<p>Our D has good SAT scores… Critical reading -700, Math - 610, Writing - 680.
Her weighted GPA is about 3.7 and she has had SAT subject tests scores of 740 and 720 on Literature and US History.</p>
<p>I did speak with Carnegie Mellon about how tough it was to get in to the school and the nice person in admissions stated that the Theater department had the ability to persuade the admissions department that a student should be accepted if they met the minimum qualifications and were highly desired by their department. I know UCLA told me the same thing.</p>
<p>What are your thoughts?</p>
<p>BTW, I have really enjoyed your posts this year. Thanks for your time in helping our kids!</p>
<p>It’s a BA in Drama with requirements, of course, but a lot of latitude in how you structure your schedule. Also, if you come in with AP’s or IB credit you free up much more space for extra electives. Those could be acting, dance, speech for theater, sound design, costumes, and so forth. There is a credit maximum but it can be bumped up if you have room in your schedule for more classes.
MT is by audition in so you audition and start in MT1 or MT2 which you can take 3 times before auditioning for the next level. Or you could move up sooner. Or not at all. the BFA audition happens after MT3. So it’s a risk if you’re a BFA or nothing person. of course at CSUF it’s works the other way. You could be cut. I prefer this.</p>
<p>Dance classes are through the school of dance or MT dance department which is new last year. </p>
<p>Freshman can be cast in mainstages. I’m not going to lie, it doesn’t happen to many but it happens. Everyone can audition. Additionally, there are tons of other productions on campus. Some led by student directors or MFA’s. So, no it’s not like what your describing. Students can also do off campus shows in the area. </p>
<p>On talent, I meant students but the faculty is amazing! </p>
<p>This program is really hard to explain because it is different and individual. I can see someone getting disgruntled because it only works if you are aggressive about getting what you need It’s a public school. But it’s awesome.</p>
<p>Mosdad - I have a daughter at UC Irvine. She’s pretty pleased. Of course, you can’t compare it to CMU but those were not her choices. For her, I think the biggest thing was quality of the faculty. She wanted work not fun. I’d say she’s satisfied.</p>
<p>She has been in 2 mainstages thus far. It is possible.</p>
<p>Thanks for a great reply. We did visit UC Irvine and really like the campus and the people we met. We learned about the MT1- Mt3 program while there but it seems confusing! Thanks for clearing it up a bit! </p>
<p>I am a bit leery of programs like UCI that let a student into the campus then make them take a lot of classes before actually getting into a BFA program… seems risky to me. I would like to see our D get into an audition program that is up front about it… but then makes you audition to remain in the program. Seems like this process would weed out kids that were not doing well and need to find another niche. But, having said that, our D does not HAVE to be in a BFA MT program. She liked the UCI campus and people and has a friend their now. We have spoken to a parent of a senior there who is in the MT department and she has done well. The question about UCIrvine becomes then, what if she does not get into the BFA MT program… ? Would the BA theater program be enough to give her what she needs in terms of skill and connections?</p>
<p>Not yet. But, it’s too early. She’s still working her way through the system. LOL. Her first mainstage was Sophomore year.</p>
<p>She’s had leads in a play and a musical mainstage but has also been in a bunch of other productions. People get hung up on the mainstage thing but the students really don’t see them as the be all and end all. They stay busy.</p>
<p>The BFA there is odd. It’s not like the audition in BFA’s at all. Most of the classes are also available to the BA’s with the exception of a song rep class and some work on their showcase material. Training wise I think she would agree it’s not a significant difference but she wants the F on her diploma, of course.</p>
<p>She was! And, yeah, that was a good one. Thanks!</p>
<p>Mosdad, my D’s year she was accepted in Feb so she knew that going into auditions which you already have with Fullerton but it made her much more picky about audition schools because there was a lot she liked abut UCI .</p>
<p>You mentioned Mosdad that your other daughter is at Cal Poly Pomona. Have you looked at their program for acting? They have an acting concentration (sub plan) with a lot of voice, movement, and acting classes. Might be worth a look.</p>
<p>MosDad… Your Ds grades seem definitely competitive for the auditioned programs on her list that take academics into consideration… including NYU, BU, UCLA. I am not sure of the stats needed for Northwestern, hers seem in range, but because there is no audition it is all based on paper, I believe? This will be a tougher admit because thee academic admissions standards are in the “Ivy” range. </p>
<p>With programs that have an academic admissions standard as well as artistic, things are doubly unpredictable. It is great that she has solid grades. Those should not get in the way of her admissions at programs that consider both academic and artistic for admissions decisions. </p>
<p>I teach in an auditioned BA program (both MT and Theatre) at James Madison. Her grades would certainly be in range for us, as well as put her in the acceptable merit aid range with a strong audition. This will vary from school to school. </p>
<p>She has a lot of different types of programs on her list. A way to narrow down is solidify the kinds of programs she might like to attend and focus on those types of programs.</p>
<p>Thanks for the tip on Cal Ply Pomona. I think I heard the girls mention it… or was it Pomona College nearby… part of the conglomerate of colleges whose name I forget? I believe she has enough faith in Fullerton still to take their offer over ca Poly Pomona…</p>
<p>You know, I just had another thought about UCI to throw in here that could explain Bisou’s issues because I think her daughter is straight acting not MT. That changes things. Without the musical theater offerings UCI would probably be a lot less appealing. Not there aren’t very happy and VERY talented acting kids there but MT is a big part of the drama dept. even at the lower levels.</p>
<p>Thanks for the lookover… she is fairly strong academically for a drama kid, I think. And I’m glad to hear that you think her record will help her with the admission office of many of these schools. That has been one of our big concerns and we actually thought that CMU was out of her league and not really worth trying for until I called the admission office this week and had someone there tell me that if the theater school wants her and she makes the min qualifications for academics, then they can sway the school to help get her in. So that was a big plus for her confidence.</p>
<p>About narrowing it down… her big strength in life is being smart, tough and mature… along with that mindset comes the ability to see issues from many sides. She loves straight acting and would love to go to London for a semester and study, e.g. And to breathe the rarefied air of Broadway for 4 years would be an adventure… it’s the adventure she is after and the stage of acting, be it MT, Film or otherwise is her broad goal. And I believe this ultimately will mean that she will be a happy person. She is easily content with what she has around her. Which is good in this life, eh? But for us parents it means that a wide open window lets a lot of air in, so to speak. We are trying hard to narrow it down but it is also hard to tell her not to consider a school if the is interested and can make the application deadlines. This is a very, very important time for a child to spread their wings, make a big decision and we are their with them to aid them when we can and try to provide wisdom… thanks for giving me a little of yours. ;-)</p>
<p>I’ll continue to research and perhaps call more of the schools on the list and also peruse these forums a little more and see if there is any more I can glean. When it all comes down to it some schools will be dropped if she can’t get their app in on time!</p>
<p>I checked out JM’s website just now. I like the philosophy of go, see, do and learn by doing. What is the personality of the nearby community? I don’t even know where you are located… I’m so sorry! Though I have heard of JM in these threads and seen good things written here…it has eluded our radar for the most part. There are so many gems out there.</p>
<p>Thanks, Flossy… I think that could explain it. Some schools have a strong BFA and I can see how the BA program could be a bit of a step child environment in some ways. UCI is a different breed… and that’s OK. We need different types of academic situations.</p>
<p>JMU is in VA in Harrisonburg in the Shenandoah Valley. Approximately 2 hours to Washington DC, and 6 hours to NYC.</p>
<p>The town is a college town, cute restaurants and shops. Apparently, Harrisonburg is one of the most diverse communities in the state. </p>
<p>The campus is large, but pretty. About 18,000 students. Most come from northern VA, Richmond, VA Beach, MD, DC, PA, NJ, NY, CT, etc… but, some do come from farther away… ex. in the MT program we have students from Alaska, Iowa, Georgia, etc…</p>
<p>My kids have friends in both of the California schools.</p>
<p>From what I’ve seen getting cut is much worse than not getting the BFA. They only take 8 students but as others have said it’s a winnowing process that is self-selecting much more than you might think. Several students my daughter knows started with that goal but moved into other areas on their own and ultimately decided not to audition. One is more singer than actress and is pursuing music and business classes another hated the constant auditioning and realized that was not the life for her…I could go on. We also know a very talented boy who didn’t get the BFA but moved to NYC and is currently working.</p>
<p>This is to answer the what happens if you don’t get it question. Hope it helps.</p>
<p>Either way of doing it seems to have its issues. I would like to see her have a few more safety schools on her list which is top heavy with dream schools.Good luck to your child!</p>