NJTheatreMOM

Shacherry, all BFA Acting programs emphasize performance training. Most BA programs cover a great deal more of the other elements of theatre. This is the case at Mason Gross.

If your son's main interest is performance training, you have to look carefully at BA programs to see how much of it they offer. All programs are not alike.

shacherry

So his ideal program will be a BFA but he needs a BA safety. So I will keep reading about programs and he and I will go on as many tours as we can to see what non audition BA's would be as close to a match as what he would want.

New Paltz sounds like a place to visit.

Thanks guys!

EmmyBet

I would recommend that if his biggest goal is a BFA training program, he should have 1-2 non-auditioned BFAs on his list. If his stats put him in the top 25% of their admitted students, you can consider those safety schools.

If he is not at all interested in tech/design/directing/etc., he should read the curricula very carefully before applying. Many BFAs require a broad approach to theatre; in my D's program the Performance majors take lots of tech and also have extensive tech assignments (an aspect she personally enjoys), even though there is a separate Tech/Design major. He should look for programs that allow an Acting concentration that excuses students from those other areas, but he should be prepared that he probably will have to take some kind of non-acting theatre courses, even at the most focused conservatories.

shacherry

After searching I think I've made great progress.

The university of north carolina at greensboro might be a true non audition bfa saftey for for my son.

There seem to be more non audition ba safeties and reaches out there that has close to what he wants to study at college.

Temple looks great and I am gong to pass him the info on the ba drama at brandies more of a match school. For a reach I'll let him take a look at Bard.

KellyLJ1

I believe UNC Greensboro does have an audition later in the process to actually stay in the BFA program. Maybe going into sophomore year? I would definitely check that out closely, just so you know what the expectations are.

austinmtmom

UNC Greensboro is a program where you enter as a BA and audition for the BFA at the end of the first semester of freshman year.

Here's the current list of non-audition and audition after acceptance BFA programs:
Non-audition BFA's

NJTheatreMOM

Shacherry, you mentioned Brandeis, I think. It is an excellent school with a very well regarded theatre program. It might or might not offer as much performance training as your son desires.

Bard would probably be a very good fit for him if he wants a BA.

EmmyBet

This is getting to be deja vu for me, since you keep mentioning schools that were on my D's list. I'm having a bit of a hard time understanding exactly what your S wants and needs, though. Is this correct?

Has high enough stats for pretty academically selective schools
Likes NYU (why? because it's a city school? Hasn't seen Tisch itself yet, right?)
Prefers BFA training
Prefers performance over tech/design
Less interested in BAs ... yet does have academic interests (need clarity on this)?

Do visit the "Non-auditioned BFA" thread. A true safety is one where you enter as a BFA and never audition, and where your academic stats are far above their average.

You are right that there are many, many non-auditioned BAs. Virtually every college in the US offers a theatre major of some sort. Many are not performance or training oriented. There are a few threads on this forum that list schools with more of a training focus in their BA. Several schools get mentioned here often - and have been already on this thread. If I were to put some BA programs that are generally thought to be good for performance-oriented students, in a high-low order of selectivity, I'd list Yale, Brown, Northwestern, Vassar, Brandeis, Bard, Boston College, Sarah Lawrence, Muhlenberg, Skidmore, Drew, Goucher, UNH (I know virtually all of these are on the east coast, but I'm sensing that is your geographic focus) ... and the list goes on.

I'm suspecting this is your first time doing a college search? It has happened to all of us, so don't worry. It takes a lot of reading, asking, talking, and visiting as much as possible. Everyone's choices are different, because everyone wants something particular that some schools have and some schools don't, in various combinations and quantities. This is where apples and oranges come in, and there's no getting around it.

You have mentioned now 3 schools that my D applied to and was accepted by. She, too, wanted a BFA most, but did want excellent academic opportunities. She strongly considered Brandeis, Bard, and also the University of Minnesota's BA, all of which have excellent training and performing opportunities as well as strong academics. She chose to go to Adelphi, with an Honors College that gave her superior academics as well as BFA training, along with easy access to NYC and a large merit/talent scholarship. FYI, she applied to and was rejected from some of the most selective BFAs (including BU), was rejected from Northwestern and Vassar, and also got into URI, New Paltz and Goucher.

My D did want a well-rounded theatre education - she loves design/tech/directing/writing - so in that way she and your S may be very different. While I think you should look at Adelphi, he might feel that there is not as much time spent strictly in Acting training as in some other BFAs.

In my opinion, Brandeis is more academically selective than Bard. Neither is highly known for offering generous merit aid. He needs to be significantly above the general applicant pool to receive merit money at a school - I would think you'd have better luck at Muhlenberg, Goucher, Drew, etc. in that way.

Read all of the curricula very carefully - when comparing BAs we made detailed charts, since as NJTheatreMom says BA training and performance opportunities vary wildly. Brandeis has been redeveloping their theatre major (I think the whole department, really) over the past couple of years, so ask a lot of questions there. Thank goodness the websites these days give you access to course catalogs and practically everything else, so you can see very clearly just what program of study is really possible.

shacherry

EmmyBet check your in box.

I sent you a private message that was way to long and broken into 5 messages.

stagemum

SHACherry - Also consider American University. They require auditions for declared theater majors, but only after acceptance into the regular college. Students may audition at any time between senior year in high school (following admission) to sophomore year at AU.

KellyLJ1

My D will be attending American as a theater performance major this fall. She auditioned at the same time she was auditioning for other schools last February, not after she was admitted (in April.) My understanding is that they do allow you to enter as an "intended" theater major without the audition, but you must audition in order to do the performance track and must do so by your sophomore year. As part of her decision making process, she sat in on theater classes, visited with faculty and students in the department and we saw a performance. It's a beautiful campus in a great theatre city (Washington, D.C.) and she is really excited! Definitely worth checking out!

Oh, and by the way, it is a BA program, not a BFA. My D auditioned for both and was accepted for both types of programs, but ultimately decided that a BA would better meet her needs.

stagemum

KellyLJ1 - I apologize for my error. My son decided not to apply to AU, and so I must have gotten the specifics wrong. At any rate, students are not required to audition for acceptance into the college. AU appeared to have a very cohesive, enthusiastic group of theater majors (my son also sat in on two classes), and it offers an attractive combination of traditional campus life, vibrant urban culture, and strong academics. I'm not sure why my son decided against it, but he wanted to pare his list down to a manageable number of schools and eliminated AU as an option. Good luck to your daughter!

shacherry

FYI

I found a link for the theater arts course listing catalog for the BFA at Mason Gross.

http://catalogs.rutgers.edu/generate...7/pg21245.html