I have just read the article “FAQ: Recommendations about college education” but after reading it I am left with a few questions and I hope someone can answer them (or at least give me personal experience stories and/or advice).
Undergrad:
I am looking at University of North Carolina School of the Arts OR University of West Florida (I am a Florida resident so I get in-state tuition for UWF and for the sake of argument I am not eligible for Florida Bright Futures and my parents haven’t bought into Florida Pre-Paid College program). I have heard great things about both programs, but I am a little hesitant on both.
What I like about UNCSA is that it is a conservatory and the campus is much smaller. But is it worth it live in NC for a year or pay out-of-state tuition (I also plan on going to grad school, so I’d like to keep debt to a minimum)?
Quote from “FAQ: Recommendations about college education”:
“BFA Conservatory= A degree program similar to a BFA but usually involves even more specialization. If you go for scenic design, you will only be doing scenic design. Likely 95% of classes in major, 5% outside of major. (4 Years)”
I love the idea of focusing more on the aspect of theatre rather than the general education classes, but is that really a good idea? What I don’t like is that explained in the example above (and what I inferred on UNCSA’s website) was that the “If you go for scenic design, you will only be doing scenic design” stigma exists there. I don’t want to limit myself to one area of theatre if I love so many. I want to have well formed and tested knowledge in the areas of set, lighting and sound. So will I limit myself and will it effect me once I am out in the work force? If so is UWF a better choice because they allow to explore more areas of theatre? Or will going to UNCSA help me on my track to a MFA much more than UWF will?
Graduate School:
I really want to University of Texas at Austin (reasons being both on a personal and professional level). Will going to UNCSA give me a better chance for being prepared for UT or another graduate school? And yes I understand that going for a MFA means I have specialize in one particular area.
Graduate students at UT can get out-of-state tuition waivers, how does that work?
How do teaching assistantships and production assistantships work?
Is there anything important I need to know?
This is one step in my process for research on colleges. Thank you so much for the help. - Thomas Mahaffey
Undergrad:
I am looking at University of North Carolina School of the Arts OR University of West Florida (I am a Florida resident so I get in-state tuition for UWF and for the sake of argument I am not eligible for Florida Bright Futures and my parents haven’t bought into Florida Pre-Paid College program). I have heard great things about both programs, but I am a little hesitant on both.
What I like about UNCSA is that it is a conservatory and the campus is much smaller. But is it worth it live in NC for a year or pay out-of-state tuition (I also plan on going to grad school, so I’d like to keep debt to a minimum)?
Quote from “FAQ: Recommendations about college education”:
“BFA Conservatory= A degree program similar to a BFA but usually involves even more specialization. If you go for scenic design, you will only be doing scenic design. Likely 95% of classes in major, 5% outside of major. (4 Years)”
I love the idea of focusing more on the aspect of theatre rather than the general education classes, but is that really a good idea? What I don’t like is that explained in the example above (and what I inferred on UNCSA’s website) was that the “If you go for scenic design, you will only be doing scenic design” stigma exists there. I don’t want to limit myself to one area of theatre if I love so many. I want to have well formed and tested knowledge in the areas of set, lighting and sound. So will I limit myself and will it effect me once I am out in the work force? If so is UWF a better choice because they allow to explore more areas of theatre? Or will going to UNCSA help me on my track to a MFA much more than UWF will?
Graduate School:
I really want to University of Texas at Austin (reasons being both on a personal and professional level). Will going to UNCSA give me a better chance for being prepared for UT or another graduate school? And yes I understand that going for a MFA means I have specialize in one particular area.
Graduate students at UT can get out-of-state tuition waivers, how does that work?
How do teaching assistantships and production assistantships work?
Is there anything important I need to know?
This is one step in my process for research on colleges. Thank you so much for the help. - Thomas Mahaffey