Hi, if anyone is informative about theater design major, please help me.
I am admitted to
Mason Gross school of art
Calarts
Emerson College
University of the Arts London (foundation course- design pathway)
Which college seems the best choice to you? Please indicate your reason.
Emerson.
Run the numbers here: http://www.finaid.org/calculators/ This is not a high-pay career field to start out with for certain! Don’t land yourself in a boat-load of debt.
Where would you like to start your career? The connections you develop while in college will determine in large part where you can find your first paying gigs. Ask at U of the Arts London where their US graduates end up. If you study there, would you need to plan to come back here after graduation because of work permit issues?
Do any of these require or encourage a minor? If so, how do you feel about their stage design/lighting design/other design/stage management/textile history/theatrical management/etc. offerings?
All of them have solid programs.
They are in very different parts of the world. Which one is closest to home? How long would you have to travel to get home if you had to? Will you be able to come home for fall/spring break, or is it just summer and winter? How do you feel about that? If the thought of that makes you at all anxious, go to the one closest to home.
Think about the weather, the campus buildings, the dorms. Honestly, they are very different places and climates. If you are physically happy you are more likely to be successful.
Hello! i’m a current first year BFA costume design/tech student at Mason Gross School of the Arts, I personally love the school, the program is really unique, well rounded and has taught me an incredible amount, not only academically but about myself and the industry. The professors here are working professionals and their goal is to help us in anyway they can, each has taken the time to get to know everyone in the program and help them grow in their own way. The chance to study abroad in London at the Shakespeare Globe Theatre in the third year is a once in a lifetime opportunity, along with graduating a semester early (in 3.5 years as opposed to 4) means that you’ll have a chance to find a job in the industry just as the new production season is starting. We’re one of, if not, the first school(s) to be seen by industry professionals at a portfolio review in NYC.
I will say, this program is extremely rigorous and can take some time to learn how to manage, in my opinion, it is well worth it in the end. Multiple students who graduated this past winter got the chance to work on both Spongebob and Frozen, most are employed and to my knowledge those that are not currently involved within theatrical productions are doing so by choice.
As for the other schools you’ve listed, I did look into a few of those while applying… i’m actually from the Boston area and have a friend going to Emerson for costume design, she seems to be enjoying it but MGSA was a no brainer for me once I visited, just as Emerson was for her. Both schools serve us similarly but the ideals, teachings and styles of the schools we ended up at seem to fit us as people really well. (I hope that makes sense). If you have any questions at all, please feel free to ask either through the thread, personal messaging or if you’ll be attending accepted students day this weekend, ill be one of the students speaking.
Hope this was of some help. Just a tip, do what you need to do for your own happiness. Always go with your gut, you’ll know whats best for you in the end.