<p>This is my first post on here, so hi! I've got a very unique situation and was wondering if I could gain some insight. I want to go to a university to [hopefully] major in theatre. I have looked into a lot of options, but I'm not sure which would be the best for me.</p>
<p>A little bit about myself:</p>
<p>I'm a high school junior living in California who is going to take the CHSPE (California High School Proficiency Exam) in March, which means I'm apply to colleges now. Of course, that brings up my first question, which is what schools would accept the CHSPE in place of a diploma?</p>
<p>The second part that you should know about is that I don't have very good grades. For my first two years, I probably got a 1.50 GPA total, and that's only my core classes (You don't want to know what it would look like with all my classes. Anyway, my point is that I am also looking for a school that doesn't put too much emphasis on grades, or has a way to bypass the grade requirement, as most UCs do. Yes, I realise that this would involve getting exceptional test scores, but I'm more than capable of that, so don't worry ;)</p>
<p>All that being said, my list of colleges I'm going to apply to looks like this:</p>
<p>SUNY Purchase
Juilliard
Rutgers
Carnegie Mellon
UC San Diego
UC Berkeley
UC LA
UC Davis
UC Santa Cruz
UC Irvine</p>
<p>Anything more that I should know or consider? Please tell me if there's something obvious that I'm miscalculating. Up until two days ago, I was going to double major in astrophysics and biochemistry, so I know hardly anything about a BFA or a BA in acting/theatre arts.</p>
<p>Have you initiated the search & application process? If you are planning to audition for BFA programs, you should get moving ASAP - many have early deadlines, and need to receive your initial application before you can schedule an audition. Some are test-optional, if you have not taken SATs, but your weak GPA will probably rule out some BA programs that weigh academic records seriously. You need to do some homework about program requirements in a hurry, if you are truly interested. I didn’t realize that the UCs had a “grade bypass;” I doubt very much that Carnegie-Mellon does. Juilliard famously accepts few students straight out of high school (much less from junior year). If you are considering Mason Gross at Rutgers or SUNY Purchase theater programs, be aware that they only accept a small handful of students annually, although they base admissions largely on auditions. You should probably look at some less academic programs, also. At any rate, please realize that the process is highly competitive. My sons grades aren’t very good, and so some BFA programs, such as BU’s will be an academic reach, but his boards are pretty good (superscore:2070), and he is a senior at a well-respected private school. Good luck to you!</p>
<p>I know nothing about the academic requirements of these schools, but I question whether a BFA is right for you if “up until two days ago” you had a completely different focus in mind! A BFA is a pre-professional degree that has the majority of its hours in acting practice. I do know that the first four schools you listed are very small programs and among the hardest to get into in the entire country. If you really do want to give a shot at some audition programs, you need to have a much wider list. I can’t help you with that, because my daughter only applied to BFA programs that also had a high academic bar. </p>
<p>A BA in theater will allow you to take a broader range of courses, and the programs will vary widely at different schools. Some schools offer an acting track within the BA, meaning that there should be more opportunity to do hands-on practice; while others have a more limited range of acting classes and more in theory (theater history, literary analysis, etc.)</p>