DD accepted at these programs, total cost after aid packages. Distance not really a factor. Also been accepted to 3 others, 2 of which are non starters but will include the other one for comment. In kid’s order of preference:
Marymount Manhattan (BA Theatre, Directing) $65K. D loves NYC, and this is in a nice neighborhood. Excited about this program in particular. Most expensive option; their FA package expects total cost of attendance to hit $108K by senior year. Upcoming merger with Northeastern University puts kind of a cloud of unknowns about the future.
Emerson (BFA Theatre): $57K. D’s first choice for a while. Boston is somewhat more convenient than NYC for us as a family. Has kind of dragged their feet on setting up a campus visit but trying to set one up for weekend after next. Excited about the semester in Los Angeles but that program is pretty competitive. Also Emerson allows BFAs to minor in other disciplines and they have a great ASL program (hearing & deafness minor) that is of interest.
New School College of Drama (BFA Theatre): $61K. Also NYC, but was put off a bit by the vibe within the studio at their audition, and also by the amount of social commentary inserted into the curriculum (they’re somewhat apolitical). Like MMC, dorms are a hike from campus. Expect that unless they come up with a last-minute FA offer (not that the current one is bad) to up their yield, this is a definite 3rd choice.
Now the safety: Suffolk University in Boston (BA Theatre): $44K. Accepted EA, OK theatre program, not a BFA, not a concentration in directing as such. Nowhere near as well regarded in the industry as the other 3 schools. D’s attitude is if we force them to go for financial reasons they will, but they’d kind of sulk about it possibly forever. I’m trying to get them to meet the faculty and current theatre students but they don’t really seem motivated.
Any thoughts or comments on any factors we may not be considering? Thanks very much.
Emerson is a great school and I hope she visits. It is downtown and near the Common and the theater district. I have worked with Emerson students and my brother went there, had a great career. Seems like the cost isn’t that much higher than Suffolk. (My kid did undergrad in Boston and is now firmly settled in NYC!)
The New School has Mannes, jazz and contemporary and drama in the College of Performing Arts and is planning on adding Parsons to consolidate the arts. Great location in the Village, and some crosspollination among disciplines. But lots of change happening there.
Is the cost of Marymount Manhattan worth it?
Hope visiting the schools helps with decisions. The “vibe” is always important!
Can you afford the others ? A family always needs to afford and these are easy cities to spend even more money. So I would never send a child to a school I couldn’t afford.
Can you ask each school to provide a current student or recent alumni that your student can talk to ? When at Emerson, definitely stop students and chat them up on their experiences.
Not a theater parent but our neighbors sent theirs to MMC He had a fine experience. I know he has a part time gig (not theater) and waits tables.
A cousin went to another NYC school - Pace - mom is supporting her and she does an afterschool program part time mom says she sees the writing on the wall. So personally, I’d want to ensure I didn’t bankrupt myself no matter what. It may not be just tuition - it might be support after graduation.
Good luck.
We loved the BFA theater program at Emerson. Had lots of exposure to all parts of theater and it was a great mix of things available at a conservatory and a bigger school. I would definitely visit.
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Assuming the price is acceptable to your budget, Emerson would be my choice if it were my kid. They’ve got a really strong brand and alumni network and everyone I know who has gone there has been very happy and transitioned to very successful and practical arts-adjacent careers (i.e. they found success in the arts but their day jobs include communications AVP for a college, arts editor for a big magazine, and communications/client management for a top law firm). The location also can’t be beat. There is so much you can walk to in that area and Boston is such a fun city at that age. The fact that it is smaller and more compact is a bonus too.
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Thanks everyone. Yes, I can afford it, and could probably even swing MMC, but yeah, $32-36K over four years is a lot of money. D is not unsympathetic to the price point of these things but those city lights are really bright.
I read either here or on a reddit thread that another parent in the same situation made a deal where they’d pay for train tickets to NYC a few times a year to see shows, friends, and investigate opportunities. I’ve made that proposition and it’s sounding like Emerson may end up getting a deposit on May 1st, provided they don’t get the ick when they start talking to people there. Appreciate the input.
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My daughter is finishing her third year at Emerson as a Media Arts major. Loves it. She is going to Emerson LA in the fall and then will graduate early. The ELA program is competitive in that it’s not a lottery like the Netherlands program, but it’s a point system and definitely not too hard to get admitted if she has good grades, makes connections with professors who can write LORs, and joins clubs to get experience to add to a resume. All her friends who applied were admitted.
I believe they also set aside beds for each major, so it’s not just film students. She chose the fall instead of the spring because she hopes to get a job and stay, but I also think the fall semester is a little easier to get in. (She told me there are going to be 180 students attending in the fall of 200 beds available.)
Good luck.
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