Winston-Salem Journal: Local News:
The UNC School of the Arts, the first public conservatory in the nation, has achieved distinction as a one of the country’s top arts conservatories.
In June, the Hollywood Reporter, a magazine that covers the film, television and entertainment industries, ranked UNCSA’s School of Drama sixth among the top 25 undergraduate schools of drama in the United States and abroad.
5 comments:
Having recently finished the college application/ interview process I am glad to be reading this article from the other side of the spectrum. Having applied to both UNCSA and CMU I agree that each student must feel comfortable and content with his or her college decision. At UNCSA, you apply as a specific designer, be it costume, scenery, etc. and are on that track for four years with all of your classes geared to that one specific school. For theatre students that know exactly what they want to do I find the program very effective. However, as an 18 year old i find myself constantly changing my mind. Being so "tracked" to one discipline right off the bat, I feel, limits us as craftsman. i also feel that one cannot truly have an appreciation for all aspects of the theatre world before experiencing it first hand.
All the names of colleges listed in the article are no surprise and rightfully so because they are all are wonderful programs in their own ways. One thing that I will always tell high school juniors and seniors is that there is a college and a program out there for everyone, you just have to find the one that fits you. And I think that this holds true almost more so in drama and arts schools. Art itself is such a unique subject and incomparable to others that each school ends up teaching their students differently. These can very greatly to how you learn (practical vs. theoretical and all encompassing vs specific education). There are different kinds of learning for everyone. It also comes as no surprise to me that a UNCSA student was also recruited by CMU. These are prestigious schools that students have the opportunity to hone their craft at and learn who they can be.
I personally didn’t look into UNCSA when thinking about what schools to apply to for tech theater, but the idea of a public conservatory school is interesting to me. The in-state tuition price of just under $9,000 a year is, obviously, a great number in comparison to the cost to get an arts degree at a pricey private university, not just at CMU but at most other well- known theater schools. However, I think that this article makes a good point about how it’s important to think about how these ranked lists are created. When looking for schools to apply to, I came across so many lists ranking different colleges for the quality of their theater programs, many of which I’m sure considered factors which are of no use to me, such as the quality of their acting programs or graduate programs. For example, on the Hollywood Reporter ranking they mention where CMU is number two, Julliard, which doesn’t have any design/ production concentration option, is ranked as number one, which makes me wonder if the people compiling this list only considered the performance aspects of a college, or if the tech theater components just weren’t considered as important. Or, do they consider the prestige of CMU’s multiple other programs (dp, directing, and dramaturgy, as well as the performance programs) to add up to equal the prestige of Julliard’s only performance- focused program? Also, every list I’ve seen is different; the Hollywod Reporter List ranks NYU Tisch as number three, while I haven’t even seen Tisch on many other lists I’ve looked at. That being said, I’m very glad to be in college and done looking at those lists, though they are interesting to consider.
I think the most important part of this article is the little moment where Edward Ziter, a faculty member from NYU, said
“Rankings can’t take into account that some programs might be better for some students than other equally excellent programs,” I know so many people who chose their undergraduate programs solely based on its name and reputation. I cannot imagine a bigger mistake to make, especially for a major like theatre, where a graduate degree might not be a good idea. A young student should not be forced to put 4 years of their life into an environment that will only stunt their growth. This is an idea that I wish was more drilled into high school senior’s brains, it can’t be mentioned too often. I also love this article because of the threat it is presented to CMU. A little competition can go a long way, and hopefully it will incite some change and flexibility into CMU’s ideas about education, change is always good.
One of my best friends is starting at UNCSA as an acting major this fall, so I'm really happy to see it get the recognition that it deserves. Although I didn't personally apply to UNCSA (too far south for me), I know that they have a great stage management program. However, I feel like we put too much emphasis on the rankings of theater schools. If someone just applies to all of the "top theater schools" and doesn't spend their time actively researching where they want to go, they might end up in the wrong kind of program for them. The reason I ultimately chose CMU was because of your ability to learn the basics of all disciplines and then focus. This was the right kind of program for me, but it might not be for everyone. Relying on the rank of the school to choose where to spend four years of your life is a terrible idea, and I really encourage any current high school students to avoid these lists.
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