NYU undergrad design program

[gabe]

Hey there,

I am in the process of looking at schools to apply to for a BFA program in theatre design. I really would love to live in NYC so I went on a general tour of NYU today and have a tour of tisch tomorrow. I was wondering if anyone here had gone through the design program at tisch and could say anything about it. I know that NYU has a grad program but their website says two of their mainstage shows per year are designed by undergrads. So I was wondering how much production as well as design experience I would get as an undergrad, compared to at say Ithaca college where I would probably be able to design a show starting in my junior year for the main stage. Also, will going to NYU as an undergrad have any affect, adverse or favorable, in me getting in to their grad program down the road?

Thanks

[Footer]

Most places tend to discourage you from getting your undergrad and grad back to back at the same school. I tend to call this inbreeding, make of that what you will.

Do a search on here for the "undergrad education in a school with a grad program" you will fine some opinions. My personal opinion is to not go to a school with a grad program.

[Stryker87]

I can't speak of every school that has both an undergrad and grad program, but at Indiana University I feel it's a benefit for us undergrads that there is a grad program. All of the graduate classes have an undergraduate section. Which means that I get to basically take and do graduate level work as an undergrad. This means that I'm going to even more prepared for grad school in a year or so.

Now the down side is the fact that I was expected to keep up with grad students from the begging of my freshman year and it took some time (and a semester of academic probation) to get into the grove.

Best of luck choosing a school.

-Tyler

[MNicolai]

The advice I got from my friend/coworker, who has his master's in Tech Theatre, is whatever you do, don't go to a school with a grad program. You'll end up on the back burner as their monkey wrench. It's also possible they'll assume the role of TA and do the teaching to you that you should be getting from an actual professor.


I take heed of his advice really well, because he was a professor at Northwestern University, University of Milwaukee - Madison, and one or two other colleges.

[cdub260]

Don't forget to look at community colleges. Many of them have excellent theatre programs with a lot of opportunity for hands on experience. They are also quite a bit cheaper than universities, and you can always transfer to a university once you've finished your general education. This is the route I took, and I was quite pleased with my theatre education.