Seeking college counselor who specializes in theater/acting/drama schools. Any recommendations?
Hi @Actressinneed my son just went through the process last year. I am a college counselor specializing in performing arts. Please reach out if you’d like to discuss this further:)
I would also add that a college counselor specializing in the arts is very different from a college audition coach who can help with monologues, audition prep, etc.
Make sure whoever you choose is actually able to help with what you need. We have a local college counselor who is amazing with test prep and knows a ton of colleges (she works mainly with arts kids). However she doesn’t quite understand that just because a school may be well within reach academically it may be a stretch artistically. She will tell kids “you will get in there” and they may academically but not artistically and they don’t want to go unless for theatre. So…that lack of understanding may have led some people to feel they had a safety when they did not.
So true @bfahopeful! It sets up for some serious disappointment. I keep reminding my D to repeat after me - NO AUDITION SCHOOL IS A SAFETY SCHOOL!
I will say @theatremom10 is in an amazing position as a college counselor with first hand experience of going through this. Bet you have a ton of great knowledge!
Thanks @bfahopeful!! The first hand experience has only increased my knowledge and I find that each year there is more to learn lol. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. At least no one can say this process is dull;)
I just heard the advice on College Audition Counselor’s website (Mary Anna Dennard) that the kids apply for I think it was 2x as many “match” schools as “reach” and that for BFA’s in theater, reach should be considered anywhere that admits fewer than 15% of those who audition. Anyone know where we find that data? Admission rates are easy to find for an entire college or university, but how about for BFAs? (I may cross-post this question if I can find a better forum, since this thread seems small…hope that’s OK.)
@katew529 interesting note about the 15% admit rate and “reach” schools. Seems that a large portion of BFA schools admit less than10%. The more competitive ones less than 3-5%.
Some schools will tell you this info. You can look on websites or call schools. I think there may be a thread on here or the MT forum that talks about admit rates also.
@katew529 - Look on the Musical Theatre forum - there have been many discussions over the years about admission percentages. As @bfahopeful said, most seem to be under 10%. Audition programs don’t seem to release actual numbers, so there really isn’t a firm answer to MT or Acting admission rates.
@theatremom10 is the perfect combination counselor! @bfahopeful and @artskids My daughter and I both really “got it” last year and understood and appreciated what she was up against trying to get into a program. We would tell family/friends that she was willing to attend any school that she applied to, prayed for one acceptance, and any more than one acceptance would be considered a miracle as she would have “options”. We couldnt have been happier with her results and there were people within our theatre community and HS who were like “Oh, I knew she would get in there…I figured that was her safety”. I was so sad that they truly didn’t get it and understand how very blessed she was to get in…there are no auditioned BFA safeties!!
Thanks @Onourown
It really helped to save “some” of my sanity during this process lol! I hear you about people at school or family/friends not getting it. We had the same experience unfortunately:( Every acceptance is indeed a blessing. My son realizes how fortunate he is…several of his high school friends auditioned for MT/Acting/VP programs and none of them were accepted to any programs with 1 exception. Their parents were not involved in the process or just didn’t fully understand it. It really made me sad to see:( I really feel all the CC parents are amazing people! We are all so dedicated to our kids and the process
@Actressinneed I will private message you.