<p>Hey guys, I've used this website a lot for advice on picking and choosing schools to apply to and to audition for. But, now I really need help. I feel like I've messed myself up with getting into a good school. I graduated in 2011 and I didn't go straight into a school, the reason being that I burned bridges in high school by not applying myself with my grades. I have like a 2.7 high school gpa, 1500 sat score, and a 25 act score. I've been told countless times that I'm really talented and that I need to really try and make musical theatre happen as a career. I know I need training from a college though because I'm talented enough to go straight to New York and audition. Are there any colleges, preferably musical theatre conservatories, that will be able to accept me and work with me? Please help me if you can, I'm open to all suggestions. Thank you in advance!</p>
<p>Would you be entering as a Freshman or as a transfer student? What have you been doing since high school graduation? What state do you live in? Is your goal to get training or to get a college degree?</p>
<p>I’d prefer to enter as a freshman. I live in Georgia, and I went to a community college here for a semester but I had to drop out to help out my family. So, I’ve worked constantly since, and when I had the chance, I would do shows at a community theatre near me. I’ve done 3 since I’ve graduated. My goal is to get a degree. Hopefully a BFA.</p>
<p>There are very good conservatories and colleges that would consider your grades/scores within range as long as you have a strong audition. There is another thread currently running in parallel to yours with a student in a similar academic range though that student is a current high school senior. </p>
<p>Aside from help with your audition prep, you will really need the help from your old school. (Transcripts, recommendations etc.) I believe the moment you take any college level class for credit, you are considered a transfer and need to apply as such. Somebody correct me if I’m wrong.</p>
<p>Did you receive grades for your college work? If you withdrew before being given credit, you may be considered a Freshman. Once you establish your list of schools, you should call the Admissions departments to confirm. (Regardless, you will need to write a good essay explaining your personal situation). </p>
<p>Your high school grades and test scores are acceptable at MANY colleges. Don’t let that discourage you. If you want to make it happen for Fall 2013 you need to do the research to find the right fit, get busy with applications very soon, and work on audition material immediately.</p>
<p>Take a look at the Big List of MT Colleges. The list is sorted by state if that would help. Or look at the Big List of MT Programs by type which groups the programs based on audition and non-audition, BA and BFA. I am not from the southeast, but I think Georgia may have a reciprocal agreement with other states for reduced in-state or regional tuition?</p>
<p>Do you want to stay in Georgia? Do you have preferences for big, medium or small schools? Do you prefer a rural, suburban or city campus? How much is cost a consideration? Think thru what you are looking for both in a program and in a college and post the details here so we can help you better.</p>
<p>Thank you guys so so very much for the advice. I’m going to take all of it to heart and get a move on making my dreams, realities. I’m looking to get out of Georgia because I want a bigger campus and I want to explore new places. When I was a senior, my top school was OU so I know for a fact that I’m going to look into them again. Does anyone have any suggestions for schools that I should look into?</p>
<p>Do you have grades from your CC? If so, almost all schools will consider you a transfer student for admissions. Many BFA programs will still require a student to complete 4 years in the program, but you apply to the university as a transfer student, and must include your college transcripts. If you officially withdrew before the end of your first semester and have no transcript to send, you will likely be considered a freshman by the schools (still call each to confirm). Unless you have a few years of strong CC grades to balance your HS transcript, you will want to look for schools with programs that interest you AND where your GPA is within their range OR where they weigh the audition very highly in the admissions equation. </p>
<p>There are many schools where your GPA will be within the range, you just need to research. Also, if cost is a factor, make sure to look for schools that might give merit for your academic stats or large talent awards. If you are a transfer student these may be harder to find. If you have completed any college course work, you do not get to decide whether you apply as a transfer student or a freshman. Each school will have a policy that you need to follow. </p>
<p>:-)</p>
<p>I actually don’t have any grades. I had to withdraw midway through the semester. Do you know of any schools that I should look into? I’m ready to do all of the research, I just like opinions! I’m starting to look through the list of MT schools in the previously mentioned thread.</p>
<p>Sammy,
There are many people here that would like to help you but you need to help us do that. Please think about what you are looking for. Size of the school, size of the program, intensity of the training and of the academics, must it be musical theater or are you open to acting, traditional college environment or more of an arts school, how important is cost of tuition, what are the qualities that made OU your top choice and are those reasons still valid…What is the goal in the end? Do you expect to move to NYC for auditions or are you open to regional theater, are you looking for a strong dance program…Anything you can think of that is important to you will help make things clearer for you, and the more you share with us, the easier it will be to recommend specific schools.</p>
<p>I’m sorry! I feel more comfortable in bigger settings. So, a bigger campus and a medium sized freshman class. Preferably around 15-20 people. I would like a musical theatre program, heavy on dance and theatre. As for academics, a conservatory style school would be great. Tuition isn’t a very big problem but, I would like the option to audition for and be offered scholarships. And I do want to move to New York after graduation to audition. And a strong dance program is a must. I hope that was a little more help.</p>
<p>Off the top of my head… in random stream of consciousness order… </p>
<p>UArts - Philly
Point Park - Pittsburgh
Shenandoah - VA
Marymount Manhattan - NYC
Pace - NYC
Wagner - Staten Island
Rider - NJ
Penn State - PA
Coastal Carolina - SC
Syracuse - NY
Ithaca - NY
Montclair State, NJ
HARTT, CT</p>
<p>there are others as well… just off the top of my head…</p>
<p>You say tuition is not a big problem… do you mean you can afford to be full pay at a private university (up to $60,000+ per year) or OOS school ($27,000 - $35,000+ per year)?</p>
<p>Since you said you are interested in a larger school, and OU was your favorite, here is a list of large campus (10,000+) audition-based BFA programs that you may want to consider (largest is at the top of the list, smallest at the bottom):</p>
<p>University of Central Florida
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
University of Florida
Indiana University-Bloomington
Florida State University
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
California State University-Fullerton
Texas State University-San Marcos
New York University: Tisch School of the Arts (admits a relatively large class)
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
East Carolina University
Central Michigan University
Kent State University Kent Campus
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
Western Michigan University
University of Utah
Ball State University
Western Kentucky University
Missouri State University
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
University of Memphis
Syracuse University
Sam Houston State University
Montclair State University
University of Mississippi Main Campus
Minnesota State University-Mankato
Wright State University-Main Campus
Northern Kentucky University</p>
<p>This list is not comprehensive. </p>
<p>Since you mentioned “heavy” dance, note that there are threads about who has a strong emphasis on dance. Florida State would be near or at the top of that list (and so would Michigan, Penn State, etc., etc.). Unless there are institutional barriers of some kind, all or almost all of these schools probably have large enough dance departments to ensure that there is a way to get advanced dance training. Same for “theatre” (by that I assume you mean “acting”). A similar argument can be made for acting at this institutions. However, there wil be differences in each program and it takes some detailed research on the part of each individual to gauge how his or her preferences stack up against the strengths and weaknesses of any given program.</p>
<p>Here are some schools, off the top of my head, that may work with your grades - some are repeats from above. </p>
<p>Roosevelt-CCPA (in Chicago)
Milliken
University of Northern Colorado
University of Colorado - Bolder
Oakland University Rochester, MI
Western Michigan
Wright State
Point Park
Shenandoah
Pace
Plymouth State - NH (an auditioned BA but seems more performance based than most BAs)
Rider University
Coastal Carolina</p>
<p>Note:
University of Oklahoma has new admissions procedures starting with this admissions cycle:
“Admission decisions will be made using the holistic admission process described below. The fall 2013 incoming class will be the first admitted to OU using this process.” </p>
<p>This bodes well for you, but it goes on to say:
“High School Grades Carry the Most Weight
More than any other single factor, high school grades play the most important role in determining a student’s ability to compete for admission to OU. Because of the wide variety of grading scales and weighting methods, a student’s GPA will be measured against GPAs earned by 1) all applicants for admission to OU and 2) all applicants for admission to OU from the student’s high school.” - which is somewhat less encouraging… but does not eliminate it for you. And, of course, OU requires an audition prescreen as well.</p>
<p>For some, or perhaps many, schools, fine arts admissions are treated like athletic admissions where students with outstanding talent but much-lower-than-average GPA’s and/or test scores can gain admission upon departmental recommendation. It always pays to ask the department of a school where you may not be very competitive academically if they do admit students at the lower end of their admission scale due to elite talent.</p>