<p>As the letters start coming in, I began to ponder this question. Should my D consider a BA In theatre Studies at a school that has a solid BFA program? My D has received a few acceptances so far..the first two are for BA's with the possibility of auditioning in the late fall for the BFA program again at one of the schools. This was my initial thought before we got the next two BFA acceptances. As I look over the merit scholarships and financial aid packages I wondered how much should we investigate the BA's? I would like any input from people who have anyone pursuing a BA at a School that has a BFA program. Are you treated completely different? Do you get performance opportunities? Are you taught by the same faculty as the BFA students? My D initially wrote off BA's because she truely wants to be immersed in the theatre department. I know not all BA's are created equal and some appear to be able to immerse themselves more in the theatre department. Just a thought as we continue to wait for financial aid packages and letters from other programs.</p>
<p>I hope you get answers to your questions, broadway95, but I really think it’s going to differ school to school. For example, we just saw Spring Awakening at FSU, and one of the actors who stood out as being absolutely phenomenal was a BA student, not a BFA. And we were told he got the lead in last year’s musical as well. Similarly, it sounded like the BA students at Indiana University mesh very well with the BFA students, and were treated similarly. They all seemed like one big happy family there. However, there are some schools where I don’t believe this is true. You may want to post your question on the threads for the specific schools you are considering for your D. You may get more detailed responses there… good luck!</p>
<p>That would depend entirely on what schools you’re talking about. Some schools with a BFA program that also offer BA Theater don’t integrate their BA students as much as others. Most schools with BFA programs cast their productions within the BFA majors; while auditions might be open to all, it’s likely the majority cast will be BFA students (they were specifically selected for a performance track, and the school may require a specific number of performance opportunities in order to graduate). Other programs (more of a true conservatory will ONLY cast BFA students - auditions not open to the entire student body). </p>
<p>I know of some BA students at schools that offer both programs, and chances are slim that anyone not in BFA gets cast. You should also be asking at the BFA programs what the chances are that a student will EVER get cast in a Theater Dept./Main Stage production. Depending on the size of the program, there are some schools that will tell you there’s no guarantee a BFA major will be cast in a show in their 4 years there. Yes, part of their education is learning by doing and gaining experience on stage, but sadly it’s not a guarantee, especially among highly competitive programs.</p>
<p>You should be following up directly with the Theater Depts. at each school regarding this issue so your student can make an informed decision. If you are still visiting any of those BA/BFA students, talk to the students in the BA program for honest answers.</p>
<p>Best of luck with the remainder of your child’s anticipated notifications.</p>
<p>Don’t know how to make the quote boxes but:</p>
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<p>You sure that is true? I never heard of a school that says the auditions are open to all deliberately excluding BAs in favor of BFAs. Open to both means open to both. If casting is supposed to be open and based on fit and talent, why would a school care if the talent came out of the BA pool? They are all their theatre students regardless of the degee. It’s wrong to suggest that a BA is any less talented or any less interested in performing and schools know that. A student can choose one track over another deliberately for a variety of reasons and not necessarily because of talent. Perhaps they really want to study abroad, or have a second major etc.</p>
<p>Asking about whether performance opportunities are open to the BA student is a fair question and should have a yes or no answer that is not conditional. What I would want to know though is are there theatre classes that are only accessible to the BFA student that a BA would be excluded from? I know for example at Emerson, BAs and BFAs take all the same classes together the first two years but in the upper levels, there are studio classes that the BAs cannot take no matter how talented nor interested they are in them. They are exclusively for the BFAs and you can’t transfer into that program you must be admitted into it originally. I’d want to understand what if any limits for coursework (or performances) might exist and make my decision from there.</p>
<p>^^^“I never heard of a school that says the auditions are open to all deliberately excluding BAs in favor of BFAs. Open to both means open to both. If casting is supposed to be open and based on fit and talent, why would a school care if the talent came out of the BA pool? They are all their theatre students regardless of the degee. It’s wrong to suggest that a BA is any less talented or any less interested in performing and schools know that. A student can choose one track over another deliberately for a variety of reasons and not necessarily because of talent. Perhaps they really want to study abroad, or have a second major etc.”</p>
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<p>BA programs differ greatly from school to school, and may differ even more in schools that offer both a BA and a BFA. And yes, students who choose to pursue a BA over a BFA do so for many different reasons. I didn’t say BAs were deliberately excluded at the school in my example. Auditions are open; however, at this school, the BFA program is a much more intensive course of study than the BA , which is very broad and generalized, and students within the BFA program have a mandatory number of production credits they must complete in order to graduate. With talent being equal, it’s likely a BFA student will be cast over a BA student or even another BFA whose track is outside of the major (i.e., if it’s musical, it’s likely an MT major will be cast over an Acting or Dance major). </p>
<p>I also would never suggest that a student who pursues a BA is any less talented or interested in performing than a BFA student. My S is pursuing a BA Performance major at a school that doesn’t offer a BFA program. He wanted the flexibility to pursue a double major/minor in conjunction with his MT Performance degree, and he’s at a school that allows him that flexibility. It’s also an audition select program for acceptance into the Performance major. Auditions for theater performance opportunities throughout the school year are open to all students on campus, and is fiercely competitive. Even in this setting, the majority of roles are cast with students in the Performance track, and again,talent being equal, Performance majors will likely be cast over an Arts Admin major, who also take some of the same classes as the Performance majors.</p>
<p>One of my S’s HS classmates auditioned for a BFA MT program, was offered and accepted a BA Theater Studies spot, and isn’t enjoying his experience. He’s finding a definite separation amongst the BFA and BA students. This school is different from the one in my example above.</p>
<p>It’s my impression the OP is looking for some insight as to whether D should consider accepting a BA admittance at a school with a BFA program in the hopes of having the same opportunities to learn and perform alongside the BFA students. I’m sure there are many programs where both BFAs/BAs work together well and opportunities are equal. I was simply pointing out that not every program may do so and it’s important to ask the right questions now, rather than find out too late that it’s not the case, which may lead to considering a transfer, and could drastically affect financial circumstances, as transfers generally aren’t awarded big $. Again, I’d strongly suggest the OP and D ask these questions directly to the Theater Dept. at each school offering D an alternative BA acceptance, and especially talk to the BA students for honest feedback. There are just too many variables to give a definitive answer here on this forum.</p>
<p>broadway95, one final consideration, what kind of overall educational experience is your D looking for? Does she have a lot of interest in subjects outside of theater - math, science, social studies? Besides the bare minimum gen ed classes, does she want to concentrate mostly in theater related classes - acting, music, dance or is she looking for a broader education? If she wants strictly theater - 75% or more of her classes relating to her major, no math, etc., then she may wish to stick with pursuing a BFA program rather than a BA major, which would have more required classes (math/science/language/social studies). We sometime get so focused on the details of the auditions/acceptances, we forget there are many other components that make up a college education and degree requirements vary greatly from program to program. In any case, there is so much to consider, and before you know it, your D will be signing on the dotted line, as will you for the next 4 years. It’s important to have all the details before making such a huge decision. I hope she will have her pick of programs before April 1st (which may not make the decision easier, but is still a happy problem!)</p>
<p>ugh. My reply was terribly worded. I didn’t mean to suggest dramamamaz was implying BAs are considered less talented as she absolutely never said that in the post. It was a bad way of saying, “why would a drama program care in casting where the talent/fit comes from if they have opened the opportunity to both BAs and BFAs?” </p>
<p>I guess it would make sense to think that a BFA program that requires a certain number of performances for graduation may fill roles first from within their ranks though it seems to me that there is still an obligation to the theatre BAs to also give them opportunity. It may be spelled out at certain schools but I did not run into any where that seemed to be the case. I agree it is worth asking the questions, especially if opportunity to perform really is important. And ditto what I said about classes. Sorry for the terrible wording dramamamaz.</p>
<p>What about schools where they may reject you from the BFA but offer you a BA? Haven’t they decided that you were maybe less talented or less ready or less something than the people they took into the BFA track?</p>
<p>Personally, I wouldn’t want to go and study in a BA if I applied to the BFA hoping to get crumbs thrown at me by people who rejected me. I have applied to several BA programs though and prefer some of them then to many BFA’s for various reasons. But if I school has a BFA I would expect most of the performance related attention to go to those people. Maybe not everywhere, but often. Also, lots of schools will tell you that you can audition for this or that or reaudition next year or whatever. If it’s a serious contender you should try to find out how many people actually do that successfully. Good luck!</p>
<p>@actor12 good point. That is what happened to my daughter at Emerson last year and she decided she wasn’t willing to be on the outside looking in at the upper level studio classes even if they realized that she was more than ready for them. Emerson’s program does not include any way to change that outcome so she passed on it which was too bad because they would have loved her and might have been willing to enter if the those doors were not permanently shut.</p>
<p>There are also plenty of stories of students that get into a BFA and decide it is too much for them and in those cases, it sure is nice to have another option to turn to that still includes theatre. Schools with BFA and BA tracks (like Emerson) have that luxury. My daughter’s best theatre BFA friend is one of those students and will leave the school entirely after this year because there isn’t a BA track for her to follow which is a loss for everyone.</p>
<p>I can’t speak for anyone but myself and my own experience’s since schools vary greatly and B.A. and B.F.A. programs even more so. </p>
<p>I was a wanna-be BFA who ended up a BA and am happy to be a BA. Yes, it’s a completely different atmosphere from being a BFA (having been privileged enough to take BFA classes and being at a small school, I know the ins and outs of both majors). Here, being a BFA is much more supported, a set path, peers you constantly work with and an emphasis on performing. A BA is much more individualized: you learn to be self-sufficient and do what you want with the major. BAs are not less talented than BFAs–not all of them are interested in performing and even for those who are, there does tend to be less opportunities, yes. Still, I am a BA who has been cast in a mainstage production and taken both BA and BFA classes and sees no difference. </p>
<p>I’m a firm believer that BFA vs. BA comes down to personality and purpose; your results may vary.</p>