My son has been lucky to be accepted into both for the Class of 2021. Recognizing that one is a BFA and other other a BA, thoughts on the pros and cons of each program for someone who wants to be a professional actor? For example, I’ve heard that Michigan has a tremendous alumni network in NYC; does NU have one too? Thanks for your help!
My D applied to both, unsuccessfully, and the clear 1st choice was NU.
Have you visited both?
What a nice dilemna for your son - congratulations!
Thank you, LuvsLabs. Yes, he realizes how very, vey lucky he is. We are planning to visit both in mid-April. May I ask what attracted your daughter to NU vs UMich?
There is a “Northwestern Mafia” alumni connection. The NU alumni networking will reach far and wide.
Both have amazing alumni. I think this should be something that will become clearer when he visits.
When he does visit, he should be sure to attend classes (NU at least lets accepted students do that). He should attend a show if he can, although I’m not sure how much I’d base my decision on that–I’d base it much more on the classes. Can he stay overnight in the dorms when he visits? (If you ask, they sometimes let you.) Talking to current students can be very revealing. Also there is a ‘feel’ to campus and he may prefer one over the other.
Is he straight acting? That will factor into his decision. Purely on what I’ve heard, not first knowledge, Michigan is stronger in MT.
Also, does he have other interests? NU has many modules - sort of minors - you can take in addition to theatre: Acting for screen, Devising, MT Choreography, Playwriting, Theatre for Young Audiences, etc https://www.communication.northwestern.edu/departments/theatre/programs Also of course, NU has the opportunity to double major, or major/minor. Many theatre folks double major, with the additional being whatever they want, eg History, Cognitive Science, Psychology, Pre Med, etc.
My D was straight theatre at NU, and did the Acting For Screen module. It was incredible, and a wonderful opportunity. PM me for more information.
I sound like I’m cheerleading for NU but I actually think this is a personal decision. They’re both excellent.
@connections I hope I can reach out to you as well! My son was accepted to Northwestern as well, and plans to audition for the MT certificate if he attends. He has been accepted to 2 other programs - a BFA MT and a BA MT - but not the UMich program :)!
@TheatreMom21 - @connections said much of it very well, above. My D was a Cherub last summer and absolutely loved the campus, Evanston, the proximity to Chicago and most of all, the other Cherubs - theater kids seem to really thrive when in an intense communtiy with other theater kids. Also, her dad & I strongly preferred her to attend a BA program vs. a BFA at the time. (She applied ED.) From a more practical perspective, we feel a BA from a high quality school (especially with the reputation of Northwestern!) would be a better investment of tuition dollars. Obviously, a degree from UMichigan also has a terrific reputation, but if it were us with your son’s same choice, we would absolutely have our kid accept the NU offer assuming everything else is equal (like the costs, including transportation costs, etc.)
At this point, we’d be happy to have a happy D - the rejections are really tough to process - but I have to confess that part of us is also not exactly unhappy that she is now very likely to attend a BA program with strong theater training instead of a BFA program. She’s still waiting to hear from Syracuse U & CMU and if she is not accepted, and assuming she doesn’t come off Marymount’s waitlist, she’ll attend a BA school.