Congrats @isaboo. DSM was truly a blessing. We went to a musical theatre shadow day in October and saw Chicago, which was wonderful! Best of luck to your daughter.
ps. We never heard anything from Texas Tech either, very irritating!
Thanks @HopeinMT . We were very thankful to have so many good options after the experiences of her two friends.
I am already mourning the loss of constantly checking to find out updates to find out if “anyone has heard about…” 
My D has made so many friends across auditions - and has many friends that she has met that I am sure she will be meeting again during summer stock auditions next year! Hope we can all keep in touch to see how each one of our young adults are thriving where they landed!
I am up late tonight waiting for my D to come home from a commercial shoot… She landed a role in a commercial for a college…where she is waiting for the mail to come over several days…just waiting for those acceptance letters to come in. Not a lot of acting involved there. Such an easy gig!
Thanks @Fergie978 ! It has been great. Rider was a hard one to let go of. I can’t wait to hear about your daughter’s amazing experiences!
Thanks @MomofJ5 !
Thanks @MTMOM17 . If you ever need cheering up just message me!
Thanks @JavaJo ! I wonder if my daughter has met your daughter’s friend. Sorry about your daughter and Webster but I am certain that she will be exactly where SHE needs to be.
@JayCee17 It is like people who have fought in a battle together, we are forever bonded in a way by this experience and I hope that there is a way we can continue to follow the journeys of each other’s children!
D has decided to take a gap year! could not be more proud of her passion and determination.
We are very excited for the year ahead!
@belleforbroadway Thank you! D’s phone is constantly lighting up now with messages from the group. They not only have a Facebook Group, but they also formed an iMessage group, so they have eachother’s personal phone numbers so they can constantly stay in touch. D already decided on a roommate! She chose someone that she met at Broadway Artist’s Alliance last year! This sounds like a very supportive group, so I am hoping that they work well together (since they will all be living together in the Freshmen MT Dorm!) Now the only problem I need to worry about … will I ever see her again???
@mteverlasting there have been some amazing success stories on here after Gap years… My D’s ex bf took a gap year because he decided to go MT at the end of his senior year and now he is going to Elon! Best of luck to her!!
Almost didn’t post our Decision because not sure our story is very different than anyone else’s trauma, but if there is something useful for future applicants I am happy to share…
Background: Loved to dance since she could walk. Started ballet at 3 because it was cute – but kept going until last year! Several years of Jazz, Tap, etc on a Competition team. At maybe 7 she was in her first musical as one of 101 Dalmatians, once again, because it was cute. The next year she’s a baby goose in Honk, jr. Then the game changer - Young Cosette in a Teen Les Mis production. She was hooked and we were amazed by her composure and intensity. So started voice lessons. Only performed in 2 shows a year because of Dance Team until high school. Had to make a choice at that point to focus on doing more musicals and broader training.
Camps/ Training: Broadway Artists Alliance in NY 5 years ago, Roosevelt CCPA last summer. Auditioned into CCM high school MT program that we drive 3 hours to every Saturday for her jr and sr year. The wonderful teachers were her coaches; they help pick songs and work on monologues to create her package. They even approve your wardrobe! Also has a Vocal Coach who is a UM grad.
I had been collecting data about MT colleges for years, so feeling prepared (haha) we got out our list from her BAA camp of every MT college by state- top 40 programs are starred. She chose based on geography (Eastern half of the country and 1 day drive from home) and good dance program. The top 15 are double starred. To my D, a school with a single star was a backup option (once again, haha!) and she wouldn’t even consider a no-audition safety. She would major in Psychology if she didn’t get into a BFA program!
Dream school criteria (take note of this!) Conservatory in a big city with a dance minor.
Initial list: CCM, UM, BW, Point Park, Indiana, Millikin, PACE, UofArts, Elon, Syracuse, Penn, Roosevelt CCPA, and Wright State (which she considered her safety LOL)
Added: Ithaca (friend is there) Ball State (friend insisted!) Montclair (CCM teacher said it is good program with in-state tuition for MT majors!)
Only prescreens not accepted: UM, Penn, Elon (note: she has high GPA but low ACT scores because she is dyslexic so could not finish the test – I know this caused the UM rejection and the other two schools are also known for high academics so might have been a factor)
On Campus auditions: Wright State, Point Park, Syracuse, CCM, Indiana, CCPA, BW
The rest at Chicago Unifieds plus two walk-ins for Western Michigan and Otterbein
First audition and first rejection: Wright State (the backup school if you recall!) She knows too many people there and wanted a fresh start so didn’t really care, but the rejection scared her. 2nd rejection is CCM where she feels at home. I didn’t want her to go there (no BFA dance program so no advanced dance classes) but she was very upset. 8 more rejections followed and a redirect to BA from Millikin. She is now in a panic and I am trying to calmly come up with backup plans… However we were still waiting for the dream school - Point Park. It was an amazing audition in the fall – they had her dance several times and called her back to sing again with coaching. She was in heaven and pictured herself there for 5 months. Nope. Not even waitlisted. Devastating. Plan B: go to PP and re-audition next year, and if that doesn’t work, major in psychology… Then she finally gets her first acceptance from Roosevelt, CCPA! She had loved the camp so she was beyond relieved! And she had it in mind as her backup to PP all along, so she was excited that she was going to be able to actually do what she dreamed about for years. AND it was a dance focused program in Chicago! What more could she want…
However it wasn’t over yet… there was one other audition that she came out of with a big smile. Unifieds was a VERY stressful week, but she was glowing after her Ball State audition - they actually spent time working with her and then getting to know her. She has 2 friends there so when they started selling her on the program she told them she knew their students were very happy. But we had already learned a good audition means NOTHING – until she got THE call!! She was in shock that she actually had a choice. She had never even been to Muncie, IN so we planned a trip just because it seemed wrong to turn it down without visiting. But it is a state school on a big campus in the middle of nowhere and not a conservatory (she would have to take like real classes!) so I assumed she would run away screaming when we got there. Wrong again. She fell in love with the campus, the students, and the staff. We live in a small town so it felt like home. And she can test into advanced classes with the BFA dancers! We took her to Chicago one more time to make sure that she wasn’t just “loving the one she was with” but after a day of classes she just didn’t see herself there.
cont…
…cont
Moral of her story… even though it helps to have ideas of what your kid wants to help narrow down schools, as many others have posted here, the right school may be the one you didn’t consider! We almost didn’t even apply to BSU (yes, we owe her friend BIG) Having a strong favorite makes it difficult to appreciate other schools and the rejection is so much harder! I know PP and CCM still sting for my D. So I would say keep an open mind!!
… and I am not the first to say it but GET PRESCREENS DONE before September. And start looking at the essays as soon as they open applications. We had no idea how many essays were needed – each school seemed to have their own questions!
ADVICE FOR DANCERS… At the end of her first day at Unifieds, my D said she should have taken more voice lessons. I tried to get her more classical training but she didn’t like it. She figured her dance skills would make up for not having the best voice in the room. WRONG!!! Her vocal coach kinda gave us that impression, but things have changed a lot since he went to UM! Yes, being a dancer helps but YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE VOICE for the best MT programs. She got very discouraged at Unifieds when the boys in the room got more attention for being able to move when she has had 14 years of dance training. A boy was asked how much dance he had taken – he said he learned from Utube videos. They loved it. She dressed like a professional ballet dancer, and they loved the guy with the pink bandana. She got reprimanded for adding to the easy audition choreography. She almost quit that day because she felt no one appreciated her work. (By the way, as my D walked into her Ball State audition, the dance instructor told her she loved the triple turn she did instead of a single at the dance call the previous night! So that might explain why she is going there in the fall!)
Also, it is difficult to find a program that will allow a kid with a lot of dance training to continue moving forward. It was frustrating to keep hearing she would have to take ballet classes with people who had never stepped into a ballet studio! Some schools let them move up eventually, but many have 4 levels of dance for 4 years of college…so she is stuck taking dance classes that she could teach (she does teach and choreograph locally). Oddly, many of the top schools I looked into are not great for dancers. And we already paid a years worth of college for her dance training so don’t really want to start over! haha SO ask if that is important. How many levels of dance are offered, can they take advanced classes with BFA dance majors, can you get a dance minor?
I knew I was in trouble when she was around 10 or 12 and she was watching those kids dance and sing on the Disney and Nick channels… I asked if she wanted to be on one of those shows someday. She looked at me in disbelief and said NO, I want to be talented! :)) And she wasn’t kidding! She hasn’t stopped working since!
All the parents on this site are amazingly supportive and I wish all the kids the best 4 years ever at the college of their dreams!
Congrats @MTdreamz on helping your daughter find her perfect fit. It is crazy how much the list shifts throughout senior year from what they initially thought they wanted.
@Mtdreamz - Congrats on your daughter’s success! Your D sounds amazing (and very similar to my D’s experience - including playing Young Colette, going to BAA, and wanting a BFA MT program that has an incredible dance school! I found that Jennifer’s list (from BAA) was very helpful, but she didn’t have some of the newer programs on her radar. Jennifer gave us some great advice and was very helpful! Loved that program! I love your story. You have both had quite a wild ride! Best of luck to your D! I know she will be very happy doing what she loves to do.
Congrats to your D @MTdreamz . Ball State is a great program!
I will say for those wanting intense dance training, I would definitely put Oklahoma City University on your list. It is considered one of the top dance programs in the country and MTs level and are in classes with dance majors. They offer 10 (ten) levels in each of the major disciplines along with special classes. If you are not a strong singer, consider auditioning for the dance performance degree rather than the MT degree which is an intense voice degree. You still get some voice and acting training as a dance major. The Ann Lacy School of Dance at OCU has produced a tremendous number of performers working on Broadway, national tours, regional houses, cruise lines and other venues some of whom have recently been seen on Broadway in shows such as Hamilton, My Fair Lady, On the Town, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and many other shows. And they’ve produced an incredible number of Rockettes! I don’t think better dance training is offered at any program in the country. I know it is not East coast, but it is definitely a program to look at, especially for strong dancers.
@vvnstar yes I know! LOL But we couldn’t fathom the thought of her being so far away! I’ve heard Boco is good too and FSU was on her original list but my husband freaked - she’s a daddy’s girl! We wanted to be able to visit often. She specifically chose not to be a dance major because she knows she needs the intense vocal and acting training.
Thank you @belleforbroadway and @Fergie978 The group chat for BSU committed MT students is very active and she has met wonderful kids already. 5 of them went to the Feshman showcase last Monday and the current students were so excited to meet them! I am hoping things turned out for the best.
@MTdreamz I am so happy that she found her place, of course I would have loved it had it been with my girl but it all works out for the best. I hope she has a wonderful experience.
@emdcollege yes CCPA was hard to walk away from - there are a lot of success stories coming out of there and the opportunity to work in Chicago is a huge advantage! I’m still surprised she did a 180 on us after having the “best week of her life” at their camp. LOL I am anxious to hear about your D’s experience there next year!
@MTDreamz - how GREAT! She had a choice of terrific programs and one felt like “home”, which it will be for 4 years! I too think it’s funny that the “one you almost didn’t apply to” becomes the “one”! Happened to my D too. Congratulations, I definitely think your story offers interesting lessons for future applicants.