<p>FAFSA/Financial Aid in general has been VERY good to me the last 2 years at a state school (and my older sister, who attends a private university) so I'm really hoping that this year is no exception. Admissions said that I'd know by Monday at the earliest, so I'm chomping at the bit waiting to hear back!</p>
<p>I have been lurking here for quite some time, I did post a few messages a while back. The information I have learned here has been very helpful throughout this whole process but as a parent I have some real concerns with this choice my S has made. I have always told him to go for his dreams but really wonder if this is the best decision for him. He is a 4.0+ student, received a 34 on his ACT and is taking the toughest courses possible. The problem is that he has very little training in voice, and no real training in acting or dancing. He attends an all boys high school that didn't even have a drama program for over a year, it is just not a priority there.
He did get accepted into a program, the first one he auditioned for, but then was rejected by 6 straight schools which makes me wonder if this MT thing is a good idea. Needless to say he is a bit disappointed right now. My concern is that he is so far behind he will struggle in the program he has been accepted into or that he is just so far behind everyone else he will wish he had decided to do something else.</p>
<p>Which school was he accepted too? Maybe we can shed some light on the school and if it is worth it for him.</p>
<p>dadofsix -- I am a vocal coach (and also a mom of an MT student) and believe me, it is not unusual for a student to be rejected at many schools and accepted elsewhere. That is not necessarily a reflection on talent. If he was accepted at a school that requires an audition, the faculty must have seen both talent and potential in your son. At this age he still has plenty of time to improve his skills; believe me, a lot of growth can happen in the next four years. That's what college is for; schools don't expect students to be a finished product yet!</p>
<p>onstage, thanks for the reply. It is just hard watching your child struggle through this process and getting so many rejections in a row has really gotten him down.</p>
<p>Oh, I know, I've been there. Unfortunately, this whole business is like that -- there will be far more rejections than acceptances in every actor's life. You have to develop a thick skin, and that just doesn't happen overnight. But it's certainly good news that he did get accepted into a program! Every year there are many students on this board who aren't so lucky. It's so important to have the proper mix of schools, and it sounds like your son did well with that.</p>
<p>Dadofsix, you have expressed our dilemma as parents perfectly. Few of us are immune, and we have all watched our kids deal with rejection and tried to be understanding, compassionate cheerleaders -- while trying to maintain a sense of optimistic realism. What a balance! You are right in being concerned about your son's choice of direction...it is challenging and daunting, with crazy ridiculous odds, under the best of circumstances. I think a lot of us would have been quite happy had our children developed a passion for law or accounting instead of theatre!</p>
<p>My son HAS the experience and training, and still received four rejections before the first acceptance came in. There was a crisis of confidence in my house, to be sure.</p>
<p>Your son clearly has SOMETHING if he was accepted into a BFA MT program. Good for him! We heard time and again that the schools weren't looking for fully formed performers, but kids with potential, and your son proves that point. He will have to work hard, for sure, but it is work he apparently loves, and that's a blessing.</p>
<p>Who knows? His interest may morph or he may discover this is what he was born to do. Nothing is irrevocable, and if the worst that happens is he goes to school a little bit longer to sharpen his focus, everyone will live. I tell my kids all the time that college is not trade school, although that's a little less true with this kind of program than some others. If your son decides he should be doing something else, so be it. </p>
<p>My son, too, is still smarting about the "ones that got away", but we are embracing the programs that were smart enough to recognize his talent <g> and choosing to believe that one of those is where he is truly meant to be. I wish you and your son the same sense of peace.</g></p>
<p>One of the best things about this board is the support we get from one another (and indeed, the validation that we are not alone) - One of the professors we saw said something that really stuck with us: The MT dapartments are essentially "casting" their freshman classes. This means that they might not accept the dark hair soprano triple threat with lots of experience because they already have three others in the group of freshman through seniors. In addition, we have learned that they are also looking for kids who appear to be open to learning and growing - and no one wants a diva, regardless of the skill level - they need these kids to live and learn together for four years, after all. People that come across as too self-impressed are just as much of a turn-off as those with no self-confidence at all... So, let your kids know that sometimes it is just the fact that they are not what a program is looking for (or needs) - it is not their lack of talent or enthusiasm...
...someone told us that it is not unlike an orchestra looking for a particular instrument: there is a balance that many want to strive toward....</p>
<p>Here's hoping that all happens for the best (as our kids lick their wounds, thicken their hides, pick themselves up and dust themselves off)... and thanks to all of you on this same journey who have shared ...</p>
<p>CrtnUp,</p>
<p>That was an excellent post. Everyone should read that before, during and after the whole process.</p>
<p>I think DoctorJohn has said something similar to this - i.e. we can't accept several of the same in our new class, or else they will be competing against each other for the same roles for 4 years and end up hating each other. "One of each, please". MT class = casting for a show is not an unreasonable analogy at all.</p>
<p>Learning to deal with rejection and not taking it personally, having thick skin, is a skill that every successful performer needs to acquire. No better time to start than now. And if at some point, too much rejection and no acceptance wars you out, the individual has to decide if the reward is worth the effort. Plenty of people on both sides of that fence.</p>
<p>CrtnUp, great post and even though there are things I have read on this site that has really made me wonder if this is all worth it in the end, there is some consolation knowing we are not in this alone and there are many great people here that are willing to share their knowledge to help everyone in this difficult journey. The one ray of hope in all of this for me is that if the people on this site are any indication of the general population of folks in this business then I know my S will have a great experience over the next 4 years.</p>
<p>Totally agree! I'm not sure my D was really as prepared as she needed to be as she went into this year's auditions. But I do know that she would have been totally clueless if it hadn't been for all of the great advice and insight we got through the generous and knowledgeable people here. Now, as she moves into the next stage of making some tough decisions about which option to pursue, we will continue to look to this community to help in understanding and evaluating those choices. Thanks to all!!!!</p>
<p>I totally agree with everything that was said on this thread. You guys are great. Someone once told me exactly what CrtnUp said but in a different way. Say they need a female with blonde hair not too tall with a great singing voice. That describes alot of talented young girls, it is like looking in to a carton of eggs. Everyone looks about the same, sings about the same, nobody is a diva, they are all very nice, and talented so the auditioner has to pick one. It is alot of luck too, which egg in a carton do I pick. It was a kid who gave me this analogy about the egg thing but it seems to make sense. I wasn't calling any one an egg LOL.</p>
<p>Rejected from Ithaca and BOCO. I got news from both places today. Oh well. I remember in the beginning of the audition season when the rejections really hit me hard. Now, they don’t seem to matter quite as much. If anything, this process is giving me a thick skin and making me stronger!</p>
<p>music<em>is</em>life - Sorry to hear about the rejections. My Ds friend was waitlisted today at BoCo today.</p>
<p>Just remember that this is a journey and in the end you will find the place you are suppose to be!</p>
<p>thanks showmom-- I have a great school to go to next year that I really really love. So everything is good. 2 in one day is just a little rough.</p>
<p>Rejected at BoCo. Has anyone from the Unifieds gotten a rejection from Hartt or Point Park?</p>
<p>I got a rejection from Hartt.</p>
<p>Rejection from Hartt…</p>
<p>This thread’s cheered me up some. I only applied to five schools and I rather wish I had more on my list as the letters start rolling in, but… well, maybe there’s still hope. I got academically accepted in Elon but rejected for their musical theatre and my rejection from Northwestern came yesterday. My parents haven’t always been too keen on my pursuit of theatre beyond high school, but at least I know that despite the difficulties, I’m still really certain this is what I want to do.</p>
<p>Just waiting on Syracuse, Ithaca and my safety now…</p>