Cornish College of the Arts?

[sunnsea]

Have any of you attended this place (or have kids who attended)? Is this a solid place/good education? Are the kids able to find a job after graduation? My D is acceped into Performance Production.
Thanks.

[emeraldkity4]

I haven't attended- but it has been a Seattle fixture for years- Seattle is a strong theatre & dance town & there are lots of places to build connections.

[Mombot]

It's not an actual college--it's an art school, so if you want an academic degree (B.A. vs B.F.A) you should look elsewhere. JMO but I do not think it is good enough to warrant the cost. U of W has a highly regarded theater department and lots of local connections, plus a whole bunch of other disciplines should your child decide to change or to add another major.

If you are in Seattle or nearby I'd contact some theater companies and ask about Cornish grads working on their productions. I'd also ask Cornish some really hard questions about how their performance production students gain experience and their placement success. If all they do is support Cornish productions that's kind of a red flag.

One of DD's closest friends from HS is a freshman there this year studying art. I would not say she is happy. I would predict she ends up transferring to U. Washington or Western.

[BunsenBurner]

I second Mombot's post. If you like Seattle, UW offers much more than just fine arts and has a great campus vs. one building north of downtown Seattle. D looked at Cornish and decided it was not her cup of tea.

[sunnsea]

Thanks, that's exactly what my H and I were thinking. Our D is actually transfering out of Western because it's next to impossible to get any Tech Theater classes that she would love to take, or to become involved in student production. The people there have never answered her e-mails and calls, that's why she's giving up. She did apply to UW also, but they are very slow to respond. Last year she was waitlisted there, then denied. We're worried about her chances this year, Cornish has accepted her, but we are hesitating because it seems such a narrow focused place.

[Westcoastmon]

sunnsea - Brendan Fraser is a graduate of Cornish College of the Arts. He graduated in 1990.

[boneman]

Just a note that it does offer a degree program (BFA,s). I would encourage you to look at the website for details. My DD has several friends going there and they seem to enjoy it.

[emeraldkity4]

my thoughts on drama interest in Seattle area.

Many theatre companies.
Strong high school programs both private and public school.

My oldest attended a small private school which has performance as a core value. She participated in vocal ensemble, and musicals every year from 6th through 12th grade. Strong school. No interest in drama in college, although she did participate in the choir and one of her best friends ended up with a theatre/music degree ( and won an Obie last year for his ensemble performance)

If she had, been interested in drama she would have had an opportunity, but not necessarily if she had gone to UW. Many students to compete with at UW. I think smaller depts, where students have the opportunity to do more than one job, lights and make up or set design and music perhaps are going to build more skills in long run.

My youngest was also in some dance and music/drama productions in middle school- no interest in high school- but again- at a large school- you may be better off going to LA as one of Ds high school friends did- as it is almost as competitive.

I know two kids who are at Syracuse & Northwestern ( I get them mixed up) for example who were heavily involved in performances in their high school and are majoring in theatre/communications.

One had to switch his interest because the dept was so competitive. The other is still in the theatre dept but doing different things from what he planned.

I know a few of the profs at Cornish and of a few more- I have no doubt that they are highly skilled and are able to get good work out of their students.
\
Expensive though.

[dragonmom]

I don't know anything about the school but I do know that apartments in one of the older not too nice buildings across the street are over $800/month for a tiny studio. But hey, you're on CapHill.... Walk to Broadway, bike everywhere, be hip and urban and young...it's still cheaper than say, New York.

[Westcoastmon]

Cornish's main campus is in downtown Seattle on Lenora. Only dance and music is located at the original campus on Capitol Hill.

[idad]

You may also want to check out Seattle University. I know of students were were quite happy with their fine arts program.

Seattle University :: College of Arts and Sciences