My son is BFA tech student at Fred and he really likes it. The town is very cute and for a kid from the suburbs of NYC, he is not finding the town too small. I think he was a little uncertain at first but he is now really happy with his choice. He has friends in his cohort, in his dorm and amongst kids he met at orientation. Fredonia does offer a BFA dance program though I am not sure if non BFA dance students can take classes.
You also can’t beat the price. S17 didn’t even apply to Syracuse after we ran the NPC.
@1bamom, thank you so much for all of the information! We haven’t received any scholarship or financial aid information from BoCo yet. We had heard that we would get it once she was accepted. Crossing our fingers for even just a little help. I’m so happy to hear how much your daughter loves it there! Our D has lots of questions…haha!! We are from Seattle, WA…so this is a bit far from home but we couldn’t be happier for her!
@theaterlove3 A suggestion: Ask to sit in on classes - both freshman or sophomore and senior performance type classes. Watch the teachers, and try not to watch the students. You’ll learn a lot by watching the teachers.
@NewEngMTMom If I remember right the program you’re looking for an answer from is LIU. My S got his artistic acceptance a couple of weeks ahead of the academic. I’d call. Best of Luck! Praying it works out for you!
@NewEngMTMom I’m sorry your daughter is having such a tough time. It is such an unfair process. I’m not sure if anyone has mentioned it but there is a two year program in NYC Institute of American Musical Theater you can check out some things on instagram at iamusicaltheatre A very well respected dance teacher/choreographer has told me wonderful things about the program and the people who run it. She has a couple of students there and they are getting amazing training and have already gotten some big show auditions. Just thought I would throw it out to you as an option.
Congrats to everyone on the acceptances! We are in the decision making/still waiting stage. Does anyone have any info on getting off the waitlist at Marymount Manhattan? Any info out there on SMU’s program or SUNY Albany? We can’t find much online about Albany and I’m wondering if it’s a new program. We weren’t able to visit any of these schools in person, unfortunately…
@NewEngMTMom have you looked into Sage College BS in MT? It’s a great program with a lot of great theatre opportunities. They do accept online auditions .
@NewEngMTMom No one will know your dd’s age unless she tells them. The number of older freshman is growing across the county due to several reasons. Many take a gap year to figure out what they want to do. Others take gap years to work and save. I know of one who started CC in the state he was living in but a parent got transferred so he had to wait it out in the new state to establish residency. He managed to find a job that would cover some of his college costs in exchange for a time commitment. At age 26 he has one semester to go. Others go the military route first then school. Basically age is just a number and the other students really don’t care.
My daughters second year of college, 2 of her suitemates were 4-5 years older than her. She chuckled that the oldest one was the same age as her sister. The four got alone just fine and are still friends a few years later.
@MThopeful2022 I posted the following in another thread regarding Millikin’s BA program:
My D and I have researched Millikin thoroughly. The downside? If you are not enjoyably immersed in your college experience, Decatur won’t offer much in the way of diversion. It’s not as awful as many might lead you to believe, but for a college kid, it’s probably pretty close. I think that there is plenty of upside, however. As a BA student, you are not treated as a second-class citizen, as is true for the majority of programs that also offer BFAs. There are only a few classes, mostly upper level acting and dance, that are reserved for BFA students. BAs are very much encouraged to audition and crew for big productions. Furthermore, they are building a new facility for theatre and dance that will open in 2020. It should be completely state-of-the-art. Also, and probably most attractive, the university as a whole is focused on entrepreneurship, which means that all theatre students, BA and BFA, are taught how to essentially form their own theatre company and produce their own work. As difficult as it is to find work in this industry, the ability to create your own job is very compelling.
Of the many schools that we have researched (all of which had BFA programs), Millikin had the best BA program by a fair margin.
@fancytheatrekid Don’t give up hope on Hartt yet… they wouldn’t give my daughter any info over the phone on Friday either, and she got her acceptance in the mail yesterday! Good luck!
@theatrelove3 My daughter entered the Acting program instead of MT at her favorite school and she couldn’t be happier. She supplements with a dance class a semester and is part of the university chorus to keep her dance and voice fresh. She could take voice lessons, but didn’t pursue that her first year. In theory she could have tried again for the MT program - there is occasional movement from one to the other - but found the Acting group more her “people” along with liking the depth of the curriculum. A big factor in choosing an Acting redirect is finding out how the school handles the division. Do they cast shows from either group whether it’s a play or musical? Do they offer dance and voice or chorus? Do the student from both programs take classes together? How do the students feel about the program division? And off that aspect, a smaller school can be a good fit. They may lack as many outside opportunities in town, but they may also then have a better focus on the training. And some kids thrive in a smaller setting. And always, always… what’s a good financial decision. PA majors can’t afford to graduate with debt.
We haven’t received any scholarship or financial aid information from BoCo yet. We had heard that we would get it once she was accepted. Crossing our fingers for even just a little help. I’m so happy to hear how much your daughter loves it there! Our D has lots of questions…haha!! We are from Seattle, WA…so this is a bit far from home but we couldn’t be happier for her!