Chance me please! CMU Musical Theatre Class of 2022

College Majors Musical Theater Major
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Hi, everyone!
Carnegie Mellon is my dream school and I am busy preparing to audition for their Musical Theatre track. I would just like to list a bit about myself and ask if you guys think that I might have any shot of getting in?
I have a 4.19 weighted GPA (3.89 unweighted), graduating with an IB diploma. I will have taken four years of French, three years of “Law Academy” classes (Introductory Law, Philosophy and Ethics, Constitutional Law), and four years of theatre classes (Drama One, two years of Advanced Theatre, one year IB Theatre), and will graduate a member of the “Fine Arts Academy”.
ACT: 32 Superscore, Latest was a 30 cumulative. 10 in writing.
Beyond academics, I have worked as an summer intern for a local arts education program for two years and will have worked as an actor for “Summer Show Offs,” the largest show choir program in the south-east. These positions have also given me tech experience, causing me to act as an assistant stage manager/stage crew/ and costume and make up crew. At school, I have been on stage crew and have done understudy work.
Extracurriculars: Current President of my theatre department, Captain of International Varsity Mock Trial Team (1 year attorney, 3 years Expert Witness), member of National Honor Society, secretary of Equality Initiative Club (1 year), Law Club, founder of Birmingham Area Mock Trial Invitational, and am planning to create a new high school theatre workshop program this school year.
Physical description: 5”3, petite, slim but curvy, square face, brown/red hair, blue eyes, freckles, big smile.
Voice: Mezzo belt, with 3 years of private vocal training in musical theatre voice. Have just under a two -octave range with high belt, character/mix.
Type: Doesn’t specifically fit in “one,” but typically ingenue/soubrette
Theatre education: 10 years of community theatre experience and education. Multiple children’s productions, years of audition training workshops with Dave Clemmons, has had workshops with Broadway Kids (NYC), Hamilton Dance Workshop with Andrew Chappelle, Newsies Dance Workshop (I forgot his name), and classes on Strasburg method. Has some dance experience, but won’t list here due to CMU audition criteria. Will have experience at a dance conservatory program at Mason Gross by audition time.
Experience: Elixir of Love (opera, community, chorus), Legally Blonde, Jr. (Elle Woods), Bring it On (Skylar), Antigone (Chorus), Four Little Girls: Birmingham 1963 (White Chorus #1), How to Succeed (Miss Krumholtz), She Stoops to Conquer (Constance Neville), The Other Room (Lily), The Clever Dr. George Washington Carver (Mrs. Carver, Teacher, Narrator), I Am Angel (Young Angel), – top productions, others listed on resume.
Awards: 1st Place playwrighting (state theatre competition, novice); Best Supporting Actress (The Other Room, school awards); All Star Cast (She Stoops…, state theatre); Best Featured Actress (Silent Snow, Secret Snow, school awards)
Special Skills: Playwrighting, wiggling ears, ukulele (intermediate), guitar (beginner), bagpipes (hopefully), working with kids, cartoon-drawing, directing, literary analysis.
Personality; very bubbly, excited, and positive; hard-working, dedicated, and observant. I want to improve, and want to be pushed and be with people who are as passionate as I am. I am innovative, want to experience and create new opportunities or theatre presentations; I am also someone who wants to grow education and support for the arts.

Thank you so much! I know that the auditions come down to acting and vocal abilities; I am happy to discuss further how I approach monologues and presentation.
I appreciate all your feedback!

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Hi! Unfortunately, it is very difficult to “chance” someone in musical theatre programs, and (even worse), if someone were to be “chanced” at a school like CMU, their chance would be almost zero. This is no reflection on you or your talent, it’s just that there are 2000+ people auditioning (majority girls) for ten slots in the program. While I 100% encourage you to audition because it is your dream school and you sound very talented and who knows, you might be exactly what Carnegie is looking for this year, I also encourage you to look at other schools. There are so many amazing programs that are far less competitive than CMU. If you like a smaller class size within the MT program, I recommend looking into Wright State. If you like an academically rigorous environment, look into NYU. Make sure to have at least one non-audition school on your list too.

  While your resume is impressive, colleges care far more about what you bring into the audition room that anything you have done up until then. This is in part why it's difficult to chance someone, because people on CC have no clue how you did or will do in an audition. You do have strong academics, which will help secure you good scholarships and could help at programs that heavily weight academics (such as NYU). I don't want to be discouraging, or sound repetitive if this is stuff you already know, but auditions for any college MT program are competitive. It isn't uncomon for females to audition for at least fifteen schools, and most count themselves (VERY) lucky if they receive acceptances to more than five. I myself am doing ten, which is considered small. Depending on your knowledge of the process, I recommend looking at the musical theatre thread (not just individual school's mt threads), as there is a wealth of information and support there. Good luck!
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Thank you for your response! I also have a list that I’m working on (UM, NYU, Syracuse, Ithaca, Florida, etc), but CMU has the program that seems to best fit my learning style, personality, and values. Of course, auditions come first (It used to be worth 70% of their criteria, now it’s approx. 90%, I believe), but I’ve heard that they have a personality that they look for in their mix. Do you know anything about that? Thanks for you thoughts! All the best in your own endeavors!

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@Positivity2018 that is an excellent list of “reach” schools. They are on basically on everyone else’s lists, though. There is no guarantee that even the most amazing, talented, academically high-achieving person will get in to any of those schools, especially as so many others are auditioning and spots are limited. Something my D and I learned from this board is that it’s a good practice to add some “middle” (they’re still honestly crazy competitive but not the usual suspects you have listed) schools, and a non-audition safety that you would be happy to attend. Even if you do end up getting into your top pick (and BAL to you that you do!!), it may help you avoid crushing panic attacks as you await admission decisions :slight_smile:

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@CentralOHmomof4 Thank you for your response – the hard part for me has been figuring out which middle schools I would like to keep on my list. Do you have any recommendations?

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Unfortunately I am not an expert, but there are a ton of school lists and personal opinions from people who teach, have attended, or otherwise have real history with the individual schools, available on this board. If you look at where other kids have applied (often listed in final decisions threads or the acceptances threads by class year) or go school-by-school in the MT schools section, you will get a good handle on what the differences of each school are. Some fabulous, if slightly lesser known schools are also on Emsdad’s “if you like this school, you’ll like that school” thread. I will tell you that the program that my D is attending, CAP21/Molloy, was not even on her radar when she started her search. But, through this resource and an initial 1-hour meeting with a coach, she came out with a good, balanced list. And she is over the moon to be studying there now - the faculty, the location, and the style/focus of the program are her perfect fit. I will also say that faculty moves around a lot, so pay attention - if you really like one school’s dance program reputation, and their head of dance just moved to a newer or lesser known program, you may find a great fit as well as a great bargain. There are a lot of really good schools out there, and you still have a couple more months to research and add some of that balance. Break all the legs!!

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Hi there,

I might not be a total expert, but I’m applying to theatrical directing programs at most of the schools you’ve listed (I also have friends at almost all of them) and I know a fair amount about all of them (as well as some others), so I might be able to help a little…

First of all, it’d be a good idea to throw your physical description and vocal type out the window if you make another post about this. I totally understand why you’d think it matters, but it really doesn’t (esp. your appearance). I remember there being one class at Carnegie that included Josh Groban, Josh Gad, Rory O’Malley, and Leslie Odom, Jr. (who I can safely assume you know based on your interest in theatre). None of these guys look even slightly alike, so I can assure you that there’s no “look” that they’re going for. Same with their voices. Josh Gad and Leslie Odom’s voices are practically antitheses of each other. It doesn’t matter what your vocal type or range is, only that you sound objectively good or “different” (at least in Josh Gad’s case, as he doesn’t have a traditionally “Broadway” voice by any means). Find a song that shows off your voice and practice it as much as possible.

Secondly, as others have mentioned, CMU is basically a lottery with their musical theatre program (as are the others, esp. NYU, but less so). It’s harder to get into than an Ivy. There’s really no chancing that you can do with it. There’s also the fact that someone with all your accolades and experience will be on an even playing field with someone who spontaneously decided to pursue theatre a week before their audition; they care much less about experience than they do raw talent. Is that completely fair? No. But it’s how it is (and trust me, I feel your pain. Directing is a little less competitive to get into but it’s the same schtick.)

If you want some “safety” schools, here are some that I’ve considered and a little about them:

1.) Fordham University: It’s in NYC and has an audition-based theatre major (though it’s not a BFA). Nowhere near as prestigious as NYU, obviously, but it has the distinct advantages of: a.) putting you in the epicenter of United States theatre and b.) having a genuinely solid theatre program. I just toured it last week and got to sit in on a rehearsal, and the student performers were honestly amazing. And if you check out their alumni Wikipedia page, you’ll see that there’s a solid list of Tony winners and famous actors on it. Also, it gives great financial aid (though I’m not sure if that’s a factor for you).

2.) Bard College: It’s in upstate New York and has a very chill, artistic vibe. Two of my best friends are attending this year (one for Acting/English, and the other for Playwriting), and they’re both head-over-heels for it. The theatre program is non-audition based, but it’s still very good and part of what the school is known for. It also has fantastic financial aid (both aforementioned friends are going on near full-rides), especially if you’re smart (which you seem to be). I toured it last winter and thought the people were wonderful and got the impression that the theatre scene is very active.

3.) Connecticut College: Not really a safety academically, but like Bard it also has a great non-audition based theatre program and great people. I toured last month and absolutely fell in love with it (though my top is probably still NYU, personally). While my tour guide was a neuroscience major himself, he introduced me to two alumni who had recently graduated with theatre degrees and both had nothing but good things to say about it. ConnCollege isn’t really known for its theatre department, but I got the impression that it’s still one of its most vibrant communities. Also amazing financial aid.

4.) Wagner College: I don’t personally have much to say about it, but I’ve heard nothing but good things from people who have attended. It’s a very small school on Long Island but its theatre program seems to be rather good (alumni include Randy Graff, who was the original Fantine in Les Mis, and Alex Boniello, who was recently Moritz in the Spring Awakening revival). You’d have to do the research yourself but I think it’s worth looking at.

5.) Baldwin Wallace University: It’s in Ohio, yes, but it’s been creeping onto everyone’s radar recently as a school that produces great theatre performers. I don’t know much about it myself (as its theatre program is performance-based, not directing based), but again, I’ve heard nothing but good things. (Also, one of my favorite Broadway actors – Chris McCarrell – went there, so it’s definitely doing something right.)

From those you’ve already listed, I’d consider Ithaca and maybe Florida as more matches than reaches. They’re well-known, yes, but much less competitive than the others you’ve listed.

And you don’t really need any more reaches, but have you considered looking at Boston University or Oberlin? Both are on my list and have truly stellar drama departments. BU is audition-based, I believe, while Oberlin is not (however, you have to audition into higher level acting classes, if my memory serves).

That’s about all I’ve got for now. If you have any additional questions please feel free to ask.

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Hello @CentralOHmomof4

Thank you for your post. My D is a HS junior who wants to pursue a BFA or BM in MT, so I’ve been researching programs hoping to get her into the program that’s right for her. Molloy/CAP21 wasn’t on my radar, either, so thank you for bringing it up. It actually looks like a program that my D would like, as well. I wasn’t able to find the degree requirements on their site, but I’ve emailed them for that information.

I’d love to hear more about the style/fit details, if you wouldn’t mind elaborating. I know the industry is a tough one, but I want to make sure the program she chooses does everything it can to nurture and encourage, while pushing her beyond her limits. She attended OCU’s 3-week HS program this last summer, which was very intense, but she loved it, because Dr. Herendeen and the faculty there were genuinely concerned about each student. That’s what I’m after for her with her college program. Does your daughter feel genuinely cared for at Molloy? Do the professors demonstrate that they’re invested in the students? Has she struggled at all, and if so, did she find help easily?

Another big concern of mine is the prevalence of “cut” policies in so many programs. Although they no longer have written quota systems, it appears that many programs could still maintain unwritten quotas through juries. I’m now trying to get the attrition rate for programs, which should shed light on this. I think a graduating class with up to 20% attrition is acceptable, but if it approaches 50%, the program’s juries are used as a cut system. Do you know how many students were enrolled in your D’s class, and how many have left for any reason? What year is your D now?

Thanks again for your post, and any additional information you’re able to provide! I wish your D well in her pursuit of MT!

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OK @StageDad311 I am going to respond to you on the CAP21 Molloy thread. You are asking the right questions, in my opinion.

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In addition to these there is also Marymount Manhattan (in NYC) or Muilenburg (non-audition)