Wherever shall I go? (Theatre/Creative Writing)

College Search & Selection
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<p>Ah... hello. This is my senior year in high school, so I've been steadily narrowing down my college search, but I am still having a lot of trouble finding a place I'd want to go that would want to take me as well. So... maybe strangers can help! (: </p>

<p>So, this is me in a nutshell, I guess: Female (16), California resident, class rank 1 of 27, SAT 2150 (690M/690R/770W), ACT 33, GPA 4.1 (4.0 unweighted), National Merit Semifinalist, currently taking 10 units of college courses, already took 3... lots of extracurricular theatre activity (acting, crew, and fundraising-- during production periods, 20+ hours per week, all volunteer)</p>

<p>And, um, here's the nitty-gritty of what I'm looking for in a college:
-Theatre/Drama major, creative writing minor
-Relatively close to a large body of water (sounds silly but I hate being completely landlocked)
-Merit scholarships!!
-Coeducational (no exceptions) & non-sectarian (preferably)
-On-campus housing</p>

<p>So on my list at the moment are: Carnegie Mellon, Brown, Pomona, UC Santa Barbara, and Southern Oregon. Some schools I've been looking at that match <em>almost</em> everything are NYU, Yale, CSU Long Beach, University of Miami, and Drexel...</p>

<p>Can someone point me in-- well, I don't know, maybe not the "right direction," but it would be really helpful to get more information on the colleges listed above, or on other ones that might be a good fit for me. </p>

<p>Oh! As an addendum of sorts, I've been told by various classmates of mine that I probably won't need to do this because of my grade/test history, but I was considering applying for an Air Force ROTC scholarship. This would open up a really big window of opportunity for me; it would also mean, however, that I would probably have to drop theatre, which is really my greatest passion, as a major. Would it be worth it?</p>

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<p>Congrats on NMSF!</p>

<p>*So, this is me in a nutshell, I guess: Female (16), California resident, </p>

<p>class rank 1 of 27, </p>

<p>SAT 2150 (690M/690R/770W), </p>

<p>ACT 33, GPA 4.1 (4.0 unweighted), </p>

<p>National Merit Semifinalist, </p>

<p>currently taking 10 units of college courses, already took 3… lots of extracurricular theatre activity (acting, crew, and fundraising-- during production periods, 20+ hours per week, all volunteer)</p>

<p>And, um, here’s the nitty-gritty of what I’m looking for in a college:</p>

<p>-Theatre/Drama major, creative writing minor</p>

<p>-Relatively close to a large body of water (sounds silly but I hate being completely landlocked)</p>

<p>-Merit scholarships!!</p>

<p>-Coeducational (no exceptions) & non-sectarian (preferably)</p>

<p>-On-campus housing</p>

<p>So on my list at the moment are: Carnegie Mellon, Brown, Pomona, UC Santa Barbara, and Southern Oregon. Some schools I’ve been looking at that match <em>almost</em> everything are NYU, Yale, CSU Long Beach, University of Miami, and Drexel…*</p>

<p>Many of your schools would NOT give you merit scholarships or wouldn’t give you much. NYU notoriously gaps students and expects families to take out huge loans. </p>

<p>How much will your parents contribute each year? That answer will probably determine where you should apply.</p>

<p>*but I was considering applying for an Air Force ROTC scholarship. *</p>

<p>I could be wrong, but I thought AF ROTC has limited majors…I don’t think creative writing would work. But, maybe I’m wrong.</p>

<p>Of course, with your stats and NMF status, you could get some BIG NMF scholarships from some schools. Are you considering any of them as financial safeties? </p>

<p>How close do you need to be to the beach?</p>

3

<p>AF ROTC pretty much requires some kind of technical degree. You might want to go through this thread for potential NMF scholarships. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation-20.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation-20.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

4

<p>Among the schools in your list Yale is particularly generous in Financial Aid for families with incomes in the $100-200,000 range, so it may meet your needs even though it does not have merit scholarships. Of course, it is also the most selective school on your list.</p>

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<p>Usc???</p>

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<p>CMU’s theater program is BFA by audition.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the info, guys. </p>

<p>mom2collegekids: Thank you! (: I’ll have to wait and see if I make it any further… </p>

<p>And yes, you and Erin’s Dad are right, ROTC programs don’t cater to liberal arts and instead require some form of technical degree. I don’t think I’d have a problem with this from an academic standpoint, since I’ve done well in math and science thus far, but I’m a little hesitant to pursue an ROTC scholarship because I love theatre and writing so much. Still, it’s something I’m considering if I can’t get any money for school-- I have a college fund and all that, but the latest economic shenanigans have bitten off a substantial portion of it… but that’s beside the point.</p>

<p>As far as the water goes, Pomona (Claremont, CA) is pretty much a sample of the distance I’m willing to go… I mean, if there’s a school that’s absolutely perfect in every other respect I won’t count it out just because it’s landlocked, but I dunno. I grew up 10 miles from the Pacific, so I guess it’s just kind of a personal thing. haha.</p>

<p>Erin’s Dad, thank you for the link. Unfortunately a lot of the schools listed don’t cater to my particular needs/interests, but Drexel and Northeastern have caught my eye. Also unfortunately, the way the NMS works, most of those schools won’t offer a scholarship unless I have specified them as my absolute positive first choice…</p>

<p>cltdad, Yale is definitely a “reach school” for me… as in a really massive reach that would require a ladder and probably end up with me toppling over and breaking something. But if I apply I will definitely apply for financial aid as well.</p>

<p>takeitallin- I haven’t actually looked at USC very closely. Do you have any more info?</p>

<p>SDonCC- this much I do know, and I’m terrified to audition, but I’m going to do it anyway-- it seems like a really great fit for me. That might change when/if I visit the campus, but for now CMU is my first choice…</p>

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<p>

And it’s so close to the water…er river.</p>

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<p>How about Northwestern?: Great theatre program, creative writing, and right on Lake Michigan.</p>

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<p>It rather is. My only problem is that it’s in Pittsburgh… I’m still not too sure about whether I’ll like it there, but I guess I won’t know until I test it out.</p>

<p>Wow, Northwestern is beautiful… They’ve got quite an intense theatre program, it seems, but I like the looks of it, and the writing program looks quite strong as well. Thanks for pointing this one out to me-- I’ll definitely be checking it out more thoroughly.</p>

<p>Continuing with the Great Lake theme, I was also considering (tentatively) Northern Michigan University, in the U.P., pretty much right next to Lake Superior. The problem with NMU, however, is that a very dear friend of mine went there for a year, and ended up leaving because he wasn’t particularly happy and he felt like he wasn’t learning anything. Obviously I don’t know if I’d have the same experience but it’s certainly making me second-guess.</p>

11

<p>Well, if you’re open to the northern Great Lakes region, let’s not overlook the theatre programs at U Minnesota.</p>

<p>[Theatre</a> Undergraduate Programs : Department of Theatre Arts and Dance : University of Minnesota](<a href=“Theatre Arts & Dance | College of Liberal Arts”>Theatre Arts & Dance | College of Liberal Arts)</p>

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<p>Drexel and Northeastern have a large number of students who are local – i.e. a large commuter school component. Somehow I don’t think either would resonate for you. Definitely visit them before making any decisions to attend.</p>

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<p>Northwestern’s a great choice. Going to CMU to major in theatre is like going to Duke to play basketball or going to Southern Cal with the thought of trying out for football. Just as you’d need to be a top NBA or NFL prospect for those schools, you’d better be just a bit of polishing short of Broadway to be competitive for theatre at CMU.</p>

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<p>

You don’t have to designate your first choice until after you’ve picked a college to attend. That isn’t a problem at all.</p>

15

<p>Please don’t audition for Carnegie Mellon unless you are 100% confident in your decision to be a professional actor and nothing else. That BFA program is one of the most intense and selective in the country and you will NOT be accepted unless you are extremely talented, committed, and certain that theatre is your chosen career path. They will not allow you to pursue another major like Creative Writing, and your other interests will not be encouraged. Please be aware of this - I don’t want you to waste your time thinking that it is a good fit for you. I personally believe that CMU would be too intense for you.</p>

<p>Look at Northwestern and USC, my recommendations for you.</p>

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<p>USC may be a good fit for you. Admission to the fine School of Theatre BFA is by audition. There is much interaction among the School of Cinematic Arts, Thornton School of Music and the theatre students. Faculty is top notch and there are strong ties to the Los Angeles theatre community.</p>

<p>At USC, if you are admitted, a NMScholar receives a half tuition scholarship as well as a $1,000 NMFoundation Scholarship (per year). If you qualify, it is possible to receive financial aid in addition.</p>

<p>Check out the website: <a href=“http://www.theatre.usc.edu%5B/url%5D”>www.theatre.usc.edu</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Some of the alumni of the School of Theatre include Emmy winners Jason Robert Brown and Kevin Mambo (Fela), Tony nominee Lawrence O’Keefe, La Var Burton, the late John Ritter, Swoozie Kurtz, Kyra Sedgwick, Ally Sheedy, Forest Whitaker, Ally Sheedy, Eric Stoltz, Tate Donovan, Anthony Edwards, James Lesure, Stark Sands Jon Snyder and
Grant Heslov.</p>

<p>If you are hesitant about auditioning, is technical theatre more of an interest than acting?</p>

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<p>At SC it is possible to study theatre design, stage management and technical direction. Would these be more of a fit than acting?</p>

<p>If you are interested in any of these programs SC application materials must be received by December 1, 2010.</p>

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<p>Have you considered Vassar? They don’t give merit but they do meet need rather well. The school is less than 10 minutes away from the Hudson river, not quite as much of a body of water as you might want…</p>

<p>I know what you mean about a fear of being landlocked, I’ve grown up less than ten BLOCKS away from the water, that’s part of my criteria too.</p>

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<p>Vassar and Northwestern are both great thoughts. The thing about CMU is-- if you’re lucky and amazing enough to get in…it’s all acting all the time. You wouldn’t even get a lot of tech theater or directing…never mind Creative Writing or the chance to try out new subjects. Certainly no harm in trying for it (and even the most hard-bitten actor would be nervous about that audition!) but before you go to the effort and expense of auditioning, you probably want to research further.</p>