Hi, I am looking for help making a list of colleges I could get into. I have a low GPA (3.2/4.0) at one of the most demanding private schools in the country (ranked in the top 10 in the country and the best in my state), and I scored a 34 on the ACT. I am Latina, and I am very interested in schools with strong humanities and theater programs. Some schools I like the sound of include NYU, USC, Wesleyan, and Vassar.
If you want to actually study theatre rather than just participate in theatre-related activities, NYU might not be the right school for you. If you want to major in just theatre, you would be fine at NYU, but since you are also interested in humanities programs, if you wanted to major in something else and double major in theatre, you would face some restrictions; the program is intense and may not give you much space for a double major, and NYU students can only choose their second major from the College of Arts and Sciences regardless of which school their first major is in, which means, if for example, you wanted to double major in theatre and sociology, you would have to apply to NYU’s Tisch School of Arts as a theatre major and audition to get into the program, and once you are in, you will have to declare the sociology major at NYU’s College of Arts and Sciences. (If your second major is not offered in CAS, you wouldn’t be able to double major.) NYU does not have a theatre minor.
Your low GPA is not bad at all considering the prestige and assumed difficulty of your school, and the fact that you have a high ACT score. Admissions officers will understand this. Work extra hard on your essay and make sure your letters of recommendation are from teachers you can count on.
Northeastern University, Boston University, The New School (Eugene Lang College), Sarah Lawrence, Trinity University in Texas, and George Washington University are some good schools to add to your list if you like the big city locations (or quick access to a big city) that NYU and USC offer. (You have a decent shot at all of these schools. In fact, some of these schools shouldn’t be difficult for you to get into at all.) From what I’ve seen, Northeastern is very good with making arrangements for double majoring students and will be suitable for your different interests. I was also interested in both theatre and humanities/social sciences, so these schools are all places that I considered.
For theatre cum strong humanities, look into Kenyon, Vassar, Skidmore, Sarah Lawrence, Middlebury and Connecticut College. Hamilton should be noted for its top theatre facilities. Occidental would be a West Coast option. Fordham should be researched.
CMU has a very good theater program as well and some good humanities majors.
NYU/Tisch is an auditioned BFA program, so it is utterly impossible to gauge anyone’s chances based on academic criteria. I suggest looking at good liberal arts colleges; most have solid theater departments. For matches and safeties, consider the Colleges That Change Lives. Many are surprisingly generous in merit aid for strong students, and especially URMs who will enhance diversity on their campuses. Goucher, in Baltimore, might be very good for you.
Thank you all! I’m looking at BFA and BA programs, so I will be auditioning for NYU and CMU, but I am also looking at LACs similar to the ones mentioned. I’m also looking at Georgetown because of my interest in politics, if that helps. Kenyon, Bard, Skidmore, Sarah Lawrence, Vassar, Fordham, the New School, BU and Northeastern. Do LACs often have high acceptance rates for URMs?
Don’t forget to run the NPC’s. Costs and financial aid at college work differently from private schools’ and you don’t know what your parents are thinking in terms of costs till you’ve discussed the matter with them, brought them NPC results, checked they can afford the costs from income and savings. Sarah Lawrence or Eugene Lang for example have terrible financial aid.
Add Muhlenberg - excellent theater program and a likely safety for you as long as you show interest.