<p>@mrssoffel, I know a young lady (met her mom here on CC, of course) who was admitted to SDA (BA) and decided she’d like to double major SCA and SDA. She applied to the SCA major while attending and was admitted. Hooray! My son did it the other way 'round, admitted to SCA and added the SDA BA as soon as he could. There is a feeling that truly committed, go-getter type students can make a lot of good things happen at USC. In other words, the school is generally trying to help these kids get what they want. Of course, SCA is among the most sought after majors, but if you D starts out as an SCA minor (just signs up for an adviser, I think) and takes the intro courses all SCA major must take anyway, and does well <strong><em>!</em></strong>, that’s the route. In the meantime, she will have many opportunities to work on student films done by SCA and it’s a very welcoming group of talented kids. If she loves USC, and it’s affordable, and she loves SDA too, I think she should weigh her decision carefully. </p>
<p>@mamarose, my guess on the breakdown would be the majority are acting BA’s. My son is a scenic design major and I think he’s got only a handful of design (costume, lighting, scenic) plus another handful of stage manager, directing, playwriting and others. So perhaps 60 acting and 15 non-acting BAs–as a guess! But USC puts on a lot of plays–about 30/semester as noted above. And actors are avidly sought out to work on student films–hundreds of which are filmed every semester. So lots of opportunities.</p>
<p>Here’s the update:</p>
<p>Theatre BA:</p>
<p>compadv’s S (Chicago) - BA
mamarose’s D (Dallas)- BA
mountainhiker’s D - BA
mrssoffel’s D (Arkansas)- 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>@madbean Thank you for the information and advice. I’m glad to know my D can minor in SCA. I noticed there is BA in Visual and Performing Arts that also sounds interesting. I’m sure she will want to also take voice and dance classes, so I’m not sure she will fit all that in.</p>
<p>Adding to the list, my D was accepted to USC (BA), Tisch, and to the theater depts at Loyola, Occidental, UCSB and UCI. Happy in general and thrilled with USC and Tisch. She has a few compare/contrast questions which should be answered at this weekend’s Open House</p>
<p>My S enrolled at USC SDA BFA this week and he is thrilled. We are so happy for him and we are happy that the long admissions and auditions process is finally over and with a successful conclusion. Ahhh.</p>
<p>Congratulations sfnmjrm! It’s such a relief to have a decision made! Looks like we have 2 new USCers in the Theatre fold. Let me know if I can answer any questions. PM me if you like. :)</p>
<p>Thank you madbean. It is a relief and exciting for my S! Once the enrollment deposit is cleared, the students are encouraged to register for orientation sometime between June 22 and July 22. Is the orientation really necessary for SDA incoming freshman? My S is familiar with the campus and attended SDA open house. We could save some $ by not making another trip before he starts classes, but are very willing to make a trip, possibly folding into a summer vacation, if it is important and meaningful.</p>
<p>sfnmjrm, I would highly recommend your son attend orientation (and you too if you can attend). The orientation is quite impressive. The SDA breaks the kids out for a department only session and run through the nuts and bolts of the program as well as assign your son his advisor who will hold his hand through the registration process during the orientation. Very helpful. The university hosts parent specific seminars and student only seminars during the two days of orientation. Every moment is accounted for and useful. They also hold a dance/party for the kids in the evening and bring out the Trojan marching band to perform. We live across the country from USC and I don’t regret that we spent the money and time for the orientation. Please feel free to PM me with any additional questions you might have. Welcome to USC. Your son will love his time there. </p>
<p>Sorry I missed your question sfnmjrm. nifmom has been quick to give you great advice. The most important part of orientation is registering for fall classes. The breakout sessions with SDA advisors is the key–as they will map out all four years and explain (to BAs) what is possible to do in terms of minors/additional major, and for BFAs to explain what’s ahead. But in addition to the useful advice and guidance and all-important registration, this is often the first time our kids come to campus and it is THEIR campus. They often bond quite quickly with a new group of kids with whom they have everything in common (from interests to choice of university!) and we’ve heard of many many instances where roommates are found, and FBs are exchanged and plans are made to meet these new friends during the first (sometimes scary/loney) weeks of Fall. All the socialization is, I think, really important to some kids to make their transitions much easier. And a good transition is the next big step for our kids–allowing them to jump in and drink from the fire hydrant (as they say). All that being said–I know of several families who simply could not afford the extra trip, and these students are allowed to attend the orientation with the international students the week before Freshman normally arrive. This is not ideal–but will work and only means the student arrives with a little bit of catching up to do, may find some more popular classes (not key classes for their major) in the GEs already filled, but others available and so on. It all works out. But for families who can, I really think taking these steps towards transitioning students into their college life is valuable. </p>