Advice for a Possible Musical Theatre Transfer?

saulst
Sun, 11 Jun 2017 17:36:44 +0000

Hello! I’m an upcoming college freshman who currently is a Music Education major (voice as my primary instrument) at a local public university (the music school gave me a good amount money, and I loved the head of the music department). However, I am realizing a little too late that I should have pursued Musical Theatre, as it’s been my ultimate love since eighth grade, but I talked myself out of it due to a lack of experience compared to other applicants (my high school’s drama department was severely lacking and put on one show a year and wasn’t taken seriously by even the director), as well as the fact that I’ve never taken a dance class. The way I see it now, I have a few options, but am not sure of which is the best for me to pursue.

My school has a BA in Musical Theatre, but it’s not very prestigious (and I lose my scholarship if I change majors, so without the scholarship and the head of the music department, I’m not sure how much I love the school). Still, even without the scholarship, the school is inexpensive enough where my parents would feel comfortable covering the tuition, thankfully.

I could also transfer into a school with a BFA in Musical Theatre. However, debt is a concern of mine, as I know how difficult a career in musical theatre is, and not to mention the fact that it’s not exactly lucrative. I am aware that I’d probably have to restart as a Freshman, which I wouldn’t mind except for the fact that it’s more tuition to pay, and even more debt if my parents do not decide to help out. A school that is quite competitive but would not be as expensive that I’m already looking into is Montclair (I almost chose the school, and now I’m wishing I did).

Another option I’ve come across is to possibly switch to Vocal Performance and then get my Masters in Musical Theatre, or even get my masters after a BA in Musical Theatre, but I’m not sure if it’d be smarter and less expensive in the long run to just get a BFA.

I apologize that this got sort of long, and for any grammar mistakes, but I’ve been lurking on College Confidential for a while before I finally made this account, so I figured it was the perfect place to get some advice and wisdom! Thanks in advance!