<p>How many audition schools is everyone applying to? How many are recommended? I have 22 schools on my list right now, 3 of which are non audition. I think I might've seen a thread about this before, but I wasn't sure what to search to find it...what do you all recommend?</p>
<p>Here is a fairly recent thread that touches on this subject. Within this thread, you will find references to additional threads on this topic: </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1170200-please-check-over-our-college-list.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1170200-please-check-over-our-college-list.html</a></p>
<p>As you will see in the threads, opinions vary. Some people are adamant that 6-8 auditions are enough (provided you are able to do a lot of preparatory analysis for the right fit) and some people think 12 (or even more) give you better odds in what is a very competitive, very subjective, and seemingly probabilistic process (for example, Mary Anna Dennard in her book “I Got In,” recommends 12 or more for girls, as I recall). You may want to consider soliciting advice from someone with actual experience and expertise in the field who can realistically assess your capabilities before deciding on how many schools at which to apply.</p>
<p>If you have 22 on your list right now, you probably have a number of very similar programs, many of which have low admittance numbers. Having been through the process with my daughter last year (who ended up at NYU Steinhardt) I would recommend the following:
1. Make sure you have 2 safety, nonaudition schools whose programs you like and who you are sure you will be admitted into academically and can afford.
2. Narrow down your list to 12-14 audition schools. Make sure you have a balance of top name very selective programs, programs that admit a higher number of students, and smaller, more locally drawn programs.
3. Audition for at least 1/3 of your schools on campus and the rest at Unifieds. You could comfortably fit 2-4 per day at a Unifieds audition, depending on how much time each required. Some ask for 1/2 day. Feel free to call departments directly and ask how long their audition will take. Personally, I would not recommend walkins - as there are now enough preregistered students who carefully considered each school beforehand to fill daily quotas, and it is very time consuming to apply AFTER you have auditioned as a walkin.</p>
<p>Carefully examine each school’s program and find out how many are admitted each year (we were shocked recently to find out that this year Webster only admitted 3 female MT’s) and dig down into their program requirements to find out if they are what you want. Make sure that you would be happy to be admitted to ANY of the programs to which you apply.</p>
<p>Also, try to find out by reading CC which schools are generous with scholarship money, academically and artistically and use that info to balance your list. For examples, Hartt MT students are not allowed to accept scholastic merit scholarships, and they save up their $ to offer to the students they think will be in high demand. (as conveyed to us by department secretary) My daughter was offered zilch by them, but received $20,000 combined merit and artistic from NYU.</p>
<p>I would say that 22 schools is way too many to appy to, considering $ and time it would take to both apply and to visit ahead of time, which I HIGHLY recommend for those not being auditioned to on campus.</p>
<p>What do you know and like about each of the 22? What are the most important criteria for you in picking a school? Think about location, types of program, student casting policies, dance classes, voice lessons (with faculty?), size of program and school, and the non-MT aspects – what’s the campus culture? How easy/difficult would it be for you to get to/from school? (If you’re flying home every time, that can add up!) Start to prioritize your list…and keep in mind it’s best to love 'em all – students who tend to have a “if I don’t get into XYZ School, my life is over!” mentality may end up disappointed with what is/are other wonderful options. Find out about financial aid – some students (and families) every year are devastated to have that artistic “yes” to a school that they in no way can afford. (And with some colleges costing upward of $50,000 a year, do you really want to think about graduating with a ton of student loan debt hanging over your head?)</p>
<p>My kiddo started out with a large list, too. This time last year, she’d narrowed it to about 13, then when she got to really considering the schools’ fit, the final list was 9. All her schools were audition schools (she was fortuanate to receive a great artistic acceptance and scholarship early in the season, so knew she’d have SOMEWHERE to go; otherwise, the plan was to add more to Unifieds and also some safeties.) She did the majority of her auditions on-campus. In the end, she had 3 outright artistic rejections, 2 waitlist/holds that ended up late in the game to be no’s, and 4 artistic acceptances to choose from. </p>
<p>She struggled long and hard with that list – trying to get to a reasonable number of schools, any one of which she’d be very honored and happy to attend (made the final selection process difficult!) </p>
<p>So, although we can all recommend a magical number of schools, type of school, etc…really, the list has to come from you. Make sure you can answer fully WHY THIS SCHOOL?? about each one…and it’s okay if it’s for different reasons…but audition with intention. The other thing? Be so very prepared for each audition – with too many, it’s next to impossible to keep all their different rules and criteria straight, and I shudder to think of 22 applications/essays/application fees. Remember – it is your senior year of h.s. – there’s got to be a minute or two to enjoy that also (while keeping your grades up – colleges DO request that final transcript…).</p>
<p>Good luck, and happy senior year!!</p>
<p>Hi xoemmie- Christie2 did a great job summarizing a lot of what my D also experienced. </p>
<p>I would agree that it is not wise to count on walk-ins a Unifieds, as there is no guarantee that any will be available. That being said, my D did do a couple of walk-ins at the LA Unifieds, and lo and behold is now attending one of those schools. She had not really considered that program when she put together her original list of schools and applied, as she just wasn’t familiar with it. Before the auditions, she started hearing some good things about the program and was lamenting that she had not applied. They did end up fitting her in for a walk-in and she was instantly impressed with what they had to offer, and the interest they took in her. Even though her original 1st choice that she had applied to in the regular manner did offer her a spot, she ended up going with the walk-in, and is very happy with her decision. So while I would not count on any walk-ins, I certainly encourage it if there are openings and you have time. For the two walk-ins she did, applying after the fact was not an issue.</p>
<p>While it would have been nice to visit the various programs prior to auditioning, we were not able to do that. My D also did all of her auditions at the Unifieds (except UCLA as it is local to us and doesn’t attend Unifieds). It worked out very well for her on both counts, and she easily fit all of her auditions into the weekend. She loved the energy of the Unifieds and had a great time. The risk is that if she had been sick that week, it could have really ruined her auditions. She waited until she had her acceptances, and then visited the schools she was still considering. It was kind of nice in that by that time, the programs knew who she was and she got a lot of personal one-on-one attention during her visits. Of course if you are able to visit programs ahead of time, you might be able to narrow down your choices a bit before going through the audition process. </p>
<p>It is a good idea to try to research scholarships for the various programs if that is important to you! You can at least find out if particular programs have any specific restrictions such as Christie2 mentioned. However, some of the schools which were purported on CC to offer minimal scholarships surprised us, so nothing is set in concrete!</p>
<p>I too feel that 22 schools is way too many; the application fees alone start really adding up. I woud recommend a minimum of 8 schools, but the 12 to 14 that Christie 2 recommended is probably a good number! Good luck!</p>
<p>thanks so much everyone! last night i narrowed it down to 12 with 2 non audition and i feel better about it already!</p>
<p>^^^^^ That sounds about right. We researched 35, narrowed or visited 20, applied to 14, got accepted to 8. This was in 2007. I also have to believe it is even more difficult now. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>My final list is 7 schools - I had very specific criteria during my research and it’s paid off because I would be very happy at any of my schools. Only 3 of my schools are auditioned right off the bat.
One (CCPA Roosevelt) is on campus (in Chicago), the other two (Point Park, University of the Arts) at Chicago Unifieds since I live in the suburbs. One of the remaining ones has no audition whatsoever (Loyola University Chicago), one has an audition at the beginning of first semester for the MT minor (USC) and the others (Northwestern, Columbia College) have auditions for a specific MT track later on in the curriculum.
I am almost certain with my grades and record I will be accepted into Loyola and Columbia. My top dream school is Roosevelt CCPA, so I am auditioning early in December. Roosevelt and the others will be reaches for me audition wise or academically, so I feel good about having the two “safeties”. Good luck to you (or I should say break a leg ;] ) and I hope this helps you finalize your list!</p>
<p>Mynemezzo – two things stand out to me in your post: 1. Having very specific criteria during research and 2. “I would be happy at any of my schools.” Brava. You have done your homework, crafted a list of what is right for you, and are ready to hit the ground running! Break a leg to you and all auditioning this year, and be sure to tell us how the story ends…I mean begins!</p>
<p>I will definitely update throughout this process…thanks!</p>