<p>I am applying to mostly BFA acting programs. I have a 3.49 cumulative GPA that does not include my senior year (I'm getting staight A's). My SATS were CR-690 W-640 M-600. I am only taking 2 APS (English and Art History) because I go to a very small private school that only offers 7 or 8 in total. I'm concerned that my academic record will prevent me from getting into some of the schools I'm looking at. I'm applying to DePaul, Emerson, Fordham, Ithaca, Marymount Manhattan, NYU, Pace, Syracuse, Boston University, and U Michigan for auditioned programs. I know a couple of these are not academically competitive, but I am mostly scared about Michigan and BU.</p>
<p>[UM</a> School of Music, Theatre & Dance - Prospective Students](<a href=“http://www.music.umich.edu/prospective_students/admissions/ug/app_proc/acad_prep.htm]UM”>http://www.music.umich.edu/prospective_students/admissions/ug/app_proc/acad_prep.htm)</p>
<p>I think you may be OK at Michigan. The academic standards for admissions are lower in SMTD than for some of he other schools. Now passing their audition could be tough.</p>
<p>It is a concern, though. My D had a friend last year who passed the music audition at Peabody, but wanted to do dual degree so applied to JHU as well but got waitlisted. That can happen.</p>
<p>A classmate of D’s went to NYU for acting this year and had below 3.5, but test scores and ECs tippy top.</p>
<p>Don’t know about BU.</p>
<p>Your academics should not harm you at all-- I know plenty of students at NYU and BU with much lower grades and scores than you have, and I think that’s plenty for Fordham and UMich too. Unfortunately (since those are very nice grades and scores-- congrats!) they probably won’t help you much either. Most schools weigh the audition much more heavily than any other factor.</p>
<p>These are very good grades, that could get you into many programs in the United States. There are even people with much lower grades than you that still find a college or university in the USA to take them.</p>
<p>Remember that a lot of theatre programs also give weight to the audition. Some give more weight, some less. So your priorities right now should be keeping up your grades while at the same time preparing absolutely incredible auditions.</p>
<p>KEVP</p>
<p>Your grades and scores are more than enough for DePaul, Marymount and Pace. And, you are in the zone for the others although Michigan and Fordham may be the tightest as they weigh academics somewhat higher than the audition. Fordham is a BA as I’m sure you know, and they have the heaviest load of academic requirements for graduation of the schools on your list (I’m not familiar with Michigan, but I think you have to have an academic acceptance first before an artistic-is that right?). Compare all of the curriculums carefully to make sure you are happy with the balance of theatre and academic courses. You have some very different programs on your list. NYU is an enormously demanding program because it truly is a conservatory style program while also requiring a fair number of academic courses- the plus being that there are a gazillion humanities and social science classes to choose from and you don’t have to take a foreign language or math unless you want to. However, the days are about 18 hours long. NYU says the admission decision is 50-50, and the difficulty there is that if you aren’t accepted to Tisch you aren’t accepted to the university (unless you’re willing to accept an offer for the LSP which I think is now an option for Tisch applicants. However, you would not transfer into Tisch later or at least not without another audition). I don’t think any of your schools care that much about AP courses. The only advantage those seem to have is giving students more flexibility in terms of opting out of some gen eds. Your grades and scores indicate you can handle college work so they’re going to really be attentive to your audition. Often students add 1-2 non-auditioned safeties to their list just for some peace of mind. Muhlenberg often comes up as a fine program that doesn’t require an audition.</p>
<p>Tend to agree with the others. Your grades are good and so is SAT. I’d say if you have a great audition, if either Michigan or BU considers ur stats a “little” low but they want to accept u, the combo of the audition and respectable stats will get you in. My gut sense is ur stats are also ok with those schools too for a BFA but I’m not on their admissions committees so it is just a gut sense from research for my own kid. SAT is a little low for BU but it;s still a very good score.</p>
<p>For BU, you really have to approach it as though you were a normal applicant with (hopefully) a slight “pull” from an excellent audition. Kids who get in from our school have been told a 3.6, 1900 SAT, and honors/AP classes on the transcript are expected. For 2013, according to an admissions stats chart published by the NYT, BU’s accept rate dropped a full 10%–from 35% to 25% (overall), if I remember correctly. CharacterActress, it sounds like you’re close, and that your senior-year grades will help, so focus hard on that audition! :)</p>
<p>and character, since ur school may offer less honors and AP classes than other schools(the same holds true for my kid’s school), that should be ok if you don;t have a lot of those. I’ve asked admissions on this at several schools and have been consistently told they want my kid to taking the most challenging classes available. Admissions seems to realize, at least we can hope, that some kids have less options than other kids, depending on their high school.</p>
<p>Based on anecdotal evidence from last year, I think BU has become at least as, or if not more, fussy with grades and SAT scores than NYU. I don’t think this was true before last year.</p>
<p>that may be true actingdad. I was somewhat amazed that my high stats kid could have have issues at BU at least from a stats standpoint. But character, do not give up hope. As others have said, your audition is key and you are close stastically and hopefully there stastically. And this year is giong well academically which always looks good. Keep doing well and you will end up at a school that is great for you which may or not be BU. Good luck!!!</p>