BFA Acting Class of 2023: preparation, prescreens, auditions, questions and support

Wesleyan can be very academically competitive. My daughter, who had a 1500 SAT and over 4.0 GPA got in, while my older son, who had a 1460 SAT and over 4.0 GPA did not. Both were intended acting majors. I do love that school though–they’re so supportive of independent projects and out-of-the-box thinking.

My class of 2023 younger son has his eyes on an MT program, but both of my older kids are/were BFA Acting majors if I can be of any help to anyone here!

I just found some more information about LMU’s study abroad theater program. My D was accepted but I really didn’t have too many details about it except the short description on the Theater dept website. This link is much more detailed and has definitely answered some of my questions!
http://lmu.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=10005

@thespis1 Are you looking for merit scholarships based on grades/test scores? I don’t think LMU gives much merit money to theater students. I know one parent this year who got barely anything even though her daughter had very high stats and applied early action. I posted on the other thread that you should take a look at Chapman Screen Acting because it is a flexible program that allows a lot of options. They have a merit scholarship calculator on their website that is based on grades and test scores, and it was completely accurate in our case.

@thespis1 that statement is misleading about LMU. As a Jesuit University no, they are not very generous. Well, unless you’re a minority then you’re pretty much guaranteed to get something. However to say that they don’t give theater students much merit aid is completely false. Merit scholarships are based 100% on academics and standardized test scores, it has zero to do with the student’s intended major. In fact, there is a current theater freshman at LMU on a full ride and, according to my D, she is very low in the talent pool. She got that scholarship because of her grades. LMU does not give out any talent scholarships. Sad to say that my D did not get any money either, but plenty of other students she knows got between $10-25K per year. It’s worth applying and if you get nothing then he doesn’t go!

Hi @Twoboysandadog thank you! Chapman looks amazing. I like that they have Screenwriting and they are in California. DS is not interested in Film Studies but more in the production side of film. Ideally he would love to have a minor in screenwriting or film production. It look like Chapman only offers a BFA in Screenwriting. I wonder if he did a BFA in performance, he would be able to take some classes in screenwriting. He doesn’t feel like he needs to minor or major necessarily but it would be nice to have some mentorship and development in that area by taking some classes.

@thespis1 No, he would not be able to minor in screenwriting or film production, but there are some of those classes required as part of the BFA Screen Acting major. He could then minor in Television, which has some additional writing classes. Direct message me if you have any additional questions. Good luck in this process!

@Twoboysandadog GOT IT! I just took a look and liked what the BFA Screen Acting offers. Now my question is can they also audition for the plays and musicals?

@Twoboysandadog when you have basically a non-audition BA program there’s going to be a wide range of talent. Not so much the case with a BFA. This is what people need to understand when their kid is choosing between the two options. Technically LMU is auditioned but not really. My D’s biggest worry going in was how great the talent pool would be. I got no good information about that here on CC so she just crossed her fingers and made her choice. While she is very happy in her program she has come to realize it is not as selective as she had hoped. And I’ve told her, worry about yourself and do the work. But her point is, when she’s doing scene work with someone and they are constantly being interrupted because the other person needs so many corrections, it’s difficult to learn and improve. There’s no flow. Anyway, just keeping it real. I thought that’s what CC was for…getting the inside scoop. Sorry I don’t sugar coat that’s not me. But that being said, if I could, I would take it out but it’s too late.
@thespis1 Chapman was another school high on my D’s list but she was waitlisted and didn’t come off. Otherwise we would have had a tough decision.

@thespis1 Yes, Screen Acting kids can audition for all of the plays and musicals. There is no MT department so I don’t know how many musicals they actually do, but we’re going to their accepted student event this weekend and I will ask and message you.

Even though I have a couple of years to go before D will be going through this crazy process, I figure I should stop lurking, create an account, and jump in with questions! @thespis1 my D’s interests/focus sound a lot like your son’s, so keep asking awesome questions so I can learn from you! She has Chapman on her list of schools to look into as well. I didn’t put LMU on there just because I didn’t think they were very generous in the aid department, but that’s just based off of anecdotal info I’ve gleaned from reading these boards. Thank you to everyone who posts here regularly. Your assistance is far reaching… even if people don’t post here to say so!

@OrangeFish I applied to tech theater programs, and I believe the UNCSA one opened in September. Mine was submitted in December and I interviewed in February

Thank you, @Ashley102399! This info is very helpful.

@marg928 thank you. This is helpful. Yes, I have noticed that the BA can sometimes look like the ignored stepsister of the BFA program. We did look at American, and my D loved it. $ definitely a factor on that one, but she is going to give it a shot. We looked at Ithaca too, but it was too rural for her; she is used to and enjoys a more urban location. We will poke around at the others you mentioned. Thank you again.

Hello! Does anyone know anything about how Rutgers Early Action works with the Acting BFA? Thanks so much!

@sebbysabby, I would presume that it just means that if you apply early, you get your academic decision early. But that has nothing to do with your artistic decision.

@thespis1 If you are open to location, I would look at Texas State University. They have a good variety of BFA options with a Perfromance and Production BFA that incorporates many technical pieces and directing etc. I believe the P and P and BA students can audition for all shows. There are also a lot of student driven opportunities etc. BFA’s receive “in-state” tuition whether or not you are from TX and it is very inexpensive. I would also encourage you to look at Otterbein. My S received a very nice talent scholarship from them as well. Pace also gives very decent merit awards, but the school is on the pricier side to start with. Good luck!!

To all future applicants: you will hear over and over again to cast a broad net. This is so true. However, that broad net might bring in a rather random net of acceptances, so do your best to read up on each school and make files for each etc. You cannot be organized enough. They can all start to blend together after a while. LOL. And, there is absolutely no way to read into anything at the auditions. Your child can be told that they should consider themselves accepted and then not be. The shortest audition at a very competitive school can end up accepting your child. Expect the unexpected. It is without any predictability:) Most of all, try to really enjoy the enjoyable moments as this is unlike anything else you will ever do as a parent!

@sebbysabby for Rutgers as well as just about every other auditioned BFA program, applying EA doesn’t give an advantage. It’s still a good idea to apply early just to ensure that audition slots don’t fill up. In many cases, the BFA application deadlines are earlier than the general deadlines anyway.

@marg928 So it wouldn’t change when the notification of acceptance (artistically, that is) would be sent?

I’m not sure I’m following your question but hopefully, this will clarify. Not all schools follow the same procedures, keep that in mind. But for the most part your child has to apply to the school first, then once the application is filed you will receive a link where you can schedule an audition. For Rutgers, my D applied sometime in November and got her academic acceptance fairly quickly. This was for the BA Theater program, which was her second choice major. From what I remember they require you to have a second choice, non-BFA major on the application. Her audition for the BFA Acting was not scheduled until the last weekend in January. It is impossible to be accepted to the BFA at Rutgers before mid to late March since they are one of two schools (U Minn/Guthrie is the other) that holds a callback weekend the first weekend in March. (Juilliard also holds a callback but I don’t think it’s a whole weekend.) So once your child auditions for Rutgers they will either receive a rejection from the BFA or an invitation to call back weekend. They are one of those schools who gives the academic acceptance separate from the artistic.