<p>mtdog…but there is a difference because the schools you mention offer either a BA or a certificate program in MT and Crane doesn’t offer any program in MT (but is a very good music school otherwise). Crane wouldn’t even be on a list for someone pursuing a program that trains specifically in MT. If someone wanted to go to a small state school in NY and train in MT, then SUNY Fredonia, for example, might be an option, whereas Crane really doesn’t train students in MT per se.</p>
<p>Another NY State School offering a BFA in MT is U of Buffalo.</p>
<p>tracyvp - your assumption is correct. I meant to cast no dispersions on the schools I mentioned - I have friends and acquaintances that either administer or teach (or taught) at each of the programs I mentioned. Do not concern yourself that I meant anything negative about any of those programs I mentioned. Soozievt et al - I understand and agree - I am simply pointing out the having some alphabet (BFA) in a program’s name does not, in itself, guarantee great training and/or the best training to fit a particular student.</p>
<p>mtdog…I agree that the stamp of BFA doesn’t necessarily make a program great or even better than a BA program. I can think of several BA programs that I’d consider more respected than some BFA programs, not to mention that could be a better fit for many students. A BFA is not a stamp of quality and refers mostly to the structure of the degree program and credits.</p>
<p>The book, “Crazy U: One Dad’s Crash Course in Getting His Kid Into College” by Andrew Ferguson points out the silliness of college rankings by mags like US News and World Report. My favorite example is the tactic used by many schools: (1) do lots of slick direct marketing to get your application count up; (2) so that you can reject more kids, which lowers your acceptance rate; and (3) therefore raises your ranking. I know that my S was absolutely barraged by schools calling him day and night throughout his Junior year and into his Senior year, asking him to apply (the calls, of course, were mainly from attractively-voiced co-eds). The calls were almost exclusively private schools, including many very prestigious schools that one would think did not need to advertize, especially to a demographic (my S) that their schools are seemingly saturated with. This was not one or two calls per week, I am talking about up to 3-4 CALLS PER DAY. Being a marketer, this confounded me (this seemed to be a waste of marketing dollars) until I read “Crazy U” and figured out what was going on. Of course, our mailbox overflowed daily with incredibly expensive, glossy brochures. Some schools sent more than a dozen mail items over the course of a few months.</p>