soozievt

pemestau, didn't see your post when I just posted. Glad you are doing the visits as that will really help and sometimes it is just a gut feeling too! Both NYU and NU will provide MT training and academics. But NU has a bit more on the total percentage of the curriculum that will be academics and NYU has a higher percentage that will be the training. Both schools will give you BOTH things, but the balance does differ some. Another factor is that a student who wants to do MT and chooses NU, has to be OK with the fact that it is not guaranteed to be admitted to the MT Certificate program. However, I'd like to think that a student who was accepted to very selective BFA in MT programs, stands a decent shot of getting into the MT track at Northwestern eventually.

MomCares

I don't yet have firsthand experience with this, but D has heard from her friends that the expected kids get into the MT program at NU -- I.e. the most talented -- so she's heard that the most accomplished incoming MT kids are virtually always accepted. She's also heard that those not admitted can still get very strong MT training (hence the 97% graduation rate?) so it's all good.

MomCares

... one last thing... I'm jealous of those who are going to Wildcat Days at NU -- and of those heading to NYU for visits. If you learn anything interesting while you're there, please share! :-D

Aren't our MT kids just the luckiest people?

ccsmom

Both are great. One element to consider is where the student might want to live after graduation. Chicago has a very strong NU alum theatre community. We have some very good regional commercial MT theatres (Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre and Drury Lane Oakbrook to name two) that employ a lot of them! I have the impression from my friend's D who is at NU that there are a ton of student-run productions going on all the time--she is always involved in some show doing lighting, tech, acting, costuming, etc. so lots of opportunties to be active and get experience. NU has a beautiful lake-front campus and the town is very student-friendly. The two choices could not be more different but both are wonderful (my D's at NYU and wanted the city having grown up in the 'burbs not too far from Evanston!) so it's really about the overall experience you are going for.

pemestau

ccsmom, that is actually part of the problem. My son really does want to try NYC at some point in his career which is swaying him somewhat toward NYU but also really wants the college experience that NU can offer. SOOOOOO ready to have this decision made. Thanks, everyone, for your input. Leaving for Evanston tomorrow--he's touring, sitting in on classes and talking to head of theater department. That should help some!!

ccsmom

Well, it is an enviable problem to have. And he is sure to love Rives Collins when he meets him! The weather right now is kind of icky so don't let that sway you!! I have been very proud of the burgeoning MT venues in Chicago now as it was historically known as a straight theatre town and if you wanted musicals you went to NYC. The mix is slowly changing with more musicals being staged at the smaller theaters, new life in regional ones (Drury Lane Oakbrook being an especially successful story at that level), all augmented by some very well-received sit-down runs for big Broadway shows. The busy actors I know are active in both cities so a question of where you see your home-base being. Have fun!!

MomCares

Btw... I don't assume that kids who go to NU are destined to end up working in Chicago (though that might be a fine outcome as I hear its a great city), any more than I assume that a kid who goes to CCM will make their career in Cincinnati or that kids at UMich will ultimately work in Detroit. Do others assume that? We know several kids intentionally moving from NYC to attend NU.

It seems that many NU kids have success moving into film, though, which seems a bit unusual for the more traditional BFA MT programs. Maybe this is due to the school's strong reputation for straight acting training?

I assume that most kids coming out of NYU have a good feel for what living in NYC is about, plus some regional contacts, but I wouldn't view it as a guaranteed career in that city. DH and several friends and relations who have chosen to leave NYC claim that many people can only take living there for X years, and might not want to use those years up during school. I'm sure that can go either way depending on one's personality.

We're looking forward to D getting to know Chicago, as we're guessing she'll love it. She knows her way around London and Copenhagen but hasn't yet set foot outside of O'Hare into downtown Chicago, so there will be lots to explore (and for her parents, too, when we visit)! She also hopes to live/work in New York at some point if possible, so it's all good.

soozievt

It's true that where one attends college, doesn't mean that is where the person may necessarily "settle." Many who attend BFA in MT or Acting programs move to NYC after graduation, or move to LA, or work in the region where they grew up or where their college was located, etc. However, Chicago is a thriving theater city (after NYC). Those who attend Northwestern may have made some connections there over four years, but in any case, I know some NU graduates who think about (and actually do) stay in Chicago for a while to work in that theater market. Others move to NYC and so on. I can think of a few recent NU grads that I know who have opted to stay in Chicago and are working in the field. It is an option that some of the NU grads consider. I don't see this as similar to U of Michigan which is not in a big theater city.

ccsmom

Neither would I imagine that many CCM grads stay in Cincinnati! I do have first-hand knowledge of a large number of NU grads who had stayed in Chicago and are working in theatre here. It is similar in a way to soozievt's daughter making contacts while at NYU that have been beneficial once she graduated and is now making a living in NYC. Of course, actors move around a lot, but the local contacts you make while in college are an undoubtable influence, notably in the big theatre cities. That was simply the point I was making and please don't read it as some sort of requirement of where a graduate chooses to live!! I have a lot of interaction with local actors, both Equity and non-equity, and lots from NU, so the comment was based on having heard them discuss this very point.

pemestau

Well it's official!! My son is now a proud member of the Northwestern University Class of 2015 in theater!!! He fell in love with it when we toured last week, met the students, met Rives Collins and David Bell. Thanks for everyone's input during this decision time. Time to pop the champagne!!!

MomCares

Congratulations, pemestau!! Our D also fell in love with NU (quite unexpectedly, from my perspective) when we toured last summer. I know she'll look forward to working with your S next year!! She knows several other kids (from MPulse, YoungArts and friends-of-friends) who will also be in the class of 2015 and it looks like a really talented bunch. Again, CONGRATULATIONS!!

SDonCC

thanks for letting us know! He will have a wonderful time at NU.

soozievt

Congrats to your son, pemestau! He had fine choices and it sounds like he found HIS place! Northwestern will be an amazing experience!

ccsmom

Yea, honestly I pretty much tell anyone if they get into NU for theatre, go!! And a huge bonus is the amazing theatre scene in the city and 'burbs. He will love exploring it all!
Congrats!

MomCares

Since D says that virtually every MT kid at NU who went through BFA auditions was also admitted to NYU, I thought it might be worth bumping the discussion for this year's crop.

Congratulations to everyone who will make this choice this season, and once again I envy all of you who are about to make final visits to both schools!