Would love to hear from students or parents about the relative merits of these schools - my daughter is trying to decide between them. Thanks in advance for any insights.
Hi norcaltheatre, I don’t know much about CalArts, but I know a lot about UNCSA, as my daughter is a freshman there. She has been thrilled with her training, as is pretty much the whole drama school, as far as I can tell. I would be glad to answer any questions that you have, but I’m not sure what specifically you are looking for.
I imagine you already know that UNCSA is very highly regarded within the industry. Most graduates achieve representation upon graduation. There are articles that suggest UNCSA is one of a very small handful of programs that are so highly regarded (along with CMU, Julliard etc.). Their training is conservatory-style, and highly intense, and also involves voice and dance. Also, there is a film school at UNCSA, so a lot of the drama students wind up getting a lot of fim experience while at UNCSA as well.
As a state university, price of UNCSA is half the price of many colleges, although it still is nothing like cheap.
Again, I am not in the position to compare UNCSA to CalArts, or really to any other programs. I can only speak to my daughter’s experiences there, which have been top notch. Did your daughter attend Accepted Students weekend? That would give her a great idea of what the training and the culture are like at UNCSA. At any rate, best of luck to your daughter!
My d is a BFA1 at CalArts and loves it. CalArts is a very unique place that is completely focused on helping students become amazing, creative, open artists. There are so many opportunities for collaboration, and of the 35 or so graduates last year I believe 75% were signed with an agent after showcase. CalArts also has a film school and my daughter has done several films with student filmmakers. There is a strong network of CalArtians so after school they all work together and support each other. Next month is the New Works festival where student created work is performed and my d is going to be in two productions. If your d can do a shadow day that would be great – my d helps out with those and they spend a whole day attending classes. Also my d has worked with James Franco (who teaches a film directing/theatre class) and was in a movie directed by a CalArts film teacher, so lots of opportunities for industry connections, etc. If you have any specific questions please feel free to PM me.
@norcaltheatre Where would your daughter ultimately like to be after graduating? NYC, LA? Does she want to do stage work or is she more interested in working in film/TV? If she wants to end up in NY, UNCSA’s training & reputation will serve her very well. If she wants to work in LA CalArts may have the edge because of industry connections, etc… BFA Acting students spend nearly all of their awake hours together. Has your daughter joined the Facebook groups for both school’s incoming class? My son used the Facebook groups to get a sense of who his classmates would be at the schools he was accepted to. There were definite differences in the “vibe” of each schools’ classes and it helped him make his decision. Congratulations to your daughter.
It may also help to look at what alumni are doing from each school. I don’t mean just the famous ones. But are the alum working in the field? I have only looked into UNCSA as that is where my daughter is going. They have very active working alumni. Many on tv and film right now. May not be names I recognized but when I looked them up i knew who they were, had seen them on shows and in film. Others are working in NYC and also regionally. UNCSA does both NYC and LA showcases. They also bring in agents regularly to campus during senior year, so they get seen prior to showcases. I am sure cal arts does similar things and also has active alumni - it may help to look at that. Good luck. Both are very good schools. A nice choice to have!