Fordham vs. Lewis and Clark

sandkmom
Wed, 21 May 2014 23:46:55 +0000

I asked my S a few questions to help you out and here is what he said…

First, there were 5 transfers into Performance for the Class of 2014. Two were minors to major and three were from other schools. One of the transfers did not graduate. Matthew (head of the program) says the acceptance rate is equally the same but everyone else thinks it is much easier to get in from outside. Some of those admitted as freshman transferred to other majors or schools as well and they ended up graduating 17.

Second, and I don’t mean to sound harsh, but minors don’t get parts if they’re not good. You have to be right for the part AND talented. But even if you audition and are not cast in a MainStage…and not getting cast doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not good…there are a lot more opportunities to be cast in studio shows. In fact, getting cast in a studio show is one way to get noticed and invited into the program. And the studio shows are really good!

So you risk coming to Fordham and not being accepted into the program and honestly, you should probably expect the worst but prepare, work hard and hope for the best. So…can you be happy as a Theatre minor? I know from your other thread that you were planning on majoring in English and minoring in Theatre. I think that is an excellent plan. Even if you get in, it is doable but VERY difficult to double major with Theatre Performance. My S’s roommate did it but I have no idea how many AP’s he came in with or where he placed with the language requirement. My S doubled with Playwriting and he worked his @$$ off. Scheduling classes in two majors can also be very difficult bc the Theatre dept is so small and there are only one or two sections offered per course.

You also risk going to L&C and discovering that they just aren’t able to provide the training you desire and your classmates may or may not be that talented. I’d be a little worried about not finding out much about the program before you go. But then again, I’m not sure what it is you are looking to do after you graduate and so it might not matter. If you are just looking for opportunities to get on stage as much as possible you might get that at L&C. Then again, you might not.

Here is the info on the theatre minor at Fordham.
http://www.fordham.edu/academics/programs_at_fordham_/theatre_department/prospective_students/training__curriculum/theatre_minor_69143.asp

If you are ready for New York, then come and train with the best (faculty and students) whether you are a minor or major. Audition for the studio shows your first semester and hopefully you will be cast and get noticed. And if you sing at all, do NOT miss taking Song as Scene with two time Tony nominee, Alison Fraser. It was one of my S’s favorite classes at Fordham.

Good luck!