<p>Ditto that, MTTwinsinCA!</p>
<p>We are very proud of our S, and delighted at his place at CCM. It is just a concern to see from previous years that people who get places at CCM tend not to take them up, but go to Texas State, or Michigan or Rider, or somewhere else. We have not yet visited CCM, but I also see from careful searching of these forums that CCM is close to some rough areas, which has put people off in the past.
We live in Ann Arbor, so we know about the local homicides, which includes a U of M student this year…and my son has spent the last two years heavily involved at Eastern Michigan, which totals 2 homicides in that time. Perhaps we will not find CCM as scary as some.</p>
<p>@katestyles - sounds like your S already knows how to stay safe in a city - ANY city. CCM is a fantastic program and an acceptance to be proud of!</p>
<p>And to be fair, they all want to end up in New York…go figure!</p>
<p>@katestyles being from the metro Detroit area as well I believe from your sons experience the area will not be a turn off at CCM. We visited there and while the outskirts can look rough I have read and heard the students know how to handle the area and where to go. I believe several pick Texas state over other programs because of the cost cupbled with liking the faculty. Even a minimal scholarship gives in-state tuition which is very affordable there. </p>
<p>I could understand going to Michigan over CCM . But Rider and Texas State? Must be more to the story.</p>
<p>Fit its all about fit, people are so focused on reputation I think they miss the fact that its possible to actually not like a school that has an excellent reputation. Why go some place, pay a crap load for it and be miserable? For example I can’t understand why any MT would want to be further away from NYC then they have to be? BUT that is just how my S and I are looking at a “fit” program for him. He prefers to be as close as he can. So in our case, if he gets off the CCM wait list, the ONLY reason he would choose CCM over Rider is the cost. CCM is cheaper.</p>
<p>There is a gigantic financial reason to choose Rider or Texas State over Michigan,</p>
<p>@MTMajorCook - We know lots of MTs who specifically prefer NOT to be in NYC for college. Many people burn out on the Manhattan lifestyle, so some kids want to “save” their tolerance for their working years. Others prefer to launch in NYC after they are better trained. You are so right that fit is personal, and is far more important than reputation.</p>
<p>D’s Rider portal still says the same thing “under review” - will it say ‘reject’ if she is rejected? so confused! </p>
<p>Yep, my point right there. Everyone is different. Its got to be so hard for a 18 year old to know themselves well enough to get past all the “hype” (for lack of a better term, I know the great programs deserve and earned the reputation they have). And the fear of burn out is why Rider is a great option for my S, he’s close enough to NYC to be there as often as he’d like without being there 24/7.</p>
<p>@ddBroadway2 - it will be updated one way or the other. Admissions said they are uploading in waves to avoid any technical issues, all decision have been made and will be uploaded shortly.</p>
<p>@katestyles . We have several friends at CCM who love it and are doing very well there. It is a more urban environment than Michigan, but both schools are among the most elite, well respected programs in the country. I think all college campuses have their safety issues so you are wise to investigate. But our friends have found it a good place to go to school. Your son must be very talented to be accepted to one of the most prestigious MT programs in the country and I’m sure you are very proud. I do think. some. students are opting for Texas State because of cost. I know of one family who selected it over CMU for that reason. But they also are choosing it because of Katlin Hopkins. She is a great recruiter and I understand it is a wonderful, up and coming program. Some from the West and Midwest also prefer its location - a little closer to home for them than East coast schools would be. I do believe you will soon see many of its grads on Broadway in a few years. But it does not have the track record of a Michigan.or a CCM.<br>
I would not put Rider in this same category yet. Robin Lewis helped get the Texas State program going and he is now at Rider. Robin is well connected in the industry and comes from a dance background. But as young as Texas State’s program is, Rider is even younger. I think it will take some time to see what sort of program it grows into. But it is close to NYC,offers great dance training and I’m sure good training in voice and acting as well. Our D has several friends who are freshman there who are very happy.
Having said all that, when it comes to making final school choices, every student is different. Some may list CCM as their dream school.some Michigan. Some Texas State. None of them are wrong. The best school is the one that best fits your child in terms of training, cost and personality. So that answer will be different for each person.<br>
Congrats again on the CCM acceptance. Try not to worry about what others are doing and saying and choose the school that best suits your son and your family. It sounds like he has a great future ahead of him!</p>
<p>I couldn’t agree more @MTMajorCook. My D went to CMU pre-college and afterward, moved CMU down on her list below many schools people would consider mid-level reputation-wise because of fit. That’s not saying she’d ever be accepted at CMU or the price would ever be possible. With my original question, we needed some overall opinions about the reputation before visiting to see if it’s a fit. We weren’t familiar with ONU and didn’t know if it was even worth checking out.</p>
<p>Rider has Mariann Cook for voice who also came from Texas State. I hear she’s a wonderful teacher.</p>
<p>turning down Cmu or CCM would be like not wanting to go to Harvard med school or yale law school. Or a high school basket ball player not going to Duke, UNC or Syracuse . Going to a big name will open doors that remain closed if you go elsewhere . Your your kid is good enough to get in to the top schools send him!</p>
<p>Keeping it real. Many students that get into CCM pass it over for places like Rider or Texas State because of the $$ people! Plus, they’re great programs! My D’s college audition coach knows my D has to get scholarships to accept a school so she told us not to even bother putting CCM on the list because they give out NO money and have a high sticker price. So many people get caught up on CM, UofM and CCM they miss out on jeweles like Rider and TXST. And quite honestly, a few of us hope that for at least one more cycle (my D is a junior) they continue to snob them so the competition doesn’t get any worse than it already is… ;)</p>
<p>There will always be people who base important decisions on reputation and perceived prestige. Fortunately for the rest of us, there are sources of information like CC that give you first-hand information about what different programs are like and help us expand our kids’ lists based on places where they might thrive. Not everyone blooms at the same time, either; we looked for schools that would help my relatively inexperienced/untrained son get to the next level–not the schools that already required him to be at a professional level. And yes, for most of us, scholarships are vital. Ultimately, it’s not the “big name” of your school that will open doors or get you where you want to be once you’ve passed those portals. It’s your work.</p>
<p>How many rider grads are on broadway vs Cmu, ccm and michigan? </p>
<p>How many potential students have a broader definition of success and different professional goals than being “on broadway”? I know mine does. Let people follow their own paths rather than belittling their choices.</p>
<p>I’m not belittling their choices. Start being realistic . It’s a long shot for any of these kids to make it on broadway
or Hollywood. Just like its a long shot to make it in the NBA if you go to Duke or UNC. But you can’t tell me that everyone of these kids dreams isn’t to one day be up on the big stage or be on TV or movies . Going to the top programs gives you an edge . </p>