^^^ People transfer for all kinds of reasons and sometimes from very good programs to other very good programs. But, you are right about the trade-off of having to be content with transfer scholarships which are almost never as big as those freshmen scholarships. First-hand experience in D’s first two years: Webster to Viterbo. Viterbo to University of Oklahoma. OCU to Viterbo. It happens. And, I dare say there isn’t the stigma attached to transferring that used to exist.
^^^ I should clarify. Those were transfers that occurred. D did not transfer and is very happy at Viterbo. Sorry for being vague.
@MomofMTBoy I feel your pain. We’re trying to disregard the two waitlist schools and just focus on the acceptances. It becomes more difficult, though, living on the west coast and wanting to visit an acceptance and waitlist school in one cross-country trip. Hoping to either get a yay or nay from the top WL program soon so we can put this decision to rest.
@TNMTDAD Thanks for clarifying that those were “examples”. My jaw dropped just imaging your D making all those transfers in the first two years!! LOL!
I also have first-hand experience in the transfer world. Hence my crusade in posting warnings several times.
So finally heard from Hartt - a no to MT, but an academic admit with $$. Two visits down. One to go.
@efr9598 $$ and then a No. Those are the hardest! Hang in there.
Two pieces of long-awaited mail came yesterday… Hartt was academic acceptance only… and Molloy/CAP21 was a yes!!! Could not have come sooner – D has been pretty down, thinking she is not good enough, etc. (like I need to explain to this group, haha) and lo and behold, sweet validation. Now she has two very different acceptances and will feel like wherever she goes, she went there by choice. So freaking grateful right now!
@daughtersdreams Fortunately, he has acceptances and $$ at other places - each of which he would be happy at. But deciding which one is going to be hard.
UARTS had MT auditions today. Since it’s April, how soon can those kids expect to hear their decisions?
@CentralOHmomof4 That’s fantastic! So glad she has two good options.
I auditioned at Millikin today and in my exit interview got BA theatre. Pretty disappointed. Anyone know if it’s even worth considering?
@daughtersdreams Thanks for getting us back on track. I started the … discussion yesterday a.m., but never expected it to become the rabbit hole it did. Frankly, I couldn’t figure out how to get us out of it, so I’m glad you did. There are so many wonderful programs out there which offer spectacular and unique opportunities for our talented kids. There is not a single program that is the end all, be all.
To all the families that are looking at just one acceptance…I say this: If your child applied to all of the Ivy league schools and only got into one, would you be upset? No, you would be thrilled. MT is the same animal. Please do not feel “less than” because you don’t have the choices you wanted. You are a winner!
Fantastic point, @BeBop1! =D>
@broadwayboy223 I am assuming that you were going for Musical Theatre BFA? If so, then you need to speak to the department head to find out if BA students have the option of doing an MT minor or at least taking voice / dance classes as electives. If the answer is no or probably not, then you’ll need to decide how important those things are to you.
From Millikin’s website it says: Students enrolled in the B.A. program are active participants in all of our departmental activities, including Pipe Dreams Studio Theatre, (our student theatre company), the New Musicals Initiative, and the aforementioned mainstage season.
So at the very least you’ll have the opportunity to audition for shows.
Also, if you have any other MT acceptances, you may need to give them serious consideration.
Best of Luck!
@BeBop1 - We actually have a friend who applied to all of the Ivies and got in 1. Perfect ACT & close to perfect SAT, very involved at school, lots of community service, very artistic, the list goes on. He was thrilled to get in 1. Our kids’ odds are like the Ivies!!!
@CentralOHmomof4 congrats !! 
Hi everyone! I’m a senior and have narrowed down my choices to a newer BFA MT program or a more prestigious BFA acting. If I had gotten into MT at the second option I would go in a heartbeat. I thought I was really set on MT, because voice is definitely my first skill, but am not sure anymore. Does anyone have thoughts on this?
I have followed some of the recent posts, but have never posted before. My D is a freshman in a BFA MT program. We made a lot of mistakes last year with this whole process, the main one being that she applied to only a few schools. She went to the one school where she was accepted for MT, but it has not been the right fit for her, so she decided to redo the process this year. This year she applied to more schools, 7 for MT and two for vocal performance. I insisted she put the VP programs in also, knowing that it might be even harder to get in an MT program as a transfer than as a freshman. Singing is her best skill, and she was accepted at both of the VP schools and accepted for 2 MT programs, including her top choice, so she is delighted. She cancelled one audition after that acceptance, and still hasn’t heard from one school, as they don’t fill their transfer slots as soon. So, this year was much more successful for her. I think the training she has had this year made her a much better performer. So, if your student isn’t really happy where they end up, transferring may work out for them.
Regarding scholarships: Someone posted that they don’t give good scholarships to transfer students. Fortunately, that was not our experience. She had high ACT scores and has a high grade point both at high school, and in college. She received excellent scholarship offers again this year, comparable to what she received on her academic acceptances last year. Only one school offered significantly less than they give freshmen. I did call around before she applied, and inquired about scholarship policies, so she crossed places off her list if they weren’t going to give transfer students large scholarships.
I’m so happy for her to have this new experience at a school that she feels so much more excited to be attending! Good luck to everyone as they begin new adventures!
@lovessinging Congratulaions to your daughter’s acceptances and scholarships. My D is a transfer with a 4.0 and excellent ACT and SAT scores. Last year she got full scholarships plus talent awards. This year still got talent awards but academic scholarships were less than half and some no more than $4-5,000. This was true for all 14 colleges. It’s actually stated on their websites, but I didn’t think to consider this because even transfers have to start over as freshmen when they enter these programs. I incorrectly thought my D would be considered a freshman.
I (and others)would be love to know which colleges you found that treat transfers and first time freshman the same in awarding academic scholarships. Thanks for sharing!