University of North Carolina School of the Arts Reviews

"The UNC School of the Arts has been referred to as a "diamond in the rough." With so many other schools around, it is very difficult for the school itself to market the features and opportunities that are available. This school is very unique, as it is the first public conservatory in the nation. There are many distinguished artist/faculty members who teach and perform. And with a high school program on campus with the college students, there are many opportunities for raising the bar and helping to guide the younger students. Along with the music school, the rest of the arts are also on campus, with the film and D&P schools being some of the top in the nation."

"The UNCSA Theater Sound program has a lot of resources and technology at their disposal. The experience you gain here prepares and qualifies you for work in the field. The Design and Production school overall rate of students leaving with a job is 95%. The graduate students and undergraduates work together and take the same classes, but this is because the undergrads are being brought up and taught to work at a graduate level. The school is able to fund many of the resources available to students, but that leaves little room for financial aid. The most they can do is have you pay in-state tuition for the first year and then advise you to obtain North Carolina residency. I also recommend living off campus as the undergrads are all required to live in campus housing for their first two years. As a school run by artists, things can definitely seem unorganized, especially during orientations, but it's a problem they are working on. There's lots of opportunities to gain experience in your field both at the school and through local art institutions in the surrounding area."

"The School of Design & Production has a strong reputation in theatre across the country. This reputation is mainly technical, but recent faculty hires are contributing greatly to the design quality of their students as well. UNCSA has a very large network or "mafia" for finding work after graduating, but it can be difficult to plug into this social network. Everyone is so busy in their own fields, it can be difficult to branch out (particularly for grad students). The students are generally more competitive than collaborative amongst each other, but this is not something supported or propelled by the faculty. It is possible to find people who care more about doing good work than getting praise for it. Faculty grade you on your individual performance; the only comparison they make is where you start to where you finish. The location is really the most unfortunate part of the school. Other urban areas are far more appealing than Winston Salem, but conversely, it's far more affordable than other cities with reputable theatre schools."