Hi, I am curious to know what DePaul looks for the students they accept in their BFA Acting Program.
My D submitted her pre-screen and was just declined. She is a strong candidate and has passed other prescreens.
So just looking to gather some information about what they look for, who’s typically successful (if there is such a thing).
Thanks.
What is your daughter’s background to make her a strong candidate?
My cousin retired a few years back but was one of the acting teachers at DePaul and also helped to pick the Freshman classes. What some people don’t understand is that this is one of the top acting schools in the country. It is very hard /selective to get in. You are up against national talent not just local talent. One of the seniors we know went to a pre professional private high school in Chicago and already had 4 years of daily intense acting and musical theater experience prior to applying. She’s an amazing actor prior to DePaul. She is also an amazing singer.
Also they are building a class for staging plays. Not all the girls can be blonde /blue eye 5 foot 8 and and thin unless they are only doing the Stepford wives every year…lol.
When I asked her about this it was raw talent and teachable with maturity and luck. They tend to know it when they see it kinda thing. This has no bearing on your daughter. Rejection is part of the acting game.
If in Illinois for BFA acting, check out Northwestern, Illinois Wesleyan University.
Good Luck
Thank you for the detailed insight @Knowsstuff.
My daughter attends a theatre conservatory high school in Southern California. Its one of the top schools of its kind on the west coast. She is well prepared for her pre-screens and auditions, has a good coaching, has selected good monologues, etc. Her experience is mostly community children’s theatre and her conservatory high school. She is well trained and very good. Her conservatory high school might be similar to what you are mentioning in the senior you mentioned above.
But as you say, they are building a class for staging plays. An acting troupe if you will. Being a white girl, my daughter has the most competition based on “type” for a spot in any given acting class.
@SoCalPops… My daughter was also with her friend at the same school in musical theater in Chicago. So I can appreciate what you are going through. Better to find out now then later. From my perspective I have seen many kids from these conservatory high schools get into great BFA acting programs but there also seems to be a large attrition to leaving after one to two years. I think the kids get burnt out. Some realize the $50-60,000/year expense is just to much. I have seen many change to non acting majors.
Good luck to your daughter.
@SoCalPops . DePaul is the only prescreen my S did not pass last year. Best advice is just let it be and keep your sights looking forward. The competition was so much greater than we ever anticipated. Pre screens and applications are stressful, but this time will pass. Your situation sounds relatable to ours and in the end it all worked out and my S ended up at a great school. Schools are essentially casting a “company or ensemble”. Some schools know what shows they will be casting years out. So everything already said here is so true and valid. It is just this wildly competitive, crazy process of casting a very broad net and then reeling in acceptances and possibly waitlists as they come and it is totally out of the students hands at that point. It is just often really random where your kid gets accepted! Hang in there and best of luck to your D!!
One thing you have to remember is if they already have, in their sophomore and junior classes, your daughter’s “type” they don’t need her. We were told, flat out at one school, that if they “have enough flutes, we’re not taking any flutes that year.”
Thank you @frontrowmama and @4gsmom . This is lot more unpredictable than I anticipated. Good news is my D has passed two other competitive pre-screens.
It’s a terrible process. I’m glad she’s passed the other prescreens. When my d was going through it, we just would say about the rejections: “that’s simply not your school” and move on. It took a few hours and a Starbucks frap to truly get over it. 
New here and appreciating the sharing. I had no idea what we were getting into with this process (BFA Acting hopeful). D too got a super quick no thank you from DePaul. She attends a performing arts high school and has a strong background and resume. So our first response being a quick no was a slap in the face. But she has passed the other prescreens. The whole process is quite the learning experience. We are off for first in-person audition next week. ??
Good thing to keep in mind is each decision - each acceptance or rejection - is an independent decision. Meaning “just because” a school rejected/accepted you, means nothing about what the next school will/will not do. It’s easy in our brains to start extrapolating a trend from an acceptance or rejection. But one school’s decision has zero bearing on the next one’s.
One example that stuck in my mind from last year: there was a boy here on CC who got into Rutgers, SUNY Purchase, UMinn, and UNCSA…but didn’t pass the prescreen for FSU. (Not just “didn’t get in” to FSU…didn’t even pass the prescreen.) It just goes to show that each school knows specifically what it’s looking for, and it may not be what the other schools are looking for, and it ISN’T just about talent.
@SoCalPops my S also attended (likely the same school as your D) in OC and Wasn’t callback after the auditioning round for DePaul. Maybe a blessing but he is in Chicago and absolutely loving CCPA. It’s an amazing program you should look into if she really wants to be in Chicago. You’re Welcome to reach out if you have any questions