Hello! Was anyone at CMU Acting auditions yesterday on campus? We drove 6 hours up and back and it was a very long two days, but it was a very positive experience. I will summarize for anyone going on campus. Suggested arrival was 11:45, for reg at 12 and info session at 12:30. Pretty organized. Both Don and Barbara spoke briefly and it was evident they wanted it to be a positive experience for everyone, not intimidating. They succeeded in that regard. My D was in the first group. I believe therefore that the sequence was based upon WHEN you submitted, just my take, canât confirm that. My D was in Donâs room. She did her two monologues and he did ask for a third. The interview section was relaxed and no really unusual hard questions. After she finished, we were able to jump on the first âstudent tourâ which they ran every 30 minutes. Our student tour guides were fabulous. So personable, direct and informative. For that reason, it is awesome to go on campus, but of course, that is just for information purposes, it does not change your audition experience. Feel free to engage if you were there, or have questions! BAL everyone!
Thanks, @yorkside!!! My D will only be able to go to BU if they give her some type of aid. Itâs way too expensive- ergo her SATâs stayed submitted. Thatâs all if she actually got in artistically.
@FourStars - thanks for the info. The on-campus experience at the schools we have been able to visit has been so beneficial. My D has CMU acting audition at Chicago unifieds. Iâve heard from some that CMU will sometimes ask acting kids to sing during their audition. Anyone have that experience?
Hi @FourStars Thank you for the feedback. Weâre auditioning at Unifeds here in Chicago as well. I think itâs great that a third monologue was asked of your D. Maybe thatâs a really REALLY good sign that Don enjoyed her monologues and just wanted to see more 
Love this! I hope she gets in (and gets in where she really wants to be )
@ginaf1102 CMU sometimes asks actors to sing or to do another monologue.
Likewise, at CMU, I heard that sometimes actors are asked to sing. My D was not asked to sing (which would have been fine), but was asked for 3rd monologue. But I have heard that some kids go to the other room and are kept a long time, so who knows?
^^^or to do your monologue as a chicken. True story :-). Be prepared for anything.
@artskids. What? as a chicken? Now I have heard everything. Where was that? Also CMU?
A college counselor told me â Not submitting SAT/ACT is like writing in big red letters on your application: âWe arenât looking for fin aid. Weâre happy to pay the full price!â
At most schools, the meaningful scholarships require the SATs. No SAT, definitely no need-based award. Some merit awards may not require SAT. Credit to @DoinResearch for these words of wisdom: âLow debt is good for the creative kid.â
@Atreuh - wouldnât it be more likely that no ACT meant no MERIT (which is based in academics) aide rather than need based (which comes from FAFSA etc)?
@Atreuh interesting. When we applied to Boston University, Before we could submit anything other than the commonapp, we were quickly emailed this ear Bryant:
Thank you for applying for admission to the Boston University College of Fine Arts.
As an applicant to the College of Fine Arts, you are not required to submit SAT or ACT test results as part of your application for admission to the College of Fine Arts, unless you are applying to a College of Fine Arts/College of Arts & Sciences Double Degree Program, the Kilachand Honors College, or wish to be considered for any of BUâs full-tuition scholarships. Detailed information about requirements for CFA applicants can be found on our website.
Please contact my office at or admissions@bu.edu if you need additional clarification. For identification purposes, your University ID number is U47385535. Please reference this number when communicating with the University.
Best wishes,
John C. McEachern
Director of Admissions
@FourStars Yes - at CMU. S and I went for a tour the summer before his audition season (summer 2013). The student who conducted our tour was a freshman MT - it was her story. She told him to be ready for anything
Interesting @actingdreams. I donât think my D received that email and we did submit her test scores. Itâs ok - she meets the schoolâs criteria but her test scores are not in the highest BU category for merit f/a.
@Atreuh It really does depend on the college and their philosophy. We arenât a high income family, and I really stressed last year about Kid1 not studying for SAT. We really need a good merit/need FA package. Kid1 very, very strongly believes the tests do not reflect who he is and he has a decent GPA. He found LACs with good theater programs that are test optional, and so far has received a generous Presidential scholarship from an early action school, waiting to see the full package. My point is, itâs better to find a school that fits with the kid, than to stress putting a square peg in a round hole. I will add, there are so many factors that display Kid1 has what it takes to succeed in college. His theater work ethic is off the charts, and Iâm sure teachers letters helped a great bit. His essay was edgy and made me nervous, and it did reflect his voice. I say these things for any parents out there that have a creative kid that may not fit the typical vision of a kid that gets merit aid. Thereâs hope if you pick the schools that fit your kid.
^^^D1 was not an academic rock star. Her grades and test scores were decent but not in the top FA categories for sure. Her essay, too, was edgy and reflected her unique voice. She had a very successful audition season. She was, however, very careful when she made her list and did not include schools like NYU, U Mich or BU where she would not likely have met the academic hurdles.
@Atreuh and @artskids My S bombed his 2nd SAT test so we sent out the first one that was decent but just a bit higher than average. on a good note, most of his schools chosen are test optional. We werenât looking for them, it just turned out that way. He jokes that if he could just get into Juilliard, he will not have to worry about any of this and I laugh with him too!
@toowonderful - most schools (at the BU level) require standardized test scores (along with FAFSA) to pass out need-based fin aid. The fin aid departments hold the dollars and they want solid indicators of future success when awarding large amounts (like over $5K). At DePaul Theatre School, they told us the fin aid dept awards the best packages to kids with high scores and gpa. After amassing some significant debt on D (who went to BU), we worked with a college/financial planner to look for best ways to get fin aid for S. We learned a lot, including: the best merit aid packages go to kids with test scores in the top 25% of the schoolâs range. Below that, schools are stingy. The student may be accepted, but school figures youâll pay if kid really wants to be there. The planner recommends looking for schools where the top 25% range aligns with your kidâs SAT. (This can be sobering. But debt is worse, IMHO.) @ginaf1102 - same with you, BU application will include the SAT. Hoping talent will come shining thru for all of our kids!
Anyone know someone who attended Christopher Newport for MT/ theater? Just found out my daughter was accepted to the school. It is a non audition program once you are Accepted academically. We have an on campus audition in Feb (for a scholarship). It is the âsafetyâ school on my Dâs list but I will be honest- we really do not know much about the program. Any insight?
@Atreuh - we are a âdonutâ family, so I never paid much attention to need based aide. But I do know that standardized scores were KEY at every one of Dâs schools for merit- far more important than GPA
Net Price calculators are so important when building the college list, each family can enter stats and income data, and get a sense of the aid a school might offer. Schools that have COA of 60K that meet 90-100% need might offer a surprise. In the beginning, I focused on the theater program fit, and when I took a hard look at our age, kid2 plans, and retirement, I went over to the financial section of College Confidential, got a good kick in the butt by reading, reading, and change the approach to be finance based. I think, in the beginning, it seemed like monopoly money. When I started calculating parent loans over 4 years, it changed me. Kid2 is a junior, I get to do this again next year.
@savedrama4momma You might want to ask over on the MT forum as well. I seem to remember some discussion of the program over there in the past. You might get some input there too.
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major