<p>hi everyone, my daughter got accepted to BA theatre w/ MT minor. We were underwhelmed by the financial aid package, and then my daughter started reading reviews which were overwhelmingly negative. It quite took the wind out of our sails. We want to visit again next week, and be very sure before we turn it down. Any present students on this forum who could shed light? good things, bad things, overall impressions? thanks.</p>
<p>My S was accepted to MMM with MT minor and empahsis in Directing. He was also accepted into Hartt and Webster. We have paid his deposit for Marymount. This was after much deliberation because we have heard the same issues you listed. </p>
<p>We have decided that being in the city trumps the training from Webster and Hartt. However, we have also accepted that my S has got to be in control of his future by taking charge of his training. From what I have heard about MMM, they have some great instructors but you need to be noticed and have existing talent. </p>
<p>Also, living in NYC can be hard on a young person if they don’t have the disposition. We have spent alot of time in NYC and know it well. My S is ready. However, he is nervous and we’re a bit nervous, too. He has cousins who live in the city and a dozen friends who go and will be going to school at NYU, Columbia, etc. So, he has a support team that way.</p>
<p>We have had hefty talks about how MMM can be the right fit but he will have to keep his education in check. He will have to report to us often and have STRONG communication with us, his parents. I wish it were more balanced as far as the decision, but the location is what tipped the scale. Not without challenges, though.</p>
<p>Good luck with your decision! Let me know if I can help any further.</p>
<p>A close friend of mine was in the Marymount department for two years and left due to what she felt was a lack of attention, training, and performance opportunities. She was in the BA Theatre Performance with the MT Minor. She liked the people at Marymount and said the teachers were very nice, but felt it could not accommodate everyone. One thing that they speak about quite often at Marymount (which I was told when i toured) is that they are a BA program and are very about being a BA and if you want a BFA and that intensity and core group of people and a continual push then you need to look for a BFA. That is my comment on that because of what I heard from my friend who has left there to go to BFA MT at UCF. Just weigh your options and make sure (especially when having other BFA options) that it is the place for you. Luckily, there are other ways of getting more training while being in NYC that are outside of the school, but it can be costly and time consuming. I have heard good things and bad things about the program there, but if it fits you and you feel at peace about it, then trust yourself and GO and make the best of it. Best of Luck!</p>
<p>I don’t understand why being in NYC (rather than close by or moving there after getting your degree) is so important. The BFA piece totally trumps that for us but I realize everyong weighs the benefits of different programs differently. We see this as our daughter’s opportunity to get the best education possible - she can move to New York later after a great college experience. Sounds like you are very worried about this decision.</p>
<p>OregonMTMOM
Everyone has different priorities and selection criteria. My D wanted a BFA and would have picked that degree program over location as well. One can move to NYC after graduation. My D only had one school in NYC on her list of 8 BFA schools. She didn’t pick a school based on being in NYC. While she did end up in NYC and there have been some nice benefits to being there, it was most important to find the right fit for a college. She would not have sacrificed a BFA degree just to be in NYC either. But for someone else, location may trump program, I suppose.</p>
<p>The reasons for picking a school vary. I was simply giving some of the things to keep in mind with MMM. Location may play into the pro and con list of choosing for some. It may not for others. For my S, it was a factor for him. Its all part of the decision making process. My son is equity and has a theatrical agent in NYC. So, you can see why location was important for him.</p>
<p>I agree that each person’s list of selection criteria differs as it should. For some location is important and for others, it isn’t. </p>
<p>For my D, she did not want to audition while in college as she would not want to be pulled out of college should she ever be cast but some are willing to be cast and to leave school.</p>
<p>We have a close family friend that took nearly 7 years to graduate from NYU. Now…the reason was that over those seven years she was cast in Spring Awakening, Chorus Line and is current in In The Heights! She was determined to finish. So location was a good choice for her, eh? </p>
<p>She was an exceptional and rare case, frankly. I do not want ANYONE to take that story as a reason to go to school in NYC. Her success was due to persistence and hard work. Just thought I would share something cool!! </p>
<p>ISLEMOM - And yes, many students are not interested in auditioning while in college. Maybe you can add that to your decision making process. Cheers and good luck! PM me if you would like to talk about this more and how we came to our conclusion.</p>
<p>Terri, I know who you mean. When I saw In The Heights, she went on that performance as the understudy for Nina and was very good in the role. Was she in Tisch and was she in school while doing the shows or did she take leaves during the shows?</p>
<p>My D’s friends in Tisch who have been cast in shows, have had to take a leave during the shows. Some have returned and some never returned. The only friend I know of who could stay in NYU while doing a show (she was in the most recent Spring Awakening cast), was not in Tisch but rather in CAS. Another friend, when cast in an Off Broadway production, had to switch from Tisch to Gallatin. It would be hard to be in TISCH while in a show of that nature. Most in Tisch have had to leave to take on these types of shows.</p>
<p>Here, I just posted a topic about this, but I’ll post it in the reply. There are clips from Marymount’s musical, “Thoroughly Modern Millie” this year on YouTube. If you’ll notice, it’s not ONLY top notch, but the majority of the leads (and cast members in general) were freshmen and sophomores. That really says something about the school and it’s progression in my opinion. </p>
<p>It’s an IMMENSELY up and coming program, and the connections at the school are great too. The director of one of the fall mainstages, “As You Like It” by William Shakespeare, is actually the head of the New Globe Theatre in NYC, AND a prof. at Marymount. His name is Jon Basil.</p>
<p>On top of that, the other mainstage’s director is a credited Hollywood actor named Paul Lazar (IMDb him if you’d like, I’m SURE you remember him from “Silence of the Lambs”). </p>
<p>All in all, the school is great, and VERY up and coming. If anyone has ANY questions, I’m a BFA Acting major there currently (I’m going to be a sophomore in the fall, and I was actually cast in “As You Like It” for the fall), and I’ll tell you anything you’d like to know, good or bad. I mean, EVERY school has their strengths and weaknesses, and I’d be happy to talk about many of them, even in the musical theatre program, as MANY of my friends are MT’s. Thanks, and let me know what you think of the Millie videos too :)</p>
<p>EDIT: The links were removed. I apologize, I didn’t realize they were against policy. If you like, just search the username: Reasons2befierce on YouTube, and you’ll find the videos :)</p>
<p>TerriLK4: Just curious: How is your son doing this year at MMM? Is he happy with his choice to attend school in New York City, even though he’s not in a BFA program? Does he know any students who currently attend Hartt and/or Webster with whom he can make comparisons about the program he is in versus the programs he could have attended? As a parent, do you have any comments either way?</p>
<p>I thought I would respond to the above posts regarding MMC. My daughter has gone to MMC for 4 years. I read in some of the posts above about kids leaving after 2 years because of the “training”. Well, alot of the professors, voice teachers, dance teachers, etc. teach at both MMC and NYU CAP. My daughter’s voice teacher has half MMC kids and half NYU students. She has had SEVERAL professors that teach acting at both NYU and MMC. This is not uncommon. It is also a highly competitive school for performance opportunities because of the number of students. So this does mean that some students can go for 4 years and not be cast in a show. There are some VERY talented students there and it seems that the same ones get cast as the leads in most of the shows. Kind of sounds like the real world, huh?? However, there are other opportunities to do other projects. It is not a school where they hold your hand for four years, but if a student can handle the New York lifestyle and be very independent or a go-getter there are alot of opportunities for learning and performaning.</p>
<p>My daughter has been in the BA Theatre Performance MT Minor for the past year and simply loves the program. Her dance teacher is a broadway performer and her voice teacher has taught voice at Marymount and to Broadway performers for years. All her teachers also incorporate New York City into their curriculum and she has enjoyed the hands-on learning that being a student in NYC offers. I was a little worried having her go to NYC but the 55th Street residence building security is very tight and it puts me at ease as a parent. My daughter also loves the Upper East side location of the school and 55th Street dorm. Her class sizes are small and we’ve been impressed with the faculty who have worked in the theatre field for many years. For my daughter it has been a perfect fit.</p>
<p>One of my best friends chose to go to MMM this year with an MT minor. She was absolutely thrilled to go, but really didn’t have much of a choice because it was the only audition school she was accepted to. She entered the program and said she was learning a lot, however, she recently thought about transferring because she didn’t feel like the classes were teaching her a lot and thought she might prefer a BFA in MT. Unlike TerriLK4’s S, she’s thinking about auditioning for schools like Hartt and Ithaca. </p>
<p>As far as location, when I was auditioning I took NYC right off my list simply because I didn’t want to live there yet. I figured I was gonna move there when I graduated, so why not take the opportunity to live in a different environment for a while. I think it largely as to do with where people want to have their memories and what is available for them, not just what opportunities can arise. Hartford (I go to Hartt) has lots of regional theatres and Hartt has a partnership with the Hartford Stage Company and the Goodspeed Opera House, so professional roles are available without getting distracted from you degree! (side-note: BoCo also recently joined the Goodspeed partnership!)</p>
<p>My D is a freshman at Marymount in the BA Theatre Performance MT Minor and like LaxPower’s D is loving the program. The daily dance class (1 1/2 hours every day) is very challenging and she also has a voice teacher that is excellent. My D feels she has grown so much already in her acting class and loved the script analysis class she did this semester. </p>
<p>My D was very fortunate to come in with many AP and college classes so that she already has sophomore standing. D will be picking up an additional minor in a subject she loves and will be starting piano at Hunter College next semester since it will fit into her schedule. My D feels there are many opportunities at MMC and she is working to take advantage of all of them.</p>
<p>theatrenerd- most of your post is completely irrelevant and is basically just talking about yourself. your friend should really look at bfa programs and see if they really make a difference for her. the way our program is set out, is so you have more classes without having to actually pay per credit hour like other programs. we have dance 5 days a week and a one hour voice lesson per week, most schools do not have this and if they do it fills up their schedule quite a bit. also, most people going to school here do not feel distracted because we already know that this is the life we will be living so why not start now and build those contacts and be used to the city before the rest of your graduating class from other schools gets here. I’m not saying that your choice is bad, because I don’t think that at all. But your post really belongs somewhere else…maybe on the Hartt section so you can brag about something you actually know about.</p>
<p>Hello everyone! I am graduating from high school in June and I plan on attending MMM in the fall. I have been in musicals my entire life and I have gotten good roles all through high school. I really wanted to audition for schools this past year but was not able to due to travel money and expenses. If I have not auditioned for MMM this late in the game is their any chance that I would be able to audition when I got there? Or would they be interested in me making a video or highlights from past shows? I am still not fully committed to MMM but I have to make this decision fast. I honestly will do anything to be in the program if this is possible. I am praying that hopefully this will be an option because their is nothing I love more than performing. Thank you for your time and hopefully you can tell me about MMM and that if it is a good choice for my college experience.
Thank You, Dalton Lee Cole</p>
<p>I’m confused. You say you are planning on going in the fall but have not yet auditioned. Did you even apply? MMM is not the most artistically or academically selective of schools so, if you are decent and a boy and can pay the tuition, I would say you have a good shot even now, however, I’m still confused.</p>
<p>Dalton- There is one more audition this Saturday, April 16th. I am not sure if it is full, but there is a good chance. I also believe that it is for transfers only, but they may be able to make an exception, so I would call the theatre office. I have not heard of them accepting students from videos because they also conduct regional auditions on each coast and in the south and midwest. You are not able to audition once you get here. I tried to do the same thing myself and just had to audition at the November auditions for January admittance during my audition season a year or so ago. I went as far to the top of the totem pole as I could go and the answer was that I had to audition at an ACTUAL audition, I even had a teacher of mine contact a friend who is high up in the program and I could not get a private audition. So you will have to audition on Saturday or choose to come to MMC and hope to be admitted but there is always the chance that you may not get in, so definitely think that over before fully committing. Our program has gotten extremely competitive as our faculty sees over 1000 students each year and are very selective. Feel free to PM me and I will answer any questions you have.</p>
<p>sassystage- if you read his post you would see it makes complete sense. Please don’t speak false information about a program that you have no knowledge about. Like I wrote above, the faculty sees over 1000 students most of which choose to audition for MT as well as the Acting majors, therefore, it is actually very selective. For MT, they accept around 5-7%. It has nothing to do with being a boy or a girl. It has to do with the audition and what they are looking for. Saying that if you are a boy and can pay for tuition that you have a good chance, is completely untrue. I have amazingly talented friends that did not get into MMC but got into some other great schools. I also have friends who went to MMC even though they did not get into the program and then reauditioned and got in.</p>