For theatre students, where you attend can certainly have an impact on your career with the type of training you receive. It's also important to note that while each school listed here is excellent, a college degree doesn't guarantee success nor is one required to become successful in this industry.
14 comments:
It's so awesome to see our program getting the recognition it deserves on the national level. Typically when people bring up the prestige of the School of Drama they mention our musical theatre and acting programs, so it's really nice that we're getting this acknowledgement. Although it's amazing that we're number one, there are some other great programs on this list that also deserve just as much credit. Schools like UNSCA and University of Michigan are usually mentioned in the lists of top programs, but places like Oklahoma University and Coastal Carolina don't get as much recognition. I'm actually really surprised that Boston University isn't on list, as they're usually considered one of our equals at least in terms of tech. Obviously it's all subjective and the opinion of one website, but it's always good to see what the outside world thinks of us. Hopefully we can continue to live up to our reputation.
It is such an amazing feeling reading about this during my first week of class! Going through the first day I can understand why our program is number one in the country. However I feel like many amazing schools were left out of this list. Also who decides on the ranking and what made us number one? I feel like with the training Dick gives us in studio craft and Susan in design it certainly makes sense that we are number one in the country.Hopefully we keep this ranking through out the years to come!
Happy first day of school! I totally agree with Megan that it's nice for the Design and Production program to get the recognition it deserves, too often people don't realize how important our side of theater is. There was something very cool and unique to see the whole School of Drama cheering for the DP's, it's something we often don't do. I think what is so important to me about this ranking, and what seems to be important to most DP's I've talked to about it is proof that what we are doing is worth it. Sometimes it is hard to remember why you spend hours and hours working on something, or sacrifice sleep, or eat every single meal of the day in Purnell but the little #1 at the end of the article makes it all okay. I can't imagine how exciting it must be for the incoming freshmen to start the year off like that. I can only hope that throughout the rest of my three years here, and for the rest of my career, I live up to the standard that has been set by the people before me, and that I continue to set a standard for those who follow me. I really love this school, and even though every day in Purnell isn't a picnic, over all my experience has been nothing less that fantastic, it is nice that other people see that too.
Very cool! Exciting to see that other people think this is all worth it. I wonder who they talk to in order to obtain the benefits listed on these lists, as I think there are several more worth mentioning for both CMU and UNCSA, the two I’m most familiar with on this list. I feel that interviewing students could really add to some of these lists. For CMU I think the small class sizes, the fact that you are undecided for a year and a half, and the proximity to other disciplines, both with tech theatre and external collaboration (shout out to Joe Mertz) was a big draw for me. For UNCSA I think they aren’t explaining just how much SPACE this campus has. Like really they have so many facilities it’s unreal. They also have a Film program, which with all of these live musical recordings happening it could be a good skill to learn.
I first saw this article posted on facebook by CMU Drama, then shared by many of my friends. Of course it is very exciting to see your own school be number one on a list like this, especially by a website that I’ve grown to consider pretty reputable in terms of theater news. As others have said, it is definitely very refreshing as well to see a list like this specifically for design/ tech, when so many people tend to assume you must be an actor if you go to a theater conservatory. However, this list was a bit of a surprise to me, considering that a lot of the schools that we tend to hear a lot about as being alongside CMU in terms of reputation for theater tech were very far down the list or not on it at all (BU, NYU, Emerson, Cincinatti, etc). Also, there were a few schools on the list that I weren’t even aware of having that reputable of a program, but then again my knowledge of theater tech programs is definitely pretty limited to the ones I researched and applied to senior year of high school, which were all on/ close to the East Coast. I also thought it was interesting that one of the criteria they listed at the top for how they made this list was tuition, yet CMU still managed to make #1. Overall, while I think it’s great that the CMU Design/Tech program is getting the recognition we all think it deserves, it’s important to remember that no “big name” can guarantee success. It’s also nice to have a reminder that, as Sarah said, no matter how overworked we may sometimes feel, we are so lucky to be doing what we love in a place like this.
I'm never really sure how I should react to articles like this. It seems like we start and end every semester at this school with at least one more organization proclaiming that Carnegie Mellon is, as we all know, a fantastic school. We all know and appreciate that. However, I sometimes feel that we, as a school, can be in danger of being a little full of ourselves. I worry that, due to my pride in my school, I will fail to recognize the talents developed at other schools. There are nine schools besides CMU that are also on this list. There are nine other schools mentioned here that produce amazingly talented artists, designers, and managers, many of whom we are bound to encounter when we're out there in the "real world". So, congratulations SUNY, UNCSA, Webster, Michigan, and the others listed. Congratulations to the artists who came out of those schools. Carnegie Mellon is not on a deserted island. We are not alone. This has been your yearly reminder to stay humble and appreciate the talents of others.
Exciting news! As a freshman, it can be scary knowing wether or not you made the right decision in college process. Ranking is one of many factors in choosing a school along side student-to-teacher ratio, graduation rate, job facilitation rate, etc. I always knew CMU was a fantastic program but to see it recognized on this scale is very exciting. However, I am confused about some of the other reputable programs not making the list (CCM, BU, Syracuse). Sometimes these ranking are biased and skewed so i try not to pay too much attention to them. CMU as an institution is great but we need to remain humble and not buy into rankings.
Like many commenters on this thread have mentioned, it is really a gratifying feeling that an established website like OnStage has validated that Carnegie Mellon has earned the top rank for BFA Theatre Design/Tech. I remember doing all this research on theatre schools before applying and how almost all of the stats for prestigious schools put statistic on actors or musical theater majors before anything else. I'm certainly not complaining-- without our lovely actors and MTs, there would be no show to design for. We need them just as they need us, to help facilitate the story. However, I want to reiterate Lauren Miller's comment from above: "Carnegie Mellon is not on a deserted island. We are not alone. This has been your yearly reminder to stay humble and appreciate the talents of others." This mind frame is so very important and is one that should be carried on our backs ALWAYS. After all, this program is a tremendously expensive program that not everyone can afford, which goes to show that there are people of "CMU caliber" at other places. So don't doubt your other peers!
I am very happy to see the name of our school at the top of this list. It’s revitalizing to see that we are being recognized specifically for the design/ production element of the overall drama program. I am also quite happy to see that Lightswitch was mentioned in the portion on lighting design companies that designers graduate to. I had the amazing opportunity to work with them this past summer and am continuing to work on projects and attractions with them throughout the year and into next summer. It’s amazing that the connections and relationships that we form here at the school of drama could potentially follow us into our future workplaces. It was interesting to me that I was working in the Orlando branch of Lightswitch but still had various projects where I would collaborate with Ruben in the San Francisco office and Dan in the LA office. The connections that this school forms are truly distinct and could lead to great things.
Like many others, it makes me happy to have the Design and Tech portion of our school recognized in this way. Of course there are many sources that proclaim Carnegie as a great place to be, but most of those articles don't go much deeper than the musical theatre and acting program. Yes, I am very happy to go to a school with talented actors and MT's, but I agree that our side of theatre is not often recognized. My belief is that the high school education system does not put enough emphasis on the importance of the design and production side of theatre but I guess that is a discussion for another time. As for the article, I think it did a great job of highlighting the aspects of our program that really elevate it. All of the hands on experience is certainly a part of the program that I love and feel is really beneficial to instilling the lesson that I learn in class. I also like how the article mentioned that the school starts from the basics and works its way up. I of course don't know for sure, but I don't think that many other schools of such caliber do the same. It was mentioned previously in the comments that this might cause a big head among the people in this program but I disagree. First of all, I believe confidence is a good thing and while the danger of too much confidence is possible, I think while you are in the studio at one in the morning and still can't see the end of the tunnel, you might think "at least I got to the best school in the country for this."
I think being in an environment where we are surrounded by artists makes it very easy for us to compare our work with each other, whether consciously or subconsciously. As a result, last year I often forgot that just because something's simple and didn't take forever to make doesn't mean it's not good enough, and just because I stayed up all night making something doesn't mean it's the best thing I've ever made. We are being graded on the final product, not solely on how much struggle we went through or how much time we spent to make it. Even though right now it seems "cool" to brag about how many all nighters you've pulled (it's really not), it's important to start the good habits now because it'll be too late when you're in the professional world. Knowing how much to do for the appropriate amount of time and resources you have is an important skill that shows that you are competent and experienced, instead of trying to bite off more than you can chew.
sorry ignore the comment above, posted the comment to another article. This is the right one:
It's definitely great to read about an article that is not focused on the Acting and MT programs. The design & production aspect of theater is often overlooked in rankings of BFA theater programs, which can be frustrating. Especially given that I went to high school in Shanghai, when I was applying for college I had no idea which schools have the best theater program and I had to do a lot of research because I was the only one in my grade applying to major in theater. Reading this definitely makes me glad that I chose CMU, especially given the fact that CMU offers Media Design which is rare among theater schools, and that turns out to be what I ended up being interested in. I already knew that CMU is a great school, but these kinds of articles are definitely comforting when we are stressed out about our projects and questioning our life choices.
Every time I see Carnegie Mellon's name on ranking lists and articles, I get so happy knowing that I go to such a prestigious school. Being a sound intern this summer and getting to know the other interns and their ways of working, it was really put into perspective how much they teach you here at CMU and specially in the School of Drama. Of course there comes the issue of our heads getting too big because of this ranking. Not everyone is so humble to not "brag" about it. We have to remember that we are part of a list that includes some pretty amazing programs and we can't think we are the best just because it says so in an article. Like previous comments state, it's great to have confidence and take pride in your program but remember that confidence and cocky-ness are two very different things.
This article makes me extremely proud to go to school here. Many times I feel the design and production program here is overshadowed by all of the very famous acting alumni. To be honest, I’m not that disappointed about that because one of the things that I love about what I do is that everyone knows that you are there but you aren’t seen. However, recognition is always appreciated. That all being said, I always question the credibility of articles like this. Is this one guy’s opinion, or is this a group view. What we do is very subject and is extremely hard to quantify. Some days I feel like we are number one and some days I feel like we are three or four. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad we got a stellar review, but the credibility to me is a little shaky.
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