@catnpigz …one of my D’s good friends is a current soph in the MT program at SIU and loves it. (Also, I’m a SIU alum too … yay Salukis!!"
Admin~ Can we get this thread pinned please.
Just thought I’d chime in here! I graduated in 2016 and went to a school for a semester. It’s become a new and popular college program, but I, unfortunately, was putting into an awful living situation as well as having a bad voice teacher that ultimately did something to me that made me extremely uncomfortable. Because of all that I left at the end of the semester. I came home, took more dance classes, voice etc and i applied for some schools last year for this past fall (Fall 2017), and I came super close to going to UAB, but again I ran into some trouble. On-campus housing was full and I looked into apartments, but I just felt like I wasn’t ready for that type of commitment. Plus I just felt like it shouldn’t be that hard you know? Nothing really fell into place. So I begrudgingly just stayed home and I got a YMCA membership and started working out. I’m a bigger person and I realize that it definitely affected some of my auditions. I’ve actually lost around 20-25 pounds since. This time around I auditioned at Wichita State, OCU, and UCO. I was accepted at WSU right after I auditioned. It was actually funny because I had auditioned for them during my senior year and I was flat out rejected. I reached out to the director and asked for feedback about what I could improve on and she was extremely nice and told me some things that were really helpful. I also had an amazing audition experience at UCO and the director seemed to really like me, but I was placed on the waitlist and then released from it sadly. Also, I meant to mention my senior year I was only accepted to one program and that was why I went to that school. It was a great program and I think if circumstances had been different I would still be there, but I can’t dwell on that. So I’m excited to announce I will be attending WSU majoring in Musical Theatre and Vocal performance! Just goes to show that if it’s meant to be everything WILL work itself out. I have lost some time in my education that I can’t get back, but I finally feel like I’m stepping in the right direction. I also think if I had possibly had a coach my first go round I would have had more acceptances. I admit I had NO idea what I was doing the first time. Anyway sorry for the long read! Been debating about if I wanted to post anything at all. I am a little embarrassed because I should be in the class of 2020, but life happens I guess.
@broadwayboy223 - Congrats! You are a testament to drive, determination and persistence - and you need all three in this business. I bet you’ll be a smashing success at Wichita State!!
@broadwayboy223 - I’m so glad you shared your story! Everyone has their own unique path, but ultimately they find where they are supposed to be - in their own time! Don’t be ashamed or embarrassed but embrace your bravery to continue to pursue your dreams! Bravo! Wishing you all the best and I hope you shine in your new program!
Congrats @broadwayboy223 ! Glad that you found your home. My d loved the faculty at Wichita State. I am sure that you shine there.
Congrats on a great success story, @broadwayboy223!!! You should be PROUD!!
Congrats @broadwayboy223! So happy for you. You will be coming into the program with extra maturity, which is a great thing. I know someone locally that went to Wichita State for theatre (don’t know if it was MT or not). Was on my daughter’s list but audition dates just didn’t work.
Congrats, @broadwayboy223 , and thank you for sharing. It is important to be real about this process, so that others know what they are getting into: And that there are many avenues to take. Wishing you all the best!!!
Ok, here goes…but before explaining our process I want to thank all of the CC who provided insight and support. This forum helped us tremendously. I will certainly try to pass it on.
Prescreens: MMC, Elon, Emerson, CMU, Texas State, Pace, Otterbein, Rider, Roosevelt, Baldwin Wallace (passed all except Texas St.)
Dropped Auditions at Elon, Emerson and Baldwin Wallace (S decided he didn’t want to go to these schools even if he was accepted. We did tour BW.)
Walk-in Auditions: Molloy/Cap 21, Hartt (at Unifieds)
On Campus Audition: CMU, Pace (all others either NY Unified or LA Unified)
Artistic Acceptances (MT): MMC, Pace, Rider, Molloy/Cap 21 and Hartt
Coaches: none Professional Training: none Dance: Ballet 1/2
My son started in musical theater as a Freshman in HS. He has sang since he could talk but never focused enough.to try out for a play or musical. He is the kid that did 10,000 hours of training before his first audition. He and I have always gone to live theater and it was the Fall of his Freshman year when he announced at Pippin that this was what he was going to do with his life. He quickly got the lead roles in community theater. We didn’t have the finances to afford private lessons or training. He took two ballet classes at our local community college. For camps he did two theater camps, his Junior summer he did Interlochen (thanks to lots of scholarships.) This completely changed his trajectory. Six weeks of training and being among like-minded people gave him confidence and dramatically improved his skills.(This was perfect because we filmed his prescreens within a month of returning from Interlochen.) This last winter he got his first “professional” role ($$) in a straight play (although he had one signing part). It was a big step up for him and a great distraction through the audition process.
Parent Advice: I did pay for two 1-hour sessions with a local theater coach to discuss colleges. My S GPA is not great. That ruled out Michigan and NYU. She was able to help give me names of colleges for my S to apply to that I never heard before. Start early. I had my son finish his college essays over the summer so he wasn’t bogged down with that. We did the prescreens in the summer too so he was ready to apply in Aug/Sept. This helped for those early schools that filled up early, and really reduced the tension on the school year.
Audition Advice: My S signed up to audition for AMDA when they came to town in December as a mock auditon. Since all of his auditions were in Jan/Feb this was really helpful. He got accepted and that gave him confidence. It was totally worth going to CMU. Although it was a huge long-shot is was a moment he will never forget. He felt he had arrived. (He got great feedback from Gary but in the end we knew he wouldn’t get in.)
Parents of Boys Advice: Ignore all of those comments that if you are a boy the process is easier. I was amazed at how many boys were at Unifieds. Good talent. In the end 12 spots for 1000 boys is still incredibly competitive.
We loved the audition process. Spending quality time on planes, trains and automobiles. I grew so much respect for my S (and all the kids) - and felt like we were transitioning to friends and not just parent/child. Auditions are expensive and we found out that it didn’t matter if we auditioned on campus or not. We have memories and stories that will last a lifetime.
Final Decision: Hartt!!! It was a walk-in on the last day of auditions in LA. Never considered it. My S did the dance call and then the vocal. After all was said and done Hartt was the school that kept rising up. Great interactions with administration, fin aid, and teachers. We toured/shadowed during our spring break and they won my S over. He is thrilled to start in the Fall.
Although my S would have said he only wanted Manhattan, he is very excited to go to CT. It is true, they end up exactly where they are supposed to be (even if it isn’t where you thought they should be.) I can’t wait to watch him fly!
Thank you again everyone on CC and those I sent PM! I could not have made it through this without all of the advice, direction and love. xo
Awesome story, @MTmomSF ! Congrats! I am constantly amazed by how often a walk in turns out to be “The One.” I think it goes to show how many great programs are out there-and that we don’t know what we don’t know!
D, NC
This is D’s second year of auditions. At just about this time last year, she decided to take a gap year; research and build a better school list, and continue to improve her skills.
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/20587651/#Comment_20587651
Background:
Non PA public high school (strong performing arts) grades 9-11
UNCSA High School Drama grade 12 (class of 2017)
10 years of jazz, tap, ballet, and contemporary dance.
Minimal private voice. Took a few lessons in 7th & 8th grade. Picked up weekly lessons during her UNCSA year.
Intensives: UNCSA ('15), Penn State ('16), Florida State ('17)
Coach: beginning in May of '17: Chelsea Diehl, MCA
Schools applied to: Belmont, Wright State, Elon, UArts, Michigan, FSU, Shenandoah, Ithaca, Penn State, Emerson, Cap 21 Molloy (cancelled audition after a couple other admits)- BFA MT; UNCSA, Rutgers, & UMinn Guthrie BFA Acting. Yup, my kid’s an overachiever. No safety. She assured Chelsea and me that if she yielded absolutely 0 acceptances (a true possibility) she would go to a State U for a completely different major. She also assured us that if she got just one yes-she would happily commit to that program.
Did not pass Ithaca or Michigan prescreens, which she had passed her first audition season. Chelsea felt that the schools probably had seen enough during last year’s auditions, and felt that she wasn’t a good fit. D could accept that.
Accepted to Belmont, UArts, Wright State, and Shenandoah.
D was very pleased to have four options-all programs that she was certain that she would be happy and challenged at. She first ruled out Uarts-decided that she wanted to be in an environment with some non-artistic academic majors/pursuits. Then the really, really tough decisions came. We scheduled visits at the three remaining schools. The visits made the decision tougher. My hope was that while visiting one of the campuses, she would have a “these are my people” moment. Well, she felt that at all three schools! She loved the faculty and the students during all three visits. Truly, I was floored by this notion-now what? Nice problem to have; but there have been some tears over the past few days. Also, there was no financial front-runner. 2 schools came in with almost identical bottom lines, and the outlier came in at <4k greater/year.
The next program that she ruled out was Wright State. D has always loved this program. She did a Fall audition both years, so we had the privilege of being bowled over by their musical-twice. D was waitlisted last year, and we always considered it the dream program in which she came SO close. Had she made it off that waitlist last year, she would most certainly be wrapping up her Freshman year there. The reason she eliminated it this year? Nothing really tangible. She wasn’t crazy about the campus, she didn’t love the 8 hour drive (feels like more) through the mountains of WV. All in all, she just felt a little something more at Belmont and Shenandoah.
Belmont was also a beloved program to D. Forget Top 10 lists-Belmont was D’s first college visit in September of her Junior Year, and it was love at first sight. She LOVES Nashville, LOVES the gorgeous campus, LOVES Nancy Allen and Faculty. She has always been intrigued by the heavy music emphasis (Classical Voice, Piano, Theory)-as she knows that this is what she needs to work on the most. The BFA MT is in fact run out of the Music department. D thought that this was a plus and not a minus-as long as there was rigor in Acting and Dance. She had a fabulous visit. She bonded with two wonderful students. She bought 2 t-shirts, lol. She called me, a bit weepy-and said “I think this is the one.” I was thrilled……and I have always, always seen her there. When she received her acceptance letter last November, we both wept.
Wanting to dot all the is and cross all the ts, D and I set out for Shenandoah University. Shenandoah was not on D’s list last year (nor was Uarts.) D worked with ShenCo’s Kevin Covert last Summer at FSU’s intensive, and really, really thought that he was awesome. I think that we were both viewing this visit as a formality-it was scheduled; she didn’t want to cancel. We even talked about Belmont on the drive up to Winchester, VA. D had an awesome visit. She couldn’t believe how difficult (beginner) ballet was. She loved their Meisner emphasis and progression. She loves the shows that they choose. She totally clicked with a lot of the students. We drove away (no t-shirt this time), thoroughly confused. D called Chelsea from the car. Chelsea would never (no good coach would) steer D towards one school or the other. Chelsea heard D out on her perceived pros and cons of Belmont and ShenCo. Chelsea wanted D to “make her case” for the one that she wanted-and Chelsea would wholeheartedly support and celebrate that choice. She emphasized that D would be happy and challenged in either program. D once again shed a few tears: Her heart said Belmont, but her head said that Shenandoah was a better fit for her goals, and for the life that she was envisioning over the next 4 years and beyond. This was made more tough by the fact that we are people that generally go with our heart (like, say when we support our kid pursuing a BFA MT, lol!)
Final Decision: Shenandoah Conservatory BFA MT C/O 2022. Deposit is paid. T-shirts are on their way (via express shipping) 
SOME things that sealed the deal:
*Acting, 2 dance classes, and private voice every semester.
*Meisner, Meisner, Meisner.
*An opportunity to pursue an MS in Performing Arts and Leadership Management with one additional year.
*A First Year Seminar that really speaks to the brainiac side of D: All entering Freshman take it. Shenandoah chooses fascinating topics. Some selections for last year’s Freshmen: “Skin Deep: The Walking Dead and What it Means to Be Human”; & “Chocolate, Chili, Chorizo and Chickpeas…The Politics and Culture of Food”. D could geek out on this stuff!
*Shenandoah’s commitment to technology in education: All full time undergrads receive a MacBook Pro, an iPad Pro, and an Apple Pencil.
*Great choice of shows
*Quaint historic town with plenty of arts & museums
*Truly engaged, diverse students (well, all of the schools had that one)
*Closest to home
I seriously don’t think that I would be sane at this juncture without the information, support, and camaraderie that I have received here. I have stayed in touch with, and celebrated the wins of parents like @FourFoxes and @TwoBusyMom -our paths have crossed in real life; and it’s awesome to keep in touch with them and their amazing daughters in this forum. I have also made great virtual friends with 2 other moms….our friendship goes so beyond our MT gals at this point: We talk about everything, lol. And then there have been some faculty members like @All4FSU , @VoiceTeacher , and others that have been available, encouraging, and kind.
@owensfolks yay! yay! yay! So happy for you and your daughter!! You (or she) took the time and effort necessary to find the right fit!! Congratulations! I truly hope for the best year ever for your D next year! Somehow it all eventually works out!
@owensfolks i am so extremely excited for you and your daughter. I know we haven’t met personally but your input through this forum has been so helpful to me. You’re an inspiration and encouragement to so many!!! I LOVE SHENANDOAH!! I don’t know much about Belmont to be honest as we didn’t look at it… but we really connected with ShenCo, with the people, the program, the campus, the students and their performances. The whole vibe. Although it wasn’t meant to be for us, we will always have a special place in our heart for that school. I know your daughter is going to thrive and grow and SHiNE and it will all be worth the wait. Congrats!!! I can only imagine how relieved and happy you must feel!!!
@owensfolks So happy for you and your D…! I know it’s been a long journey for you both to get to this point and Im sure your D is grateful you’ve been at her side supporting her through every tough decision. Congratulations and BAL to your D! Big things are going to happen for her and all these incredible kids!
So happy for your D @owensfolks. This may have been the most anticipated finals post for those of use who know your story. Congratulations!!!
@owensfolks - So happy for your D (and you)!!! What an epic journey she’s had and what a triumph for her this year with so many truly great options. 
This is such an amazing thread and wow, the journey! It has been quite a year …glad to not be alone!
@owensfolks YES!! I love it! What a great choice! So happy for your D and for this to finally be over for your family!!!
@owensfolks - Wow! I love this story. Congratulations to you and your D. We are also down to our top 3 and completely understand the stress of choosing. It’s a good problem to have, but that doesn’t make the choice an easy one. You want to do it in a way where you have no regrets. Sounds like you hit the nail on the head. Good luck!