Hey guys. I’m looking for a private university that offers world class physics as well as theatre programs. The only ones I’ve come across are Northwestern and Columbia. I’ve heard Cornell used to have a good theatre department, but I don’t know if it still does. And TDM at Harvard is pretty new.
Please give me suggestions if any. And if you know about Cornell or Harvard, that’d be great.
Thank you!
re: Cornell, I don’t know if it still does either.
They used to have a really good theater MFA program, successful grads such as Jimmy Smits.
But that’s been gone for a long time.
Here is an old post that describes one poster’s conclusions, at that time, which was quite favorable:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/43729-cornell-theater.html
However, subsequent to that post.,when that guy Skorton was president, he made huge cuts in the arts. Then ironically they made him head of the Smithsonian citing his commitment to the arts!
Still they have a dedicated and relatively recent building dedicated to the arts, and they put on plays and dance performances during the year. My D2 did some dance classes & performances. (but did not do pure theater). You should look up their offerings and compare to others.
BTW, poster in that link wound up going to Yale, FWIW.
This link has some other old posts:
http://www.collegeconfidential.com/discus/messages/4/11124.html
Re: Northwestern, be sure to hone in on what opportunities there are for undergrads who are NOT in the BFA program.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/4891#Comment_4891
(pages 2& 3, at least)
Wesleyan, believe it or not. It has placed a finalist in the Apker Prize for Physics three times since 2010 with the last two winning the research university division outright - even though it isn’t technically a university: http://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201312/apker.cfm
It is also the alma mater of “Hamilton” composer Lin-Manuel Miranda and Tony Award winning director, Thomas Kail. Also, Kenneth Lonergan went there for two years before getting his BFA at NYU.
Carnegie Mellon, UCLA, UCSB, Brandeis, Oberlin, UT Austin
Going down a notch in selectivity, Lawrence has a great track record of sending their physics students on to PhDs as well as a theatre program. They’re also a merit aid school if you need money.
It would help to know what you want to do with theatre in college. Do you want a double major or dual degree? Are you looking for a strong extracurricular program instead of a major? Are you acting, MT, tech, writer, design-oriented?
Do you want to major in physics and theater or do you just want a chance to be involved in campus theater productions in some capacity? If it’s the latter, you should just focus on colleges with strong physics department. Almost every college has some type of theater/performance EC. IMO if you want to major in theater, then commit to it; don’t do another major as a backup in case theater doesn’t work out. Why go into something thinking it might not work out for you?
Which aspect of theatre? The adive will be different if you are tech, design, acting, writing, directing, etc.
Carnegie Mellon could work for. Each of those major fields,but a double-degree program moght not be possible.
If it doesn’t have to be pure physics, and doesn’t have to be a private university, you could look at the Entertainment Engineering program at UNV Las Vegas.
Again re: Carnegie Mellon- which has one of the most selective BFA theater programs in the country- OP would be well advised to see what opportunities are available to students who are not in the BFA program.
Same holds for any school which offers theater BFA and/or MFA.
Ucla is very strong in both fields.
Thank you very much for your response @monydad
If I were to enroll at Northwestern, I’d be a part of their dual degree program in communication and engineering. So, I don’t think we need to worry about opportunities that are there for undergraduates who aren’t in the BFA program.
Sorry to say that Wesleyan is not need-blind for internationals. The admission rate for those with high-need is somewhere in the single digits.
@momzhood
Thank you for your response!
Sorry, I wasn’t clear. I want to be able to do both (acting and physics). Many colleges/universities don’t allow their students to major in different types of degrees; if I enroll at any of those colleges/universities, I will go for a dual degree. But, if I enroll at a college/university that does allow majoring in different types of degrees, I will definitely go for a double major.
As of now, whether or not a college/university allows majoring in different types of degrees is not something that I shall consider as a discriminating factor.
@Bromfield2
Thank you for your response!
I genuinely love physics and acting. That’s why I want to do both, at least in college. I don’t know which side I am going to lean toward after college. If possible, I’d do both. Actor by day, physicist by night! Haha, jokes apart I really do love both. And that’s the reason I’m looking at schools that have very good programs in both.
@circuitrider
The only aid Wesleyan provides to internationals is through the Freeman Asian Scholars program, and I’m not eligible. So, does that mean there’s absolutely no aid for international students who’re not from China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam?
Wait, you said the admission rate for those with high need is in single digits. For those that do get accepted, where do they get the aid from? Is there any other source?
Yes, the admission rate for internationals with high need who apply to Wesleyan (EDI&II+RD) is estimated to be <10%. BUT, the good news is that Wesleyan will meet 100% of their need - as determined by Wesleyan - just as they would any other acceptee. Your financial aid package might include specific scholarship sources, but, with the exception of the Freeman, they are all absorbed into whatever might be your overall grant. The same is true for whatever private scholarships you might receive; Wesleyan will probably deduct them from your grant. That’s true of everybody, btw, not just internationals.
Hope this helps.
@circuitrider
Oh, that’s good news! So their admissions for internationals are need-aware, but for those who are admitted, Wesleyan will meet 100% of their demonstrated need.
Thank you very much!
Also, do you know about Carnegie Mellon’s policy regarding aid for international students?
^It took some digging, but, no. There is no aid available for Carnegie-Mellon internationals: