<p>“It doesn’t matter how many schools you get into, because you can only attend one.”</p>
<p>Brilliant, operationgold7! And as someone who also got into just 1 school 25 years ago, I can tell you that you will without a doubt focus on where you are and be able to make the most of your education without ever wondering what might have been or second guessing your decision. </p>
<p>NYU is tops and you will do great! And the minimum of debt makes you one of the lucky ones! Congratulations and best of luck! :)</p>
<p>operationgold, you did wonderfully-- and like many others I’m sure, I’ve been watching with great interest. Your audition reports were great to read. It was so generous of you to write them up so fully for others to learn from. Thank you SO much! Come back when you have a minute and tell us how you’re doing. And have a terrific 4 years! (I feel sure you will.)</p>
<p>My son is attending NYU/Tisch, which was his original first choice and he is thrilled.</p>
<p>Thank you all for all the help – this site made the journey that much better!</p>
<p>Note to future applicants: start early and find some safeties to love. Having several BA options made the waiting game MUCH easier!</p>
<p>Bogface
Accepted: Vassar College (BA)
Waitlist: Princeton University (BA)
Rejections: Juilliard, Carnegie Mellon, Purchase, UNCSA, Boston University, Tisch
Final Decision: Vassar!
Factors Considered: Well, duh! But I was seriously considering a gap year for a while (a lot of you were kind enough to offer me advice during this process, actually). Ultimately, visiting Vassar was a clincher. Their drama department is one of the most lively, vibrant places I’ve ever been, and the facilities are just astounding. Additionally, I’ve begun to realize how much I’d benefit from a well-rounded course load. </p>
<p>In conclusion: I know I was set on BFA programs – as are a lot of people on this forum – but I am confident that Vassar will be an excellent fit for me. I recall earlier in the process when people in the MT forum were debating the “fairness” of the process, pulling hairs over the amount of time students spend in auditions, the seemingly arbitrary nature of selections. As someone who was let down beyond believe (not a single BFA acceptance!), I hope people will listen to me when I say that I do think the process is fair. BFA programs are great for some people and not as great for others. They are not the only entree into the professional world. They provide wonderful training, but they are also not the only place to find training. Success in the acting world seems to be largely contingent upon one’s ability to face rejection over and over (and over and over and over and over again, in my case). So if you’re willing to weather the storm, where you go to college only determines where you start off – not where you end up. Sometimes people just aren’t right for conservatories. There’s nothing wrong nor unfair about that.</p>
<p>On the same note, don’t ever put your career before your personal development. In my case, I was shut out of the more career-centric schools. For that I am now grateful. I would not have done well intellectually in such an environment, I don’t think. As I’ve said, some people do very well in those schools. But there’s no sense in forcing yourself to be a conservatory person when you know in your heart of hearts that you’ll end up doing what you want. I was talking to a rather successful friend of mine recently who said something very insightful. I’ll leave you with his words:</p>
<p>“Everyone’s always asking me, how do you get ahead? How do you make it quick? Everyone wants to know how to win the race. Well, the secret to winning the race is: there is no race. It doesn’t matter when you get to wherever you’re going. The only thing that matters is that you’re going.”</p>
<p>^^^ Very insightful!</p>
<p>Bogface – a friend of mine graduated from Vassar; she has been very successful as an actress both on stage and on camera, and is still quite active in the industry. Oh, and by the way, one of her classmates was Meryl Streep. I think you’re very lucky to have been accepted to Vassar!</p>
<p>Billy!
Accepted: Marymount Manhattan (BFA), NYU Tisch (BFA), Savannah College of Art and Design (BFA), University of Alabama (BA MT)
Rejected: None
Waitlists: None
Final Decision: NYU Tisch</p>
<p>Factors Considered: Professional training in top-tier acting studios in a BFA program takes the cake for me. NYU’s location is even less important to me than their unique studio system. Constant immersion in training and the challenge of rigorous academics will make the experience extremely worthwhile for me. Not to mention, I know a few Tisch graduates, and they all say the reputation of the program has served them well in the professional world (yes, both in acting and teaching). I want to network, make connections, and find success. NYU has so many more open doors than my other options and I choose to follow my heart. I know the living and payments will be extremely difficult, but no one ever said success was an easy thing to achieve. I am ready to take the challenge. And besides, if I never risk big, then I’ll never win big. This my chance and I’m taking it. Oh, and I also received my top studio pick: Meisner. Also, I know I don’t want to focus on musical theatre anymore. I want to train in acting above all else, and I know NYU will give me the training I want.</p>
<p>I do have advice for next years applicants. 1) Apply early. I finished most of my applications the summer of junior year and at the beginning of the school year. I did not have to endure the stress I saw a lot of my friends going through. 2) Do not stress about auditions. Prepare to the best of your ability and know that all you can do is show those adjudicators who you are and what you can do. Don’t worry yourself to death about trying to find “what they want” or to fit their mold. They want to see YOU–not your interpretation of what THEY want to see. 3) Enjoy the experience. Auditioning is fun! You get to meet new people who share your passion, what could be better? 4) Do the research. Know what each program offers to its students. Know if you want the BA or the BFA and go for the right fit for you. 5) Follow your gut feeling. Don’t settle for anything less than what your heart desires.</p>
<p>Congrats, Billy! If your gut still tells you it’s NYU after weighing all the pros and cons like you did in that other thread, then I’m sure you’ll make it work for you! Good luck! :)</p>
<p>Congrats and good luck to Bogface, too! :)</p>
<p>Thanks sandkmom! Of course I will still graduate with debt, but my parents and I will be able to make it work. All along my parents knew I wasn’t following my heart by turning down NYU. Yesterday my dad said to me, “You know. If you truly want something in life, then there is always a way to make it work.” That statement officially made up my mind, and my parents and I could not be happier. Thank you to everyone for your kindess and support!</p>
<p>Accepted: CMU (PTM), DePaul (Theater Arts), Ithaca (BA), UCLA (BA), Bennington (BA), safeties
Rejections: None
Final Decision: CMU</p>
<p>Factors Considered: CMU has one of the best networks in the country. The faculty and facilities are also great. My D choose the structured conservatory program over some more open-ended programs. When we re-visited, she was warmly welcomed by some of the current PTM students and the one production we saw had an amazing design concept, professionally executed. CMU offered enough financial aid so that we could afford it.</p>
<p>My daughter was interested in both stage management and direction, but realized that an undergrad degree in directing was only one way to become a director, and decided that CMU could best prepare her for stage management.</p>
<p>Accepted: Arizona State University (BA)
Waitlist: University of Arizona (BFA)
Rejected: CMU, BU, DePaul
Final Decision: University of Arizona (BFA)</p>
<p>Factors Considered: I recently found out that a spot opened up for me into the actor training program at University of Arizona. Even though I was practically rejected from everywhere, University of Arizona is an accredited school and does have an excellent theatre department. UofA works with the Arizona Theatre Company, has notable staff, and has notable alumni. I personally find the campus to be beautiful and I was also offered quite a large amount of different scholarships and grants.</p>
<p>Accepted: Skidmore (BS), Occidental (BA), Muhlenberg (BA), Ithaca (TAM), Minnesota (BA)
Waitlist: Boston College (BA)
Rejected: NYU, CMU, Guthrie, Northwestern
Final Decision: Skidmore College (BS)</p>
<p>Factors Considered: I narrowed my choices down to Skidmore, Occidental, & Muhlenberg. [I ruled out Ithaca because I want to be able to study acting & business. I’m not ready to focus just on theatre management. I need to act. I ruled out Minnesota because I just don’t want to go to a large state school and the BA program is too based on writing your own pieces and the BFA is too based on the classics for my taste.] When I revisited Skidmore & Muhlenberg, I fell in love with Skidmore. The theatre program is fantastic, the school is artsy and friendly, saratoga springs is a cute city, and it’s really exactly what I was looking for. Originally, I wanted to go to NYU or Northwestern and those rejections were devastating. However, I had faith that I would end up where I’m meant to be. I think Skidmore is perfect for me.</p>
<p>Accepted: University of Arizona (BA->BFA), Northern Arizona University (BA), College of Santa Fe (BFA), Hofstra University (BFA), SUNY New Paltz (BA), SUNY Fredonia (BFA), University at Buffalo (SUNY) (BFA), SUNY Oswego (BA), Seton Hill (BA)
Waitlist: Muhlenberg
Rejected: Kenyon, Brandeis
Final Decision: University of Arizona (BA Theatre - auditioning for BFA next spring) </p>
<p>Factors Considered: My daughter really wanted to go to a school in the northeast and she did not want to go to a huge university (preferred small LAC), but our biggest deciding factors were money and the quality of the Theatre program. Her dream school was Muhlenberg, but she was waitlisted. She received a VERY generous financial offer from Seton Hill (we here it has potential to be a GREAT program), but she was not happy with the curriculum (more for a general liberal arts theatre BA, not acting intensive). The University of Arizona was her last choice school, mostly because it is so close to home and still in the desert. This is one reason that she did not audition for the BFA this spring. However, she has a full tuition scholarship to the university and they have an intensive acting BFA, so she has chosen to take a chance and enroll as a BA, with plans to audition for the BFA program in the spring. She will take all of the same classes as the BFA students during her first year.</p>
<p>Accepted: St Olaf (BA), SUNY Stony Brook (BA), University of Southern California (BA)
Waitlist: Carleton (BA)
Rejected: Northwestern, Columbia, Barnard, NYU Tisch, UVA, Pomona
Final Decision: University of Southern California</p>
<p>Well… I got rejected pretty much everywhere. But I don’t mind, honestly, because I am so so SO excited to become a part of the Trojan family. I figured I wouldn’t get into a lot of the schools to which I applied, and it’s really a shame that I didn’t, but as the time between Jan 1 and April 1 progressed, I realized that I really wanted to go to USC, since it has just about everything that I want from a college. So in the end, while all the rejections hurt, they didn’t really matter so much, because I wanted to go to USC, and I will be going to USC. :D</p>
<p>Unless noted, schools are in BFA Acting</p>
<p>Accepted: SMU, Pace MT, Minnesota/Guthrie, Rutgers, Point Park MT/Acting, Montclair State Acting/MT, USC (BA), UCLA MT, Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama MT
Waitlist: CMU, Syracuse
Rejected: Otterbein MT/Acting, Texas State MT (after deferral), UMich MT (after deferral), Elon MT, Penn State MT
Final Decision: University of Minnesota/Guthrie…staying on CMU’s Acting WL, however.</p>
<p>Factors Considered:<br>
I loved Callback weekend so much…it was one of my favorite audition experiences, second to my CMU audition only…I REALLY loved how much time they took to work with the students and get to know us. Callbacks also made it easier for me to get a feel for the program and school because of all the workshops we participated in. I loved being able to meet people who were potentially classmates…I already know a good number of my future class pretty well since we’ve kept in contact since March. This really helped tip the scale as Rutgers and Minnesota were pretty equal to me a week ago. Also, the ties with the Guthrie theatre…the semester in London. The faculty are great. K-wash was already trying to connect me with another actress in my area from my initial audition…I could tell that it would be a great place to go to if he was already trying to help me even way before he knew he would accept me into the program. Also, it’s pretty exciting to be able to go to such a new, yet well-respected program! The 2010 class is only the 6th graduating class, but the work rates for alumni seem quite incredible. I feel like the Guthrie program is in the midst of the program blowup…it’s amazing how it’s built it’s rep so fast. It’s pretty cool that I’d be able to say I was there in the beginning! 
It’s new enough for people to still be excited about it, but it’s just old enough for it to have somewhat of a reputation that is probably only going to get better later! Also, Minneapolis is a pretty great theatre town, and I would love to stay there for a couple years after graduation before I made the big leap to NYC or Chicago…most Guthrie grads who stay in the area seem to work regularly, that’ll be a great place to get experience and build up my resume! The only downside to Minnesota is how Film/TV is non-existent within the training…but I realized that I’m so close to LA that it doesn’t matter…I can take classes for Film/TV when I’m home in the summers!</p>
<p>That being said, I’m still very very much in love with CMU’s program (especially after visiting) and will indefinitely attend if I am accepted through the WL…I’m supposedly somewhere at the top of it, so I’m literally holding my breath even if I know I shouldn’t! The program and the school are just the perfect fit, so we’ll see what happens in the end!</p>
<p>Congratulations to the Class of 2010! And thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on your decision. I love reading each or your unique stories. And I hope you will return next year to tell us about your freshman experiences. Best of luck!!</p>
<p>Accepted: Marymount Manhattan (BFA). NYU Tisch (BFA)
Waitlist: None
Rejected: Juilliard
Final Decision: Marymount Manhattan. </p>
<p>I’m a transfer student and Marymount will let me skip to the third year because they accept my conservatory credits from NYCDA where I would have to attend NYU for three years (not two) in order to graduate. NYU is a dream school but Marymount has an awesome BFA program too and they gave me a big scholarship and is literally half the price of NYU. It’s also in NYC so I can continue professionally auditioning. </p>
<p>Did I make the right choice guys?</p>
<p>you made a good choice, page one, now for the rest of the novel…up to you</p>
<p>It’s interesting that out of all the schools in or near Manhattan that offer Acting BFAs, you chose Marymount to apply to as a transfer student, along with Tisch and Juilliard. Obviously there is much that you admire about the school!</p>
<p>Marymount sounds like a good fit and a good choice for you, Darla…and I’m sure you will be a valuable addition to next year’s student body.</p>