<p>My S is going to applying to quite a few BA schools, where he has done some research and all appear to have good theater programs. He is also doing some auditioned BFA schools as well. My question is, do you think they will factor in his pretty heavy theater resume( National awards, international awards, prestigious summer audition in programs, bringing a play to Edinburgh Fringe Festival, etc.) into their decision? We have found that almost all of his BA schools will take a theater supplement, meaning at uploaded resume and DVD, and a few even invite you to come to the school and audition in front of the theater faculty. It seems to me, that for those schools it has to mean something. But I could be totally wrong. Probably nobody knows the real answer to this, but wanted your thoughts.</p>
<p>I would say to not overload the resume with everything your S did (no matter how prestigious - remember one person’s prestige is another person’s standard). Have your S pick 4 or 5 things that he is really proud of, things he is really passionate about, and maybe elaborate a bit about these things on his resume. If he chooses to interview with these schools it will be a great jumping-off point for the interview! He can bring up other things as he sees fit.</p>
<p>I happen to agree with you MH, less is more for sure… and there is really no room on the CA to elaborate anyway. His college GC told him to only list National or International awards, so that is all he is adding. He said that if they ask for a resume then he can upload it, but if they don’t then do not. I was just wondering how much the LAC BA schools would factor it in.</p>
<p>The ones we’ve seen that accept an art supplement are upfront that it may tip the scale between two fantastic candidates but it’s not going to get a moderate candidate in. Some of the top tier schools hint pretty hard that if you aren’t a truly exceptional talent (namely famous,) than the supplement isn’t for you. The one girl we know that got into Stanford and did a supplement, for example, had multiple Broadway credits to her name.</p>
<p>That said, not all schools are that competitive. I’d look into the supplement expectations of the particular schools your S is looking into. Plus, he can still share his theatre in the activities section of the common app. He can still talk about his passion for theatre in the essay and writing supplements.</p>
<p>By top tier schools you mean Ivies? Or do you mean top tier theater schools?</p>
<p>Not top schools like the Ivy’s, Stanford, etc… I realize that they are only looking for exceptional talent. I am talking about Kenyon, Oberlin, Wooster, St Olaf, Occidental, Whitman, and Conn College. All take art supplements with the app, and most you can audition in person. I would say he is in the middle to higher range stat wise for all these schools, but just not over the top.</p>
<p>5boys, if a student auditions, that experience would likely trump any supplements to the app. After all, the theatre department/prof will make their own assessment and notes. Even if an applicant has great theatre ECs listed on paper, the real kid in front of the adjudicator will likely make the greatest impact.</p>
<p>In cases where the student cannot travel to meet the theatre dept (BA), I think great theatre ECs/credits will be expected and are reassuring to the admissions people. Will it overcome iffy gpa? It may not for BA in a typical LAC. But for someone in the range of gpa/sat, it will be a plus. </p>
<p>I’d think just by being a young man applying to an LAC would be the greater tip, and every theatre department needs males, so that’s an added tip.</p>
<p>I would be sure there’s a full resume, listing every important credit and showing the depth and breadth of his commitment to theater, backed up by an essay that talks about it. If he’s put in lots of time at different theaters, done some directing or tech, that shows a lot about who he is. Maybe some places will ignore it, but why not let his experience shine? (Madbean is right about boys and LAC theater depts.)</p>
<p>Sending a full resume will certainly not work against him.</p>
<p>^I certainly agree with GwenFairfax re: Kenyon specifically. Not sure the boy thing is that huge there, and they don’t audition (unless they made a major philosophical change in the last year), but admissions at a college like that likes to see depth and commitment. A laundry-list resume full of disparate activities can be interpreted as superficial and possibly meaningless, but evidence that your kid has invested significant, meaningful time and energy and achieved at a high level in an activity is only going to be an asset. That said, I do think a single-page resume is still the rule of thumb, so you may have to edit if his list of involvement is longer than that!</p>
<p>I am echoing others, be very selective in what is on the resume, and make sure it fits on one page. You are going to be up against a lot of other kids who have the same credentials so audition whenever possible.</p>
<p>Yes, I meant Ivy’s and schools like Amherst, Stanford, ect. Top theatre schools tend to want the audition. The audition will over-ride the supplement. UCLA said point blank that if you are accepted in the musical theatre program your scores and grades don’t matter lol. </p>
<p>For the schools you mentioned, sure, I’d have him do the arts supplement. It’s still about “tipping” in your favor over getting you in but certainly that’s not a bad thing!</p>
<p>Thanks all! Yup… a one page resume is what he has. Kenyon does not audition, you are right. A rep is coming to his HS next week. He is going to have all his questions ready regarding how he should best detail his theater stuff. I am not sure that Kenton takes an arts supplement either… couldn’t find it anywhere. His GC said that Kenyon is a reach for him. That’s fine, he isn’t 100% fixated on one school, although Kenyon has stood out for him, as it seems a good fit if he goes the BA LAC theater route. He loves writing, and wants a small intimate campus… although he still hasn’t taken BU off his list. We are visiting Kenyon, Oberlin and Wooster in Oct.</p>
<p>CDS for Kenyon- 1463 men applied 605 admitted, 2486 women applied 810 accepted. I think it is easier for a male to be admitted to Kenyon.</p>
<p>5boys, statistically Kenyon is like many/most schools in that a higher proportion of boys are accepted; what I was referring to was the suggestion that it would be a big advantage for a boy applying as a potential theater major there. I’d be surprised, for more than one reason, if that were specifically the case. I’ve known two highly qualified kids who were waitlisted by Kenyon, almost certainly for lack of demonstrated interest, and both were boys. Maleness in and of itself does not appear to be a big hook the way it might be at other places, that’s all. And I have the impression, from talking to people in the program, that they don’t really have an admissions pull either. Your son’s visit will definitely help in terms of showing interest! :)</p>
<p>I can’t believe anybody is telling you to leave things off your resume. Put it all on the resume (provided you can fit it on one page!!).</p>
<p>Leave off the “prestigious audition” (unless he got it). Don’t put things you auditioned for but didn’t get. (Even if you got a callback, etc).</p>
<p>If you have space issues (with the one page), you may want to summarize some of the things. An interviewer can then ask for more information, but if you leave it out they won’t.</p>
<p>A resume is going to be weighted differently by different programs, but at least it will be a tie-breaker.</p>
<p>LOL, KEVP!!! Your first statement says you can’t believe people are telling the OP to leave things off the resume, and your very next statement starts with “Leave off . . .” Funny!</p>
<p>5boys - you’ll figure it out. No one is just the things listed on his/her resume. The audition and/or interview will give your son an opportunity to present himself. And I’m sure he’ll do fine.</p>
<p>I’m sure Obama’s resume is significantly shorter now that he can leave off with the presidency!</p>
<p>LOL!! Thanks for the words of confidence MH:) Now that is actually getting closer I am starting to crack at little. I brings back all the memories( mostly the bad ones) of my 2012 S’s admission year/season, and I am wondering when this nervous ball in my stomach is going to go away. I feel like we have done our research and he has a great list, but all I can imagine right now is him holding a pile of rejections…UGH. I think watching our kids be rejected and hurt is probably one of the hardest things as a mom. It all worked out SO well for DS 2012, and he is gloriously happy at his school, so I should internally know that DS14 will be fine, and end up where he belongs. I think I will relax a bit when he gets his CA essay done. His resume is probably the least if my worries right now anyway. </p>
<p>KEVP… what I meant was getting accepted to a few prestigious summer programs that require and audition. He got into a few of these and with full scholarship to boot. I know that they WILL see his resume at his auditioned schools, and that the audition is the trump card there, but I was wondering about the BA non-auditioned schools. I think he will just ask each school individually and go from there. </p>
<p>Holly Molly this is stressful:(</p>
<p>Pick the experiences that are the most important. I would agree that you do not want to overload the resume and make it hard to read. The more work admissions has to do to read, the harder it will be to make the case for your son.</p>
<p>And, yes, the experiences he has will be helpful at any places he applies because they show his passion and impact. It’s pretty much as simple as that.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, my kids have not followed most of this advice, and have landed in well regarded LACs.</p>
<p>They always included a resume (there is always room for an attachment). Their resumes were more than one page (about three pages) and then listed all their activities including non-national or international (sorry but just how many students have international awards??). My kids went to plain old public schools and certainly didn’t have B’way credits to their names! They all did an artistic supplement. My D did a monologue tape and sent it to the BA schools.</p>
<p>Is that still the case though? I don’t see on the new common app that there is a place for attachments. My daughter was told that was done away with. There is no attaching a resume unless you are doing the arts supplement. You have 10 slots for activities and that is that (and that is tough for theatre kids.)</p>
<p>KEVP —obviously you’ve never done admissions! There’s nothing worse than a resume that screams, “I am NOT confident enough to leave off the things that don’t really matter.”</p>