OnStage Blog: Starting in April, we tasked a committee of just over 20 people to research these programs. They consisted of theatre educators, students, alumni, and parents. We wanted people who knew how to evaluate a performing arts program and what questions to ask. This is what we feel separates us from every other college ranking article, these folks know what’s important in theatre education.
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These lists are always very interesting to read and always leave me questioning their purpose. I appreciate in some ways that they have removed the ranking system and lumped all the colleges into one category, but it certainly still creates some sort of hierarchy. When searching for schools, the most important thing I was told was to find the right fit (especially for grad programs) since ultimately that is how you can make that time meaningful. Everyone is going to have their own 'top program' depending on their needs and background. And, when it comes to theatre, how is it remotely possible to lump ALL these disciplines into one list? At the end of the day, what really matters is that you find a program that is right for you, gives you the resources that you need, challenges you, and pushes you to be your best self.
Ok yes - I had moment of excitement when I saw this. I KNEW CMU would be on here. I'll admit, I've said that I think CMU has the best design/production program in the country. But, I truly think that these lists are counter-productive. I don't think we should be shaming people for where they go to college. It would be super easy to ignore this, as people who go to a school that is always on these lists. But, all education is valuable and we can't be pretentious about it. I think it's super annoying to look down on others. Let's face it, schools like CMU are expensive. CMU gives good financial aid, but not all schools do. Not everyone can afford to go here, and that's ok. The theatre industry likes to seem like we're non-judgmental, but when we make lists like this, we do judge people. This implies that if you don't go to one of these schools, your education isn't good enough. Thinking back to my college application process, lists like this haunted me.
I like that they have not actually numbered the colleges in this list. I think seeing this lists numerically brings about a lot of unneeded strife and competition into this category. Especially when they are all so close together. I hate thinking about high school seniors looking at lists like this and getting all excited about going to a school in the top five when there could be many more schools that would be better suited for them that might not be ranked as highly. There is no school on that list that would be perfect for every student who wants to apply to them, and if they do not get into one of those top schools it could cause strife and stress that is really unneeded. Also who cares if your school is number one or not. It is such an egotistical thing to want your university to be ranked in the top of the heard. It should be about what that student got out of that college, not what some arbitrary group of people decided on was the best one.
I find myself having mixed feelings about lists like these. I’m grateful for these lists because they helped me discover just how good Carnegie Mellon’s theatre program is, which I happily applied and now call my home. At the same time, I feel lists of the”best colleges” can create a stigma against colleges that may not be on the list. Even if you don’t go to one of those schools, you can still make a successful career for yourself. The name is extremely helpful, there’s no doubt about that, but at the same time it’s the talent that does the most for a person. When looking at the colleges for the technical people of Broadway, some of the schools they were from were ones I did not see on any lists, yet here they were on Broadway. I read somewhere that you shouldn’t have a dream school, but a dream life. I was lucky that I got both.
I appreciate that, despite being an article listing top schools for theatre, the list itself was not numbered. It doesn't pit universities against each other, at least the ones on this list. In the heated and competitive environment young students are subject to nowadays, pitting colleges against each other and calling one better than the other is the last thing we need. Education now is so stratified that it's difficult to avoid comparison. Now, all I can do is encourage those coming after me to pursue what they want where they want, and also to stop myself from thinking I'm better or worse than others because of the school I go to. I know I am fortunate to attend a school as well-regarded and academically strong as Carnegie Mellon University. The best I can do is make the most of my education and take advantage of the skills and connections that come with it.
Ugh!!! Another list of what people contend are some of the best programs in the country for the performing arts. First I will have to say I am happy both of the school I have gone to are on this list. However, the top 30 lists are always subject to such opinion that they often create such tension with the programs that think they should have a spot on the list. This tension usually plays out in facebook activities where people are questioning the merit of some schools and outright attacking the listings due to its nature of not putting the program they came from and have been successful because. In the end, people should take this list with a large helping of salt, and act more like a starting point for investigating possible programs of the size and scope they feel links with what they want. One should also note that the little snippets about the strengths of the program may not be what is actually the most influential thing there or outweigh the other issues in the programs.
Lists like these are so weird to me. Like I think there are parts of the idea of having a list like this that is so important, for instance so that college seniors can know where they apply. But also, it just creates a stigma for schools not on the list. I think it's nice that it's no longer numbered, because now students can see what schools have good programs, and then decide what works best for them. I think it's so important to let the students understand what they need from a school, rather than relying on numbered lists to create tension among schools, and only sorta give more insight to what schools are best. It's always nice to see CMU on these lists, and honestly that's a big part of why I even applied here. It's comforting to know we're all where we are meant to be, and lists like this are somewhat helpful. Hopefully students use this list for good and find a school perfect for them!
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