<p>NYU was recently ranked as one of the the top academic universities in the countries- they absolutely want to make sure that the kids they admit have the “numbers” or academic chops to be admitted. Studio (acting classes) are all day, 3 days a week- the other two are “academic” days. This semester my D has two academic classes- the dreaded “Writing the Essay” (most NYU freshman’s least favorite thing on the planet), and Intro to Theater Studies, which is a requirement for her. While she spends plenty of time preparing for her studio classes, the vast bulk of her “HW” has come from her academics- and the standards are high. She knows more than one person from Tisch who are struggling academically- and knows kids who are dropping at the end of the semester b/c they either can’t handle or are unhappy with the academic workload. I would not be surprised to hear similar stories out of BU. This is why research is so important as you create your list of schools. If a kid applies to a school like BU or NYU merely b/c they are well known and respected- but aren’t prepared for the academic component they are not going to be happy or successful. My D (and I) went round and round on BA/BFA, and Conservatory/Liberal Arts- there are merits to each, and it’s a personal choice. I think sometimes kids/parents get so caught up in “getting in” that they forget the bigger picture- which is will the kid thrive there. </p>