<p>I've heard that some schools may reject you for the MT program but offer you a place in for example a BA in Theatre program. If you apply to a school just as a MT applicant, does this happen? Has anyone known of this happening or what schools do this? Any stories of anyone going this route and then at a later year being accepted to the MT program? </p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>This happens in the UK quite a lot. And yes, some people are able to switch to the MT course or from MT to acting in their second year - but you need to really show you can do it and have a good reason.</p>
<p>The answer to your question is very school specific. Some schools, like Emerson, lock you into your application and if rejected for MT, will not offer you admission in any other program in the theatre department (but may offer you an academic admission to another department). Some schools will offer Acting to qualified applicants who did not meet the vocal requirements for MT but had a strong acting audition (I think Ithaca might). Review the application carefully to determine if you can indicate "alternate" programs as secondary choices and if so, in what departments, and also call the schools of interest and ask.</p>
<p>Mom -- my D auditioned at CMU for the MT program several years ago. (In that year they told us they were only going to take 4 girls in the program) She was turned down for MT, but offered a place in the Acting BFA class. It does vary by school.</p>
<p>This happens fairly often at Carnegie Mellon, and those accepted into acting (the almost-as-competitive-as-MT BFA program) can re-audition for MT at the beginning of their freshman year (and at other times, too) and often do get accepted into MT. (I think this happened to 2 people this year - kaysmom would know better than I :) ).</p>
<p>Thank you for your replies. I really appreciated hearing of incidents where this happened.</p>
<p>Coach C is right in that this happens quite frequently at CMU. A few girls and guys who were accepted as actors re-auditioned for the MT program this year and 2 girls were moved to the MT program. They are absolutely fabulous and it's hard to believe that they weren't offered MT admission to begin with....but there just aren't enough spots. So many of CMU's actors are students who auditioned MT! Most of the curriculum is the same with the exception of the dance and voice classes but some of the actors opt for private voice. There is a guy in A Chorus Line now on Broadway from CMU who was an actor but he is obviously quite a talented dancer and singer so the definitely overlap a lot at CMU!</p>
<p>Syracuse and Ithaca also asked at the audition if you would consider acting if not offered MT. Elon used to offer a BA in Theater Studies or Acting (I believe) to some but I am not sure if they do that any longer. Otterbein also considers you for a few different areas when you apply MT. </p>
<p>Good luck to you! :)</p>
<p>That's really exciting to add Syracuse and Ithaca to the potential list ...Thanks!</p>
<p>My D attends Syracuse -- the Acting & MT departments are very closely intertwined. We just saw their production of "Fiddler on the Roof" (at the Syracuse Stage, which is an Equity theater on campus) -- and quite a few of the roles were played by acting students rather than MT students.</p>
<p>MomOfAPrincess:</p>
<p>Someone else just asked a similar question on the Otterbein thread, so let me refer you over there:</p>
<p>See post #273,</p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p>UArts sometimes does, and often those candidates end up at UArts because they auditioned for MT everywhere and not everybody has a policy like that. Definitely not always true, but there are cases.</p>
<p>At NYU's Tisch, you get placed in one of 8 studios, only 1 of which (CAP21) is MT. But we've been told there's plenty of cross-pollenization and students not in CAP21 can audition for musicals (after freshman year, of course). Also, in your junior year you can switch studios, so get into CAP21 that way. My D had CAP21 as her first choice, but was placed in Strasberg. (She's ecstatic about that, btw.) She was told that Strasberg is the "next best thing" to CAP21 for MT, and in fact singing and dance are part of the curriculum in Strasberg.</p>
<p>I think somewhere on here there was the opinion that if your heart is in MT it's better to stay away from a school with a BFA MT program if you are going for a BA Theatre instead. Would CMU, Syracuse and Ithaca be exceptions if you didn't get in at any of your BFA choices?</p>
<p>My personal opinion is, if you want to study and train in theater and don't get into a BFA, then attend a BA school that has a theatre major (most do), but not to attend a BFA school that also has a BA in theater. </p>
<p>That said, CMU doesn't have a BA in theater. As well, if you apply for their BFA and are not accepted, you are not accepted at all to CMU anyway. Please know that some schools are ONE process (all or nothing) and some are bifurcated where the academic and artistic admissions processes are separate. CMU is ONE process. Even if it wasn't, it doesn't have a BA in Drama. </p>
<p>Syracuse is also a ONE process school. You either get into the BFA or not and if not, you are not accepted to Syracuse. Even if you could be accepted, I don't think there is a BA Drama track there as freshmen.....there may be a BA track for those who do not advance in the BFA after sophomore evaluations. In any case, this is not an option there if not admitted to the BFA. </p>
<p>Ithaca....I also think may be all or nothing, but I am not entirely sure. You may be able to be admitted to the university if not for the BFA (though it is still a singular admissions process and not separate notification). I think they do have a BA. My personal opinion would be NOT to attend the BA in theater there because of their strong BFA and I feel the BA students would be secondary to the BFA ones. </p>
<p>If wanting a BA backup, I would add BA schools with good theater to the list, rather than attend the BFA school without the BFA. In many cases, you won't even be given that option (ie., CMU, NYU, Michigan, Syracuse) because it is ONE admissions process. In other cases, you may be admitted separately to the university and to the BFA program and would have the option of attending the university if academically admitted but either the college has no BA in Theater OR it is the "lesser" of the two programs and BA student might be competing with BFA ones for casting, etc. Another consideration for a strong academic student is that many BFA in MT programs are not in very selective colleges and so if the student is going to do a BA, they may have chosen a more selective college for the BA and not the same colleges where the BFA exists but attend for its BA degree. </p>
<p>There are many fine BA schools for theater and my suggestion is to put those on the list as back up, rather than the BA at the BFA schools as the back up (as well as this is not even an opion at some schools to be admitted separately, or they don't have a BA in Theater). There are exceptions....such as at Indiana, I could see considering the BA in the Individualized Major in MT if not admitted for the BFA in MT.</p>
<p>At Syracuse there is no BA in Drama... there is a BS track but those students go through the same admissions process as BFA and all performers are in the same classes for the first two years of the program. Students in other majors at Syracuse may not audition for departmental mainstage productions... there is a departmental student run black box theatre (I believe it is still there), but when I was a student there students outside of the major are not particularly likely to be cast. </p>
<p>I think SU does have some non-departmental student run theatre for students in other majors who want to keep performing advocationally.</p>
<p>But -- this info is more useful to someone who is thinking of applying to Syracuse in another major, since (as Soozie says -- Syracuse is a one process school)</p>
<p>Syracuse has a BFA and a BS in Drama: College</a> of Visual and Performing Arts : Acting</p>
<p>On the admissions application to Syracuse you could list 3 choices for major. I think if you checked as a 2nd or 3rd choice one of their Drama programs, if you didn't get in to your first choice of BFA MT that they would take the same audition to consider you for the other choices. At least this is what I think....I'll call and double check that. </p>
<p>As for CMU, Syracuse and Ithaca being an "all or nothing" audition, that isn't what I was reading from the comments above by Onstage, Coach, kaysmom</p>
<p>
[quote]
As for CMU, Syracuse and Ithaca being an "all or nothing" audition, that isn't what I was reading from the comments above by Onstage, Coach, kaysmom.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I think you MAY be getting confused here. What onstage, Coach, and kaysmom are referring to with CMU is that you can be considered for EITHER the BFA in MT or the BFA in Acting. In fact, as a personal reference, my D auditioned at CMU for MT but was put on the priority waitlist for the BFA in Acting. Likewise, at Syracuse and Ithaca, you can check off on a form at auditions if you want to be considered for EITHER the BFA in MT or the BFA in Acting (my D chose to only be considered for teh BFA in MT at those two schools and was admitted to that program at both.) At CMU, every MT applicant is also considered for Acting (you don't specify a willingness to be considered for acting there). </p>
<p>So, they are talking about being offered a BFA in Acting vs. a BFA in MT, I believe. But YOU are talking about (or at least on another thread as well), about if not being accepted into the BFA in MT, being offered a BA degree program at these schools. That is entirely different. </p>
<p>As I outlined, that is NOT possible at CMU. CMU is ONE admissions process. If you don't get into the BFA, you are not admitted to CMU. Further, they do not have a BA in Drama there.</p>
<p>At Syracuse, I was under the impression that if not accepted to the BFA, you are not accepted to Syracuse. The admission was one process and we received one admissions letter (unlike schools such as Elon, Otterbein, and several others that have separate university/academic admissions and separate BFA admissions.) At Syracuse, you can opt to be considered for either the BFA in MT or the BFA in Acting. I wasn't aware of the BS option for freshmen in theater but maybe onstage or Kat can comment on that. I know there is a BS there for those who don't pass soph evaluations. Maybe there is a BS option for freshmen, I am not sure. I don't know anyone who is applying to Syracuse for a BFA who is interested in attending if not accepted to the BFA program, however. My D has a friend at Syracuse who wanted the BFA in MT but got into the BFA in Acting and is now attending that program. Again, that is not the same question I thought you were posting here and on another thread about the BA fall back option.</p>
<p>At Ithaca, you can opt to be considered for either the BFA in MT or the BFA in Acting (or just one). My D has a good friend from our region who auditioned at Ithaca for the BFA in MT but got the BFA in Acting and is now a junior in that program. He still does musicals. I think, as I wrote before, that you might be able to still get into Ithaca if not accepted to the BFA and in fact, they DO have a BA. Sporti once attended Ithaca in that capacity but has since transferred out. But Ithaca is still one process and you are not notified separately of an academic admission. Personally, I would not opt to attend Ithaca for the BA in Theater, given its strong BFA program. i would pick a strong BA theater school with no BFA program over it. But that is just my view. </p>
<p>I think my comments coincide with the others but that you may be confusing that they were commenting on BFA in Acting if not BFA in MT, and I was discussing the BA, as that was your question. I may be wrong but that is my take on this.</p>
<p>Right...I was comparing MT with Acting....and confusion was coming from BFA and BA. I think I got it now....thanks</p>
<p>OK, yeah, your first post on this thread asked about being offered a BA in Theater if not accepted to the BFA in MT. Then, some were discussing being offered a BFA in Acting if not admitted to the BFA in MT. Those are different things. Also, it varies quite differently from school to school. Also, some schools are one process and some have separate academic admissions processes. On another thread you were also discussing the BA back up. So, these are all different things. My earlier response was on the original BA question but now that I see others were talking of BFA in Acting, I have hopefully clarified the two. It can get confusing and on top of that, there is wide variation between schools.</p>
<p>If I sounded confused...it's because I am/was LOL! It's easy to be confused on boards like this too. You seem to have a real art to understanding what I'm TRYING to say....Thanks! </p>
<p>Plus my mind is on upcoming auditions...how to avoid luggage being lost (containing leotards, etc) dealing with this 3 oz rule for carryon liquids, how she is going to keep up her GPA while she misses most Thur and Fridays for the next 2 months...etc etc!!!! Just put me in a time machine and move me forward to April!!!!</p>