<p>Desperately need some 3rd party input. Decisions have been narrowed down to two schools: Northwestern and Baldwin-Wallace. In many ways, you cannot be more opposite. So, taking the obvious off the table: Big Ten vs. Small liberal arts, Evanston/Chicago vs. Berea/Cleveland, reputation of the academic (only) programs, BA vs. BFA… Also taking out of the equation the NU MT certificate audition, with the assumption you can also take quality voice and dance classes/instruction outside of the MT cert program… What have people heard about either program that one should consider when making a final decision? Any and all thoughts greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>I don’t know how to answer your question as you say to take out of the equation W, X, Y, and Z and those are the very things that ARE the differences between the two and what you should weigh against your OWN college selection criteria in terms of what YOU want.</p>
<p>If asking which is “better,” neither is better than the other but offer something very different. In any case, you can do a lot of MT at both places. </p>
<p>Everyone wants different things and it only matters what you want. For example, if I were a student (and I’m not) and had the academic qualifications to get into NU, I likely would not enjoy BW as much in terms of the level of academic challenge and student body. I’d also enjoy being near Chicago more than Cleveland. And so on. Someone else may feel differently. They may really prefer a BFA over a BA for example and pick BW on that count.</p>
<p>I know people who are happy at both these schools.</p>
<p>By the way, BW is a BM, not a BFA. Examine that too, as a BM is not the same as a BFA.</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about BW, but at NU, you will make so many connections with theater artists who are creative and dynamic in so many ways; it is so interesting to see the things that NU students have gone off to do, not measured just in the acting jobs they get, but in the initiative they’ve taken in forming their own theatrical companies and projects.</p>
<p>^^That’s a good point about one difference. NU and NYU, in fact, have this in common as there are many students in theater in attendance, and who go into so many different aspects of theater, and yes, start companies and so on…whereas in in the BM in MT at BW, it is more about most people wanting to audition to be in musicals. NU has that too but so much more and you will connect with people going on to do many things in the theater world, which can be nice to have as a network (you may not care about this and then it would be a moot point). My kid went to NYU and I have to say now that she graduated, this network has been very significant in her life in theater in NYC.</p>
<p>If you want a chance to “make it” in musical theater, you can do that from EITHER of these two schools. So, that part is a given either way. It is all the other stuff (that you said to take out of the equation) that will make a difference in your actual college experience. But both schools can lead you to a goal of a career in MT.</p>
<p>I do know that the program at BW is housed in a “conservatory.” Both BW and NU would allow for you to pursue a double major, if that is of interest. One thing to consider, at BW you HAVE, I assume, already been accepted into the MT program. At NU, you haven’t auditioned yet, and you do not know if you will have the opportunity to receive the certificate. You still can be a theatre major, though. I also know, from looking at both the curricula from the two schools, that at BW a higher percentage of your classes would be “performance based,” and at NU you would be taking more “academic based, theatre classes.” (i.e. theatre history, text study, etc.) Also, at BW you would be guaranteed 4 years of dance and voice classes, I am unsure if this is the case at NU. I think it also comes down to where YOU see yourself. Good luck with your decision!!</p>
<p>-E.J.</p>
<p>A few thoughts:</p>
<p>It is true that you must audition into the MT certificate program. If you have a number of acceptances from BFA and BM programs in MT to chose from now, you have at least an idea that you are competitive in this regard and probably have a better than average chance of being accepted to the certificate program. MY D chose UCI over a top BM and a BFA program and has had to audition to get into the BFA track…so far so good. She has access to MT courses. But even without that success, as a drama major she can access the wonderful dance courses at UCI and was able to keep her private voice teacher since we are local, so I would encourage you to see how much of the curriculum you can access at NU whether you do the MT certificate or not. Private voice is not included until you get into MT program at NU…do you have a teacher in mind or the funding to take privately before that? BW students do a senior recital, it is definitely a BM degree.</p>
<p>NU faculty is large and diverse while BW has a very small faculty. I think this is also worth considering. You have access to many more points of view and approaches with a larger faculty. I do not know much about the dance courses at NU but I can tell you that BW has had much turnover with their dance faculty in the past few years and really has only one instructor for dance in the program-this has been a drawback for some time. What is your dance training? Do you need lots of work in this area or do you come in with years of dance and this is not as important to you? </p>
<p>How important is the academic component to you? This is very important because the amount and type of coursework differs tremendously in the two programs. Do you want a very prescribed set of courses or do you want flexibility and choice in putting together your curriculum?<br>
How important is it to have access to local professional theater? You are right in the heart of it in Chicago, even though there is a fairly healthy theater community in Cleveland, it is far from campus.</p>
<p>I personally know of students who currently attend both programs and are very happy in their chosen schools and are doing quite well. All of them are very talented and extremely bright. We also know of one who did do the MT certificate and just graduated from NU last year- she has moved to NYC recently and is currently auditioning for shows- she loved NU (except for the weather)</p>
<p>The key is exactly what SoozieVT states: it is about YOU. I think there is so much trepidation in this process because it is a big decision and there are so many variables. But what does your gut tell you? Asking questions about fit from other people tells you what ‘other people’ value–it does not answer that question for yourself. I also agree with Soozie that the things you ask everyone not to consider are perhaps THE most important things to consider when making your choice.</p>
<p>In any case, congratulations on having this difficult choice to make. You have worked hard and prepared yourself well in order to be in this position. I am sure you will do well no matter where you go.</p>
<p>^^^That posts says it all!</p>
<p>I have sent you a pm.</p>
<p>I agree with those who have said this is an individual decision. Assuming money is not an issue, however, consider in thirty years which institution you would prefer saying granted you a degree? Not to be a prestige hog, but if you don’t end up succeeding in MT and having a life-long career in music or theater, you are better off having a degree from an institution that has a reputation for stellar academics, in my opinion. Again, that’s a personal bias, but something else for you to consider.</p>
<p>Like others here, I find it hard not to bring my personal bias to the discussion. One of these schools (NU) was at the very top of Ds final list of 12 schools, while the other wasn’t on her list at all, and since I’ve been immersed in her thought process for the past several years it’s hard for me to distance myself from it.</p>
<p>Will you get a chance to visit both schools before making your final decision? Does money enter into your choice? Do your parents have opinions or is the decision completely your to make?</p>
<p>Congratulations on having choices, and I hope you have fun making the final decision!</p>
<p>And for one on the opposite side: BW was my daughter’s very top choice, and she wasn’t admitted there. She chose it due to the extremely personalized training she knew she would receive, the commitment from Victoria Bussert and Scott Plate to do the very best for their students, including getting them into performance venues whenever possible, and their strong connections to the professional community. Victoria is the grande dame of Cleveland theatre and BW students are constantly involved in downtown productions. We met wonderful students on a visit there 2 years ago who RAVED about the program. Finally, we saw their recent production of RENT and it was heads and tails above the one we saw 1 week before at a highly regarded university theatre AND over the the touring production we saw a few years back. It was incredible! I have heard their NYC Showcase is one of the very best and their students all get signed by agents every year!</p>
<p>A hard choice compared to NU-but you would still be waiting to see if you could audition into the NU program, and at BW - you are in from the get-go with 4 years of MT ahead of you!</p>
<p>Do let us know of your final decision! (PA-my daughter did get into NYU-Steinhardt, so happy ending:)</p>
<p>I really love these decision threads, as it’s so interesting to see that different schools are a perfect fit for different people. And isn’t that lucky, as it’s already insanely competitive to get into any of these MT programs. Imagine what it would be like if everyone wanted to attend the same school!</p>
<p>I have to admit, as a parent, that if D had been genuinely torn between BW and NU (assuming we weren’t eligible for any aid) I might have been tempted toward BW and saved the extra $80k+ for future contingencies. Though these 4 years are prime time, and it is wise to get everything out of this time that’s possible, and I agree with annie1244 about the long term value of a widely-respected degree, plus concur with others on the value of connections.</p>
<p>I wonder how many CC’ers are currently in the midst of similar decisions? Good luck to all, and again congratulations on having options!</p>
<p>If the cost differential is what MomCares indicates, if money is an issue for you, I would definitely question whether the education at one was worth $80,000 more than the other.</p>
<p>Here is a link to Actors Equity “How I got my card” series, featuring BW grad Jill Paice (there are a ton of other actors listed as well)</p>
<p>[actorsequity.org</a> | Actors’ Equity Association How I Got My Equity Card](<a href=“http://www.actorsequity.org/AboutEquity/HowIGotMyEquityCard/Ecard_Paice.asp]actorsequity.org”>http://www.actorsequity.org/AboutEquity/HowIGotMyEquityCard/Ecard_Paice.asp)</p>
<p>Can’t thank everyone enough for this feedback; I appreciate people taking the time out to provide their thoughts - personal opinion or not. Fortunately, NU gave me an amazing award package so from a pure family cost perspective (EFC + loans), BW will cost me more. I really do know how fortunate I am to have been accepted at a number of reputable programs and am now in a position to be choosing between two (although my mother is still asking me to consider Ithaca as a third option…). Just returning from Wildcat Days, I learned a lot more about NU’s program today and sent an email with about a half a dozen questions to the Department Chair that I thought of after leaving campus. I’m not any closer to an answer but I’m at least armed with more information, thanks in part to the feedback I received here. Game plan is to have a decision by week’s end. Thanks again for the info and the best wishes.</p>
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<p>Nice! This is something very cool about NU. They are extremely well endowed, and are among very few schools committed to meeting 100% of the financial need of every admitted student. Unfortunately they offer virtually zero merit/talent money to incoming freshmen, as they say every admitted student would deserve it.</p>
<p>It is also one of the few schools in the country where the value of a degree has increased steadily over the past 10 years – in part evidenced by their increasingly competitive admissions statistics.</p>
<p>Hope you enjoyed Wildcat Days (D wishes she could have made it) and that you have fun making your final decision!</p>
<p>MTBigDreams - did you get my PM?</p>