@judevine SO if you are interested in programs still auditioning, there are some smaller schools that have late auditions. UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) has auditions for BA Theatre for scholarships and stipend on April 8th and there are several people on this board who have said great things about the people in charge of that program. I can’t attach a link here but if you google UAB Theatre you will find the information. Western Carolina University still has auditions but I doubt that any scholarship money would be available (although it is affordable and will be more affordable next year), Lipscomb University in Nashville TN has auditions in April also and there is money available for academics. Those are just a few schools that are small, but great programs with really good people in charge!
@CMB625 great info above. Also- can you please elaborate on how western Carolina will be more affordable next year. My D is also at a NC school and if something is changing with State tuition rules I would love to know. :). Thx!
@bfahopeful , I sent you a pm. For others, google NC Promise.
Does anyone know if the CUNY Brooklyn BFA requires an audition? I couldn’t tell and their application deadline is August 10th! Might be a good possibility.
@toowonderful thank you for responding regarding NYU. My daughter is graduating from Tisch in May and it has been consistently ranked as one of the top 5 drama programs in the country in most rankings that you look at it. Perhaps because it is a larger program that accepts more students than some other BFA programs, people think it is easier to get into but I don’t think that’s the case. Also, to be admitted to the BFA program you have to be admitted academically as well to NYU and that makes it more difficult.
@judevine I saw your apology about your comment and I appreciate it. I know you are just hurt for your son, it is so difficult to watch them work so hard and then not get what we feel they deserve. But as you know, as a professional in the business, sometimes there is no rhyme or reason. I hope he continues to pursue what he loves and wish him the best of luck.
@jbtcat - NYU is different from every other BFA program I know of… and therefore it can be confusing. Sometimes people dismiss NYU b/c it IS hard to understand, and the school is not for everyone. (If you want warm and fuzzy - that’s not their game) but their record speaks for itself. My D has loved her time there- what studio(s) has your been a part of? My D had done 2/12 years at adler, a semester at RADA, and is planning on finishing with stonestreet next year
@toowonderful I love your description! So true! Not to mention the number of kids that actually make it through the program! My daughter was in Playwrights for 3 years and is now at Stonestreet. She has loved every moment of her time at NYU and is so sad to graduate but she knows she has received amazing training, made great contacts, and is ready to follow her dreams. Best of luck to your daughter!
@bisouu, CUNY Brooklyn BFA does require an audition, and they’re done for this year’s cycle. (My son attends CUNY Brooklyn and started with a different major, but has decided he wants to audition for the Acting BFA, and was told he’ll have to wait and audition in the fall for the following year.)
Can you become admitted and begin taking classes and then audition later?
@judevine I am sorry that your son had this experience. If you do choose to audition again next year, Texas State has a BFA Acting program. My son was accepted a few years ago and they give in state tuition to out of state actors (or at least they did in 2014). He was impressed with their program. What if he did a one year program at a studio in New York and approached the process again next year?
@judevine, I’m sorry you went through that–it must have been very disappointing.
As others have said, elite BFA schools have a very low percent chance of acceptance, often less than 5%. What you did was roughly equivalent to applying to only Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, and - as a safety -Brown. Actually, elite BFAs are statistically less of a chance than those colleges…
As far as need-blind–actually many schools are no longer need blind. Need does factor into the decision in many schools, although to what degree in the case of an individual BFA program, it’s impossible to tell.
However, my own kids are high-need and they’ve been fortunate to have been accepted to top programs. So it’s not impossible at all. I wouldn’t say that’s the reason your S was rejected by all the schools although of course it’s impossible to know anything.
I don’t mean this in a mean way at all, but the fact that you thought Rugers and Boston were safety schools shows that despite your experience in the acting world, you were not prepared for the realities of the BFA admissions process. You also don’t mention your S’s academics–NYU and Boston both consider academics so this may be a reason for his rejection.
Will he take a gap year and reapply? What are his plans? Good luck to him. It’s a shock but I’m sure with all his experience and your support, he will be resilient and grow.
I’m going to come at this from a different angle: financial aid. Many, many colleges in general are need-aware and that definitely goes into admission decisions, even for audition-based programs (I’m not speaking to strict conservatories like Juilliard, I’m talking universities, even with a conservatory-style program contained within). Some of the top BFA acting schools are private universities that weigh a student’s ability to pay in addition to the many other factors that go into an admissions decision for all students. Also, there are a lot of kids your son’s age who have immense preparation and experience, maybe not professionally, but some kids are doing multiple shows at a time all year round. I know of an immensely talented 10th grader who goes to a well-regarded performing arts boarding school and is also attending a well-regarded summer intensive program this year. Many of our kids are spending thousands on coaching and other methods of preparation. Of the thousands of applicants that these top schools receive, if they have their choice between two well-prepared, talented young men, but one can pay and one can’t, I can’t imagine that this won’t go into a final decision (especially if the university requires the same admissions qualifications as the liberal arts kids).
@lovetoact, re financialaid, I wrote about that in my post.
Yes, many colleges are not need blind. However, in the OP’s case it is truly impossible to tell whether the rejections had anything to do with need, as it’s a sample size of one. Each school handles their approach to financial need differently and it also depends on the BFA program’s relationship with the overall school. Btw, all my kids are high need, yet have gotten into top schools; I do know in several situations that need was not factored in prior to the admissions decision; but I’m equally sure that in others need or finances played a part. Bottom line is that this is all out of your control–but it’s why it’s very important to apply to a range of financial reaches and safeties on top of factoring in program status.
I will second (or third) the idea that financial need can be a heavy finger on the scale, and that if you are not wealthy, your fits are reaches, your safeties fits. (Except, ironically, at places like CCPA where they don’t even pay attention to financial need, let alone pretend to meet it.)
@Jkellynh17 CCPA is great about communication about financial aid, they were very straight up that’s its talent based. I appreciated that as a parent. This just underscores the fact that having financial safeties are so important. That has been the hardest part of list building for us.
My very anecdotal sense about CCPA is that they have a little more scholarship money now than they used to. There was a pretty large gift to RU last year which may be having an impact.
Just to be clear, for financial safeties, we’re talking about the least expensive option, which is generally in-state universities, or a combination of community college/universities. Unfortunately ,it is unrealistic to expect full rides. Many people misunderstand need based aid and think a) the school ‘has to’ meet your need and b) it will be awarded as grants/scholarships. In most cases,this is sadly not true… Pell Grants are very small as well. So for the vast majority of folks even a financial safety is going to entail debt. This is the reality now.
When you figure out your financial safeties, I’d match it against the least expensive option, community college/in-state, or just in-state. And I would certainly apply to one of these regardless of the theatre program as well.
Some people are fortunate in that their stats are very high, so they are desireable. But by definition, high stats are statistically unlikely, so they don’t apply to most people. However, you can increase your chances by carefully looking at a school and seeing whether your stats put you at the high end; in other words, if you go several ‘tiers’ below your own stats. This will increase the likelihood of a sizable offer.
@connections I agree - financial safeties is a school we can afford, assuming a combination of sources. I do often hear that private schools give more aid (assuming that your stats are very good for the school). We have good in-state options, so that’s a bonus, its just that our state hasn’t had a budget in a almost 2 years and is highly dysfunctional, so I’m a little nervous. Since BFA’s are harder to transfer, there’s more research up front. Debt is gonna happen! My S absolutely understands there’s the hurdle of getting in, and then the hurdle of paying for it. BTW, we’ve been list building for almost 6 months. Crazy!
Has your son considered a gap year? He could hire a college audition coach, take some classes at a community college and work towards auditioning next year.
I just skimmed this thread quickly - but didn’t see mention of college audition consultants - not sure if that is the office title - but, until two weeks ago, I didn’t even know that it was a thing. Have heard that CMU accepted only 21 this year (MT and Acting) , down from their typical 24 and that at least six of those accepted had “representation” by audition consultants. The same six were accepted at other top programs too. This puts the odds even lower for top schools and perhaps gives some perspective.