UCSB, UCD, UCSC, or UCI?

Question

Which of these schools should I go to if I am majoring in theater? Also, what are the schools like?

Answer 1

The great thing about a major like theater is you can pursue it just about anywhere. The question is, can you pursue it well?

Of the four, UCSB is the only one that offers a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) AND a B.A. (Bachelor of Arts). The others seem to only offer a B.A. Not that there's anything wrong with that--you just have to decide what kind of education you want. A BFA allows you study acting more exclusively, but at the expense of other courses (philosophy, math, psychology, literature, etc.) If you decide not to become an actress (or can't find work), it can be much harder to get a job with a BFA than with a B.A.

You need to audition for the BFA at SB; the others you do not have to audition for.

I don't really know much about most of these schools, other than the research I did on their web sites. I have heard that UCSC has a creative atmosphere--their mascot is a banana slug.

The most important thing you can do is visit each school and talk to theater faculty/students about each school's approach. There are many different ways in which acting is taught. Ask questions: can I specialize in one part of theater (acting, directing) or will I have to take classes in every aspect? How many opportunities are there to perform each semester? What are the performance facilities like? Besides checking out the theater department, you need to find the college at which you'll feel most comfortable--something we can't assess over the Internet. What are the other students like? Do you like the campus? Are there other programs of interest if you decide not to pursue theater?

Good luck.

Answer 2

I finished at UCD in June, but in Art Studio, not acting. I'll tell you about the school. It has an incredible library, 4 of them actually. It's a great school and an amazing community. It has this 2 mile long waterway through it, and an arboretum along the creek. The designers have created a lot of great places to study along the creek. There are ducks who have chosen the creek to be their home. They hang out all over campus, and don't think honking will move them! If they decide to stay put, you can just go around.
There are a huge number of non-academic activities on campus, even one of the best bicycle repair shops in California. There is a club for almost everything you can imagine, and large computer games and bowling, too.
There is so much more I could say about the academic community, but you can find a lot of it on line at UCDavis.edu. Each major can tell you how it was rated by "Brown," the only college rating system that counts. Brown only rates the top 25 colleges in the country, so if a major does not have a rating, it's below 25th in the US. Have fun in school.

Answer 3

UCSC.

UCD & UCI are technical schools for the sciences and engineering.

UCSB is known for business.

So most likely UCSC.

But, do you have the grades and the finances to get into a UC is the bigger question.

Answer 4

The only one I've been to is UCSC, and its really nice. I would choose it if I were you.