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<p>The distinction is true, that in the conservatory-style schools are more structured and have fewer academics. D4’s BA theater program, however, leaves zero choice in terms of electives, so it doesn’t exactly feel unstructured. (This is exacerbated by her theater double major, although many course do count for both majors.) She has at least 2 academic classes (these first few years) per semester and has to think carefully in order to arrange them so that she’ll have met the distributional requirements. Sometimes classes actually overlap and she needs permission to leave one early to go to the next. She also took a summer school class this past summer and will probably take another next summer. Her goal is to have her schedule clear to concentrate on her thesis as a senior. The students who don’t do this will end up doing gen eds along with their thesis, or even staying an extra semester to graduate. </p>
<p>I have 2 other kids in college right now. D2 is in a BFA art program (if anything is more time-consuming than theater school, it’s probably art school–that is, if you are dedicated and spend long hours in the studio.) She transferred to a school with more gen eds than her original art school and is ending up spending extra time there (at my suggestion, because the facilities and program are so excellent and, as an in-state school, the tuition is relatively low.) As a result, as a super-senior she is taking Italian, her first-ever elective, and something she has wanted to study for years but has never been able to. </p>
<p>D3 goes to a true conservatory (for music). She has one academic class a semester (yearns for more) and often has as many as 12 classes rostered for a semester. Her school allows cross registration for everyone (except actors…) with a storied university uptown… except (something most prospective students don’t realize), it is nearly impossible to schedule those classes against an irregular conservatory schedule. She is actually going to visit the dean to ask if she can stay an extra year as an undergrad to add a second major (and maybe, since her requirements will be finished) take a course or two at that storied university, so she can have a richer education.</p>