Advice needed - Strengths & Weaknesses

Hi, My daughter is a strong student ( 4.2 GPA) , will graduate with about 10 AP Classes and is ranked high in her class. She is a very strong dancer ( for MTE), strong actress and good singer. Sometimes great singer, sometimes not - depending on the style of music. She really has her sights set on majoring in MT in college although is concerned about how competitive it is. She was recently selected for Penn States Summer program and that has brought some confidence that maybe this can really happen. She is also going to Open Jar this summer. My question is … how heavily will academics weigh? How much is dance an advantage ? And will the singing be a deal breaker if she doesn’t pick just the right song for an audition? Her resume looks great on paper, her transcript and experiences look great and her recommendations are great. She has her heart set on this as a major and we are trying to decide how realistic that is? Any advice or help would be welcome!

Get an audition coach. Lots of schools and a couple safety schools. Honestly I am not sure how much a resume matters and the academics are important for academic acceptance but I don’t thing the academics mean a thing to the MT departments (I could be wrong). Good luck!

For some programs academics are really important. Such as NYU and Michigan. You won’t pass Michigan’s prescreen if you are not academically qualified

Dance can give you an advantage/edge at schools where dance is important (Point Park, FSU…anywhere you find they have a dance call required or dance in their pre-screen). But, my belief is advanced singing skills is a must over the other two factors, unless you are ok being redirected to Acting…which I’ve seen happen…but, different schools emphasize acting v. dance as the secondary importance…lots of posts on here about the schools that do if you are adept at the search tool here : )…there are schools where academics are important (look at the academic acceptance profiles on College Data and you can tell). Make sure she knows her castable type and pick songs appropriately, dress to match that type and pick monologues that match. Picking less competitive/popular schools (does not equal less quality) is the key…schools in less desirable locations, not tied to a big football team or that only do on-campus auditions decreases the candidate pool. Also, schools that are considered academic will shut out candidates (or deter candidates). Picking a good list is very important.

Her resume doesn’t matter. Her transcript doesn’t matter (except in a handful of schools like U of Mich). Her recommendations don’t matter. What she does in the audition room matters.

Is it realistic? Maybe, maybe not … it’s as hard to be accepted artistically to the bulk of the BFA MT programs as is it to get into the elite Ivies. (And I’m not being overdramatic - I have a senior at Vanderbilt and her acceptance was MUCH easier than it was for my junior BFA MT major.)

If I had to do one thing over, it would be shelling out $$ for a coach. That is one of my biggest regrets.

Oh! If her academics fall into the right sweet spot, I would totally take a look at Northwestern University.

Academics (GPA & SAT) will matter for getting scholarships at many schools.

Academics, recommendations, essays etc will matter at some schools. I agree that the audition is the most important component for admission- but it is not the only one. Particularly at schools that are also academically competitive like Michigan, NYU, Penn State, Boston, and Syracuse. And as mentioned above - academics merit $$ may make all the difference in being able to afford a program- whether it got you admitted or not

If she is a strong dancer, you might wish to include some dance focused programs on your list. For example, CCPA has an MT track with a dance emphasis. I think Otterbein might as well. Another option would be to consider dance programs which include some voice and acting training. OCU has a phenomenal dance performance degree (different from its MT degree) whose graduates are working on Broadway, national tours and regionally. I’m sure there are others as well. I think including a program like OCU dance performance as part of your auditions might be an interesting alternative because it will put less pressure on the singing portion of your audition.

She does have an acting/vocal coach who is very good and has gotten a lot of kids into a lot of programs so we are doing that. She would definitely have an easier time getting into an Ivy for another program ~ we pointed that out… she wasn’t buying it!

@Melanie97 … just want to reiterate: is it a coach that has recently helped kids in their pursuit of a Musical Theatre BFA? Ones that they needed to audition for?

I want to be brutally honest and crystal clear: if you are putting trust into a coach to help, it is imperative that they have their finger on the pulse of this very specific college pursuit. Not 5 years ago. Not 10. Not vocal performance. Not music therapy. But Musical Theatre BFAs.

I highly recommend a musical theater college audition coach. Even if it is just couple of meetings to get pointed in the right direction

@Melanie97 who is she using for coaching?

I have been through the process with 2 kids now, both with local coaches only. What KaMaMom is saying is very true, most acting coaches/voice coaches are not aware of how complicated and competitive the process is. I think national “MT” or “theatre” college audition coaches seem to be more and more the way this whole process is going. They can certainly advise on which programs your kid is best suited for and help with appropriate audition material. We basically did our own research and legwork, it has worked out but still sometimes wonder what advice a coach would have given. Based on what I have seen this year, vs. last time around (2 years ago), things seem to be even more competitive. I think training (summer programs/workshops) is also helpful. One auditor noted my son was “green” -as in not much training- but then quickly added “they” would train him. The audition went as well as it could have gone but at the end of the day, he didn’t get in… Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions about our experience.

My S is really strong academically. Has gotten him numerous scholarships. Plus, he has a great theatrical resume. But it’s all about the audition. Even at NYU where it is weighted 50/50, you still need to be wanted by the BFA program and only then will admissions weigh in.

At Michigan you need to be what I call a pretty good student to be allowed to pass the prescreen. But once you get to the point, again it is about the audition.

Yes, has had many, many kids go to top schools for BFA in Musical Theatre… Carnegie Mellon, Penn State, Cincinnati etc. She has been phenomenal - she has been very good for my daughter because she is critical. She feels she will have no problem getting into a school but I know nothing… just have to go along for the ride!

TBH, no matter how good a child is, if a coach is saying they will have “no problem” getting into a school, I find that troubling. Every year there are talented kids who have trouble getting into BFA MT programs. We know professional kids who’ve been shut out or practically shut out. Yes, some of that may have been poor preparation or a list that’s too top heavy. But just like anything, I’m wary of anyone who makes broad promises, especially when it comes to college admissions, of which, frankly, we have little control no matter how much information we have and work we, and our kids, do.

I agree with @CTDramaMom .

In no way am I trying to be harsh, or unsupportive or burst your bubble … the fact that your coach says it won’t be a problem, is a problem for me. MT BFA acceptances are SOOOOO subjective. If the program has enough of your daughter’s type, odds are no matter how insanely talented your D is, she won’t get in … it’s just reality.

For academic programs, you can craft & shape your kid’s package - test scores, GPA’s, EC’s, references, etc - and up your chances of being accepted because all those things are hard & fast, tangible accomplishments. When it comes it artistic acceptances, it just doesn’t work the same way.

Like @CTDramaMom I’ve seen crazy talented, triple threat kids (with professional credits) get completely shut out. There is no sure thing.

I wish you and your girl nothing but the best and a fistful of acceptances when the time comes - but I also want to be completely honestly and share my opinion here as well.

@KaMaMom you said that so much better than I did! Thank you!

I agree @CTDramaMom and @KaMaMom ! Although I do hope her coach is right, I think it is very unfair to make a claim that she would have no problem getting into a program, which only creates false hope.