Thanks for the help!! So Muhlenburg is non-audition it sounds like?
Are any of these colleges super religious as well? I would like to stay away from those.
Also I just researched Rider again and on their website it said that Rider was Liberal Arts and same with Point Park then I believe that CAP 21 has an academics program that goes with the conservatory. I don’t know about Pace though… is it conservatory? I though it wasn’t.
Muhlenberg does not require an audition, but offers one for scholarship purposes campus. It was one of my D’s academic safeties- and she has a couple friends very happy there. (One she is working with this summer) We went to do the audition in early Oct (about a 6 hour drive for us- and they only do the auditions on weekdays) as a “practice/warm up” - and I am really glad we did. Helped calm the nerves etc. They do no have rolling admissions- so unless you do ED you won’t hear until March. But D got a letter a few weeks after auditions that informed her she was a finalist for a particular scholarship which said essentially - “this doesn’t guarantee admission, but it’s safe to take it as a ‘really good sign’.” Took a bit of pressure off. The school does have a religious affiliation (Lutheran) but idk if it is a “strong” affiliation
Definitely get your applications in early and sign up for auditions as soon as you can. My top program pick was the BFA Theatre Arts program at DePaul, and I finished my application about two or three weeks early, thinking that would put me in the clear for reserving an interview and portfolio review, but EVERY time slot was already filled.
Some schools are more accomodating than others about finding an audition time for you when their days are technically booked full. There are usually waitlists for audition times that you can be put on, too, if you’re in that situation. That’s what I did, and it worked out for me. When I was at New York unifieds, I received an email saying space had cleared up, and they could see me the next day at 2 pm. Luckily, it fit into my schedule for the day perfectly - though I would have cancelled other appointments if it hadn’t - and I was accepted to the program. Happy ending, but lots of stress that could have been avoided if I’d gotten my stuff in earlier.
I would approach AMDA carefully. It is a very expensive program (as are many of the MT programs), however, if you ever want to transfer or continue with your education at a higher level, you may find that very few other schools will accept AMDA credits or degrees. An acquaintance is currently half way through a college program where she had to start over as a freshman after none of the schools on her list would accept any of her AMDA credits. Since most of her credits from AMDA were performance type classes, she had only expected that they might transfer as general ed credit, but they were not accepted even on that level. I’m not saying AMDA is not an appropriate program for some people, but it is something to be aware of. In our experience, there are few people who are rejected from the AMDA program, but they do seem to try to weed people out after the first year. There are many reasons that some choose AMDA and it may be right for them- I would not have paid for my D to attend there but that is just us. We have seen some very talented people come out of their program and be successful- my gut is that they would have been successful regardless of what program they attended or didn’t attend- but nonetheless, there are talented people attending. In any event, just be sure to investigate them thoroughly before making any decisions.
My daughter has a friend that will be starting at AMDA this year. My daughter plans to vicariously live through her friend this year and pick her brain as to whether or not she should consider going there…technically her friend will be my daughters guinea pig. Lol. I think my daughter wants more of a conservatory program, so this may (or may not) be a good fit for her. We shall see…Im also wondering if it is better to do their 4 year program or if she just wants the technical aspect of it, if the 2 year program would be ok. Interested to hear peoples thoughts on that.
A friend’s daughter just finished 2 years at AMDA in NYC and is moving to LA to finish her BFA at the campus there. She is happy with the program, and chose it over an MT BFA acceptance at a traditional school. It is possible to obtain a degree through them. But as with any choice, careful research is a good idea.
It is possible to obtain a degree there, however credits earned will most likely not be transferrable and any degree earned will probably not count to be used when applying to any master’s programs. AMDA is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theater, but not by any of the 6 Regional Accrediting Agencies that most schools use as the standard to accept credits from other schools. That is not a problem as long as any student plans to start and finish there and not pursue any higher education, or if they plan to get a 2-year certification. However, it is just something to consider if there is any possibility of transferring midway through the program. The school may still be a good fit for some students, but it is definitely something students should keep in mind when considering their options.
My d applied to the American Academy of Dramatic arts and used the audition as her first “warm up.” They also take a lot of kids, are very expensive, and it is not a BA or BFA program. The audition was great and helped boost her confidence. You could definitely audition at AMDA, but do a lot of research…and don’t forget there are a lot of wonderful programs that are at four-year liberal arts schools that will give you a wonderful education and great training.
**Asked my son about the Otterbein numbers and he said Otterbein accepted 9 MT and 9 Acting. He didn’t know the gender breakdown. Please keep Otterbein on your “possible” list if it seems like a school/program you may like. The acceptance numbers are small, but you never know unless you try. It was a real long shot for son, but he was accepted and it has been a great place for him. 
^^Yup you’re right. I saw a pic and the breakdown was 9 males and 9 females for MT and Acting total.
Two of the acting girls are friends and HS classmates of my D- they both LOVED their 1st year at Otterbein - nothing but raves. And both are also feeling that they got to keep building their mt skills too.
Is it worth it to apply to a school that accepts barely any?? Also what has anyone heard about Marymount Manhattan?
There is the old saying “you can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket”. That was our attitude with CMU - where the pool was well over 2000+. Otterbein is for sure a small class, but I believe their audition #s are well under 1000 (600 is the. Number from the class size audition #s thread) so that is a smaller pool (though still a tough admit!) Just make sure that your list is balanced.
D has a friend at Marymount Manhattan - he seems happy. (And always does well in the summer work circuit if that is an indication) I believe it is considered “less competitive” than some other schools for admission, but still has good training opportunities- and of course, being in NYC is a huge draw for many (including my kid). Another girl D knows was accepted there last year (I believe it was her only bfa acceptance) but was unable to attend for financial reasons.
Just a quick thought on school #s in general- don’t assume that b/c. School takes a lager or smaller # the training is less individualized. Some schools accept a single “group” of 10-20 kids- and that is the class. Other accept more- but then divide them up into multiple groups. Boco, Boston, NYU (among others) are examples of well known schools that all take larger numbers, but you never have more than 12-15 in your “class”- so there is still a lot of personal attention. No idea how amda works in this regard. Downside- more competition for casting in mainstage shows. Upside- a larger and more diverse group to work within- which mimics post grad life a bit more realistically.
@BeccaW444, both the University of Washington’s BA in Individual Studies with concentration in MT and Central Washington’s BFA in Musical Theatre require an audition. Be sure to read up closely on what the UW’s program is and is not. It bears little resemblance to the curriculum at Central nor many of the other programs people are mentioning above. It is designed to be completed in two years in conjunction with other fields of study. If that makes sense for you, great. It’s an awesome school. Just wanted to be sure you understood the differences as well as the audition requirement.
I will research, thank you!