<p>Hi, I think I posted in the wrong place so I'm posting here. Our son is involved in all of the wonderful extracurriculars--- vocal group, theater performances, et. Very talented --- major roles in HS Shows but only has a GPA of about a lowB-mid C (despite our "wake-up calls" to him about getting good grades!)
We're looking for other parents in the same position ... what schools for BFA in Musical Theater are realistic for him to apply to? (He also plays piano well). He is looking on East Coast at Pace, Univ. of Arts, Hartt School, Ithaca, and we're really not sure where else. Any suggestions for realistically getting into good schools with MT BFA (We think he will probably audition well due to his stage experiences and strong vocal talents). We are frustrated parents looking to find good advice from other parents or students who have been in this position......Thanks! Maril</p>
<p>While many of the conservatory type programs will take students with lower GPA's the competition is stiffer and I would encourage you to enroll your S in classes to optimize his SAT/ACT scores and to start now looking for teachers to write academic letters of Recommendation. A few of the schools require academic acceptance prior to auditioning-I would write or talk to the departments that you are considering (before you spend money applying) to see if they would admit someone with your sons academic record if the talent level was high.</p>
<p>Maril -- I also posted this on the Northwestern thread, where you originally posted...
Grades will carry a different weight in admissions decisions depending on the school. Some schools -- like University of Mighigan -- require all students to go through an academic screening before they are permitted to audition. Other schools weigh academics very little in the admissions decision. Other schools may weigh academics in the decision, but are at schools that are not as academically difficult to get into. Others do weigh them in the decision, but will allow all students who apply to the university to audition, and then see if they are competitive for admissions... I am sure that there are as many different policies and scenarios as there are schools!</p>
<p>I do not know the specifics of the programs you have listed above, sorry, but I am sure there are those who post on this board who do. You may also want to consider contacting the departments directly.</p>
<p>When you are putting together a list of schools it will be important to make sure you have at least one academic safety school that does not require an audition for admission to the theatre or MT program at which your S would be happy attending. This is the case for ALL students applying to MT college.... it is a highly competitive, and somewhat quirky process.:)</p>
<p>You may also want to look at 2-year conservatory programs such as AMDA or Circle in the Square. These programs are auditioned programs, but academics are not factored into the admission equation.</p>
<p>Best of Luck!</p>
<p>Thank you for the advice --- we actually did visit AMDA --- it just seems like it is so different from college programs but we know 2 students from his HS who go there and love it! So it's on our list! I'm hoping to get more replies... appreciate this site so much! Maril</p>
<p>I do not want to sound flip - but hit the books, take the SAT courses, do the work. That said, yes, most conservatory programs are not too concerned with grades - those might be better matches in this case. I favor a diverse education and "growth period" that students do get at some conservatories and at most university programs. AMDA will take almost anyone with money to pay - look up some of the previous discussion on that option. I was just at a large convention, at AMDA's booth I picked up their current brochure which lists as faculty people I know who have not collected a check from AMDA in over seven years...makes me question their truth in advertising.</p>
<p>My D is very excited about attending Marymount Manhattan in the fall- seems to offer great theater training and great liberal arts education- but not too difficult to get accepted academically.
She also was very impressed with the theater program at DeSales U- really great training and education- but again I don't believe too academically difficult to get into.
Point Park University also seems to offer great training without too high of an academic admissions bar. Pace is not too academically selective either.
My d is a good student- but not a strong standardized test taker and took normal college prep courses- no AP's and got very nice academic scholorships from the above schools. They all seem to offer a great education.
Sometimes the college admission process is really intimidating- but there are definatly great college choices for everyone out there.</p>
<p>I think Columbia College in Chicago could also be worth looking into. I do not really know much about it, other than what people have written here... if you do a search on the MT board -- you will find discussions.</p>
<p>First, I would encourage your son to pick up his grades for this semester and in the fall and impress upon him that it could affect where he may get in or not. That said, your son actually has decent SAT scores that are higher than a lot of students whom I know who have gone onto some BFA programs. There are several programs where he may have a reasonable chance ON THE ACADEMIC END with his current stats since his SATs are fairly strong but he does need to pick up the grades if he can by next Jan. </p>
<p>Some schools where his academic profile MAY be OK....Pace, Hartt, Marymount Manhattan, Boston Conservatory, University of the Arts, Roosevelt, College of Santa Fe, Montclair State, Point Park, Baldwin-Wallace. Ithaca will be harder academically but I do know someone who got in with lower stats, particularly on the SATs than your son and also not great grades.</p>
<p>I know a boy who got into U of Mich MT with similar grades. He's a bit of a phenom, both musically and performance wise-piano, voice, dance, acting all top notch.<br>
When my D auditioned for NYU we were told flat out that the average Tisch acting student had a 3.2 GPA and 1200 SAT.[old scoring] That's average so yeah, there were C students accepted. The admissions dept. can only tie the hands of the theatre dept.. so much it seems to me, they can't be expected to pass on big talent everytime one falls below the average.
I would think an increase in first semester grades senior year would be helpful also, shows growth.</p>
<p>My D had a 2.6 GPA and 610 R, 540 M, 590W. She was allstate voice and had a couple of major roles in high school MT. She was academically accepted to Pace and Hartt. She did not make it into the MT programs there, but I think there are less guys trying out so probably a much better chance. U of Cinc. also offered for a general admission - so I think she was in the range there, but didn't realize at the time as to how competitive CCM was and probably wouldn't have tried if known. We didn't do much research and just looked online for people listing the top schools without realizing that some of the programs only take 10 people; usually half of one gender. </p>
<p>Two of her male friends are attending BoCo and I don't think they look much at grades. </p>
<p>She also tried for general acceptances after not making into the MT program at Penn State - University Park, Syracuse, NYU and Emerson and was not able to get academically accepted. I don't think NYU let us know that she was not academically accepted, but I had a feeling she had little chance there because they emphasized 50% of admission depends on grades. If you have the money and the time - I would try. On your reach schools, I would try to do them at the Unifieds to save money if it is a long shot. Traveling to all these auditions gets expensive. </p>
<p>I think my D was definitely at a disadvantage because of her low GPA because everyone auditioning was great and probably most had higher GPAs.</p>
<p>Thank you to all who are answering...we're feeling a bit better from some of the replies ....when our son returns (he's in NY with his school at a vocal competition) we will let him read these replies....Mom and Dad aren't the only parents who have given him the same advice...Thanks to all!</p>
<p>Talent will get you accepted to many programs but grades will get you money. In most schools there is a lot more money available for academic scholarships than for talent scholarships, especially at the state schools which also tend to have lower tuition than the private schools. My son was a solid B student in IB and had good SAT scores of 660v 730m 680w. He got academic scholarships to every school he was accepted at except one. He did ten auditions and got into 4 MT programs. He had talent scholarships at three, two were much less than the academic scholarships. If he is that talented he will get in somewhere, but he should spend more time on academics now and the first half of senior year, it won't hurt the theater stuff that much. He should also take a good SAT course. This really helped my kids, especially with testmanship and planning.</p>
<p>Couldn't agree more with impalanut. The academic scholarships my D recieved were in general higher than the talent scholarships she got. It is really a big help with tuition- although it's still plenty expensive. as I posted above My D is not even a steller student- good grades, but few honor classes and not great test scores. Hitting the books a little bit can make college a little more affordable!</p>
<p>The good news is that if he can pull up his grades and do well on the SAT/ACT he will have a good strong story to tell. Hopefully he has the required/suggested coursework in science, foreign language, etc. My son's freshman grades were dismal, but each year they improved a little bit - then he kicked it in the second half of junior year. (I also told him I would pull him out of the musical if he had any missing assignments - even if it was opening night.) </p>
<p>He started his Cal State Mentor application early - he had to report his grades and honors - (Naviance and I think College Board.com have something similar). Seeing his grades and grades alone - as a college admissions person will really woke him up. </p>
<p>All that being said, if your son can find his way to improved grades, he'll have a strong story to tell about how he's matured - a good thing for colleges. If he has a strong interest in an academic area - perhaps he can do an AP or Honor's class - that might build the GPA a bit. But I'd advise it only in areas he's truly interested in. They are a lot of work. Best of luck!!</p>
<p>Let me also echo those who assert that high grades can mean the difference between being offered no $$ and being offered some very substantial scholarships at schools where BFA programs are housed. Most of the BFA programs discussed on this list are far from inexpensive, so these scholarships can make a huge, huge difference when it comes time to decide which acceptances to accept. Grades do matter, definitely.</p>
<p>Maril- A lot of great advice here on schools to audition for, picking up grades etc. But I highly recommend you read as much as you can on all the CC MT threads to obsorb this process. Darn near everyone on these threads who auditions is the star of their high school, community theatre, very talented, blah, blah, blah. The odds of your S getting into an audition MT program are pretty low. Please set your expectations accordingly and make sure that you have a couple of safety schools on your list. Some of the audition only schools have anywhere from 150 to 1200 kids trying out for anywhere from 4 to 24 spots. Make sure he picks acting pieces and songs that make his talent shine and learn as much about the audition process as you can. Best of luck.</p>