<p>I will be attending UCSB in the fall and recently have decided I may be pursuing a BFA in acting. I know that Calarts, UCLA and USC are pretty strong names for a BFA but what about UCSB? Would you consider it a solid program? It’s very hard to find rankings.</p>
<p>Maverick, you are right that there aren’t a lot of rankings for theatre programs. There are many well-known schools that seem to be highly regarded and sought after - like the ones you list. There are benefits to going to a well-known school, in terms of name recognition and some contacts in the profession. But as with any college rankings, there are many quality programs that don’t make it into the lists of highly regarded or best known schools. The most important thing is whether you feel that the program will prepare you for what you want to do - because in the long run, it will be your training and your abilities that will have the biggest effect on your life.</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about UCSB - hopefully someone else can give you information about the school itself. But I’ll let you know how I would go about looking at any school and deciding if the program is “solid” (I like that word, by the way - to mean it means it will give you enough opportunities that you need to learn and grow).</p>
<p>I took a quick peek at the UCSB Theatre website - it says that there is a Theatre BA and BFA, which requires an audition the second year. This kind of process can be a great way for students to figure out exactly what they want, and to prepare for the college audition process effectively. Here are the kinds of questions you might want to ask yourself and the program, as you explore your options:</p>
<p>1) What is the likelihood of being accepted into the BFA? Are there limits on numbers? Will the profs give you feedback on what you need to work on to be accepted?
2) If you stay in the BA, what kind of experience will you have? I’m noticing that the BA is described as having what I’d call a “thinking about theatre” curriculum: literature, history, theory, etc. Find out how much you can do experiential learning, get training, and be in productions, if you end up staying in the BA.
3) As with any school that has both BAs and BFAs, find out how they interact. How are productions cast? How are classes structured? I think there also are grad students in the department. How do they fit in, especially in terms of casting and other opportunities?</p>
<p>You’ll have to go into this hoping - not expecting - to move into the BFA (if that indeed is what you end up wanting) and being ready to stay in the BA, or being prepared to transfer. You’ll learn a lot your first semester, as do all college students, about how you want to proceed. Some people in BAs realize it’s the perfect place for them; some people in BFAs realize they didn’t want that experience after all. </p>
<p>From the website UCSB seems like a respectable place with the curriculum and opportunities that should be solid. My biggest concern in your case is how they describe the Theatre BA (not training-focused) and that you might decide to audition elsewhere for a BFA if you can’t move into theirs. Good luck!</p>
<p>thanks! Anyone else for more input?</p>