@MReader - funny you say that. After going to very academic HS I think my boys were more than happy to go to what they called “singing, acting and dancing college” and never have to do calculus again. 
Calculus has been the bane of my daughter’s existence. Blah!
Was just thinking about grades/scores etc and how much they factor into the BFA programs. I know at NYU its 50/50- audition/academics, but would the less academically challenging programs weigh the audition more heavily than the academics- would the better scores/grades get you in or the stronger audition? Just curious…
Academics for admission play a role at some schools that offer the BFA; Michigan come quickly to mind. But for most, even CMU, it is a lower bar for the BFA actors and MTs. One benefit, though, of going to a “lesser” academic school is that academic money is easier to find. For those with good grades and test scores, it can significantly lower the cost of attending. My S got almost half his tuition paid at Texas State due to his grades and test scores. A great help!
@MTTwinsinCA - LOVE “singng, dancing and acting college”! Just say “no” to Calculus. S is on board with that.
@meggysmom I think it varies, but I do think that a very strong student with good stats might get more merit aid at a small-/medium-sized private school looking to attract students like that.
There are plusses and minuses to being an academic “big fish in small pond” or “small fish in big pond” as well as an artistic one. Pick which lane you want and run with it
“Math in the Modern World.” Math for the BFA students… hehe! My D also went to an academic high school & was oh so happy to leave calculus behind! She was accepted into the Honors program at her not-so-academically challenging school, but couldn’t fit the required courses into her MT schedule. Halfway through her junior year she opted out of it. Not many of them (not all - she knows of 1 who graduated last year who did it) are able to complete the requirements for the Honors Program. Every school is different, but you may want to check with the theatre department if an Honors Program is very important to your S or D. It was really important when she began college, but became less so when she figured out how busy she was with her theatre classes and fitting in regular gen eds she had to take. AP credits were helpful overall, but she still had to take the required classes (like an English composition class even though she had 2 English AP credits).
Thank you all for such great posts! You are pulling me back off the ledge 
I will chill out and not worry so much…It will all be fine, right?!
@meggysmon Regarding NYU’s 50/50 academic/talent policy
While it’s true that “academics” is equally important to “talent”–that is a simplification. Really what they are saying is that NYU admissions who will review the application for academics, test scores, essays, recommendations, etc. will have an equal weight to the departmental committee (Tisch or Steinhardt) who will give a “yes” or “no” based on the candidate’s audition.
But really, if a candidate gets a “no” based on their audition–they are rejected. Stellar grades, test scores or recommendations will NOT change that decision.
A student accepted for talent will be on a list which is crossed checked against the “yes” list from admissions. If both match, the student is accepted. If talent says yes, and admissions says no–there may or may not be some communication between the two–some wiggle room. That would depend on how much the talent committee wants that particular student and how off the mark the student is from acceptance norms.
Other schools will have different procedures, but I doubt there are many (if any?) audition programs that will accept a student based more on academics than talent. Once students have to pass an audition, I doubt that a “no” for talent will be accepted because of their gpa, SAT, essays etc.
I am confused… aren’t there many schools who offer kids a different major if they don’t pass the audition? I’ve seen a lot of posts where admissions still wants these kids.
@MTmom2017 the one caveat about “dropping the honors program” came for my Pace son. His successful completion of the honors program curriculum was required to keep his scholarship all four years – and that was the only way he could afford to attend Pace. Thankfully, I’m here to report it was absolutely doable and there were about 8 kids in his graduating class who did so.
@bissou For NYU it would be a no if you don’t pass the talent. I see where you are confused, though. I believe that @meggysmom was asking if high grades would help one get into an audition program. And that is not the case. But, yes, some of those students may be directed to other programs in some schools. (But their high grades do not lead to acceptance into the program where they were rejected for talent.)
My daughter is also in the honors program at her school while pursuing a MT degree. She doesn’t receive extra money, but she wants another outlet besides theatre. She wants to be challenged in other ways. So far, she’s handling both curriculums.
@Bissou - depends on the school. I think that is more common is schools that are not as competitive for academics. For example, NYU, Michigan, Boston, CMU, Syracuse… if you are not accepted artistically, you are not offered acceptance in another major. Whereas Pace, Ithaca, BW, Minn Guthrie, and others try to get kids there anyway- esp. high stats kids. (there are lots of other examples, trying to stick to schools I know for sure from personal experience. though I have no experience with Pace- but their phone calls are legendary, so I feel confident)
Is it true most schools have to notify by April 1st?
Schools notify by April 1st with the exception of waitlists…some folks come off a waitlist in May!
Historically, NYU and BoCo have been on the trailing end of notifications. If by next week you still have schools you haven’t heard from, I think your student could safely call admissions and/or department to check on status of application/audition/decision. Over the years there have been a few cases here and there of decision letters that went missing. Don’t be afraid to make a polite phone call if you’re concerned, especially if it seems like everyone else has heard from that school.
I agree with everything said here about academics – most schools place the bar fairly low on academics…I know “c” students who were admitted to UCLA’s MT BA program – unheard of for most majors at UCLA. I view it very similar to sports. The exceptions to that off the top of my head are Michigan and NYU. While it doesn’t help with admissions for most schools, it is a huge help for merit $$.
@bissou - yes, a lot of schools do accept academically and not artistically - as mentioned by @toowonderful. My D was rejected by CMU flat out. Other schools she was rejected from artistically she was accepted academically - others schools it didn’t seem to matter. The only school she applied to that she had to get accepted academically first was Wagner. They stated that they have some of the smartest MT kids in the business because they have to get into the college for smarts first. Someone on the board probably has numbers on the GPA.