So nice to see everyone landing in a happy place! Congrats.
@artsykidsmom - great story, great ending - so much fun to read. @ParachuteBoy - I’m another who has been following your journey and admiring your fortitude. Now relax and enjoy college - congrats!
This process has been long, hard, and chock full of obstacles including a torn ACL and surgery to repair it her junior year of High School. At that point we had known that she wanted to go to school for MT and we thought that with at least 6 month recovery time she may have to reconsider. We were not sure if she would be strong enough to get back to dance and endure the rigorous audition process and certainly did not want her to re-injury her knee. We saw a Dr that specialized in Dancers and worked with him, following all of his orders to the T. She was finally released to dance in OCTOBER (2015)…yes a mere 3 months before her first audition. We were all terrified but she went back to dance classes 3 times per week and worked with a PT to get back into shape as quickly as possible. The reality is she had major knee surgery almost exactly 1 year ago from this moment and we thought that it may ruin years of her hard work to attain this almost unattainable dream. We all know how hard it is for healthy talented driven kids to get into a BFA MT much less one with a bum leg. My D decided to face this head on she embraced it as a positive “look what I can come back from” rather than a negative. I am beyond proud of what she has accomplished in the last year. I know that I would not have been able to do what she has done and therefore I believed in her! With that being said we found out quickly that yes my D is AMAZING but so is your D, and your D, ect…we learned quickly that she was now a small fish in a big ocean and no matter how great at this we all know she is it was going to be a fight to get there. D is the first person in our immediate families to attend any type of 4 year away from home college so we had no clue about ANY of this process. We chose not hire a coach for a few reasons number 1 was money. We knew we would be spending a small fortune traveling and auditioning and had to factor in what we had spent on surgery and felt that the cost of the coach would just be too much. Thank goodness my D has an amazing vocal coach that had herself been through this process. She had worked with other kids as well and I felt she was knowledgeable about the schools and song choices and her and my D had been together for 3 years and had great relationship. She became just as invested in this as we did and was a Godsend! She told us many times that despite D’s struggles someone would want her because of her personality and very strong vocals. She also recommended that we audition at as many schools as we felt comfortable and mentioned at least 12 would be ideal. So she made suggestions and we researched.
Training:
Dance-all types 8 years
Vocals-various types since she was 8 but MT specific training for the last 3 years
Acting-various classes and workshops for the last 3 years.
D went to a no PA public for freshman year took Drama and participated in spring musical was very disappointed in the results and wanted something more professional so we chose to pull her from school and she has been doing all of her classes online. D participates heavily with a well known local theater program where she has multiple classes per week in the 3 areas and 6-8 opportunities each year to audition for shows. D has been cast as supporting role or lead every show she has participated in for the last 3 years. During a show with rehearsals and classes D spends about 25 hours a week at the theater.
The List in no particular order
- Belmont University On Campus
- Shenandoah University Pre-Screen
- University of Miami Pre-Screen
- University of Central Florida Pre-Screen
- Texas State University Pre-Screen
- Pace Pre-Screen
- Point Park Unifieds
- CCPA On Campus
- Ball State Unifieds
- Hartt Unifieds
- Montclair On-Campus
- Manhattan SOM On-Campus
- Drake University Unifieds Walk-In
- Dean College Unifieds Walk-In
- Temple Unifieds Walk-In
- University of Alabama @ Birmingham Unifieds Walk-In
- Cap 21 Malloy Unifieds Walk-In
- SCAD Unifieds Walk-In
- Western Carolina University On-Campus
- Penn State Pre-Screen
- Southern Methodist U Unifieds
- Point Park Unifieds
Yes we auditioned for that many schools……
D and I were both shocked when she was rejected from all the schools that required pre-screens, we had a holy crap what we have done moment. Then the academic acceptances started coming in and we had the ok well at least she is going to college somewhere for something phase. It seemed like it took forever but the offers did slowly come in!
Academics: Accepted to all except Southern Methodist U
Artistic: Ball State BA Theatre Arts, Dean College BA Theatre w/scholarship, SCAD BFA Performing Arts w/scholarship, Western Carolina BFA-MT, Drake University BFA-MT, Hartt BFA MT, Belmont Wait Listed BFA MT
The rest of the story:
Our very last audition was Western Carolina we drove the 7 hours to get there my D was tired and frankly over the process, over the rejections, and starting to feel like we had made a bad decision but she went in there and rocked it. We were there most of the day saw some of the campus and really got a good vibe. There was a long Q & A with students that we both learned so much about the program and we were both impressed. Western had been on the list from the beginning just based on some things we had heard and Terrance Mann’s involvement in the program, however my D had seemed not so interested based on its location. On the long drive home she told me that she actually really liked it and she hoped they accepted her. Once she received the notification that she had been accepted we decided to give it another look and went back this past weekend. We were given an in depth tour from a Jr MT student who turned down BoCo for Western. We learned so much in those 2 hours and were impressed! We also saw their main stage production of Gypsy on that visit and were blown away with the great talent there. They have a newer 30 million dollar Arts Center that includes and art gallery and beautiful 1000 seat theater. The kids and the staff made her feel welcome; they remembered her and seem to want her there. This is huge for me because you want to be somewhere that WANTS you! We knew before we left campus that Western Carolina would be able to offer her personalized attention and a great opportunity. I truly am excited and happy that my D has committed to Western Carolina University’s BFA MT program! Go Catamounts!
If you are just starting your process my biggest advice to you is….look for the hidden gems. Guess what? Everyone is applying to Texas State and NYU and Michigan ect…there are a lot of amazing programs out there that will be a great fit for you that are NOT on that list! Don’t get me wrong apply to those tier 1 schools but keep an open mind and do the research and apply to those hidden gems too! Thanks to all those who have offered support on this crazy adventure and good luck to you all in school! And in the words of every coach/teacher along the way you will end up where you are supposed to as my D did indeed find her “Fit”!!!
@craz4mtsmom how exciting! Congrats to you and your D. We visited Western Carolina with our S (an athlete) 2 years ago. It was a no for him-but our MT D, a rising sophomore at the time, was so impressed (as were we). We don’t know anyone in the MT program; but we know lots of kids at the school (we live in NC), and they all love it.
@craz4mtsmom Congrats!!! With all she had to go through you can bet she will succeed!! We looked at not often talked about schools too and one of those is where she is headed, University of Tampa, BFA MT. Not only did she love it there but she felt very wanted artistically and academically, so I agree that plays a big part.
@craz4mtsmom Glad ya’ll had a happy ending!! Thank you for sharing!! Love all these stories!
This thread only reconfirms that there is a school/program for everyone! Love hearing how each kid is finding their personal fit! 
Congratulations to everyone on your great acceptances!!!
@artsykidsmom and @entertainersmom my D just committed to Otterbein for the BFA in Theater Design and Technology (stage management emphasis) so she should be working with your kids this Fall. She is super excited to be part of such a great program, and really enjoyed her portfolio review there.
Congratulations Reckless and D!!! Welcome to the Otterbein family!! I will be in touch with you and artsykidsmom
Congratulations to all parents and students who have made their final decisions! Good wishes for those of you still in the process… you are almost to the finish line.
@daedalu My D has been in quite a few shows directed by Michael McKelvey. She really loves working with him. He is a great teacher and a loyal mentor to his kids. In fact she will be in 2 of the Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre shows this summer. Congrats to your son!
@austinmt Thank so much, that is really great to hear! Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre was one of the reason why he picked Tulane.
Only one more week! (Barring any wait list issues) Looking forward to seeing more final decision stories from everyone!
Here we go…Today was decision day for our S.
Schools Applied To: Chapman, Pace, U Arts, Fordham, Whitman, Montclair State, CCPA (Roosevelt), Columbia College Chicago, DePaul, CMU, Rutgers, USC
Prescreens: Pace, (passed)
Artistic Acceptance: Chapman BFA Theatre Performance, UArts Bfa Acting, Montclair State- BFA Acting, CCPA Roosevelt- BFA Acting, Columbia College of Chicago BA Acting, Whitman BA Theatre
Audition Coach: None
Summer Programs: Shakespeare Theater Company
Training:
Acting: Various acting coaches starting at age 9 in LA,
4 years conservatory style training @ Arts High School.
Background:
S was pretty shy growing up so when he told us he wanted to pursue acting when he was 8 we didn’t really look into it until the following year. Of course we got sucked into one of those scam companies that seek you out at the mall, Thankfully we didn’t invest too much money into the school and got picked up by his manager about 1 year later at a showcase. That would be the only good that came from that experience lol. S is represented across the board and has been doing various projects over the last 6 years in tv and film.
S spent 3 years in junior high (6-8) grades doing drama and fell in love with stage acting. He came across the performing Arts HS in our area, ended up auditioning and was fortunate to get accepted. He’s been there for 4 years now working on his stage acting
I felt we were really behind the ball researching and visiting campuses as we didn’t start until summer. We booked a last minute trip to NY to visit Pace, Fordham and Marymount Manhattan to get an idea of the programs and what he was truly looking for. From there he had an idea and we ended up heading to Chicago in Nov. We spent 9 days attending two open houses for Columbia and DePaul, toured CCPA/audited a class and finished with a on campus audition for DePaul. At the time that was his #1 because of things he had heard from his teachers at school and after not getting a callback we left with a bit of a sour taste in our mouths. Looking back now What a Blessing that was! I think getting that rejection so early really put “reach schools” into perspective and he started looking at some safeties that maybe he wouldn’t have because we had no clue about this crazy process
D was fortunate to work on his monologues and get better prepared for Jan auditions in NY. We tackled the major storm and auditioned for Pace…got called back, then auditioned for Fordham, UArts and Montclair state. He did an on campus audition for Chapman in early Jan and finished off the rest at Unified’s in Feb with CMU, Rutgers, CCPA, and USC
At the time of his USC audition he felt the campus was too big for him but ended up auditioning regardless since you never know where you will get accepted, if you do and ultimately found out of his Chapman acceptance during their audition process. That’s was a big stress relief and his first BFA Acceptance.
Of the schools he auditioned to he was accepted into the BFA Acting/Theater program at Chapman, UArts, CCPA, Montclair State and Columbia College of Chicago.
We narrowed it down to 3 schools due to cost and scholarship received, did some major soul searching esp on my part since the school with most scholarship given that would by far be the least expensive wasn’t the school he wanted to attend. So with that his decision was made…… Hope he can stand the weather lol
Final Decision: CCPA Roosevelt -BFA Acting
I wish I had come across this board 2 years ago, I definitely think that would’ve helped immensely. Finding it in Jan was a little late IMO, Now its time to find a financial planner…Also likely a little late but that seems to be how we roll
Fantastic! Welcome to the family.
Thank You @Jkellynh17
YES! A decision! Such relief in so many ways but as others have stated, now the reality sinks in.
D APPLIED TO:
Elon
Ball State
Long Island University
Marymount Manhattan
Alabama Birmingham
Emerson
Point Park
CCPA Roosevelt
Drake
Milliken
Central Michigan
Ohio Northern
Indiana U
Otterbein
Hofstra-safety
Academic acceptances: ALL except for Otterbein and Elon where she was wait listed/deferred once she did not get into the MT BFA
Pre screen rejections: Otterbein and Indiana U
Acceptances into BFA Musical Theater: Central Michigan, Alabama Birmingham, Drake, CCPA Roosevelt, Long Island U.
Musical Theater waitlist: Ball State and Marymount Manhattan
Redirects: (To theater performance, etc:) Emerson, Ohio Northern, Milliken
Rejections: Point Park, Elon.
Training: Attends a nonperforming arts high school. About 8 years of voice lessons on and off, 3 years piano, 1 year guitar and harmonica, 1 year ballet, 1 semester tap/jazz. Was in all high school productions since winter of freshman year. Attended a 3 week musical theater intensive at North Carolina school of the Arts, 1 week program at Oberlin, 1 week program at Interlochen.
Coaching: Big shout out to MCA/My College Audition and Chelsea Diehl!!!
Background: We were kind of clueless and got into coaching a little late in the game (about May of the end of junior year). It was still so worthwhile and I am thankful I got online to look for some help lol. My D was always leaning toward a liberal arts college rather than a conservatory but we threw a couple in just in case–never assume that a teenager won’t change his/her mind! She had those early pre screen rejections at which point there was a bit of freaking out going on, but it also gave us the chance to add a couple more schools to her list. The coaches kept her positive and focused at this point which I was very thankful for!
I want to stress how much my D’s mind changed throughout this process. You really, really do need to find the right fit. This sounds so vague and unclear, but once you go through the process you will begin to get a handle on this component that everyone refers to as “fit.” It involves cost, location, faculty, directors, facilities, classes, vibe, the other students, opportunities for academic minors, for stipends related to theater, etc etc. As we experienced the programs, her mind would change because you CANNOT choose a school based on what others say about it or on how excellent of a reputation it has! As so many have stressed, successful performers come out of all kinds of training programs! I would in general recommend Unified Auditions. We did Chicago and her best results came from her auditions here. She also added a walk in, got accepted there and loved the program, even though it was not her final decision. So do walk ins if you can!!
Also, please remember that more than likely, if you make a good audition list of schools, someone out there is going to LOVE your son or daughter, and that is one indication of a possible fit. So even if your S or D is not thrilled with an acceptance because it isn’t a talked about program, or it seems too far, please go visit! They may fall in love.
So up until recently, my D was truly hoping to come off the waitlist at Ball State, her top choice for quite a while now. She had so many reasons why she wanted to attend there. She was also thrilled to get accepted into the BFA MT Voice emphasis at CCPA. She adores Chicago. In the end, she didn’t want the debt she would have at the end of undergrad. So Ball State didn’t work out, but she has fallen in love and committed to her new #1
Final Decision: University of Alabama Birmingham
D Applied To: Ball State, CCM, Elon, Hartt, Illinois Wesleyan, Indiana University, Ithaca, Michigan, Minnesota – Duluth (Walk-in), NYU, Ohio Northern(Walk-in), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas Christian University – TCU, and Western Michigan
Academically accepted at all schools where separate decision from Artistic
Dropped Elon since they filled all the audition slots before we submitted her introduction video. This was a major regret. She was focused on the actual song and monologue prescreens and thought there would be time to record the brief introduction video requested by Elon. The school would not consider any additional students after the 60 per audition date was reached. The hurt continued when she was academically accepted with a nice scholarship.
Prescreens Passed: Illinois Wesleyan, Michigan, Penn State, TCU
Prescreens Rejected: Indiana, Ithaca
Redirected: Oklahoma City University (BA-Music), Ohio Northern (Theater Performance), Ball State (Theatre Studies), and Indiana (BA Theatre)
Waitlisted: Hartt, Illinois Wesleyan
Artistically Accepted: TCU – BFA MT, NYU – Tisch New School on Broadway, and University of Minnesota – Duluth (BFA MT with audition at end of Freshman year)
Training:
Voice: 6 Years Private Study,
Acting: 2 years of drama classes .
In school musicals for past 7 years and the community children’s theatre for 5 summers
Dance: From 3 – 16 years old. 5 years of competition team.
Background:
D started as a dancer at 3. She liked performing in the summer camp shows, but everything changed in middle school. We discovered she could really sing. Voice lessons started and have never stopped. Singing and performing has become her passion. While she loves to be on stage and create a character, she also has been involved in several off-stage roles in both her HS and summer community program. She appreciates all the effort that it takes to create a show. When we researched schools, she decided that she wanted to pursue universities that primarily offered the whole college experience. Straight conservatories were not her preference.
We only visited two schools in November of her Junior year and really liked them both. After that, she decided to not visit until auditions and acceptances since the decision was not entirely hers and she did not want to fall in love and be disappointed. In August before her senior year, we hired professional coaches for song and monologue selection. I am very happy with this decision. Both coaches provided material, guidance and personal encouragement.
She auditioned on campus for Michigan, CCM, Illinois Wesleyan, and Oklahoma City.
At Chicago Unifieds, she had 6 schools scheduled: TCU, Western Michigan, Penn State, University of Oklahoma, Hartt and Ball State. She then did walk-ins at Rider, Ohio Northern, Temple, University of Minnesota- Duluth and Northern Colorado. Based on the in-room feedback, she came home and applied to Minnesota-Duluth and Ohio Northern.
She auditioned on an earlier weekend for NYU in Chicago.
Overall the audition experience was better than I anticipated. Lots of driving and time together. However, the rejections were difficult. She had several back-up options since she was accepted to all the schools that did not tie the acceptance to the BFA admission. But she really wants to pursue a BFA.
Over the years, I have followed CC and heard people talk about “fit” and that the kids end up where they should be. I did not believe it, but now I do. On our campus visit she was welcomed by the MT students, attended a class and we both met with the head of the department and went to a rehearsal of the upcoming musical. At the end of the day, she felt wanted and we both knew that she would be most comfortable there. I am thrilled to report that she found her “fit”.
Final Decision: TCU
Congrats, @deesthree and @SongnDanceMom on making it to the end of this crazy process intact! @deesthree, we loved meeting you and your awesome daughter at MTCA’s audition intensive weekend. Keep in touch!!
This is directed specifically to joyfulmama, were you and your daughter able to attend any performances at University of Tampa? My daughter is making her final decision this week. She loved Tampa when she visited but really wants to make sure she is somewhere she can be challenged and grow in her training. We just can’t get a handle on this there
@Joyfulmama - just wanted to make sure you saw the question for you above in post #178
@1027fam - just a helpful hint in the future, if you put the @ sign before a members name as I did here, it will tag them in your response so you can make sure they see it. Just want to make sure you get answers to your questions!