College Selection
- Thread starterbriancon7
- Start date
Join the club (lighting tech). Although I'm looking for a midwestern school, while I assume you're looking for something relatively east coast. One of the biggest questions is size. Do you want a small school where you can get started right away designing and doing everything else, or do you want a big school where you'll get to work with phenomenal equipment. Also, whether you are looking for a BA, BFA, a degree specifically in technical theatre, or a specific stage lighting program. Elaborate, and I’m sure a few east coast area people will come along and provide specific colleges that you could consider.
Parker
Member
Chris- A lot of smaller schools have "phenomenal" equipment too... don't rule them out just because they're small.
If it were me, and I had to do it all over again... I would still choose the small school... i just wish it had been in a bigger city.
Good luck on your search... let me know if you need anything.
Parker
Member
Sounds cool - best of luck!
I'm from the mid-Michigan area, what program are you looking at?
Oakland University (Auburn Hills, about an hour north of Detroit.) Both parents went there, one still teaches there online. Meadow Brook Theatre, the school's main theater, is I think the largest collegeiate theatre in the state, not the largest overall. (Something tells me that the Fox is bigger.) They started their technical theatre program about two years ago, and it'll probably be significantly larger by the time I would be applying (I'm a sophomore.)
Never heard of it. Which is interesting, since I grew up a mere 1.5 hours west in Jackson, MI. From looking around at their website, I would discourage it. I'm sure they have a great whatever-your-parents-majored-in department, but the fact that their tech department is so young is disconcerting, as is their lack of full-time teaching staff.
But what I would really like to encourage you to do is to not worry about it. You're only a sophomore, and there will be plenty of time to worry about colleges later. Get out in the sunlight and enjoy being in high school; worry about college in a year.
There's something I haven't done in a while... although I've definitely been in a lot of stage light...
WestlakeTech
Active Member
I can make the following suggestion from personal experience...
Please do NOT go to Texas State University.
(not to be confused with University of Texas)
The theatre and design/tech programs themselves really aren't bad. They're relatively good (though being a freshman, I can't say much 'cause I don't know much). But the school as a whole... just kinda bites; and I'm confident that you can find an equal or better design/tech program at a much better school.
Please do NOT go to Texas State University.
(not to be confused with University of Texas)
The theatre and design/tech programs themselves really aren't bad. They're relatively good (though being a freshman, I can't say much 'cause I don't know much). But the school as a whole... just kinda bites; and I'm confident that you can find an equal or better design/tech program at a much better school.
Might as well throw in a plug for my school, its not as midwest as some places are but Bowling Green State University in Ohio has decent tuition and a great program. The best thing about it is starting not next fall but the fall after... I believe it will be fall of 2011 they will have the brand new Wolfe Center, 2 brand new theatre, studio spaces, new shops etc, its already won a couple awards and apparently just got ranked 3rd for new theatre architecture by somebody. Along with all that there will be all brand new ETC equipment, new cables, fixtures, boards, moving fixtures, hydraulic pits, fly winches, TONS of new gear to play with. so its a huge step up for us.
The other good thing about our tech program is that you can specialize in acting/directing, youth theatre/puppetry, or design tech. I'm a dual spec, puppetry/tech, and have done 4 or 5 major designs for university shows. So once you know the department which happens pretty fast, you can start getting your foot in the door and specialize further by saying I want to do lights, and the faculty will say ok, lets get this person what they need to know and give them some chances to do it.
BG surely isn't the best school in the world, but the brand new facilities and gear is a pretty nice pull at the moment. feel free to PM if you have any questions.
The other good thing about our tech program is that you can specialize in acting/directing, youth theatre/puppetry, or design tech. I'm a dual spec, puppetry/tech, and have done 4 or 5 major designs for university shows. So once you know the department which happens pretty fast, you can start getting your foot in the door and specialize further by saying I want to do lights, and the faculty will say ok, lets get this person what they need to know and give them some chances to do it.
BG surely isn't the best school in the world, but the brand new facilities and gear is a pretty nice pull at the moment. feel free to PM if you have any questions.
Thanks Josh. That's just the kind of information students here need.
One of the most critical things for a high school student choosing a college is to talk to actual students attending the school. It's pretty much meaningless to ask an alumni about the university he/she attended. Once a few years have passed things will have changed so much it's really hard to know if the program is any good.
Then there's the recruiting office who will tell you how wonderful the program is but that's just propaganda. They won't tell you about bad professors and how difficult/easy it is to actually get to work on a show.
No, You have to talk to students currently in the program to get the honest truth about a program.
ishboo
Active Member
If I may throw in my two cents. As gafftaper said talk to students, talk to everyone you can about the program learn about it from all different angles. If you schedule a visit email the faculty and ask to set up a meeting, in my experience almost all of them will be more than happy to sit down and talk to you and that was how I eventually made my decision.
One other piece of advice that really helped me. Do all of your searching junior year. I went into my senior year knowing exactly where I wanted to go and I applied for early decision to that school and got accepted on the spot. I only filled out one application and wrote 1 essay and I knew where I was going in November while all of my friends this year have been stressing out and they are bogged down with essays and they are still touring. If you can get all that out of the way your junior year it will make your senior year sooooooo much easier.
One other piece of advice that really helped me. Do all of your searching junior year. I went into my senior year knowing exactly where I wanted to go and I applied for early decision to that school and got accepted on the spot. I only filled out one application and wrote 1 essay and I knew where I was going in November while all of my friends this year have been stressing out and they are bogged down with essays and they are still touring. If you can get all that out of the way your junior year it will make your senior year sooooooo much easier.
Glad BGSU is getting new equipment. Their current inventory is rather lacking and they don't have the money for upkeep it seems. The scrollers, autoyokes, and Revs are nice, but they have been beaten up pretty hard on the Mama Mia tour. I tried to do some maintenance on the Revs that I used but couldn't get any money and just found out they still haven't gotten the money to make the fixes.
I was rather surprised considering their advertising budget seems to be unlimited. I've seen their posters with the little tear out sheets for info in almost every university that I've been to.
I was rather surprised considering their advertising budget seems to be unlimited. I've seen their posters with the little tear out sheets for info in almost every university that I've been to.
ah, Cedar Point and Huron hehe. The Revs are actually in pretty good shape now, and most of the scrollers are in good shape, they're still all white though and we've been planning on painting them black since we got them. Lots of stuff got a good fixing this year. Except for our large stage. We just finished a run of Mother Courage and the entire building experienced a power surge which killed our 3rd electric as well as some portable dimmers and one of the follow spots (which we have since fixed luckily). As it stands that stage won't be used again, so we're splitting our season next year between our small stage (around 175 seats) and the stage over in the music building that is usually only used for the operas. year after that the Wolfe Center will be open.
I think that one of the problems with our equipment is that the stuff thats broken has sat un-repaired because we simply don't have people that know how to fix it, and our shop manager who does is already busy trying to do everything else he needs to do and we still have stuff sitting around that came back broken from Huron/missing parts.
I think that one of the problems with our equipment is that the stuff thats broken has sat un-repaired because we simply don't have people that know how to fix it, and our shop manager who does is already busy trying to do everything else he needs to do and we still have stuff sitting around that came back broken from Huron/missing parts.
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skienblack
Active Member
I'm currently a freshman at CU Boulder. I didn't choose my college for their theatre programs, maybe not the best idea, but I could not be happier any where else. The programs here are small, which is awesome since you get tons of expierence and gain very good relationships with the faculty from the get go.
My advice would be to goto any school where you will be happy rather than the program. From my expierence checking out schools, any respectable program will have atleast a sampling of any equipment you will find in the field. While we only have 8 ML, I am still gaining expierence on working with Revolutions and Studio Spots. We may not have the nicest LED fixtures but I'm still getting expierence working with them. Just go where you will be happy and everything else usually works out. If that fails you can always look for local professional work and gain valuable expierence.
My advice would be to goto any school where you will be happy rather than the program. From my expierence checking out schools, any respectable program will have atleast a sampling of any equipment you will find in the field. While we only have 8 ML, I am still gaining expierence on working with Revolutions and Studio Spots. We may not have the nicest LED fixtures but I'm still getting expierence working with them. Just go where you will be happy and everything else usually works out. If that fails you can always look for local professional work and gain valuable expierence.
