<p>My S got the invite too, and today received the thick yellow envelope - BA Theatre. He put BFA as 1st choice so he could audition, but told Ms. Lemons that he really wanted the BA. He wants to take film classes and be part of the Trojan marching band drumline. I’m so happy for him - USC is his dream school and program. Congrats to all! I feel like we’ve been through boot camp together…</p>
<p>I was so excited that I forgot to mention that my S did receive an open house invitation. Best of luck to all who are still waiting!</p>
<p>Hi everyone, our D received her USC acceptance today! She is in the BFA Theatre Program. We live in Chicago and she also received the open house invitation. Sending best wishes, Fight On!</p>
<p>Congratulations to all of you who received good news from USC! </p>
<p>Thanks notactingmom! I am reading past threads on USC SDA…Is it true that BFA’s can not go on auditions, while BA’s can? Looking at $ and financial aid…Also any info on BFA Program would be great! Looks like 30 accepted, and 20-25 is frosh class? All those that are in BFA SDA are you loving it? Any heads up info, pearls to share?</p>
<p>Wow, big congratulations to so many here. This year’s CC cohort did amazingly well. As you may know from my past posts, my S2 was accepted to USC SDA BFA, but was also admitted to SCA as well, and he could not do those two as a double major. He switched to Theatre BA and is doing them both now and loving it. The BFA Theatre programs–both Acting and Tech/Design are just as intense as many hope for. But for those who want a little more flexibility–to double major, to work, to have time for a sorority/fraternity or to go on professional auditions and book jobs, the BA tends to be a really great fit. As I’ve mentioned on other threads, the BA Acting degree at USC allows students to take most of the same courses as BFA, but different sections. If one wanted, they could load up their elective space with more Acting/Technique/Performance courses and have a very full theatre life, on top of all the performance opportunities. I have seen several BFA productions (these are put on each semester by each year BFA) and they have been outstanding. And the majority of plays are open to BAs and BFAs, and you simply cannot tell which is which degree in the cast. I applaud your talented and very smart kids and hope many will end up choosing USC, if only so I’ll have more SDA Trojan Mom & Dad buddies here on CC.</p>
<p>Madbean, thanks so much for those insights into USC’s Theatre BA. You’re confirming what I was hoping to hear!</p>
<p>My D was accepted to the BA Theater program and is very excited, but also was accepted in the BFA program at NYU/Tisch. (It’s been a good day today after the dreadful “Ivy Massacre” yesterday!). She did a summer program at Tisch last year, so has a good idea what life would be like there. On the other hand, we haven’t visited USC yet. We’re going to the Open House next weekend, so hopefully that will help her decide. Anybody have any info on things like the best dorms, what the first year non-theater class schedule would likely be like, how the residential college thing works, etc? Also, any key differences with Tisch she should be aware of? Thanks for any info!</p>
<p>My son received it and was accepted for the BFA Acting. NOW…we can buy the plane tickets. </p>
<p>My D’s classmate got accepted into BFA though he was not invited to the Open House. My D still has not heard, anyone else is waiting for the news?</p>
<p>Mamarose, we have some similar experiences! We also had an Ivy massacre on Thursday, when my D didn’t get into the school both my husband and I attended (as well as 6 other relatives) and one other Ivy. But then she got into the USC BA Theatre program which is her first choice and she is over the moon. I know the open house will help you and your D get a better idea of the USC program and environment. I’m sure that the school representatives will be able to answer many of your questions. We spent a day and a half there in the fall and loved every bit of it, especially the students and the vibe on campus. It will be very different from NYU so I think it is great you are able to check it out. (As a native New Englander, now living in CA, I can attest that the winters are better here!) </p>
<p>My daughter got her acceptance to the BA program today, and she had gotten the invitation last week. Her packet was a day late, according to the map, and it came very tattered and dirty! She is also over the moon, but we have to be cautious because she is unlikely to get much aid since USC is a CSS school. She got good scholarships at Chapman and LMU for film. Also got into NYU/Tisch. Tough choices, but USC is the dream! Congrats and good luck to all! </p>
<p>Westcstmom, our situations are very similar! The Ivy my D had her heart set on was one that her aunt, uncle and I all attended. Oh well … life goes on. She realizes she has some great (and tough) choices to make now. Although she had put BFA as her 1st choice, I really think that the BA program she was accepted into at USC is really a better overall fit for her than the BFA anyway.</p>
<p>Rejection letter, but were pretty happy with NYU Tisch BFA</p>
<p>Has anyone else tried to send the enrollment deposit via Usconnect or with a paper form? I get through the whole online form but when I press “submit with credit card info,” nothing happens. The admission letter actually said that we can use the online system in 7 days (odd), but that in the meantime, we could send in our deposit with the form in the Welcome to USC booklet. But I can’t find a form there. The booklet gives a url where supposedly we can find the form. But I’ve had no luck. Anyone else trying to take care of the enrollment deposit?</p>
<p>Some notes on various posts above:</p>
<p>notactingmom, if your D’s classmate was accepted to the BFA, I’m 100% certain his invitation to the Open House was lost in the mail. If he would like to attend, he should call SDA first thing Monday to confirm. I know they’d be very unhappy if he was left out.</p>
<p>Re: Theatre BA. There tends to be a number of young working actors and some sons and daughters of actors who are very excited to attend USC. For one thing, they are right in the hub of television/film casting and some also have families nearby. In many, many cases, they prefer the BA major. My S’s friends who are in this cohort are very happy with their choice. I’ll also mention my S took the intro acting course req. for BA major (there are more advanced classes that come after). He had taken 4 years of Acting/Theatre in his HS and was a little wary of just re-hashing. But he was blown away by his classmates and the in-depth training they were getting. This is only one example, but his instructor was a terrific woman with a Yale BA and a CMU/Moscow Art Theatre MFA, who also teaches at Stella Adler/Ron Burrs Studio, and at USC, she was teaching the BA course. This is typical of the quality of instruction across the board. Of course the BFA program is extremely fine and the conservatory-style curriculum is a great fit for those looking for that small company feel.</p>
<p>I’m a list-maker and couldn’t help joining all your good news into one post. This is really an amazing list of acceptances to USC SDA this year. Congratulations to all these talented kids! Please make additions or corrections!</p>
<p>Theatre BA:</p>
<p>compadv’s S (Chicago)
mamarose’s D
mrssoffel’s D BA
sjsaz’s S BA
Theaterdad54’s BA
westcstmom’s D (CA) BA
WWWard’s D (Tampa)</p>
<p>BFA - Acting:</p>
<p>rdhmom’s D (Chicago) BFA
sfnmjrm’s S (N. Mexico) BFA
ThankingGod’s S BFA</p>
<p>Lastly, I thought I’d share an excerpt from a FEb 2010 post by CC poster named MusicalStudent with a lot of good info from a current SDA student’s perspective: (Note, back then SDA was called SOT–School of Theatre)</p>
<p>Q: There are many visitors to this forum from across the country who are not acquainted with the USC School of Theatre. What are some positive aspects of your experiences which you could share?</p>
<p>A: The USC School of Theatre is ranked #5 in the country for undergraduate theatre. Between official School of Theatre shows and ISPs (Independent Student Productions), there are over 30 productions each semester that are mounted within the school. Electives within the school range from Stage Combat to Voice-Over Acting to Acting Shakespeare. The faculty work hard to make sure that each student follows the path that he/she wants to and, in that, there is an incredible amount of flexibility within the BA program. I’ve looked at my course plan for the rest of my time here and I will actually be taking more Acting/Performance classes as a BA than some of my friends in BFA programs at other schools. The USC SOT (School of Theatre) really makes sure that each student is trying new things and finding what will make them happy.</p>
<p>Q: Could you tell us something about the faculty and the training you are receiving to prepare yourself for work on stage or TV/cinema?</p>
<p>A: The faculty in the School of Theatre are all working professionals in the theatre/film community. In my experience, I’ve worked with John Rubinstein (original Pippin on B’way) and Jason Robert Brown (Composer of Parade and The Last 5 Years) on Musical Theatre performance. In terms of acting training, we have amazing professional actors from Mary Joan Negro (graduate from Julliard with Patti LuPone and Kevin Kline, founding member of John Houseman’s Acting Company) to Lora Zane (graduate of the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, actor across the country for 20 years). In terms of acting training, you have a different teacher each semester for each level of acting (at least in the BA program) which helps the student build a “toolbox” and prepares each student individually for the unique experiences they will have with different directors and different situations.</p>
<p>Q: Must a student audition for the BFA program in Theatre? How many are selected as entering freshmen? Is there also an audition process for those wanting a BA? How many BA freshmen are in each incoming class?</p>
<p>A: Audition is required for BFA admission. The incoming BFA Acting class is usually around 12-15 actors. There is no audition requirement for the BA program, it is by interview only. There are around 70 BAs altogether in each class (acting, design, and tech)</p>
<p>Q: Is there a distinct division between the BA and BFA students (socially, getting cast in roles, or?)</p>
<p>A: Socially, there is very little distinction between the BA and BFA students… Each semester after second semester sophomore year, the BFA classes each have a show and so there is very little competition between BA and BFA students. Most of the BFA students are taken out of the running because they have their own show to participate in which opens roles for BAs.</p>
<p>Q: Does USC admit a balance of boys and girls? Is the applicant pool more girls than boys?</p>
<p>A: In my experience, there are less men in the SOT just because of the percentage of applicants. I don’t believe they admit equal numbers for the sole purpose of balance.</p>
<p>Q: With Hollywood in your backyard, do you find many Theatre majors getting jobs, agents, etc while in school? Does the department help make this easy?</p>
<p>A: There are a lot of theatre majors who do go out and audition/get agents while in school. The SOT is very supportive of this; their policy is make it to class and you can do whatever you want with your free time.</p>
<p>Thought I’d make a real comprehensive update, including other admits from the full college list:</p>
<p>Theatre BA:</p>
<p>compadv’s S (Chicago) - BA
mamarose’s D - BA
mountainhiker’s D - BA
mrssoffel’s D - BA
sjsaz’s S - BA
Theaterdad54’s - BA
txdramamama D - BA
westcstmom’s D (CA) - BA
WWWard’s D (Tampa) - BA</p>
<p>BFA - Acting:</p>
<p>MsMommy’s S - BFA
Pyrokid’s D - BFA
rdhmom’s D (Chicago) - BFA
sfnmjrm’s S (N. Mexico) - BFA
ThankingGod’s S - BFA</p>
<p>Thanks for the info madbean! </p>
<p>Yes, thank you @madbean! I failed to say that we are from Arkansas. My D attended the summer acting program and loved every minute of it. However, SCA was her first choice. She has been accepted at NYU for film and also got good scholarships at LMU (Film) and Chapman (TV). This is a very hard decision for her, but I know USC is her dream school and the BA program would give her the opportunity to explore her other interests, including Dance. My biggest concerns are school size and safety. Both Chapman and LMU seem so safe and personal. Please assuage my fears, because I know if she gets any financial aid at all at USC, that will be her choice. p.s. Mary Joan is awesome!</p>
<p>@madbean, thanks so much for all of the great info. To add to the info you’ve collected, we’re from Texas (Dallas). Do you know what the break down is within the BA program with respect to rough percentage of students that focus on acting versus other areas like tech, design, directing, etc.? I’m just wondering if there are about 80 students in each BA class, how many of those typically want to focus on acting? </p>