@brieduck I don’t think you will find this to be a problem at all. As you noted, the theatre kids are a very diverse and excepting group and this is true at CAP21 as well. My D does not particularly identify as religious either even though she also went to a Catholic High School … for their theatre program of course! I think some of the same values that she experienced in high school are also present at Molloy but the religious aspect is not pushed on students. From what I have heard from my D, I would say the only place that they may be effected by the conservative policies of the school are in the dorms. They are not allowed to have overnight guests of the opposite sex and the alcohol policies are pretty strict. This of course is a plus for many who are worried about the crazy college life, etc. Wasn’t a big deal for my D but probably had some effect on her decision to move off campus sophomore year.
@brieduck - I agree 100%. Yes, it’s a Catholic school, but they’re not in your face about it. D took a course on the Holocaust to satisfy the religion gen Ed requirement…she loved it. Yes, they are strict about stuff in the dorms, but D and her pals had quite the good time.
@brieduck - according to my freshman D (who is a very liberal feminist ?) the college is very supportive of all religions and even send out notifications about all different religious holidays. She said they only have to take one religious studies class and they offer MANY different options. The students are very diverse as well!
She has experienced a Molloy teacher (not CAP) who was rather conservative and the CAP kids who had her were not very fond of some of her statements and beliefs, but it wasn’t a big deal - just an eye rolling kind of class ?
But overall, she has not felt like they push Catholicism or other religious agendas in any way, shape or form!! It is there, they do have a chapel on campus but it’s not pushed on you - just available if that’s your thing. ?
Thanks all! This is exactly what I was hoping to hear. Your comments reminded me of when I was on foreign study in Italy as an ADULT with my grad school program. My boyfriend, who became my fiance and now my husband, came to visit and they made him get his own dorm room for the week even though I had a single room. We were 25 or 26.
Speaking of diversity (and maybe this is a better question for Rebecca) but if anyone has insights, I would appreciate knowing if the CAP21 program is doing anything to increase their ethnic diversity. In the pictures I’ve seen, it seems to be a pretty white program.
@ZukAndSowash I don’t really have a good answer for you but hopefully Rebecca can shed some light. But my guess is that it isn’t because they aren’t trying. I think that students of color are highly sought after right now and the ones with talent are likely seeing multiple offers from top schools and the reality is that the percentage of kids auditioning that are Caucasian is still very high. So the odds are just difficult to overcome. I would expect that as the program continues to make a name for itself as being a quality program, it will get better at attracting a more diverse group.
To be honest with you, many of the photos on the website are of Class One. The class was not 100% Caucasian, but I assure you that subsequent classes were more diverse.
@ZukAndSowash I agree with @waitingforlife. If you search on Facebook for Molloy CAP21 prospective students, the current freshman class composite photo is out there. There’s are a couple in the class who are ethnically diverse. Hopefully more each year. (If you scroll back to last summer on that page, some of the kids have profiles. Not all of them filled them out so not all of them, but you can get a sample.)
S arrived home for spring break a couple of hours ago. So happy to have him home! As we chatted about a wide range of topics, I learned that…one of their dance instructors just booked an Off-Broadway show, one of their acting teachers also just booked a different Off-Broadway show, AND one of the current seniors just booked an Off-Broadway show for next season after he graduates!
@ZukAndSowash - just a follow up to the diversity issue. With @EastchesterMom mentioning that most of the pictures are of class one, I realized that I don’t know what pictures you are actually looking at. But also as @speezagmom said, you can search for the CAP21 class of 2021 and see their photo, which is my Ds class. When they started, they had 3 African Americans and 2 Asian mixed race (one being my D). They have lost one of the mixed girls. Yes, they can still do better, but this is not that much different than many other programs that I have seen.
Class One had one African American, one Latina, and one Asian American. @waitingforlife’s post just confirmed that diversity has improved in subsequent classes, but there’s room for more improvement. Other schools aren’t much different, though.
re: diversity. Thank you everyone. These comments have been very helpful. I do recognize that it is a struggle everywhere in MT. Just now, I looked at the numbers for Molloy College as a whole and see that ethnically they are “above average.”
@ZukAndSowash I’m not surprised. I haven’t paid that much attention, but I have noticed from following the school on instagram that they have various cultural celebrations and showcases, etc.
@MTlizard - congrats on your Ds acceptance to CAP21! We have a great group of parents on this thread answering questions, from an Alumni mom of Class one, who’s D graduated last year (@EastchesterMom), a few Freshman, Sophomore (myself included) and I think maybe even a junior parent. You might want to scroll through this thread and let us know if you have any other questions.
Yes, congratulations @MTlizard on your Ds acceptance!! Definitely scroll back through our discussions here, and let us know if you have any other questions that we can answer for you!
@MTlizard - I’m sorry, somehow I missed your news of your D’s acceptance! Congrats and welcome to the party!
@waitingforlife and @JavaJo - Thank you for reaching out to us about Molloy/CAP 21! My D really loved her time at the audition and seeing the performing facilities in NYC! We plan to take a trip up to Long Island to visit the campus as well as possibly attending some classes. But I do have a question…So when looking for the actual “sticker price” for the college and program, I can not seem to get an accurate picture. I can see the tuition and fees listed per semester on the website along with a separate search for room and board charges, but a “conservatory fee” is not listed anywhere. I have seen $3000 and then $6000 written from other people. Can one of you clarify? I know each individual’s final out of pocket cost will vary depending on scholarships and where you are located (effecting traveling costs). But I am trying to get a total cost ballpark amount to be able to truly evaluate the cost of the various programs we are deciding between. I want to send my D to the absolute best fit for her, and Molloy may be it… but we can’t go bankrupt doing it. I’m sure every parent can understand. We just want to get as much real information as we can to give every program a thorough and fair evaluation before committing. If you don’t want to put a number out here on the board, please PM me. I would really appreciate it. I also have a call into Rebecca as well. 
Thank you all!
@MTlizard - see posts 851 and 854 re additional costs … it’s basically the conservatory fee ($3,000 per semester) and the commutation to NYC from RVC. BTW, the conservatory fee is the same as it was in 2014; how many things can you say that about?
Ugh. Didn’t realize that the $3000 was per semester. I really love everything I’m reading here about this program, but the net cost (without including commutes) is now $6-9K more than my son’s other two offers. What would you estimate commuting costs to be?
Also, I’ve heard many people write about how they approached a school for help in evening out costs and asking for more financial aid. Any suggestions about who I might contact? And/or suggestions about what to say/ask for?