General timeline and plan for applying to theater schools?

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
1

<p>Hi there. </p>

<p>I have a friend whose son is a high school sophomore who is interesting in majoring in theater. She's asked me for some guidance in college applications. i can help with all the non-specific stuff about college apps, but I don't know anything about theater majors. can you all give me a general idea of how to tackle theater majors applications? When to start figuring out your list, when to apply to schools and how you get an audition scheduled. Just a general plan so that she doesn't miss anything crucial. </p>

<p>And just FYI, he's got fantastic grades in honors classes, great test scores (scored way above NMSF cut off in our state on his sophomore year PSAT), great kid. He's got experience in school plays, summer stock things, a local professional theater, some commercials, amateur film stuff, etc. He can sing & dance but is way more interested in just theater. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>I would say they should just research a lot now & make a list of schools he is interested in. A big decision is to figure out whether he wants a conservatory training style or that from a university. That will help him to narrow his list. Then he needs to decide whether he wants a BFA program or BA (I would apply to both though since some BA’s like UCLA’s are a more intensive BA as they do not offer a BFA). Also since he sings & dances, does he want MT or just Acting (a lot of schools make their acting kids take a movement & voice class). These decisions will help narrow his list. Then I would say during junior year (or summer of sophomore year, but before senior year) go visit colleges of his interest because you may not think so but the feel of a campus can be a decided factor. I crossed UCIrvine off my list just from stepping on the campus & walking around the theater buildings because they felt so isolated (across a busy street from the rest of the campus) like it was shunned. Granted they have a great program, but the feel of the campus mattered to me. Make sure his list is big because most theater majors (BA & BFA) are audition based & quite competitive because freshman theater classes are very small, a lot of about 20-25 people. Because of this make sure he has safeties that are non-audition or audition after admittance (like sophomore year). CalState Fullerton has a great MT program but you enter as a BA Theater Arts student once academically accepted & audition in front a “jury” a few times to move up to their competitive BFA program. Make sure he does his research & even if he falls in love with one school, make sure he has a big list & tries to like others, especially one of the safeties. I obsessed over NYU, applied ED, was rejected & now am waiting for other decisions, but there are so many other great schools that I wish I had also applied to. Once it gets to about summer before senior year, colleges should have current info up about that coming year. I suggest making charts with all the important deadlines, like when apps are due, audition dates, when scores & transcripts are due, when FAFSA needs to be filed, if they want recommendation letters (make sure to give teachers time to write these), & if each school’s theater majors require a separate application, fee, transcript, etc.</p>

<p>I hope this helps! Theater is a hard major but in my mind it is so worth it! (to him) break a leg!</p>

3

<p>Thank you geofio! Good luck to you. </p>

<p>So, do most students pick about 4 non-audition safeties and maybe 10 audition schools? Or is 10 way too many to do. </p>

<p>Do I understand correctly that some schools you would audition first, but otehrs you wait to see if you’re accepted academically first?</p>

4

<p>geofio did a great job of explaining the process.</p>

<p>I would add about auditions: Each person needs 3-4 monologues of different types ready to perform well by late fall of senior year. Definitely by junior year they should be reading plays and finding a teacher, mentor, director, or other coach to help find and prepare good material. The monologues will have to be about 1.5 minutes long each, age-appropriate, and from classical and contemporary literature. There should be a mix of comedic and dramatic. It’s great if they are chosen and ready before school starts in the fall, in case you find a school with rolling or early admissions and a fall audition date. Most auditions are in Jan-Feb.</p>

<p>The number of schools depends on the person, how desperately they want a BFA, if they would take a gap year and re-audition if they are not accepted the first time, what their interests are, etc. There are no reach/match/safeties in auditioned programs, although there are some differences in selectivity, and many kids have a couple high and a couple less so (nowhere is better than about 25%).</p>

<p>Most kids audition for 4-6 schools, and then have either one safety or a mix of reach/match/safety schools as if they were only applying to non-auditioned programs. It is common for these kids to have up to 12-15 schools because the auditioned programs are basically all reaches.</p>

<p>Every school manages the academic/artistic admissions in its own way. Many do have you apply as a regular student, then arrange for the audition later. But for example kids have walked into auditions in February at the Unified Auditions (in NYC, Chicago or CA), been accepted artistically, and then put together a quick academic application guided by the theatre dept. This is one reason why theatre kids usually have their core schools chosen by September, apply early action or early in the rolling process whenever possible, so that they can juggle all of the deadlines and get their auditions done at the schools they have on their list, then add schools as the process evolves, based on some of those early answers.</p>

<p>Good luck to your friend! Encourage them to ask questions here, or keep asking on their behalf. It’s complicated, kind of fun, exciting and challenging! But a good list will give any kid good options to choose from in the spring.</p>

5

<p>On top of what EmmyBet said, make sure he reads the plays from which he chooses his monologues cause audition panels may ask him about a character choice he chose & he should have plot details to back his choices up.</p>

6

<p>Don’t forget when researching schools to ask about what succesful people in the field (i.e. stars!) are graduates. It might give you some idea of how well the school actually prepares people for a career in the arts.</p>

7

<p>But - at the risk of changing the subject - please don’t equate “successful” with “famous.” My D’s school has one extremely famous alum, although his fame probably has nothing to do with the fact that he went there. Yet we were told - without asking - that their graduates work, that they get great summer internships, that they work as actors, in tech/design/directing, in teaching, that they are happily continuing with theatre in their lives, famous or not. In fact, it was the frank discussion with the dept head about what people really do with their degree in theatre that sold me on the school.</p>

<p>PS - KEVP, I would suggest that while I have no indication you are a star, you are successful - you are a working professional and very dedicated to theatre. I think you are a credit to your training program, star or not.</p>

8

<p>Thanks everyone! I’ve summarized all the tips for my friend. I’ll steer her here if she has more questions!</p>