Sorry, interested
@Barrie08 Yes, IU is in-state for us. I know their out-of-state cost and lack of aid is a dealbreaker for many. We actually did not have IU on our list at all originally because S wanted to get out of IN!
The importance of FIT: a school is SO much more than a ranking. Friends who went through this process and are now working actors gave us some very helpful counsel:
- Ask yourself, are these the people (and the place) I want to spend the next four years with? Not just students in your program, but professors and the overall school environment.
- Don't talk yourself into liking a school because you "feel" like you "should" like it. Pay attention to your gut.
- There is NO SET OR GUARANTEED PATH to "making it." For every big-time success story, there is another person from that school who did NOT make it -- and may still have tens of thousands of dollars in school debt. And there are people who make it from the little-name and no-name schools, too.
- Price is part of the "fit" equation.
Our S visited many schools that were highly rated on paper but would not have been a good fit for him, even though they might be perfect for someone else. We’ve watched people from Indiana State U make it big, and people from CCM burn out. Look at more than just a paper ranking.
@MTmom70 Chapman is also high on my D’s list. I find it interesting that it wasn’t cut from your list due to price. It’s one of the priciest schools on our list right behind CMU. I heard they give some $ is that true? We won’t qualify for any need based aid.
@marg928 S should get an academic scholarship but it still will be at very top end of budget and possibly end up out of reach. Talent aid is minimal, $1-2K at most and not everyone gets some. S is interested in BFA Screen Acting with a Voice minor. We don’t qualify for need-based aid either so CMU came off our list early.
@MTmom70 same here, my D is interested in the Screen Acting program. My sister-in-law’s close friend (from Long Island) has a niece that just graduated from there and a nephew who is a senior and both had great experiences. She flew out there for her niece’s graduation this past May and couldn’t say enough about the school. (they were not in the performing arts).
@marg928 We have heard of students transferring out of Chapman bc acting training wasn’t challenging so we are trying to keep eyes wide open. Campus is gorgeous but boy is it pricey!
@MTmom70 - congrats on the early acceptance. If that is one of your top choices that takes off a lot of pressure. My D’s year she has 2 friends who ended up at the same program. It was their top choice for both. One did an early audition and was accepted by Dec- did no other auditions, and had the most relaxed senior year I have even seen in someone going for a BFA. The other wanted to get a few others out of the way before doing their top school (an often recommended plan- and for good reason) so did a full round. This kid got multiple offers, but had to wait for that favorite school until later in the game, with all of the accompanying stress!
@MTmom70 - congrats to your S. I heard that IU has a wonderful program! It’s nice to have an early acceptance on a place that your S wants to go. My S could only do one early audition due to scheduling and was accepted into Millikin’s MT program. You are SO right about the vibe. We had visited several “reach” programs and my S did not like the vibe at a few of those universities. He really loved Millikin and we went to see a show there which was equally wonderful. He also removed a few places from his list after his Millikin acceptance.
@Barrie08 Congrats to your son! Millikin is great but my S goes to a high school of 2,600 students and after visiting a few smaller colleges, he realized he wanted something at least larger than his high school. Where else is your son going to audition?
Folks, I realize that we have an advantage just because of my child’s gender (male). If I had a daughter, I would probably make her expand her list beyond what we did with our son – although I would still make sure there were a lot of strong Match schools and not just Reaches.
@MTmom70 - my S thinks he wants a small school, but we really haven’t visited any large schools. If he went to Millikin tomorrow, he’d be happy, but he really needs to experience some other schools to make a solid choice. He spent some time at Webster, and loved it, he is auditioning for Webster, Shenandoah, Pace, Montclair and Penn State. After visiting Millikin, he took Elon and Marymount off the list. All of his auditions are the end of January, early Feb., so it’s a lot of hurry up and wait, ugh.
Congrats @MTmom70! Loved your report-you brought up some great pointers re formulating a school list, and some specific advantages of coaching.
Congrats on early acceptances for your kids @MTmom70 and @Barrie08. That is wonderful. @MTmom70- love your list of tips. Especially number 1 about the other students and faculty. You spend a ton of time in those four years with them - so make sure it is a fit! My D described the “vibe” feeling just right (or not) as part of her final decision last year. Even during auditions and call backs - schools she had visited previously and thought she liked a lot, felt “off” the more she got to know current staff and students. And the school she ended up at was one she did not think she would like at all and absolutely loves. Visiting and getting to know faculty and students during auditions made all the difference.
I am feeling the tremendous weight of “hurry up and wait” right now. D is still super busy with honors apps and essays; but my work (researching schools, helping formulate a list) is essentially over. Well, except for driving/flying to auditions. It blows my mind that we may not know where she’s going until May! This is such a different process than with S, an athlete. He applied to 5 schools-probably had it narrowed down to 2 by end of January; and he made a decision the first week of March.
What are some good straight acting programs in the Northwest?
@marg928 Have you discovered www.playbilledu.com? You can sign up (free and I don’t receive SPAM) and then you can do a search as broad or as specific as you’d like for music, MT, theater, by size of school, location, degree program, etc. It was a great starting point for us and helped us see a few schools we might have missed otherwise.
We are officially done with this journey:) My daughter and I started researching schools back in March. We had our list of schools, got a coach and got started.
We went to visit our “safety” school last May and she honestly loved the school and the program. The staff was very warm and you could tell they cared for their students and their success. It is an audition school, so it was not a complete safety, but not as hard to get into as some of the top tier programs mainly because of location and it is a BA program. However, they do require a prescreen. She has gone to every single one of their productions and they were great, and she was impressed with the talent. Their program is wonderful!!!
She applied to the school and sent in her prescreens. We found out last week that she has been accepted into their Musical Theatre program. She has chosen to stop the audition process and go to West Texas A&M.
She would love to have the opportunity to possibly double major, and being a BA, she has that opportunity. She will be going in with 30 dual credit hours, so that leaves lots of room for a double major, even if she cannot finish in 4 years. She may have to take a few summer sessions, but she is ok with that.
I am not sure how to feel… I am relieved, but then nervous she could regret her decision. She is very certain that this is what she is supposed to do. She is excited, and she will only be a few hours away from home. She will now continue and enjoy her senior year without stress!!!
I will be popping in here to cheer you guys on! This forum has been a lifesaver for me!!
Blessings to you all!
@marg928 - We don’t have many great options here in the NW which is why most of our kids head elsewhere. Cornish has an acting emphasis program. Willamette University has a very good BA Theatre program. University of WA has a great BA Drama program (though they are more known for their MFA’s). Central Washington University has a BFA MT and a BFA Performance. University of Oregon also has a BA Theatre degree. Southern Oregon University has a BFA Theatre degree and they choose a concentration.
@marg928 I would second Cornish for straight acting. And I have heard from others that Western Washington has a good acting program.