blog.</p>
<p>Break a leg! :)</p>
<p>LC is great for being a theatre major and they even have a jsa. you don’t even have to take any real “catholic” classes if you don’t want to.</p>
<p>hey hellomano !
I’m glad that you are looking into fordham ! im currently a freshman at lincoln center, and I absolutely love it!</p>
<p>Even though we are a Jesuit school, we do not impose our religious views. Everyone from different beliefs are welcome. Fordham really tries to reach out to those who practice different religions. </p>
<p>We do have a rigorous core curriculum that can be a pain. But so far, my classes have been really interesting.Some of the classes are faith and critical reason, philosophy, history, etc. Compared to Rose Hill, we have smaller classes. Usually classes have at least 20 kids. The benefit to that is your professor gets to know you personally. </p>
<p>Everyone I’ve met so far have been all types, especially liberal! so i dont think you will feel out of place. </p>
<p>As for theater, the professors are amazing especially the department head. I work for them as I am one of the secretaries for the Arts dept. The department head is Matthew Maguire who you can talk to anytime. I know for an intro to theatre class, depending on the professor ( a requirement for the core ) you basically go see plays and write about them.</p>
<p>If you have any more questions, feel free to contact me :)</p>
<p>Hey chops, since you have experience, I have a few questions:</p>
<p>1) How’s the aid Fordham gives? This includes merit or need based aid. From what you got and what others got, does Fordham give good aid?
2) How’s the math/CS program?
3) What are your favourite classes? Least favourite?
4) What do you do on your free time? (As in, what do you do in the city)?</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>Sandkmom: Thank you so much for your info! I’m definitely hoping to visit soon! I’m so glad to hear such positive things about the program! Yeah, I actually like the idea of the core classes and being able to study many varying subjects to have a well rounded education. I also would definitely enjoy taking the theology classes- i find it to be quite an interesting and obviously useful subject! So no worries with that part of the jesuit education! </p>
<p>The location was definitely the first part of my college search actually! I knew what cities I wanted to be in or in close proximity to. So am basically looking at schools in those areas as a way to narrow down my options! (:</p>
<p>Yes-- I’ve definitely been looking at school with non-audition programs. I still can’t get over how difficult getting into audition theatre programs is!! It’s incredibly scary! I’m definitely looking at schools like: Sarah Lawrence, Lewis and Clark, Occidental… as options where auditions aren’t held</p>
<p>Yes, the BFA vs BA issue. That’s pretty musch one of the only things I’ve having trouble deciding on, but I think it might all just depend on what school I en up getting accepted to and choosing-- so we shall see!!</p>
<p>As for auditions I’m reading many suggested plays at the moment trying to find options! I have my classical Shakespeare monologue already (my favorite “go-to” Shakespeare monologue that I love (: but am still in search for modern pieces! I’ll definitely discuss this all with my theatre teacher however.</p>
<p>Thank you so much, again, for your insight! I would definitely be interested in the blog-- I’ll PM you!</p>
<p>Chopstix-(lovin’ your name since I’m using chopsticks to eat leftover chinese food right now (; hahahah)</p>
<p>Thank so much for the info! I’m so glad you are loving Fordham! (I’m definitely thinking of it as my top choice as of now-- even though I still have a while to decide haha) I definitely have some other questions that I would love to message you about if that’s okay with you.</p>
<p>So the intro to theatre class actually sounds amazing-especially considering such a fabulous location! </p>
<p>I definitely love the small classes aspect. My entire life I’ve gone to a small school with small classes, and love that sort of vibe and find it super beneficial for me, so that’s awesome!</p>
<p>Thanks again :)</p>
<p>Just want to mention that Invitation to Theatre is a course for non-majors or for minors which satisfies the core Fine Arts requirement. If you are accepted to the major, you will begin with Acting 1 and Collaboration 1 your first semester at Fordham and the Fine Arts requirement will be waived. </p>
<p>Your final application list might include some BAs, some BFAs, some audition, definitely some non audition, academic and financial safeties. You are definitely better off having a lot of choices come enrollment time bc your needs might change by then but you don’t have to decide BA/BFA right now! As I said the programs vary wildly but my S did consider BFA programs that had liberal arts requirements and allowed for a minor at least. His final decision came down to Fordham’s BA and NYU’s BFA which are both strong but very different programs. He is very happy with his choice. 
</p>
<p>I will answer the questions in your PM a little later or over the weekend and I’ll send you the link for the Theatre blog.</p>
<p>hellomano,
ahaha your welcome ! sure , if you have any questions, feel free to pm me !</p>