<p>If my son apply's Early Decision, is it a positive or a negative?
The positive is, it tells the school that this is his first choice and he will attend, but will that hurt him if it's his first Audition? His monologue coach thinks he shouldn't apply ED to his first choice because he should audition at three schools first to get experience. Also, will applying ED affect merit aid? Thanks</p>
<p>Applying ED will greatly change the merit scholarships recieved. There is more chance for those types of scholarships when applying ED. I agree that you should practice auditioning but do NOT apply ED for a school just to get more experience auditing. If your son gets into that school that wasn’t his top, you’re screwed. He has to go there because ED is a binging agreement.</p>
<p>I had a tour and discussion with the head of a BFA school in CA and I asked her this specific question (it was for Early Action rather than ED) and she said it was very beneficial to apply EA…not sure if this applies to all schools but I thought this was interesting.</p>
<p>Applying ED will severely limit your options, so your S needs to be sure the school is his first choice. Most theatre programs don’t make offers till April with decisions due May 1st. There are so many great programs out there and my D didn’t really know which would be a great fit for her until after visiting and auditioning at various types of schools. The whole year was a learning process for her. Of course that was our experience, yours may be different…</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the feedback! The school he wants to apply ED to is his first choice, but his acting coach was concerned that it might not be in his best interest because it would be his first audition. She wanted him to audition other places and not apply ED so he nails it at his first choice. When he stepped onto the campus at Rider University, he said, “it feels like home” even after visiting Ithaca, Muhlenberg, DeSales, and Emerson. We went back and saw, “7 Brides for 7 Brothers” and we were very impressed with the talent and quality of the production. He doesn’t plan on majoring in MT, but he can sing and has been in musicals. I agree with austinmt, it is a process and maybe he should attend the “student for a day” at Rider and other schools to see what they offer and then make a decision. BarbaraManate2, do you mean that the merit scholarship increases with ED or decreases? Thanks again for all your help. :)</p>
<p>What is stopping your son from auditioning at three other schools before auditioning at Rider and electing ED there? As long as he only applies ED at one school and then if he is accepted at that school honors his decision, I see no problem with doing multiple auditions for the experience. In the mean time his visits and auditions at other schools may help him decide if Rider is in fact the right choice. ED lets the schools know who truly wants to attend there, and helps them plan for their freshman class. Certain schools choose the majority of their applicants this way. Often you have a better chance for aid when applying ED but you should check with the school you are applying ED with for their rules concerning the amount of aid and how it might affect your families decision. Best of luck.</p>
<p>Thank you, I will check with Rider for ED Audition dates and try to schedule some before.</p>
<p>Merit Aid: This could be good and bad, and depends on the school. Some schools, like University of Rhode Island, require you to apply EA (not ED) to be considered for merit aid. Other schools also imply that you have a better chance of merit aid if you apply early. This can be school-wide, regardless of major.</p>
<p>However, other schools see your ED application as an indication that you will go if excepted, so don’t offer as much “talent money” as they hold on to that to lure the regular decision kids that they want. Actually, even though ED is binding, you can have a case where the FA is so bad you cannot attend and you can back out. This is school-specific, so check with each school. I can tell you that at BU, my son did ED, and was accepted, but he got no “talent” money from the School of Theatre since they only have a small amount and use that to lure the RD kids. Funny!! He was one of three chosen for ED, so I would guess they found him “talented” but he received no money, since they didn’t have to convince him to go. My son did get a very generous grant package from BU, and since the SOT does have a liaison with admissions, they may have put in a good word for him at FA. Who knows!</p>
<p>Thanks for the info!! :)</p>
<p>We loved Rider, too! ;-)</p>
<p>Applying ED should only be done to a school that is a clear #1 choice, to which you would definitely attend, and whose cost you can afford. ED will preclude you from comparing financial aid packages. It will vary school to school as to how it may affect any aid you’d receive.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone, great advice! austinmt, is your daughter attending Rider in the fall?</p>
<p>No, she chose the BFA MT voice program at CCPA/Roosevelt in Chicago. Best of luck to you in this process! My favorite part of it was how much time we got to spend with our daughter on the trips and auditions. Such a gift during her hectic senior year!</p>
<p>Thank you and Congrats to your daughter, I hope she has a great experience!</p>