<p>(correct me if I'm wrong here?) I know CMU says their admission is based on 90% audition and 10% academic, that NYU is 50%/50%, and some schools like BU and UMich will look at your academic profile before even granting you an audition... what's the story with other schools? </p>
<p>[this isn't an MT-specific Q, I'm looking for straight theatre info, but I'm betting there's a lot of overlap.]</p>
<p>I think that this varies from school to school. University of Michigan looks at academics/test scores, etc. (your school transcripts) <em>first</em> and then invites those who pass that bar to audition. NYU does apparently weigh a candidate's academic record heavily, but they do not "pre screen" in the same way that UMich does, so if you are turned down, it is difficult (from what I understand) to tell if it was the academic portion or the audition portion (or both) that did a candidate in. As you say above, CMU is reputed to weigh the audition most heavily. As to other schools such as Elon, Otterbein, Baldwin-Wallace, etc., I just don't know, other than to say that every student should try to go into these situations with the best possible academic transcript and the best possible audition. Other than that, perhaps the only thing to do is to contact each school and ask a representative.</p>
<p>I know from all the research I have done that NotMamaRose is right on the money! I think it is best to make a list of all the schools you are considering, look up their URL's, go to their drama dept pages and check their admissions guidelines. I actually wound up printing all the "old applications" (I am not applying until next year), to get a feel for what each school is looking for. Good luck!</p>