<p>Welcome to the Musical Theater Forum at College Confidential. I think if you take the time to read over all the threads on here (the FAQ link will link you to threads from the past as well as the ones you see on here at present....there were about 40 "parts" before the present forum) you will learn a great deal about the process, the schools, the field, etc. There is lots of information and resources on here, as well as personal accounts. </p>
<p>I will attempt to answer your questions in your latest post as best I can. </p>
<ol>
<li>What can one expect in the way of job opportunities with a degree in MT or drama?</li>
</ol>
<p>As I am sure you realize, it is very difficult to break into this field professionally. Also, shows do not run forever so an actor is constantly auditioning and looking for the next job, unlike regular careers. Some will make it in NYC and some might find work in regional theaters and so forth. There is risk involved and no sure thing but without going for it, you'll never know. My feeling is that these kids who majored in MT, are getting a college degree for one thing. If you talked to adults, many are working in fields that are not necessarily directly related to their college major. Their education, however, did lead to opportunities in life. So, the education alone will be something worthwhile that can be used in many jobs. Also, when picking a college, you can look into how the graduates of that program have fared. Perhaps a senior showcase is something you might value in terms of networking that might come immediately following graduation. </p>
<p>For me, just thinking of my own kid, but this sort of thinking could be done about any MT kid, she also has other skills and interests, should she not make it on stage (though that is what she is opting for first). She actually has some experience and talent at creating/writing shows, directing/producing, musical directing and choreographing and I could see her being involved in these facets of theater at some point, as well. She has writing skills, leadership skills, and music skills (is a competent pianist) and can choreograph well....so there are other things she could do. I think most kids could say this but their list might be different. It is not like her degree means she could only be a performer. She will strive to be a performing artist but that does not mean that is all she can do. </p>
<p>Also, there was a great handout at the Syracuse BFA auditions concerning what theater majors learn. It demonstrated that theater-trained applicants in the job world can be seen as valuable employees because of the skills they bring from their training. This handout was from an article by Louis E. Catron (a professor of theater at the College of William and Mary), which was published in Dramatics in the Dec. '91 issue. I can't copy it all here but it gets into the skills or traits that theater majors obtain that can be valuable preparation for numerous careers. I will list the skills/traits/qualities but the article expounded on each of them:</p>
<p>Oral Communication Skills
Creative Problem-solving abilities
Motivation
A willingness to work cooperatively
The ability to work independently
Time-budgeting skills
Initiative
Promptness and respect for deadlines
Acceptance of rules
The ability to learn quickly
Respect for Colleagues
Respect for authority
Adaptability
The ability to work under pressure
A healthy self-image
Acceptance of disappointment
Self-discipline
A goal-oriented approach to work
Concentration
Dedication
A willingness to accept responsibility
Leadership skills
Self-Condifidence</p>
<p>So, a theater major may work on stage, do related work to theater and the performing arts, or use their developed skills in a myriad of other jobs/careers that value such traits. </p>
<p>You also asked:
2. How much does it really cost, and do most people get some kind of finacial aid?</p>
<p>You just need to look up tuition/room/board at each school your daughter is interested in. The cost varies from school to school. Most schools are in the ballpark of 40K per year if private. My D just started NYU/Tisch and it costs $48,000/year (cough). I have a D going to Brown and I think that school is something like $44,000/year. I am talking room/board/tuition. You must add in transportation, books, and personal expenses. Most schools have need based aid. I urge you to apply for that at every school. We did for both of our girls and do get financial aid. Some of these BFA programs also offer merit aid (in addition to need based). My MT BFA daughter got merit offers at every school she applied to and got into, plus need based aid. Some of these offers were substantial. The school she chose gave a $20,000/year scholarship (plus loans) and some of the others gave just under that, and some much less. So be aware that both merit and need based aid exist at most of these programs. As you research each school, most of this information is available. I must admit that I was not aware of these merit offers at my D's school so opening the offers in April was a wonderful surprise. I knew about financial aid, however. </p>
<p>Your last question:
3. What kind of things would those of you who are in school now, or just entering school, wish you would have done if you could roll back the clock to your high school junior year.</p>
<p>To be honest, I cannot think of anything we really would have done differently. We learned lots about the process and knew what had to be done and did it in a timely way. Actually, in my MT daughter's case, her junior year became her senior year as well because she opted to graduate a year early. This meant that her process began mid way through tenth grade (whereas normally I would begin at the start of junior year as we did with our older D) and so the only thing that we did not get to do in tenth grade that I normally would do the year before applying, is to get all the visits in but otherwise, she was on track like any applicant who was a year ahead in school. She still researched her schools and had her list set by the end of tenth grade and all her testing done (as one should by the end of 11th ideally). So, there is nothing I would change or have done differently really. People said not to audition at your top choice school first and we did heed that advice. One of her top choices, however, was her second audition and looking back on all 8 auditions, she felt that they got better and better as time went on and that she felt her best ones were toward the end. Her acceptances, actually, followed that pattern as well. Perhaps that one of her top choices could have been even later but who knows if it would have made a difference. </p>
<p>This was the pattern looking back on it.
1st audition: accepted to the college Early Action, deferred to April for BFA, ultimately not accepted to the BFA.
2nd audition: rejected
3rd audition: accepted
4th audition: accepted
5th audition: accepted
6th audition: accepted
7th audition: waitlisted
8th audition: accepted</p>
<p>Hope this helps.
Susan</p>