I had no idea what this process was like—I went to college many years ago and found the right one in a heartbeat. So my D18 wants to be an actor, has great singing skills and academic abilities, interest in sciences and writing, great GPA and recommendations, crummy test scores. I wanted to steer her towards a LAC with a great theater department. She only cared about applying to a conservatory in NYC. She was accepted through audition, but the fin aid is nonexistent and not possible for us. She did the minimum on her LAC applications and got turned down by Wesleyan, waitlisted at Sarah Lawrence and Skidmore, and accepted at Bard and her super safe safety, Mass College of Liberal Arts. Also turned down by two women’s colleges I should never have recommended for her. She got an excellent fin aid package at Bard, but our recent visit for accepted students day went completely sideways. The person representing the theater program (someone from the very academic, “dramaturge “ side) basically said it wasn’t a program to train as an actor (that’s how my D heard it) and that was that.
I will set up a visit at MCLA but it surely can’t be better than Bard can it? Should we scratch this year and start all over? I screwed up. I have encouraged to think about Bard, maybe give it a year. Please help!
You will probably get some good suggestions in the “Theater/Drama Majors” forum.
Thanks. Is there a way to move my post? Or just copy and paste?
Copy and paste is fine.
Don’t be too hard on yourself or her. This is a tough process to navigate. Glad to see this question got moved to the Musical Theater forum, there will definitely be posters with thoughts on this. I will say, you might try to dig deeper on Bard than what one person said that threw her off, it may or may not actually be true.
@MarlboroMom If your D is only interested in conservatories she may want to take a gap year and apply to such MT or Acting programs for BFA. There is plenty of info here on those programs. Otherwise pursuing a BA indeed won’t give her the performance training she seems to be wanting.
@soozievt May be able to give you some insight on Bard and your best options at this point, but a gap year isn’t a tragedy if she really is not happy with her choices. Better than spending money on one year that may need to be repeated.
So many great options in conservatories but some of the best financial options are not in the Northeast , with a couple exceptions.
So does your daughter understand that a bfa conservatory style means no academics that she’s interested in? My daughter was in a bfa for theater design and really missed writing and academics. This happens a lot. She moved to the BA but still wasn’t enough and now switched colleges to another lac and is very happy but on a different life course but will incorporate theater into it.
Bard is very academic and “might” be a good mix. Have her email the head of the Department and Facebook etc some students and ask questions.
If waiting till next year have her check out Pace in New York and Emerson in Boston for Musical Theater.
Mulenburg also…
Personally, I’d have been delighted with Bard for the academics alone and it’s hard to believe she would not find her peep there. But, an LAC is not the same as a conservatory. I dunno. Does a gap year make more sense than a year at Bard? It’s her decision.
I know nothing about Bard or musical theater. But I loved MCLA when I visited with my son. I recommended it to my niece’s daughter the other day. The campus is lovely-- I wouldn’t discount it out of hand.
I’d suggest she follow up further at Bard with the department head. Great academics and opportunities to perform. Not a conservatory, though.
I’m not sure that “you” screwed up. While its important for parents to set a budget and have some say in the app list, the student is the one who should be doing the bulk of researching for the right fit and coming up with the initial list. Applying to the conservatory in NYC is fine, but her list should have included another 5-6 schools that are considered match schools that she would have attended had they come in at budget. You need to let her do the work and supervise from the sidelines.
What does she think about her two waitlist schools, Sarah Lawrence and Skidmore? Has she written letters of continuing interest to those two schools to express how excited she would be to attend? If not, make sure she does that, because it is not inconceivable that those schools will take students off their waitlists.
Both Sarah Lawrence and Skidmore are on my daughter’s top 5 “must apply to!” list for next year. (My daughter is not planning to major in theater, it is one of her passions, and I think she would like to continue coursework in acting and directing.) They are both TERRIFIC schools. I don’t know your daughter, but my daughter would happily attend either one. We are actually going up to Skidmore in a week and a half to see their musical theater production of “Cabaret”!
Actors come from all walks of life. A very successful actor I know (two Tony Awards) feels that kids shouldn’t major in theater. They should read the great books, study about life and people - take history and psychology and sociology classes - and live their lives, not get immersed in “technique.” If Bard is affordable and you can make contact with a theater student there who can give you a better perspective, it’s a quick train ride to NYC and a fine choice for an artistic, creative kid. And a theater MFA can often be a better choice than a BFA. So, I see no issue in going to Bard (you’ll be saving money) and then applying to the amazing MFA programs out there (you’ll have the cash to do that.)
Define better? Wait until she visits her super safety, then decide. She might like MCLA, which will make it better than Bard.
Also can you afford these colleges? My daughter got into her dream school for theater design at Emerson in Boston and the merit she got was very low and we couldn’t sent her. She went to her number 2 and flourished. Our kids knew we needed “x” dollars to send since kid number 2 going to college soon.
My daughter is an MT and all of her schools were MT with the exception of Bard, in order to have an academic safety. It is a great school with a lovely theater program. I think it is a mistake to think that one can only get training in a BFA program and not at a LAC. Actors need to be educated people. Good actors are thinkers and readers. That is why you will find that Meryl Streep went to Vassar and just to add a few more off the top of my head, Daveed Diggs and John Krasinski (Brown), Lin-Manuel Miranda (Wesleyan), and from Bard itself, Blythe Danner and Adrien Grenier. I could go on and on. Maybe have her shadow or do an overnight and sit in on classes. There is no reason to think that a great education will not give you great training. (Athough if she really feels at the end of the day that it is not her path, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a gap year!) Best of luck to you!
@MarlboroMom
Your story sounds very typical. My best friend’s daughter had the exact same profile and same results last year. She was also waitlisted at Skidmore but she wrote a letter, visited again and she she was offered a spot in May. However she decided to attend an other Urban university for singing opportunities and she is trying again to transfer to better theater program this year. Those theater LACs (Wesleyan, Vassar, Midd etc) are VERY TOUGH admits. Very tough! And the competition among theater girls are unreal. Btw another friend even more decorated and accomplished had the exact same results with the exception that they needed no finaid and took the NY offer.
Do ask at the theater forum and I am sure you will find solutions.
There’s a lot to like about Bard, I really like their approach to education and the fact that everyone has to do a senior thesis. However, it’s not for everyone, my son couldn’t get out of there fast enough! I suggest that she talk to someone else in the theater department just to get a second opinion, but also look at her other options. My younger son liked his safety college a lot more than some of his reachier colleges.