<p>This is what is says on Boston Conservatory’s website: “For admission to a bachelor’s degree program, a grade point average of 2.7 is expected.”</p>
<p>It doesn’t say a 2.7 is required. As I said before, a talented student shouldn’t be discouraged from applying because his/her GPA is below 2.7. </p>
<p>I also didn’t mean to say that because BoCo is not stringent re a high GPA that they have a student body with a lower GPA. I meant that it is obviously easier to get the best talent when you are not bound by a GPA. </p>
<p>My daughter has two friends there right now who were below the 2.7 GPA. Their admissions were based solely on talent. They have terrific work ethics, they just didn’t like school. I have no doubt that these two will make it.</p>
<p>What I had quoted from the BOCO website in my earlier post here is from 1 1/2 years ago and so they changed the wording. They must be using “expected” rather than “required” in case there is an exception to their guideline. </p>
<p>Certainly a student with a GPA below 2.7 should apply and see what happens. </p>
<p>I don’t agree with the notion that it is easier to get the best talent when you are not bound by academic criteria for admissions. I think in the BFA admissions process there are thousands of applicants, including way more highly talented ones than slots available in the class. Say a school has 1000 MT applicants and they will accept 60. There are likely another 60 who have the same level of talent as the first 60, yet more than the remaining 880 who auditioned. Therefore, it is very possible to pick 60 highly talented students for the class who also meet a certain level of academic profile that the institution prefers to see since these students will be STUDENTS at college and not simply actors/singers/dancers. They are entering a learning environment. If these things did not matter at all, BOCO would not ask for transcripts, recs, essays and the like. But they do. They want students who will succeed as students and not simply succeed as actors. The applicant must be able to handle this educational environment. </p>
<p>In any case, I don’t think schools like BOCO have better talent than another top MT program that also takes academics into consideration (example: UMich). There are plenty of highly talented MT kids in this very competitive MT admissions process who can also show a decent academic record, along with being at the top artistically.</p>
<p>At Boco you CAN be put in academic probation. You cannot receive a BFA on talent alone. You can be “cut” (and there has been cuts) from the program because of academic failure. The gen ed requirements are college level courses and not easy.</p>
<p>And to post#21 who said “They have terrific work ethics, they just didn’t like school” that is a big red flag to a lot of schools. Because as Soozievt mentioned they look at the whole package.</p>
<p>One more thing. With so many talented kids in the world, your “talent” better be off the charts. Because if all things are equal talent wise, and one candidate is an AP A+ student the schools will go for the smarter kid EVERY TIME.</p>
<p>That’s exactly what I’m talking about MTdad - “talent off the charts.” Those are the only students that really count anyway. As said, there are thousands of “talented” kids.</p>
<p>Jordcin: Allowing for the sake of this discussion that a kid’s “talent is off the charts” he/she still may not be able to pass the other requirements for a BFA. One could very easily fail out. </p>
<p>You will also be surprised how many kids with “talent off the charts” may get into a program and find they are just another kid with “talent off the charts”. As far as “making it” goes, I hope you meant making it to graduation.</p>
<p>The thing is, schools can find plenty of talent off the charts who ALSO meet their other (academic) selection criteria, because there are enough of them out there. </p>
<p>I also agree with beenthereMTdad, that there are some kids (not all) who are poor “students” and even if extremely talented, have trouble making it through a rigorous BFA program. </p>
<p>I happen to think HS grades have a correlation with “work ethic”, the kind of work habits that are needed to succeed in college, ANY college, including conservatories. In my line of work, as a college counselor, I find a DIRECT correlation in the work habits of the students who work with me on the admissions process and the kind of grades they have at school. In fact, the correlation is blatant almost every time. This can carry over into even singing, acting and dance classes where preparation is required. As well, even schools like BOCO have a few academic classes. A BFA program requires excellent time management. Those who have trouble in that area, often have not done well in HS. Their application materials (transcripts, recs, etc) tell that story. Colleges, including BOCO, are accepting STUDENTS into an EDUCATIONAL institution. They are not merely casting them in a casting office. How they work as a student matters.</p>
<p>Could not agree more.</p>
<p>One should not confuse being able to succeed in a BFA college program with succeeding in the industry. I can think of extremely talented MT performers who may not be able to succeed in a college setting but have great talent and go onto success on stage. Likewise, there are some who succeed well as a BFA student who never go onto great success in the professional theater world.</p>
<p>As I am reading many of the posts concerning talent versus academics, I am surprised that so many people feel that academics are not important for a musical theater major. In the case of BoCo, where the schools “requirements” are less than UMich, the notion is that academic acheivement is not valued. This is far from the truth. Academics are very important to BoCo as evident from the courses offered. The curriculum is set to produce talented “smart” actors, who know the business, as well as history of the business. A liberal arts component is a must for all performers. In any industry work ethic is crucial to success, any “student” who does not like school, should not apply to BoCo…you will spend as much time in a classroom (if not more) than you did in high school.</p>
<p>I would absolutely love to go to BOCO if I could get accepted and if I was offered a pretty hefty scholarship. I would consider myself an average-above average student. I am just not a math or science person so in these subjects I typically get B’s and the occasional C. However, I am in high levels in these classes. I am in stats and trig so I think that is pretty admirable. I just find these classes to be difficult. However, I take AP English and get all 5’s. My GPA is usually between 3.5 and 3.7. Do you think that this is relatively low for BOCO? In other words, will I have to go above and beyond to impress them talent-wise so they do not think I am low academic-wise? I realize that people get accepted who get 2.7’s but maybe they had a ridiculously amazing audition and were the type BOCO needed that year. Am I up to par academically?</p>
<p>You will have no problem what so ever academically. If you score on your AP you will find your self exempt from that class. My D went straight into sophomore gen ed classes. It never hurts and always helps to have better grades but this will not be a factor.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that BOCO is a conservatory with little or no endowment so they are expensive. 10K - 15K is the most they will dole out to a female candidate and when all is said and done Boco runs about 52K. The state schools that have conservatories like CCM and Penn State are about 20K less.</p>
<p>Broadway- academically you will have absolutely no problem with BoCo. I really feel they put way more emphasis on talent than on academics. That being said, I do think they use academic performance as a general measure of work ethic. However, I would say if anything, that your GPA is on the higher end for BoCo.</p>
<p>It is actually possible for females to get more than 10-15K at BoCo although I think it is realatively rare. Just don’t limit your auditions to schools that you can afford as you may get enough financial aid to make certain schools more economically feasible than you had expected.</p>