<p>Hi everyone, I'm new to the board and just wanted to ask you all a couple of questions regarding MFA acting programs. I apologize in advance for the verbosity I have a real propensity for it.</p>
<p>Okay so... My predicament: I still have 2 more years of study left at my current university (English major) and I would like to audition for MFA acting programs once I am about to graduate. My grades have ranged from excellent (two semesters of earning 4.0's) to terrible (one semester I earned a 1.6 GPA another a 2.9). My poor grades were a result of simply not attending class...ever. I maybe went 1/5 of the time. The semesters I went to class I earned exceptionally high marks (top 5% of the entire undergraduate student body -I got some silly award so this is an actual statistic) </p>
<p>Thankfully, my desire to act and earn an MFA has lead me to clean up my act and focus on my studies. However, I wonder if it is too late. I can't imagine the well thought of MFA programs (Yale, NYU, Columbia, etc) having anything but the stringiest academic admission standards. Do they happen to weigh the audition more heavily like some undergraduate programs? </p>
<p>I believe I have 3 semesters left before I can apply to grad school. I am hoping to earn a cumulative 4.0 between all of them. I think that ostensibly I'll be able to raise my over-all GPA to a 3.7 just in time for graduation. Could I perhaps, with this sort of academic history, coupled with a killer audition, even hope to be admitted into any of the top MFA programs? Or has my laissez faire attendance policy pretty much ended any hope of acceptance?</p>
<p>Another point to consider: I have acted in one play in high school and only 3 so far in college. I will be auditioning for independent films and more school productions. But I feel my resume leaves something to be desired, which gives me pause. Will my not being a theatre major at the undergraduate level hurt my chances at being accepted to the graduate level? I wanted a non-theatre related undergraduate degree as a fail-safe in case the whole becoming a beloved, iconic, internationally renowned actor thing doesn't work out ;). Has my practicality hindered my chances at gaining acceptance into a venerable Graduate program? I.e. NYU, Yale, UCSD</p>
<p>Short Version:
-is a rocky academic history culminating in roughly a 3.7 cumulative GPA high enough for consideration into a prestigious MFA program? (Assuming I ace the audition)
-Will my not so sexy resume and not being a theatre major at the undergraduate level hurt my chances at being accepted at the graduate level?
-Is the audition weighed more heavily than academics when applying for an MFA like at some BFA's?</p>
<p>Zelle3, I applaud you for the work you are doing to improve your academics.</p>
<p>MFA auditions are based very largely on the audition, and they are even more selective than auditioned BFA programs. It’s particularly hard for women to be accepted, because there are so many women applying and the professional world has many more roles for men.</p>
<p>Not being a theatre major will not necessarily harm your chances of getting into a MFA program, but a lack of training and experience would be likely to put you at a disadvantage.</p>
<p>In addition, MFA programs generally look for people with a year or two of post-college acting work on their resumes. Some people audition for two or more years in a row before being accepted.</p>
<p>I would suggest that you keep up the academic rigor of your studies, and also try to supplement your theatre training with summer programs if at all possible.</p>
<p>You might also want to use a year post-graduation to take acting classes and perform, before submitting applications to MFA programs.</p>
<p>-Njtheatremom thank you for the reply. I am a male so I guess I have a slightly better chance of acceptance so to clarify, while strong academics are important, it is ultimately the audition that will make or break you? also I read somewhere (I’m drawing a blank) that a great deal of MFA programs prefer applicants that did not pursue a BFA degree and in fact favor students that earned degrees in other areas of study. Unfortunately I can’t remember the source nor do I know how credible this information is which is why I posed the original question. But if someone with greater insight than I could clarify I’d love to know more about what these programs generally consider in an applicant. Thanks again for the help everyone :)</p>
<p>If anyone else has input on my original post id greatly appreciate it. Thanks for the insight njtheatremom!</p>
<p>A BFA, like an MFA, is considered a “terminal degree” (professional degree). Therefore, people with BFAs in Acting generally do not apply for MFAs in Acting; most of the people who apply for MFAs in Acting have BA degrees.</p>
<p>If your school has a theatre program, you might want to talk to a faculty member there about this subject. I’m sure they would be happy to talk with you even if you don’t happen to be their student.</p>
<p>Hi zelle3,
I was just talking about this subject with my daughter, who is struggling with a required language class at her BA theater program. She told me she talked yesterday to one of her theater teachers and advisors, who has a Yale MFA, and the advisor told her <em>not</em> to worry about her grade. The MFA is an artistic admission. I can tell you separately that this is also true for writing MFAs (even when GREs are required.)</p>
<p>I think you will find that when you audition for MFA programs, you will be competing against people who have a LOT more experience than you. I get the impression that MFA programs are not particularly interested in people who are fresh out of college, they would rather see people who have taken a break for a while and gotten some professional experience.</p>
<p>Your GPA sounds fine to me, audition is definitely weighed more than academics.</p>
<p>Probably the best thing for you to do now is to go out and get some real acting experience, not affiliated with a college. Get yourself an agent. (And a “survival” job!)</p>
<p>Maybe also take some acting classes that are not connected with any degree program. Have you taken ANY acting classes?</p>
<p>zelle3, in addition to everyone else’s good advice, I would also add that most people do not apply for their MFA straight out of college. Instead, they gain experience and connections in the ‘real world’ either by internships, acting work, and a ‘regular’ job. Waiting a few years would be especially good for you–you could choose a location that is theatre/film rich, and audition, volunteer at theatres or agencies, apply for internships, and work. After a few years, your resume would be that much stronger, and no one would really care about your grades. Letters of reference are still very important, so make sure to build your experience with that in mind. Also make sure to cultivate at least one strong relationship at your college, since the MFA program may ask you for a letter of reference from there.</p>
<p>Thanks for the great replies everyone! as far as non collegiate related experience…I have a private coach. Also Just auditioned for the lead in an independent film, and being located just outside NYC there is a lot of plays going on at the more prominent theaters where I live. they usually have some well known tv and film actors in them. My friend (he’s much older) runs one of the theaters and directs a lot of the plays there. I’ll have to ask him about auditioning for there next production. I guess now the best thing I can do is rack up as much real world theatre experience as possible! I have a lot of time before I’d apply so thankfully I can still accrue an acceptable amount of experience!</p>
<p>Remember that what we are saying is that MFA programs usually don’t take people straight out of college. (That was certainly my experience, I made the mistake of applying to MFA programs right out of college, with no success) If you don’t get admitted to an MFA program, KEEP WORKING. Get more experience–screen, stage, whatever, and try again when you have a more impressive resume.</p>
<p>Is your private coach some impressive name? Since you are in the the NYC area, you might want to look at some of the really famous Acting Studios. Looks good on a resume!</p>
<p>The term “terminal degree” usually is used in college academia to mean the highest credential needed to be considered for a tenure-track college teaching position. An MFA meets this requirement, a BFA does not. So, in that sense a BFA would not be considered a terminal degree.</p>
<p>Graduates of BFA programs (even “top”) programs may choose to go on to pursue an MFA at some point. It is not unusual for both BA and BFA graduates to choose to pursue MFA degrees. Nor is it unusual for them NOT to pursue MFA degrees. For example, I have notice MFA acting students at Yale had BFA acting degrees from undergrad. Just as quite a few had BA degrees from undergrad.</p>
<p>I am not sure that a BA degree would be either an advantage nor disadvantage when applying to MFA programs. </p>
<p>As others have said, your audition is really the main deciding factor in MFA Acting admissions. </p>
<p>I understood what you were saying in terms of similarity of training focus between some BFA programs and MFA programs. Just wanted to make sure, since “terminal degree” is used in a slightly different way in academia, that others would not confuse the two. :-)</p>
<p>It’s really about your audition and your presence in the room. Previous experience, coming out right out of undergrad, and grades are nearly irrelevant. It’s all about who you are. That’s what they’re looking for! Good luck with the future!</p>
so to clarify, while strong academics are important, it is ultimately the audition that will make or break you? also I read somewhere (I’m drawing a blank) that a great deal of MFA programs prefer applicants that did not pursue a BFA degree and in fact favor students that earned degrees in other areas of study. Unfortunately I can’t remember the source nor do I know how credible this information is which is why I posed the original question. But if someone with greater insight than I could clarify I’d love to know more about what these programs generally consider in an applicant. Thanks again for the help everyone :)</p>