Help With Finalizing My College List

College Majors Musical Theater Major
1

I am in desperate need of help with my college list! I thought I had it finalized, but I’m starting to learn more and second-guess my chances. I want to make sure I apply to a wide range of schools, so that I have a good chance of getting numerous acceptance letters. Ideally, I would like three reach schools, four target schools, and three safety schools. I need to decide ASAP, as deadlines are quickly approaching! I have a lot of my application work done, it’s just specific school-related things that need work.

A little bit about me: I am interesting in applying for an Acting BFA program, though I am also interested in a broader Theatre major at some of my safety schools, just to increase my chances and broaden my horizons. I am passionate about musical theatre, but I believe that my strengths lie primarily in straight acting, so that’s what I’m shooting for, although schools that offer musical theatre certificates down the road or general auditions that are narrowed down to either acting or musical theatre are great, too. I am a resident of Illinois, so I’m interested in applying to Illinois schools, but I’d like the majority of my schools to be out-of-state. I have taken three ACTs, my highest score being a 32, and I have taken three SATs, my highest score being a 1410 (out of 1600). I also took the writing test three times for the ACT and twice for the SAT. I am currently in my senior year, and my GPA is at a 4.2 or 4.3 (out of 5.0). I have a good deal of experience in theatre, as I’ve been a part of most of the shows in high school and twenty or so shows in total, but nothing professional. I also take voice lessons and dance classes, and I hold leadership positions in the National Music Honor Society, speech team, and International Thespian Honor Society executive board.

Here is where my list stands at the moment:

1.) Northwestern University
2.) University of Southern California
3.) New York University
4.) University of Michigan
5.) Boston University
6.) Drake University
7.) Ball State University
8.) DePaul University
9.) Knox College
10.) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Basically, I need help with deciding on whether or not this list is attainable. Do you guys think I’m shooting too high? Too low? Are there any programs on here that I should remove and switch out with another one? My voice lesson teacher suggested that I look at Yale, University of Evansville, Roosevelt, Carnegie Mellon University, Marymount, Sarah Lawrence, Michigan State University, Syracuse U, U of Minnesota, U of North Carolina, Carthage College, Belmont - Nashville, Point Park, and ISU, but I’m not sure whether or not my list is fine where it is or if I should listen to her and seriously consider some of those other colleges. I would really not like to exceed ten schools, because I think anything over that might be too difficult. What do you guys think? Please be honest, I can take it, I just really need the opinions of people who understand my plight!

Thank you all so much for your help!

2

It looks like a pretty good list to me, maybe a little top heavy, but you do have U of I in there and Knox College (good arts program, not sure whether it’s audition-in?).

3

You can also Ask on the regular drama forum as this is the musical theater forum. Some of the programs listed are very different from one another so be sure to Know what you want. It isn’t a bad thing to have variety among the schools you apply to but it seems If you are looking for specific training you should be sure you can get it where you are applying.

Some named above are BFA conservatory programs and others are within liberal arts colleges that offer you more general liberal arts classes to take and may be a BA vs a BFA if that makes a difference to you at all.

Do you want a lot of academics or hardly any? A big school or small? Urban or Not? Lots of studio hours? Is a senior showcase important to you? If you are a BFA acting major can you take any MT classes?

Look at the actual curriculum of each school to make sure the courses sound good to you.

A couple notes:

Yale undergrad is a BA (non audition) in general theater studies. Not a performance major. The famed Yale school of Drama is only a MFA.

Minnesota (guthrie) is a great school with BFA. Minnesota also has a BA in theater that could be a safety if you don’t get into the BFA. Could be the same at a few on your list.

As for North Carolina - your teacher probably meant UNCSA— University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston Salem NC (not the main campus in chapel hill). My D goes there - it is wonderful. It is an arts conservatory and stands alone (not part of a larger university campus). They are an acting program but dance and voice are a heavy part of the training.

Many of the programs you listed or your teacher suggested are fantastic.
10 is a good number as long as you can really see Yourself at any of the schools. Make sure you understand what you are applying for. Not all theater degrees are the same.

I will also say that at least 6 schools on your list are extremely hard to get into either academically or via audition. And no audition based program is a true safety. However you can put a range of audition based programs on your list. It may not be bad to add one or two that may not be at the very top of everyone’s list. I don’t want to name
Schools specifically as all are reputable and I’m not trying to imply any are “easy” admits, but your teacher suggested a few that could be good mid-tier schools to add in case the others don’t work out. No guarantee but perhaps a slightly higher percent are admitted.

4

Are all the schools on your list good fits for YOU and your circumstances? Is academic challenge a priority for you? Your academic stats would be a shoe-in for Wright State University in Dayton Ohio, with good merit aid. It is not academically rigorous, but the BFA Acting/MT program is top-notch. They train “triple threats”, but the heaviest emphasis is on Acting. Student have gotten into the MT program with little or no dance training.

5

You should be a good fit for NYU if it’s a financial fit for you. Have you considered Emerson College?

6

It looks like you are from the Midwest. A couple others to consider are SEMO - we know kids there and they are super happy. They got great financial aid-- think they give in state tuition or equivalent via scholarships for kids with stats like yours.

Webster has both acting and MT.

Illinois Wesleyan has good BFA programs too.

University of Rockford is trying to build up their program and you would get tons of aid there.

I also know Drake is good and it is on your list. Would guess you would be a good candidate there. Same with Evansville.

Hopefully you will do auditions at your state thescon conference in addition to those you are applying to named above. We know kids that ended up changing their path due to offers they received there.

Good luck!

7

Think carefully about whether going 150,000+in debt (Ie. NYU) is worth it for your goals/expected outcome with a BFA degree.

8

I would add 4-5 more schools – cast a wider net. And, I agree with the comment about Wright State. Definitely worth a look and it’s close. Also, I would make sure you have financial fits on this list. It’s not really good enough that you like a school and that a school accepts you. You also have to be able to afford to go there. This is a very personal decision, one that need not be discussed here-- but don’t overlook it. That’s a big reason why casting a wide net is a good idea. If you get into Northwestern, for instance, but don’t get enough aid to make it affordable for you, then it’s not a real option. Ideally, you want a few options that are within your budget. But, just getting one acceptance into a BFA that you can afford is great! You just need one! :slight_smile:

9

I agree with @WildestDream --no matter where you go, be careful of debt. If you need to get a full-time day job after graduation to pay your student loans, you won’t have time to go on auditions to get a job in the career you prepared and went into debt for.