<p>Yes, U of M for one pre-screens for academics. This is rare, though and it’s still the theater department that has to want the student. With a couple of notable exceptions the academic bar at most of these places is not all that high. BA’s are different but with a small BFA program it is usually the theater people doing the picking and it’s not unusual for them to have some pull with admissions if the numbers are a little low but the student is talented and desired. 50-50 doesn’t mean they sit around a table and say things like he’s smart but the audition was a little iffy. No, audition rules. Even at UCLA, it is possible to be accepted with much lower stats than the average UCLA student if they love your audition. CMU is another one where people get confused and we know of a kid who got in there with dreadful stats. This doesn’t apply if your son is interested in a BA. But for a BFA I’d be pretty surprised if many of these places even read the essays of kids who don’t pass the audition. It is in many ways an awful process IMHO.</p>
<p>We do have to be careful with thinking all the emphasis for theater kids is just the audition. </p>
<p>Even if the theater department wants your kid there are reasons why the school may not accept them. Besides very real academic ones there are financial reasons as well. Not every student is going to be able to pay for the expensive schools talked about on these boards. If a school does not have money to give in terms of aid to a student who clearly needs it they may very well pass on the prospect to protect their yield. </p>
<p>I’m going to give the admissions people more credit then you Flossy so I would be surprised if in many colleges they did not read my kids essay.</p>
<p>Good morning! Yield protection is a whole other issue and I do think it happens. But an essay or high stats are not going to get an untalented kid into a BFA program. Sure, in a close call they may become a factor but with 1,000 prospects and 50 admits how often is there really a close call? Some of these programs are tiny islands in a university setting. They have like 25 students. Why wouldn’t they be the ultimate deciders? Look, I’ve been in enough info sessions where they explain exactly how it works to know that’s the case at a bunch of these programs. Of course, there are exceptions. There are always exceptions. I’m not discrediting admissions reps at all. Just trying to explain how the process usually works. Baking cookies for the regional rep will not matter if the theater school does not pass you on based on the audition. I…give…up.</p>
<p>Audition gets you in, maybe other things could keep you out. But audition gets you in.</p>
<p>Guys your really not “IN” till your in all the way around.</p>
<p>Honestly, this was never a concern for me because I had the grades so maybe it depends on the student if this should be something to worry about. Most of the popular BFA’s do make it pretty clear that the emphasis is hugely on the audition. I definitely got the impression from all I applied to that it was the key to acceptance. Two schools I know for sure do not even read essays and such until after you get the nod from the theater people. It’s not a secret. Call and ask the programs.</p>
<p>Also, most of them are not in very selective schools overall. For example, Ithaca, an awesome program but not a hard school to get into for another major.</p>
<p>Exactly, Actor12. MOST of the highly sought after BFA programs are not in academically selective schools. Thus it must be an audition based selection.</p>
<p>I agree that there are many academically less selective schools that have great BFAs. Montclair State in NJ comes to mind. Adelphi and Coastal Carolina, too, and Northern Illinois and Viterbo. I mean no insult - my D is at one of those schools and finding the BFA very challenging. This is all for the general student - of course the audition process is much more stringent. For kids with higher stats, these schools can offer massive merit aid, and many have honors programs to add more academic rigor. Also, conservatory BFAs like Juilliard base their admissions entirely on the audition.</p>
<p>I think some of these posts imply a slightly different perspective on selectivity. BU, CMU, NYU, USC - I’m not sure if these are some of the schools actingmt might have been alluding to, but they most certainly are academically selective. They all might not be “most selective,” but on most college rankings they would be considered “highly selective” and certainly “selective.” I would say Ithaca - by any standards - absolutely is “selective.” </p>
<p>It is scary and misleading to the students here, whose academic backgrounds vary enormously, to suggest that just about anyone could easily pass the academic requirements for admission to a school like Ithaca.</p>
<p>Headed to NYU’s off site reception today…D is so excited. Hope is was as helpful as Boston’s was.</p>
<p>I hope your daughter likes the NYU reception, bisouu. Here’s a friendly tip from a BU parent…people just about always refer to the school as “BU” so as not to cause confusion with Boston Conservatory (BoCo). </p>
<p>Actually, I myself love writing the name out as “Boston University School of Theatre,” since “BU” is just two letters and I worry that it might get overlooked in lists! :)</p>
<p>Well, apart from the BFA Ithaca has nearly a 70-percent admit rate. Average students I imagine would be fine provided they are wanted by the theater dept.</p>
<p>We do know a couple of kids who were denied academically from some of these places but they were way below anyone’s average with GPA’s in the 2’s so that wasn’t particularly surprising.</p>
<p>bisouu-How was the NYU visit?</p>
<p>Thanks for clarifying that, austinmt. I’ve just seen such wildly varying stats for kids here on this forum that it’s hard to understand exactly when someone uses the words “selective” or “not selective” without including numbers.</p>
<p>EmmyBet – CMU’s BFA is not academically selective unlike the rest of the school.</p>
<p>Yes - in my desire not to be misleading, I was misleading. The academic selectivity of schools varies in significance when it comes to BFA programs. Some schools that are selective don’t apply it in the BFA admissions, and some do. I was just reacting in general to the idea of characterizing BFA programs as mostly being where academics aren’t very selective. It is true that many schools aren’t highly selective academically, and that even if they are, the academics often aren’t important in admissions. But I do want someone who is absolutely new to this process to know that many schools do count academics very highly, especially for scholarships.</p>
<p>Marbleheader, can you explain a bit more about “passing” the audition at BU- especially as it relates to ED applicants. If admissions is requesting quarter grades, is this a positive sign about the audition or just an admission department formality? Any info about this would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Juliefp, Marbleheader often doesn’t post till after the workday, and I’m sure she’ll correct anything I have wrong, but whether or not you “pass” the audition at BU, the admissions department will still look at the entire application and make the final decision, at least that’s my understanding. The artistic score from your audition is sent to admissions and from then on the process is in the hands of the admissions office. My son didn’t do ED there, so if there’s some slight difference in the process that I’m not aware of, I’m sure Marbleheader will let you know!</p>
<p>juliefp, it is my understanding that BU has requested quarter scores for all ED applicants. So unfortunately not something to get too excited about. As far as “passing” the audition, I believe what Marbleheader meant was “doing well” in the auditors’ eyes…well enough to positively refer the applicant to Admissions. As a side note, I feel that BU will make an appropriate balance between talent, grades and scores for an admission decision. It is clear that talent has the heavy hand in the decision at BU. My S had a very high GPA, but only mediocre SAT scores and was accepted. I think this is true of many BFA programs in large or small colleges. I think key, is to be a true artistic standout in one or a combination of areas with at least one strong academic indicator…possibly at BU being an emphasis on grades and/or academic workload. BU’s program is looking for good actors and actresses but they are also looking for exceptional thinkers (their Theatre Arts track (as opposed to the Acting track) is a hugely popular artistic choice of performance majors…this track allows students to explore so much of the intellectual side of the art )</p>
<p>Unfortunately, when you apply to the BU BFA at the School of Theatre, that is the only program you are considered for. So, if you are not accepted into the BFA program (i.e., don’t pass the audition), you will not be admitted into the university in any capacity (meaning they won’t offer you a slot in the Communications program or something), regardless of your grades. But the college will continue to acquire all of your documentation to hold with your application until they hear from the School of Theatre.</p>
<p>The opposite would be if you have a stellar audition. The SOT will then send that along to admission, but if your grades are too low, there is nothing that they can do. If your grades are border-line, the SOT may be able to haggle for you, but if they are too low, even a request from the SOT will not be enough.</p>
<p>All of this info was discussed last year at the SOT open house. I believe it is still the way they do it, but things always change. So don’t give up or read anything into things until you get the yes or no from the university! Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you all for the info. Keeping fingers crossed!!</p>