The geeky, intellectual campus.

The very conservative campus, both socially and politically

The earthy-crunchy campus where veganism is common

The laid-back, middle-of-the-road, “I-don’t-take-life-too-seriously” sort of place

The quirky campus full of off-beat individuals

Carnegie Mellon University has a reputation for attracting intellectually-intense math and science geeks who are studying computers, engineering, or likely both.  Students have sallow complexions from too many late nights in the lab or the library, and they think a social life is sitting next to someone while in the computer lab working on their problem sets.

Actually, CMU is more diverse than that.  It has a renown drama school and and excellent College of Fine Arts.  So there are plenty  of artsy-fartsy types, too.

Part of my job as a counselor is to visit colleges and investigate for myself the degree to which these stereotypes are true. And sometimes you just have to ask a student (or two or three or four) to get an idea of the sort of student who would be happy on that campus.

So I did.  I talked to a student about the stereotypes, and here is what he had to say.

College Consultant

The post Social Stereotypes & Campus Life at Carnegie Mellon first appeared on Great College Advice.

At four-year colleges, your main choice will be between the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree or the Bachelor of Arts degree.

The BFA is more common at conservatories and dedicated theater schools.  Approximately two-thirds of your coursework will focus on theater, while the remaining third will be distributed among the general education requirements. With the BA, it’s the other way around:  about a third of your courses will be in the drama major, one third will be general education requirements, and another third will be electives (perhaps English?  perhaps music?  perhaps pre-med, as a safety option?).

You  may want to choose a conservatory program, in which all students are involved in theater, or in the performing arts.  Or you may want to choose to attend a more comprehensive university, in which there is a strong BFA or BA program in theater.  Or you may decide that you prefer a liberal arts college that has a strong theater department, but where you can explore other intellectual interests, too.

I spent some time on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I sat down to chat with some first year students who had just been through the process of selecting a theater program and enduring the auditions.  They provide some helpful information about the nuts and bolts, as they reflect on what was important to them as they made their decisions.  Have a look at this short video.

College Consultant

The post Choosing a College Drama Program & Auditions first appeared on Great College Advice.