<p>I was also speaking of a non-audition safety along the same lines as @EmsDad. We have one but are having a difficult time finding one more. There is no such thing as an audition safety, completely agree with that.</p>
<p>Totally agree with no such thing as an audition safety. My son has strong academics and qualifies strongly academically for all on his list, but that doesnât mean squat if he doesnât get in artistically. When making his list, he chose schools that had strong journalism schools as well (another field he is interested in, but not even close to his passion for MT) I told my son that worst case scenario, if he doesnât get into the BFA audition schoolsâŠhe might consider going to a school he gets into academically and get a BA or Minor in MT and major in journalism. Weâll see what shakes out after prescreens/auditions.
Ugh! </p>
<p>
The exception to this is, as is often mentioned, the auditioned school to which you get an early written acceptance, which is why things like the Nebraska thespian festival, regional auditions and YoungArts can be so valuable for kids who can participate. Even when they donât result in an early safety, Iâve seen seen them jolt many kids into the realization that the need for a safety is no joke over the years. ;)</p>
<p>Best of luck in this upcoming process, everyone. Exciting times ahead!</p>
<p>My S was also told by everyone he would get into every school. I agree with whoever said people that say that have no clue how competitive this is. He had no non auditioned programs, was it the wisest choice, probably not, but he went with what he knew he truly wanted. </p>
<p>I think there is some really good advice below. It was really important to my S that he get stage time in college or at least believe he had a shot for some. He has friends that havenât been cast in any musicals in college yet and they are about to be Juniors, both are at what most people consider very top programs. He did not want to graduate never having a role. He learns the most during the shows and really wanted to be a at a school that had room for him and mostly he wanted to be where energy was right.</p>
<p>By Rob Hartmann:
In the end, there are many factors to think about â the internet is full of âtop tenâ and âtop twentyâ lists that rank musical theatre programs â but âname recognitionâ is just one piece of the puzzle. In every conversation Iâve had with actors who were satisfied with their college training, they all mentioned that, when they visited and auditioned, they just felt that the energy was right. Actors are usually well attuned to the âvibeâ of a situation, the âfeelâ of a room: so if youâre looking for a program, you want to have your âantennaeâ up, asking these questions. Is there room for you? Do the faculty make you feel powerful â or powerless? Do they seem willing to see you for who you are â and who you might become? And your gut will tell you the right path to follow</p>
<p>@MTMajorcook YES! I couldnât agree more! Well said and so true. Stage time is crucial (JMHO) and that doesnât mean main stage shows only. But an opportunity throughout their schooling to practice what they are learning in class. </p>
<p>
Ironically, some the most successful MT grads we know were not particularly well cast in college, so I am honestly not sure how critical college stage time really is. Most kids in strong MT programs enter college with a LOT of performing experience under their belt, and get more during summers. Unless Iâm mistaken, at least one cc grad from a top program was barely cast in college yet has been on Broadway and the lead in a nation tour since graduation, and one of Dâs close friends from high school is now in a similar situation. </p>
<p>D has been relatively well cast in college, but as a rising Senior has already opted for contracts that will exclude her from some college shows next year. While D has LOVED her school shows, most donât give performers experience with the grueling 8 shows a week for months on end, which is where some of the most relevant performance learning can happen. I also think sometimes college shows can distract kids from focusing on lessons in studios and classrooms, so IMHO college performing can be a mixed bag.</p>
<p>If I had to choose, Iâd rather be poorly cast in college and well cast after graduation than the other way around. ;)</p>
<p>I agree @MomCares that I would rather be cast post graduation than pre graduation. Hopefully kids donât have to make that type of choice. I donât think itâs one or the other. I think many kids who are cast in college also are cast post graduation. </p>
<p>When you walk into McDonaldâs today to do an interview for a jobâto save money for the student contributionâonly to find out that the manager who told you to come at 2pm isnât even there. Upon arrival back home you get a text message at 3pm: âMy schedule was changed please come Wednesday at 2pm.â And in my head I am saying âAre you serious right now I could have been combing through goodreads looking for a new book!!!â And who sends a text message after the supposed interview. </p>
<p>I donât even know of this counts but since I am part of class of 2019 I decided to vent my frustrations even though they werenât really college related. Ehh they kind of were since I wouldnât even be applying for jobs if I didnât run NPC and wanted to contribute to my parents paying full tuition for the schools I really want to go to. </p>
<p>@tola2015, good for you and welcome to the struggle. The job market is still pretty terrible, but, I think, getting a little bit better. I hope someone snaps you up soon. Your parents should be proud that youâre taking ownership of your education. </p>
<p>My point was this is a personal decision and should be very well thought out. (Of corse some take the offer they get and do great with it, thatâs fine too) I was just adding my 2 cents, take it or leave it, on something I havenât seen discussed on this board in the last year. We did no research on the future effects of being well cast in college. Stage time in college may mean nothing to some or it may mean the world. Some have a very long performance history, some donât, my S for example has only been performing the last four years. I think the students about to embark on this journey need to have an open mind, a good sense of self (as good as any 17/18 year old can have) and do their due diligence on the programs they are interested in. </p>
<p>North Central College was going to be my daughterâs safety, but she had an early fall acceptance and ended up not needing a safety, so we didnât research a whole lot about the program. It looks like itâs still non-audition, but Iâm not 100% sure. Itâs in Naperville, Illinois which is 30 miles west of Chicago. We had set up a scholarship audition to occur at the Chicago Unifieds and had planned to take the train from Chicago as we didnât want to rent a car if we didnât have to. As @evilqueen and others here know, Chicago is a great town for theatre, that was one reason it was on our safety list. Up until that point, Wichita State University was going to be her safety, but they decided to change and be an âaudition programâ that year. Hope that helps. <a href=âhttp://northcentralcollege.edu/majors/musical-theatreâ>http://northcentralcollege.edu/majors/musical-theatre</a></p>
<p>Iâm glad Iâm not alone in the safety challenge. This year will be a very big test of my patienceâŠ</p>
<p>⊠</p>
<p>Adding to my earlier post - I was referring only to auditioned programs in stating that I donât believe in a safety school. I do think there could be a non auditioned safety school. We did not look at non auditioned programs.</p>
<p>Hang in there guys! Believe it or not you will all get through this (I didnât believe this around list November lol).</p>
<p>Feeling the pain of of getting D focused on a non-audition artistic safety. She qualifies for automatic academic acceptance at one of her top artistic choices, but i donât think sheâd want to go there if she doesnt get in artistically. It would be too depressing. At least she does have a fantastic rolling admission audition at a school that she is very excited about in the fall. Still, a non-audition safety where she could be happy would be awesome. Gotta keep lookingâ⊠:-? </p>
<p>Some people choose a gap year instead of a non audition safety and if thatâs what you know you want thatâs always an option. Also if the non-auditions have late deadlines you can always apply after audition season if needed-although you could miss out on scholarships. Luckily we have two non audition safeties near us that in my head I figured we could apply late if needed. Luckily we didnât need it and I was fairly sure my D would have stuck to her gap year plan if she didnât have choices. </p>
<p>One thing I didnât realize - was how many of the audition based programs have a very good non-audition BA alongside them. They are not as intensive, but could have served as a non-audition safety. One of Dâs good friends is actually pursuing a BA in Theater at Indiana. She had originally applied with the intent to audition for the BFA - but throughout the process, as she considered her BFA admissions to other schools - and her other passions - decided to pursue the BA with a double major in another strong interest.) </p>
<p>Many, many schools with strong BFAâs also have good BA programs as well. We know a woman who is now a casting director, who got a BA in Theater from Michigan -and used the flexibility in the BA to âbuild her own programâ so to speak. She is a dancer (and in addition to her casting job, also teaches dance several places around NYC). The trick with Michigan is that you have to apply separately to LS&A if you want to pursue the BA in Theater there if you donât get the BFA (and itâs not an academic safety) - however, most schools do NOT make you do this. </p>
<p>My point is, I guess, if there is a school that your child falls in love with - but doesnât get into the BFA program - there may be a BA path available at the same school. Your safety does not necessarily have to be an additional school on your list - if you know that they are an academic safety and admit academically separately from artistically - that program could be your safety. I know it feels like a slap in the face when the rejection letter comes with a redirection - âhave you considered our BA programâ - but itâs actually a viable path if your kid loves the school. </p>
<p>To consider attending a school with a BFA program as a BA, you have to personally assess your comfort level with the existence of a BFA cadre and the approach that the school takes to casting and coursework between BAâs and BFAâs. I know my âquietly competitiveâ d would probably not fare well at most BA programs where there is also a BFA, but others will have different views. Ideally, we are looking for safety programs that do not have an auditioned BFA or an MFA to compete with. I suspect that the blow in not getting into an auditioned-based program will be hard enough for d without having to face it directly and have that constant reminder of BFAâs where she is a BA. I salute those with hardier mental constitutions.</p>
<p>Having a non-auditioned safety (or two) does provide a student with some potential comfort in a difficult process that can become heart-rending.</p>
<p>This is a process, mentally and emotionally. My son had non-audition safeties, but he was focused on attending a BFA audition based program and wasnât in the space of mind to truly contemplate attending a safety when the safeties were chosen. He wanted to keep his eyes on the prize, and wasnât eager to discuss plan B or C. His safeties were Columbia College, U of Rhode Island and Hofstra (free app!). I couldnât make him care about safeties before he was ready to, but I insisted he applied to more than one so he would have a choice if plan A did not pan out. I think consideration of a gap year is also wise, and that would have been plan C.</p>