<p>Okay. So. I have decided i want to pursue musical theatre and go to college for MT. I have done my research and i've compiled this list of schools as my top choices in no particular order:</p>
<p>UMich (Ann Arbor)
Carnegie Melon
NorthWestern
Syracuse
Ithica
Penn State
NYU (Tische)</p>
<p>Is this a good list? Also, I want to know if I actually have a chance at any of these. I have a 3.4 GPA. I have been in close to 9 musical theatre productions. I have a great voice and great acting skills. My area of weakness is dancing however I am applying for several programs this summer to improve that. I have hundreds of volunteer hours and I have a very out going personality. Will I at least be accepted to one of these schools? My SAT scores are close to a 1900. Also, any advice on any of these schools? Anything I can do to improve my chances? And finally, when applying to a MT school will they look at your talent more than your grades? For example, to get accepted to Carnegie Melon you need a 4.0. But if I'm talented will they over look my GPA? Thanks!</p>
<p>I’m a mom of a hs senior going through this process so I am not the expert that some of the wonderful other posters are, but you sound like you have a whole lot going for you, to me.</p>
<p>I do know that no matter how brilliant, talented, and lovable you are, you need at least one (I would say two or three) “safety” schools on there. Safety = non auditioned. That’s kind of a hard and fast rule around here and it’s a very good one. Also, the safeties should be schools you would be happy to attend, not just a throwaway token name on the list.</p>
<p>I’m not real familiar with the east coast schools but I think all of those you mention are real competitive audition programs. If so, start looking for some safeties. When you start talking about something as subjective as casting/selecting for talent, and when the numbers who get in are just sooo tiny compared to those who apply, you have to quickly accept the fact that you might, probably will, get some rejections and it is NOT a poor reflection on you. Just in case the most unthinkable happens and they were all filled up with your type at your first choices - have that safety.</p>
<p>Good luck! You will get such wonderful support here!</p>
<p>You have some great schools on your list, but as snapdragonfly pointed out, they are all highly competitive. The fact that you are male makes the numbers more in your favor, but these programs take very few students overall. </p>
<p>NYU Tisch is a 50/50 school. Fifty percent of the application is based on academics and 50% is based on your audition. Carnegie Mellon bases the majority of the admission decision on your audition, not your academics. Northwestern is a non-audition program for admission to the university. You audition for the MT program at the end of your freshman (I believe) year. So you have a bit of everything just in those 3 schools. </p>
<p>What are you looking for in a school? The top of this forum has individual sub-forums for many of the MT programs (including ALL of the school s currently on your list) where you can go in and read about the schools, the MT programs specifically and the audition and admissions processes. And as snapdragonfly noted above, make sure you have a non-audition safety that you would love to attend on your list. Break a leg!</p>
<p>I would suggest that you look at the “Preparing to Apply” thread at the top of this forum. Plan to take some time to read through it, as many of your questions will be answered there. Most importantly, you need to have a balanced school list. Yours is full of wonderful, but very selective schools. You need to add on some that are not so selective, have larger classes, and/or are nonaudition. All this information has already been posted somewhere in the forum. Try doing key word searches to find the information you need. </p>
<p>You also need to apply to a number of schools, far more than the usual non-MT major. My daughter is applying to 14, 2 being nonaudition.</p>
<p>There is so much information here. Plan a few hours to search and read through. You will be so glad you did!!!</p>
<p>Please research Northwestern’s admission stats. Since this is a non-audition program, admission is based purely on academics (GPA and SAT). Your stats are a little low - but you can decide whether to apply or not after you research them a little more. It’s a great school (I am an alum) but very difficult to get into. My D had higher stats than you and 4 legacies and was not admitted. All the other schools you have listed base admission (at least in part) on audition, so you have a better chance. But I also recommend a couple “safeties” that are non-audition and match your academic stats.</p>
<p>Looks like a great list. I would add a few non-audition programs into the mix just to be safe. This is such a competitive field that the more schools you apply to, the better. Are you doing on-site auditions or Unifieds? I do agree with the above that NW might be a reach as they are very competitive academically. I believe UMich might also be so. As far as dance goes, you should definitely take every opportunity you can to improve before auditions. While it is only a portion of the audition, every little edge that you can get will help you are competing against 100’s of talented performers for a spot at a school. You don’t have to be the best dancer out there, but it would be very helpful if you are familiar with the terminology and can pick up the moves and show a great attitude.</p>
<p>depending on the rest of your stats Tisch may also be a high match or reach academically… NOT taking into account the HIGHLY competitive nature of the audition piece. </p>
<p>All of your auditioned programs are top notch competitive from an auditioned standpoint… Mich, Tisch and Penn State/Syracuse/ Ithaca (to an extent) are also highly competitive academically. </p>
<p>Northwestern is academically HIGHLY competitive and the audition is not factored into admissions.</p>
<p>CMU is artistically HIGHLY competitive and the academics are only slightly factored into the admissions equation (from what I understand).</p>
<p>You have quite a mix of programs there…</p>
<p>Penn State, Northwestern with a pretty significant academic component outside of the major to your training. </p>
<p>Ithaca, NYU, & Syracuse with about 21 - 30+ credits outside of your major.</p>
<p>CMU with very few credits outside of your major… </p>
<p>Just because a school has few credits outside of the major does NOT mean it is “light” academically, but it does mean that there may be fewer opportunities to explore academics outside of your major discipline. </p>
<p>What are you loking for in an academic environment?</p>
<p>Your answer to that question will help CCers to suggest schools (safety, match. reach) that may meat your criteria.</p>
<p>PS… for safety schools to be suggested you will have to be more specific about your academic stats, test scores, etc… :)</p>
<p>thanks all! and i need to double major, as my dad doesn’t want to pay for my college education for me to get ONLY a MT degree. For KatMT, by the end of this year my GPA should get up to a 3.55. Critical reading is a 600. Writing is a 600. And Reading is a 600. Any ideas what my safeties, matches, and reaches could be?</p>
<p>If a double major is a must, then you may need to rethink some of the schools on your list. At CMU, the structured curriculum only permits a couple of classes outside of the department. At Ithaca, the MT program is a double major in theater and music with only 6 elective classes outside of the department. As with many BFA programs, the problems with attempting to double major are having sufficient room in the structured curriculum to take the required number of courses for the 2nd major and finding sections of the courses you need for the 2nd major that do not conflict with the schedule of your mandated MT classes (that usually have assigned sections). You may want to call the theater departments of the schools on your list and discuss whether the department believes a double major is possible.</p>
<p>On the other hand, you may want to search the MT forums for the various discussions about double majors and the misimpression some hold that an undergrad degree in MT is somehow inferior to and does not prepare a student for post graduation life as will a major in another area. It’s generally just not so. An undergrad degree in MT is a legitimate and creditable degree that will prepare a student for further education or to enter the work world just as well as most liberal arts undergrad degrees.</p>
<p>You may find that a BA program would be better suited for a double major. Since many of the BFA programs require few credits outside of the major, it is difficult to double major. I suppose you could always do it if you are willing to stay an extra year or two, but it is definitely more difficult. Even the programs that do offer a more academic program do not necessarily encourage a double major. My daughter is a MT at Penn State and while they do not prohibit double majors, they are not encouraged. Between classes and rehearsals, it would be difficult time-wise to focus on another area of expertise. There are programs out there that will work, but you will need to do a lot of research to find those that will work for you. I have to agree with MichaelnKat that the MT major does a great job preparing one to enter the work force or pursue higher education. The majority of adults that I know are not working in a field related to their college degree. The college experience is so much about learning how to cope with various situations, how to deal with different types of people, and how to accomplish a goal. The MT degree pushes students to the max in those areas. In any event, make sure you really research your options.</p>
<p>If you are interested in double majoring - take a look at American. It is a BA, so there is a lot of flexibility. It is by audition, but not extremely competitive. And your academic stats are in the right range. It might be a “match” for you.</p>
<p>I agree that a BA program is generally better suited for a double major but make sure that the program offers a lot of flexibility to do so. </p>
<p>My S went into Fordham’s BA program planning to double major and I do not think he will be able to complete all the requirements without taking a number of summer classes. The Theatre department is very small and the classes are required to be taken in sequence with only one or two sections available so he has to schedule all of his core classes around his Theatre classes…and Fordham has a massive core. I expect the problems that he is potentially facing trying to double major at Fordham are not unlike the problems that a BFA student would face. Granted, he is trying to double major within the Theatre department in Performance (two sections) and Playwriting (only one) and maybe it would be easier for him if his second major was in a larger department that offered more sections for their required classes. </p>
<p>I think you need to carefully consider not only each school and program but also what you are planning to add as your second major because it will probably determine how feasible a double major is. Of course, that assumes that your father also wants you to graduate in four years and you want to minimize the number of classes you need to take in the summer. </p>
<p>Read carefully MichaelnKat’s post and also consider that not all BA programs offer the flexibility that you may need. Good luck! :)</p>
<p>are you a junior or a senior? If a senior, generally only your first semester GPA will be sent to schools.</p>
<p>In what part of the country do you live? How much are you able to pay for college. All of this can impact school list… safety consideration (both academic and financial [if needed])</p>
<p>In terms of double majoring… it may generally be more doable at a BA program, however, as others have already said, this will not always be the case. </p>
<p>I know people who have successfully double majored and graduated within four years from NYU. Penn State students already have a significant number of general education credits outside of the major, it may be difficult to double major on top of that and graduate within four years. I have heard it is possible at UMich and Syracuse. I am a Syracuse alum and the only students in the drama department who I remember double majoring were the B.S. Drama students.</p>
<p>I teach in a BA program, and we occasionally have students who choose to double major (currently 2 out of 41), and a few who minor in another area (currently 2 or 3 out of 41). School of Media Arts and Design, English, and Communications are the most likely double majors, Non-Profit Studies, and Creative Writing are the most likely minors. </p>
<p>Some non-auditioned programs to look at:</p>
<p>Christopher Newport U. – VA (audition for program at end of freshman year, I believe. Students can do a five year program leading to a teaching degree)
Muhlenberg – PA (auditions for scholarships only) – academically you may be on the low end of their admit stats… not sure.<br>
Columbia College – IL (I believe students audition at a later date [like end of freshman year])
University of New Hampshire – NH</p>
<p>Thanks again guys, it’s been a huge help! And to megpmom, I have been looking at American’s program. Do you think their program will sufficiently prepare me for the work world? (Will broadway casting directors or casting directors in general take me serious?)</p>
<p>re: American - My D is just a freshman at AU. So far, she is happy with the training, especially the dance department. She likes her voice teacher, but since she already had significant voice training in HS, she is still waiting to see if this teacher can take her to the next level vocally. And there are many, many performance opportunities. My D has had to turn down opportunities and is already in a mainstage production in her first semester. How will this all pan out in the end? Don’t know. But she has friends at BFA and BA programs all over the country (she was in a performing arts HS) and she feels that she is getting as much “real world” experience as all of her friends (and much more performance time than most first year BFAs).</p>
When you start talking about something as subjective as casting/selecting for talent, and when the numbers who get in are just sooo tiny compared to those who apply, you have to quickly accept the fact that you might, probably will, get some rejections and it is NOT a poor reflection on you. Just in case the most unthinkable happens and they were all filled up with your type at your first choices - have that safety.</p>