The supplemental application for Hartt says “Select no more than one degree or major.” My d had hoped to audition for both Acting and Musical Theater. Is that not allowed?
My daughter just started her freshman year at Hartt as a BFA in MT and she absolutely loves the program. I wish I knew the answer to your question, but I know that last year when we were going through the application process it could be very confusing trying to unravel what each school’s unique requirements were. I found it best to always go directly to the source just to be certain. The staff in the admissions office at Hartt are so helpful. I would email them directly with your question at harttadm@hartford.edu.
It would not surprise me if Hartt restricts your choice. Ithaca, for example, does not allow students to apply for both the Theater Studies BA and Musical Theater BFA programs. My sense is that they expect you to know by the time you are applying where your passion and strengths lie.
Other schools (NYU, Pace, Marymount Manhattan, Wagner, and Emerson are some with which I have first-hand parental experience) are much more flexible, and even tell you that you may be offered admission into the acting program even if you applied to MT. The fact is that many high schoolers are overly focused on MT to their detriment, and the experts at these top schools can provide really helpful guidance should they choose to do so. It’s just that the Ithaca’s of the world choose not to.
But, that’s a philosphical thing, I guess. As a parent, I don’t expect a 17-year-old to truly know what they need or want, and the more certainty the 17-year-old has, the less likely it is that they are correct in my experience. 
So, my advice would be to tour the program before applying and really get a sense of which major is a better fit. That will vary from program to program. I have an acquaintance whose daughter applied to Hartt for acting after their day visit, because she just didn’t get the vibe she wanted from the MT classes and people. Obviously others would go the other direction, and the only way to tell is to experience it yourself.
At Hartt you do have to choose one or the other as I understand it. This was hard for my D as well. She would have chosen BFA Acting but it did not make our final cut (we really liked it but she feels it’s too close to home). I loved it when we toured…both programs!
Thanks for the insights, @sopranomtmom, @delegator, and @laylamom! If she can ONLY choose one, it’s acting, but she had hoped to audition for both at schools that offer both. But apparently that’s “not a thing” at a lot of schools - I’m looking at the UArts application and it says the same thing, “choose only one.”
It’s a shame: I know that a lot of kids love both Acting and MT, so it would be nice to be able to audition for both types of programs and then make the decision once the acceptances are in.
Update: I heard back from both Hartt and UArts. Here’s the deal: at Hartt, you CAN audition for both Acting and MT. You just have to call the theatre admissions department and tell them, which I did, and they noted it on her application. However, there’s a catch: after you audition for both, they contact you before making the decision and ask you to pick only ONE to be considered for. So even though you can audition for both, you can’t get a DECISION for both - you still have to pick just one to get a decision on.
So I have to talk to D about it, but I’m thinking there’s no point going through the stress of auditioning for both if you have to pick just one to be considered for anyway. So we’ll probably cancel the MT audition and just keep the Acting one.
UArts said straight out that you can only audition for one, BUT said that you’re allowed to take electives in the other. So if you’re an MT major, you can take extra acting classes if you want, and if you’re an Acting major, you can take singing and fance classes as electives. So that’s good to know.
No idea - I live near Hartt and my daughter takes voice lessons there, but it might be better to contact somebody at the school with your question rather than relying on an online forum.
My daughter is a current Junior and when she applied, she did have to choose only one to apply to. She was accepted for MT, so I am not sure if they redirect to Actor Training if not accepted for MT - I will ask her if she knows any students who applied for MT but were offered AT. I do know a few of her classmates decided to switch to AT after matriculating (a couple did so right away, a couple did it after Year 1 when they decided the acting focus was a better fit for them)… Definitely call the school. The staff is very friendly and helpful. They can tell you more about it, I am sure.
Just so you have complete information, the Hartt program does allow students to take private voice (for an extra fee) - which is pretty common for Actor Training students to do. Those who really do not sing at all don’t, but many have an MT background and want to continue that part of their training. If they go that route, they take voice with the same faculty that teaches MT students.
I have a question about the Hartt application:
My Common App essay is basically answering the same question that the Hartt supplemental essay asks. the only addition to that essay is the second part of why Hartt will prepare me for a professional career. So if I turn in my common app to the university of Hartford does Hartt also receive that essay/should I be worried about turning in very similar essays? sorry if this was worded weirdly
@marysike My daughter is a freshman at Hartt this year and I wouldn’t worry too much about the comparison issue on your essay. My daughter had a fairly standard essay that she used for the Common App last year and then she edited and added to it as needed to satisfy the specific program requirements for some of the schools unless the question or topic was completely different. Often I think it is the college admission department reviewing the Common App info while the specific artistic departments are looking more at the content from Acceptd. In the case of Hartt, she used her basic Common App essay and then added a few paragraphs specific to her interest in Hartt, what she specifically liked about the program and why it felt like the right fit for her. And she is now a student there so it all worked out!