@mtmomofone, my fingers are bored but my mind is free, free at last! Great to hear your story–and good luck to your daughter!
@MTheatreKid your story made me teary. I wish you all the luck! BAL at Point Park!
I second that @KTVoice! Your passion and drive are very inspiring @MTheatrekid! Wishing you many good days ahead
Thank you all so much for the supportive comments! I promise I’ll work my hardest to become an even better artist contribute performing arts!
FYI: When booking flights to Oklahoma City, be sure to check out flights to Dallas/Ft. Worth. We’ve found some great deals, and it’s just under a 3-hour drive to OKC (and you’re going to need to rent a car anyway).
Looks like my son will be another Point Park classmate! He is excited about the program and has committed
To attend. Congrats to all!
@momsingson, Yeah Pittsburgh! Congrats on your decision!
@maeloving5 - Great story about Texas State! Your family was very fortunate to work with one of the finest MT voice teachers (and best humans) in the country. 
Congratulations to all who have reached final decisions, and thanks for sharing your journeys!
Applied: Emerson, Hartt, NYU Steinhardt, Pace, Ithaca, Baldwin Wallace, Penn State, Carnegie Mellon, CCM, Michigan, Syracuse, Florida State, UNCSA (Acting), Minnesota (Acting), Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Manhattan School of Music, Webster
Walkins: Texas State, Shenandoah, Rider, Alabama, Wright State, Temple, Point Park (Acting), Utah, Northern Colorado
Prescreens:
Passed Ithaca, Penn State, Pace, Michigan
Rejected Syracuse, Florida State
Academically accepted- all
Artistically accepted- NYU Steinhardt, Manhattan School of Music, Temple, Utah
Waitlisted- Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Ithaca, Baldwin Wallace (accepted)
Coaching-MTCA
Voice- 8 years
Acting- 10 years
Dance- Less than 1 year
Summer programs: Hartt, Muny/Webster Emerging Young Artists
Final Decision: Baldwin Wallace MT!
@WillemS
Sorry, a little off topic here - but I was wondering if you had any feedback about the Muny/Webster summer intensive?
Thank you!
Excellent choice @WillemS congrats!
@WillemS - My S is a sophomore MT at BW. Feel free to PM with questions and congratulations!
Bumping off of page 2!! It’s April 18th! C’mon, people! :-c
From @LifeIsAMusical
So happy that my son has made his decision!
Applied to (all music theatre, other than Berklee):
Baldwin Wallace, Berklee, Boston Conservatory, CCM, CMU, Catholic, Elon, Ithaca, Michigan, Northern Colorado (walk-in), Pace, Penn State, Texas State.
Passed all prescreens, early academic admits (and academic scholarships) at the schools that do that, priority hold at Texas State.
Accepted to: Baldwin Wallace, Berklee, Boston Conservatory, Catholic, Elon, Northern Colorado, Pace (waitlisted at Ithaca and Michigan)
Final decision: BALDWIN WALLACE!!!
I have to say that, as much as it is a blessing for kids to have multiple acceptances, it is VERY hard for them (and their parents) to choose among fantastic problems and weigh all of the factors. After my son was in his top 3 of his accepted schools (BW, Elon, Pace), he notified Berklee, Boston Conservatory, Catholic and Northern Colorado (all terrific programs, where my son would have been very happy) that he would not be attending, which hopefully opened up his spot to someone on their waitlists. Then, the visits began. We live close enough to Pace that he spent a couple of weekends there and LOVED the people and program - cannot say enough good things about Pace, and we wish everyone there the best. But, BW had so many amazing qualities, and certain factors that made it a perfect fit, and my son hadn’t visited there as an accepted student yet. Our plan was to visit BW, and if my son was still undecided he would visit Elon the following week (of all of the MT schools, Elon was the only one that didn’t offer scholarship money, which definitely factored into his decision).
After the BW visit, my son just knew that it was where he was meant to be, and where he would become the best version of himself possible. We are so grateful to be at the end of this journey, and thrilled to begin a new journey at Baldwin Wallace! BAL to each and every kid out there!
After a summer program this past, it became clear to my son, that he did not want to go to a conservatory, so we retooled the list and he did not apply to any of those except UArts, because we both loved it so much when we visited. He applied to several conservatory style programs in large universities, some not so conservatory style BFA programs and also a larger number of BA programs then I think most kids on this forum apply to.
In October he was accepted at UTampa BFA MT (he auditioned by video) with a large scholarship and an invitation to the Honors program. He was also accepted to his favorite campus, Tulane, but it is very expensive and he received no scholarship money at that time. Although Tulane is competitive for admissions, the BFA is not nearly as competitive and focused as most of the programs to which these kids apply, and is not auditioned formally until sophomore year. He did sing for the director, when he visited, and was told he would definitely be admitted - it is a music focused program. He loved Tulane, and the more exploratory nature of the program, which allows a double major, but was not sure he wanted to give up the years long goal of a more serious, focused, singing dancing all day BFA program and he got no money, which made Tulane unaffordable, so he pressed on. He was also admitted in October, after an early audition, to UArts, which again, he loved, but is more of a conservatory type program. We both loved the sort of “you do you” philosophy though.
He also, during the fall, passed the following prescreens: Pace acting and MT, FSU, Indiana, Syracuse. He did not pass Ithaca and Penn State. He did a scholarship audition at Muhlenberg and auditioned at American and Point Park, also in the fall, and both on campus. Loved American and Muhlenberg, but we live in Pittsburgh, so Point Park, was really mostly just for practice. although he said he would consider it if he got in.
Lastly, during the fall, he auditioned at, and was rejected from, Elon University.
He auditioned in January at New York Unifieds for Temple, Syracuse, Pace acting and MT, NYU, Boston University and the University of Miami. He auditioned on campus in January for Indiana University, FSU and James Madison.
Also, in January, he was accepted to his two safeties: Hofstra and Rollins, both to the Honors college with large scholarships. By then, he was so involved in this whole process that these schools, which once seemed great, were not even in the running. He also definitely decided that a more exploratory program like Tulane, or one of his BA schools, was probably a better fit as he wants to double major and have a more “full on” college experience, and realized he would give up the more focused BFA program for a BA type of program or a program like Tulane’s BFA, or even NYU’s BFA, which has a lot of options.
As January and February went by, he continued to pine for Tulane, as that was his favorite school until now, and we really were trying to find ways to afford it. He decided he did not want to go to UTampa because at that point he decided he wanted a top academic school as well. These were tough months as there was no school to which he was accepted, that we could afford and that he also loved with all of his heart.
The first result from winter auditions came in February, a waitlist from Indiana University. This school ticked nearly every box on his list and he liked it a lot, so there was a bit of disappointment. More extreme disappointment followed with a rejection from FSU, another school that we all loved. Then in rapid succession were rejections from Pace MT, a waitilist for acting at Pace, and a rejection from Temple. This was a dark time in our house as all of these rejections came within a couple of weeks of each other, and he decided he would not be getting in anywhere else. Since we couldn’t afford Tulane, there was still no school, to which he was accepted, that he could fully embrace at that point.
In March we went on Spring Break vacation, and things started to come together. He was awarded a community service scholarship (finally) from Tulane, and that all but sealed the deal. Also while on spring break he received an acceptance from Point Park (he was flattered, but not interested), rejection from Boston University, another school he really would have wanted to go to, and an acceptance from James Madison Theatre, but a waitlist for MT. James Madison would definitely have been a contender if he had been accepted to MT, but not for just theatre. He also received an acceptance from Muhlenberg, with a merit and talent scholarship. Had he not gotten a scholarship from Tulane I think it is quite possible he would have gone to Muhlenberg.
When we arrived home there were acceptances from UMiami, American and the very last one, NYU Tisch, ultimately with a placement in New Studio, also a rejection from Syracuse.
He ruled out American fairly quickly, and we all regretted that Tisch New Studio had to be ruled out, but we just can’t afford it, and he did not receive any financial aid, need or merit. We loved Muhlenberg, and it met all of his criteria, but he was not excited about the small size or about being in Allentown. So that left UMiami which did not meet the more flexible criteria for the program that he thought he wanted. But, he loved everything else about that school, so we made a visit and sat in on some classes. That program is great, the campus is beautiful, the faculty and students welcoming, and of course, it’s Miami. It is very seductive. I thought we would visit and then come home and immediately commit to Tulane, but that didn’t happen. He really wanted to go to both schools and was completely conflicted. It took a while, but after a few days he was able to think clearly again and realized it had always been Tulane for him.
I think it is an unconventional choice for most of the people on this forum, but he wants to explore so many things and this was the best combination of excellent academics, a good, if not super competitive BFA, which allows lots of exploration, the opportunity to study abroad for a semester, a wonderful campus, warm weather and great city, and affordable with his scholarship.
So final tally:
Accepted academically at all schools that do academic and artistic separately: some with scholarship.
Rejected artistically: Penn State and Ithaca by prescreen, Boston University, Elon, Pace MT, Temple, Syracuse, Florida State
Acceptances: Point Park, UMiami MT, NYU Tisch-New Studio, American MT, James Madison Theatre, UArts MT, UTampa MT, Muhlenberg, Tulane
Waitlist: Indiana University MT, Pace acting, JMU MT
Final Decision: Tulane
@daedalu Your son is a prime example of finding his FIT! Congratulations to you both!
Yay, @daedalu ! I’ve loved sharing in this journey with you and your S. It seems like just yesterday that we met at WSU… So much has happened in that time! Yay for your son being in the warm weather–bonus!
Applied: Cap21/Molloy, Point Park, Ithaca, Pace, CCM, Cap21 (2 Year), Boston Conservatory, Western Carolina, Baldwin Wallace, Montclair, Emerson, Hartt
Passed all pre-screens (Ithaca and Pace)
Did not audition at Baldwin Wallace (withdrew application) and Montclair (due to illness)
Artistically Accepted: Cap21/Molloy, Cap21 (2 Year), Boston Conservatory, Western Carolina (video audition)
Final Decision: Cap21/Molloy
My journey began my sophomore year, when I had this crazy idea that I wanted to major in musical theatre in college. Over the next two years, I developed a list of schools, one that originally consisted of 18 schools, but was then cut down to 8 by the time senior year came around.
I have 6 years of voice training, 11 years of dance, 2 years of acting training, and 7 years of performing in various productions under my belt. I attend an all-girl’s prep Catholic prep school where most of the funding goes towards science and math rather than the arts. Besides the one large musical production a year and choir, there is not much. I only ended up doing the musical at my school my sophomore and junior year, and the rest of my experience throughout my high school years have been productions outside of school.
The guidance department provided little to no help at all for me. I was guided throughout this process by my acting coach (who also served as my college audition coach) and the wonderful support system of teachers at my theatre training studio.
My first audition was at Hartt on December 12 for Early notification. I ended up having an incredibly sore throat that day, and did not have a good audition at all. Oh well, it was first one and I got it out of the way. I notified of my rejection from the program in January.
I then made my way to Boston in January to audition for Emerson, NYC to audition for BoCo and CCM at Unifieds and Pace on campus, and Pittsburgh for Point Park. I then ended my audition month with Ithaca the first week of February.
Now flash forward to the end of February after all my initial auditions are done. I have received rejections from Hartt and CCM, and I decide to add 4 more programs to my list- Montclair, Cap21/Molloy, Cap21 (2 Year), and Western Carolina.
The week of my Cap21/Molloy audition, I received rejections from Pace, Ithaca (my top choice at the time), Emerson, and Point Park, all within the span of 48 hours. Not a good way to be going into an audition. Then my Cap21 audition came around, and I immediately feel in love with the studios and the faculty. My audition for Cap21, in my opinion, was the best audition I has during this entire process, and it was the only audition that I walked out of the room feeling confident in myself and my abilities.
Two days later, I was notified of my acceptance into both the Cap21 2 Year Program and Cap21/Molloy. The next week, I was then notified of my acceptances into BoCo and Western Carolina (which I auditioned for via video submission). I was then at a point where I was stuck in the middle of choosing BoCo and Cap21/Molloy. I had my pros and cons for both. Money and living in the city were concerns for BoCo, and the commuting into NYC was a concern for Cap21/Molloy. BoCo was never a favorite school of mine, and I began leaning farther and farther away from it.
I began connecting with many current and future Cap21/Molloy BFAs, and I already felt like I was a part of the family. I then attended accepted student’s day, and I made my decision that day. So this fall, I will be attending CAP21/MOLLOY!!!
It’s really funny how things work out in the end, and that the school that I overlooked for months would be the one that I would fall in love with. Cap21/Molloy is a truly unique program which will give me both a suburban campus and training in the city where it all happens. It is a great fit for me, and I could not be happier with my decision. I am glad that all the stress and waiting is done and that I can now look forward to the next 4 years!
I don’t have too big of an adventure or interesting story but I am in slight shock that I’m joining the club and posting here.
I applied to Montclair, CCM, UWSP, Roosevelt, Columbia, WMU, NWU, UofMinn, and then I was able to walk in Chicago at Temple and Northern Illinois.
This was a long process for me. I had been looking at these forms and different college websites for over a year. I felt prepared. My biggest regrets would be applying to more schools and bringing up my gpa. I am fairly smart, I scored well on my ACT, but I took so many honors/AP classes in school. I am busy because I have a job and extra curriculars and I’m not the best time management. Retrospectively, I wish I would’ve taken less advanced classss and spent more time on my gpa. It’s way better to get an A in regular English than a C in AP Lit/comp. The number of your gpa weighs a lot more importance than the classes you took, especially when getting merit aid. Luckily because I took harder classes and had the test score and other activities/volunteering I did it saved my face from my GPA. But I believe it was still limiting on where I could apply. Both for academic acceptance and financially.
I also did this all on my own which I didn’t mind. My parents chipped in with application fees and I had family in Chicago so I could go to Unifieds. But, I couldn’t make multiple on campus trips or use a coach (besides my normal voice teacher) or do a fancy summer program.
All my auditions except one were in
Chicago and so it was pretty intense for me but I did enjoy the passionate theatre vibe at the time. I knew going into this that I’m not one of the best but I still wanted my shot and that’s why I applied to some higher tier schools as well. But knowing the odds weren’t in my favor didn’t really soften the blow from rejections. I got more of rejections first before I got acceptances which was scary. In the midst of getting rejected from programs were I thought my audition went swimmingly, my girlfriend of 2 years just broke up with me too. So it was a rough week for me feeling rejected in many ways.
Eventually I got other acceptances. I had academic choices too and I feel like I grew personally and discovered more about my future plans. I was choosing between Nebraska Wesleyan Uni, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, Northern Illinois, Columbia College, and I was wait listed at Roosevelt.
A lot of it came down to money and scholarships. I had already visited this school last year just for fun with my friends and parents. So I already know that I’ll be happy besides the theatre department. My final decision is University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. Very excited and most of all to be going into relatively manageable debt. The waiting in March was the hardest part for sure. I’m glad that now I can celebrate and catch up with my non-theatre friends who have roommates and known where they’re going for months.
Congrats, @parachuteboy! Steven’s Point is a superb program. I’m so happy that you are landing in a great place! I’ve followed your posts and have been worried about you! You are a great example of a student working through this process along–kudos to you!