Incoming Freshman Auditions!

College Majors Musical Theater Major
1

<p>Go to “Prospective Students” links here to read more: [Welcome</a> to the College of the Arts at California State University, Fullerton](<a href=“http://www.fullerton.edu/arts/theatredance/prospstudents.html]Welcome”>http://www.fullerton.edu/arts/theatredance/prospstudents.html)</p>

<p>Musical Theatre
Placement Assessment Auditions
If you are interested in attending CSU Fullerton as a Musical Theatre student,
then you need to know about the new placement assessment audition,
commencing in spring 2011 (for fall 2011 freshmen admission)!
Starting with all freshmen entering CSU Fullerton in fall 2011, the Theatre &
Dance Department is instituting an early “placement assessment” audition for the
BFA Musical Theatre “track” (“BFA MT track” = the two years of lower division
coursework required before auditioning Musical Theatre BFA program admission as a junior).
This assessment was instituted in order to let students know as early as possible whether they
are viable in our highly competitive BFA MT program, as well as to help us make special
admission appeals for non-Orange County freshmen who qualify for university admission, but
may not meet the new, higher GPA admission standards for non-locals (a result of unprecedented
budget cuts to the university).
If successful at the assessment, the incoming freshman will be permitted into the BFA MT track:
a set of theatre and dance courses required to audition for BFA program admission (at the end of
the sophomore year curriculum). There will be another assessment at the end of the freshman
year (for placement in the sophomore level curriculum), one more assessment half-way through
the sophomore year, and then the “jury” (the audition for BFA program admission) at the end of
the sophomore year.
What if I don’t pass this assessment?
Students who do not successfully assess into the Musical Theatre track will not have access to
some specialized performance courses (like dance classes, which are required of only MT and
Dance majors) in their first year of study at CSUF. Instead, the student will be permitted to
courses designed for the Liberal Arts Theatre BA degree, or any other Theatre or Dance degree
emphasis of their choice (e.g., BA in Directing, Tech/Design, Playwriting, or Theatre Education,
or BFA in Acting or Dance<em>).

  • The Dance BFA has its own placement assessments – see Prof. Gladys Kares for specifics.
    Also, after one year of non-BFA-MT study in the department, students may attend the placement
    assessment audition for admission to the sophomore level BFA MT curriculum, giving them the
    opportunity to show marked improvement. This, of course, would require diligent effort on the
    part of the student to equal the technique/skill of their BFA MT track peers (students who by
    then would have taken one year of study in the BFA MT track), and with transfer students
    entering the department for the first time.
    When are the assessments?
    All auditions are by appointment only, on campus (no video submissions accepted). Incoming
    freshmen MUST attend ONE of these two calls:
    • Sat., Jan. 22, 2011
    • Sat., Mar. 5, 2011
    When will the placement audition results be announced?
    The assessment results will be available by Monday, Mar. 7, 2011. On that date, emails will be
    sent to all who assessed, advising them of their results. All decisions are final.
    Students will have access to their written assessment sheets once the fall semester commences.
    All assessment results will be maintained in the student’s department file. Once school starts,
    you may make an appointment with Prof. Himmelheber to review your file and assessment
    results – go to PA-136 in the fall for Prof. Himmelheber’s office hours.
    What are the assessment requirements?
    The assessment requirements are designed to determine a student’s talent, training/technique
    level, and potential, so the faculty may assess the potential for success within the BFA MT
    program.
    All assessment selections should be fully memorized (you won’t do your best if you are
    struggling to remember dialogue/lyrics) and should be age- and type-appropriate (meaning you
    could be cast in this role in a national tour or on Broadway today):
  1. A short musical theatre selection (e.g., verse/chorus/verse) no more than two minutes
    in length, displaying your best vocal range and technique. An accompanist will be
    provided – no singing a capella or with recorded accompaniment. Please bring legible
    sheet music in the correct key (no chord charts or fake books, please). Students may be
    asked for a second selection, so be prepared with a second short selection (we suggest
    you bring your audition repertoire book with 16- and 32-bar cuts prepared).
  2. A one-minute monologue from a published play (avoid “monologues written for
    auditions” books, as these do not provide the given circumstances that help the actor
    make appropriate choices). Classical material is fine, but contemporary material is
    strongly encouraged (the vernacular is more accessible to young actors, so we get to see
    more of “you” in the audition).
  3. A one-hour movement call. This will include floor exercises, as well as a short
    combination taught by a choreographer. Students should bring ballet slippers, jazz
    shoes/sneakers, and/or character shoes for this call, and should dress for movement (i.e.,
    wear dance clothes underneath your audition outfit). The movement calls will be onehour
    long, scheduled throughout the day so that the time between your singing/acting call
    and a dance call would be at most one-hour.
  4. You must bring a picture and resume to this call. The picture needn’t be a professional
    headshot; it can be any size (3x5 to 8.5x11) and should look like you (no glamour shots,
    please) so we can recall you in discussions. The picture should be stapled to the back of
    your resume. The resume should be no more than one page, should contain your name,
    phone and email address (for assessment result notification), vital statistics (height,
    weight, hair, eyes, vocal range), and should highlight any training you have received
    (where, how long, and what), as well as select/representative performances/roles you
    have played. You may also include special abilities (e.g., tumbling, musical instruments
    played, ballet en pointe, etc.).
  5. You must have applied for admission to the university by the application deadline
    (usually November 30th of the year preceding freshman enrollment) before you can
    make an appointment for the BFA MT track placement assessment. You can apply to the
    university online (see this webpage for more information on university admission
    process: [Prospective</a> Students | Cal State Fullerton](<a href=“http://www.fullerton.edu/prospective.asp]Prospective”>http://www.fullerton.edu/prospective.asp)). For this reason, appointments will
    not be available until December 1st.
  6. You must make an appointment by sending an email to Prof. Eve Himmelheber, BFA
    MT Coordinator, at <a href=“mailto:ehimmelheber@fullerton.edu”>ehimmelheber@fullerton.edu</a> anytime after December 1st. If you can
    only attend one of the two specific audition dates, please specify that in your email
    request – we will make every effort to accommodate all such requests.
  7. Prof. Himmelheber will send an email confirming receipt of all assessment appointment
    requests – if you do not receive a confirmation email within one week of submitting
    your appointment request, then you must assume your request wasn’t received and should
    email your request again (until you receive a confirmation email).
  8. If you will be travelling to CSUF from out-of-area for this assessment audition, please do
    not make travel arrangements until you have received your appointment confirmation.
    This may save you heartache and money.
    How many students are accepted into the BFA MT track at each level?
    The projected enrollment numbers, dependent on state resources allocated to the Department,
    are:
  9. Freshman BFA MT track 80
  10. Fall sophomore BFA MT track 44
  11. Spring sophomore BFA MT track 22
  12. BFA MT program admission (at the end of the sophomore year of curriculum) 10
    The program strives for equality in gender distribution. Traditionally, women far outnumber
    men in application numbers. For these reasons, a promising male student might be prioritized
    over a strong female student.
    What if I am not an experienced singer, dancer or actor?
    Our program is one of the best in the nation, and as such our admission standards are
    appropriately discriminating. Even so, we don’t demand that students have extensive dance,
    acting and/or voice training in their high school years. Our task in these assessment auditions is
    to appraise the trainability of students, projecting how well they may respond to the training we
    offer based on their preparation and on their natural gifts/instrument.
    This is not a program for those who feel “it would be fun” to study musical theatre. We are a
    triple-threat, “professional training” conservatory program housed within a demanding academic
    institution. Students admitted to the program are preparing for a career in musical theatre upon
    graduation, and dedicate themselves to the high academic standards, strenuous training and
    professionalism that we champion. Students ultimately admitted to the BFA display strong
    musicianship, as well as superior skills in voice, dance and acting.
    What if I pass the assessment, but then want to drop MT?
    If a student decides to drop the BFA MT track and switch to another department degree
    emphasis, another department, or even another school, they may do so. The student is always
    given the option of whether to assess for continuation in the BFA track or not…it is the student’s
    prerogative.
    What if I don’t pass any assessment before the BFA jury (at end of sophomore year)?
    During their first two years at CSUF, if a student does not pass any of the BFA track placement
    assessments, then they will no longer have access to some of our specialized performance
    courses (like dance classes, sight-singing and musical theatre), because those courses are
    reserved for BFA track students. Instead, the student will be permitted to courses designed for
    the Liberal Arts Theatre BA degree, or any other Theatre or Dance degree emphasis of their
    choice (e.g., BA in Directing, Tech/Design, Playwriting, or Theatre Education, or BFA in Acting
    or Dance</em>).
  • The Dance BFA has its own placement assessments – see Prof. Gladys Kares for specifics
    Can I come visit and observe classes before I assess?
    If you would like to visit the department, observe classes, tour the facilities with a current BFA
    MT student, and possibly observe a rehearsal or attend a performance (sorry, we can’t provide
    comps), we would be glad to have you as our guest! Send an email to Prof. Himmelheber, with
    the date that you would like to visit. We will then plan a day full of activities designed to
    introduce you to the Department of Theatre and Dance, its faculty, students, curriculum,
    facilities, and the exceptional training you can expect to receive here.
    Visits are usually best Monday through Thursday, because fewer department classes are offered
    on Fridays; and there are no performance classes offered on weekends or during summer and
    winter vacation. Try to avoid the first and last two weeks of regular classes, so that we can offer
    access to the optimum amount of classes/activities during your visit.
    What if I have lingering questions?
    If you have any questions regarding the BFA MT program, the placement assessment auditions,
    or any other pertinent question, do not hesitate to contact Prof. Eve Himmelheber, BFA Musical
    Theatre Program Coordinator (<a href=“mailto:ehimmelheber@fullerton.edu”>ehimmelheber@fullerton.edu</a>). We’d love to start a discussion
    about your possible future in the nationally renowned, award-winning CSU Fullerton
    Department of Theatre and Dance!</p>
2

<p>Thank you for all of this very valuable info about the changes at Cal State MT program!</p>

3

<p>I have read some posts from past CSUF students regarding their frustrations about not making the BFA program. They suggested it would have been helpful to have a more guided track to follow with feedback from the faculty during their first 2 years.<br>
As a parent of a MT student it is awesome to see how this program really listened to the students and made some adjustments. To me, it shows that the faculty truly has the students best interests at heart. WAY TO GO Prof. Himmelheber!</p>

4

<p>Thank you, KyMTmom. We tried the intake auditions, and while it did provide valuable feedback for the students, we are not going to repeat it. Why, you might ask? Well, we had set a “first offers” deadline a few weeks before admissions acceptance cutoff, so that we could give any unused spots to the wait list. Unfortunately, we were ill advised in that we cannot set a commit date before the university’s commit date; so those on the wait list were considered only if they had already committed to come to CSUF, even though not admitted to MT program study. After hundreds of hours of organization, notification, and conducting the auditions, this was a huge disappointment. It probably meant that some who could have studied MT didn’t accept here because they were on a wait list (but had they accepted, they might have snagged spots not taken by our first choices). Such a melee!</p>

<p>In the future, we are trying to hold auditions for “silver bullet admission requests” for out of county students who would meet the admissions standards for OC students, but not the higher standard imposed on non-OC students. Hope that makes sense… Anyway, we would only be able to ask for about 5 silver bullet admissions; and like with the intake auditions this year, if a student was offered silver bullet admission but then didn’t accept it, it would be too late to offer that spot to another student.</p>

<p>I know that we are a back-up school for many prospective students, and as such understand the desire to attend a BoCA, Tisch, etc. over CSUF. My advise to parents is this: as soon as your student knows that they are not interested in any offers made to them, they should have the courtesy to let the schools know. That way, the spot/opportunity might be offered to another in their place. Otherwise, lots of students are missing out on educational opportunities that could be available to them. :)</p>

5

<p>So, Eve, what is the process going to be for this year? No Freshman auditions at all? The CSUF website still mentions freshman auditions, but the dates are all for last year. Since D is starting to reconsider Fullerton as an option (she’s always wanted to be farther from home), I’m sort of scrambling to get the information together. </p>

<p>I’m still a little unclear about how the process works. If I understand it correctly, you “cut” people from the “MT track” every semester, but that the actual audition into the BFA program itself doesn’t happen until the end of sophomore year. After that, is their place secure? Or do you still cut every semester?</p>

<p>Thanks for any clarification you can give!</p>

6

<p>Hi, TracyVP:</p>

<p>I would be interested in the page links for mentions of freshman intake auditions (we thought we removed them all, but certainly could have missed a page or more). If you wouldn’t mind sending me the link, I’ll correct that ASAP.</p>

<p>Here’s the process:</p>

<p>You apply to the university, declaring Musical Theatre as your major. If the university accepts you, the Dept. accepts you. That gets you ONE YEAR of guaranteed preliminary training before any cut system kicks in.</p>

<p>At the end of the freshman year, those freshmen and transfer students interested may audition for advancement to the sophomore level of MT training (we take 40-48 students into the sophomore year of training). If they don’t make it into soph MT, students may choose to continue as an Acting BFA major OR they can switch Theatre emphases to a BA in Applied Studies in Theatre (formerly known as the General Theatre degree), Tech/Design, Directing, Playwriting, or Theatre Education; OR they can switch to another degree/department entirely: Music, Communications, Business, or wherever else their interest lies.</p>

<p>In December of their sophomore year, there is another cut - from 40-48 students down to 20-24 students. If they don’t make this cut, they MAY be able to continue as an Acting BFA (there is also a jury cut made in December for those interested in Acting) if they pass that jury. If not, they must choose another Theatre BA emphasis or switch to another Department (as outlined in paragraph above).</p>

<p>At the end of the sophomore year, there is the BFA jury, at which point we accept only the top 10-12 candidates into the BFA in MT; and the Acting area accepts 14-16 students into the Acting BFA.</p>

<p>Once a student is accepted into the BFA MT program, there are retention juries each semester (to check on progress, and responsiveness to training). If a student doesn’t pass one area of their juries, they are placed on probation and must pass that area at the next semester’s jury - if not, they are cut (for “lack of responsiveness to training”). They always receive notice, both verbal and written, of any probation as well as the expectations for improvement before the next jury.</p>

<p>We honestly don’t expect to make cuts once students are in the program - we don’t have any intention of doing so, unless there is a major problem with a student’s progress in the program. There has only been ONE instance of a student being cut at the end of their junior year in the past EIGHT years, and that was for a medical condition that we couldn’t “train around” (an inner ear imbalance that caused severe pitch issues - something that would preclude the student from a professional career, and something that we couldn’t “fix” for them through training).</p>

<p>Hope this makes sense. If not, please feel free to ask for clarification. :)</p>

7

<p>So if a student comes in as a Jr. year transfer they are worry free about cuts? Is that correct? It sounds as though half the freshman class WILL be cut next year. Is that right? YIKES!</p>

8

<p>If a transfer student has all the prerequisites to jury for the BFA, they can jury in May before attending. If not, they must take any missing prereqs in their first year here, then jury with the rest of the sophomores (meaning a minimum of three years here).</p>

<p>There are currently approx. 76 musical theatre freshmen. In May, some of those will have left the program, or will decide MT is not their bag; so I would estimate that this May we’ll have approx. 65 freshmen auditioning for sophomore placement. We never know how many transfers will come in; and most are deficient in at least one jury prerequisite, so an unknown number of them will also be auditioning for sophomore placement.</p>

<p>Half way through the sophomore year, we cut the number of MT in half. A harsh reality, but if the student is not competitive/viable, we want to refocus their educational goals as soon as reasonable (so that they can graduate on time, if not early).</p>

<p>We are a state school, yet we manage to give free voice lessons to all our junior and senior BFA students, AND pay for the seniors’ NYC showcase each year (all travel, housing, theatre rental, drummer, reception, etc. - the only thing the students pay for is their food and any shows they want to see). If we tried to accommodate ALL the students who WANTED to study MT, we could not offer any of the above…we simply do not have the money nor faculty to do that. Students who want guaranteed placement in a program for four years (meaning cut free), whether they are competitive or not, should look at other schools.</p>

9

<p>Oh, I forgot to include that we guarantee all our BFA students casting in a season production each semester, including at least one “substantial role” (aka “lead” or "role with a character arc) before they graduate. Many of the other MT schools (both with and without cuts) cannot offer this, as they do not produce a large enough season. If we took ALL interested MT students through four years, we could not guarantee they would EVER be cast here…our season couldn’t accommodate roles for every student in the department, every semester, every year. NO school can. :)</p>

10

<p>

</p>

<p>I do understand this philosophy and appreciate that state a state school in CA doesn’t have the budget to offer all the bells and whistles for 4 years to a large number of students, but I do wonder if, when cutting to a specific number, at least some of the students who are cut would be competitive in the real world, but are cut simply because there are too many.</p>

<p>What I don’t understand is why it wouldn’t be easier to audition them in as freshmen and weed out the non-competitive"students from the beginning? There are plenty of even state schools (in other states) that do that and start out with approximately the number they aim to finish with. Then wouldn’t there be the budget to offer everything to all the students for all 4 years? But since I’m only Queen of the Universe in my own house, I guess I’ll leave that decision to the powers that be!</p>

<p>Regardless, I’ve still been working on my D to apply to Fullerton because it’s the only state school option we have and that instate tuition is very attractive! Plus it’s a GREAT program! She’s been adamantly opposed forever because it’s in her backyard, but now she’s at least willing to consider it as a backup school. She’s been REALLY impressed with the shows she’s seen there, has a couple of friends in the program and likes what she hears. It’s just the gamble that’s stopping her. If she’s not going to be competitive in the MT world, she’d WAY rather find out BEFORE investing a year or two of her educational life into the process.</p>

11

<p>We live very close to this school and have several friends who have been in this program. I have seen many of the shows. No one I know has been kept for 4 years. They had no other options due to their financial situations. 2 were cut after sophomore year. One left the school, and spent a year questioning her entire life. Another stayed and is pursuing a degree in tech and is very successful in community and regional theatre. I think this type of program should be a last resort. sorry… but I have seen the fallout. I’m sure the intentions are great but some kids bloom later than others and a program should make a commitment to them as freshman because they should able to determine their own journey once accepted. This is a personal opinion, not based on expertise or knowledge. Just a mother’s blind love.</p>

12

<p>One can only hope that with all this intestest in auditioning for musical theatre college programs, in a few years there will be floods of paying customers putting their backsides into seats for shows…</p>

13

<p>I would be careful about using it as a back-up considering the likelihood of being cut before graduation. Given the numbers it seems as though it’s a certainty for 75-percent of the class. Imagine having to go to your safety school and then having that end badly.</p>

14

<p>Agree sassystage. I am not saying Cal State Fullerton is not a good program, it is. The people I know have gone to this school (which is a VERY good school) because they just don’t have the money or family support to go somewhere else. They are people who live in the area and have jobs to support themselves. I think it is a good back up if you can only go to a local school and you don’t get into theatre at UCLA/USC (acting only) or UCI (auditions as a sophomore/need high GPA to get in). Fullerton College is a good 2 year school with a program. Many transfer to the UCI program after 2 years. I know someone in the UCI acting BFA who did that. Mine would do Fullerton College as a last resort. That is a better back up where you control your destiny.</p>

15

<p>Say we selected 10 of the most promising 150 prospective freshmen who showed interest in the MT BFA this past spring. Of those ten, perhaps 6 or 7 would actually attend (the others taking offers at other schools). Our administration would not support a program that small, unless it were a grad program; they would cut the BFA, and along with it would go the excellent training and standards that have made our program as strong as it is.</p>

<p>Also, as a state school we MUST remain accessible to transfer students (a governor’s mandate). If we were somehow able to keep the BFA with only 6 or 7 sophomores at the freshman and/or sophomore level, how could we prioritize transfer students (who may jury if they have the prerequisites; and are often very strong candidates)? Give them one of the 10 spots not taken by a freshman who was offered a spot? Not really likely to glean us the top 10 students overall.</p>

<p>Also, we don’t say that the students cut are bad, nor that they won’t/can’t have careers as MT performers. We are simply doing our best to prioritize the top 10 candidates (a number that was set by NAST, after scrutinizing our program, season, faculty, facilities, etc.) after two years of prerequisite coursework. We know we haven’t got room for ALL the talented students who come here; but we do try to give them as strong an education as possible in the time that we CAN do that. And the best way we know to prioritize our limited resources is to hold assessment auditions and juries, allocating the limited spaces available to the most promising students. It’s an unfortunate reality in this day and age of dwindling funding for public universities. </p>

<p>I sooooo hope that one of our students who gets cut will set up an endowment someday, naming it whatever they want (the “you were wrong,” or the “I proved you wrong” would even be fine), so that more of our talented students could study MT (or any OTHER performance discipline) that they want. </p>

<p>Sorry the options are so limited at CSUF. We’re doing the best we can in a challenging situation. And we are the only CSU to offer an MT BFA, so I trust we are doing something (or many things) right.</p>

<p>For those of you California residents who are looking for another CSU MT option, you should talk to Joel Rogers at CSU East Bay - they have MT classes that are not “by audition only” and so would remain accessible as long as the student wanted to take them. They don’t offer a highly specialized BFA degree, but they also don’t cut (from my understanding). It’s an affordable option.</p>

16

<p>Well said. I totally respect the fact that you take the time to respond and explain your program.</p>

17

<p>Thanks so much for explaining the limitations of the CSUF program! It’s really a shame that the arts have to be SO ruled by the budget, isn’t it? And that there aren’t more instate options for California students. That’s really kind of shocking, considering the plethora of talented students we have here. I agree, it sure would be great of someone would donate a boatload of $ to create some other programs here. </p>

<p>None of this changes the fact that Fullerton remains an excellent program and that there is some really awesome training going on there! We look forward to seeing what great things the CSUF students accomplish in upcoming years.</p>

18

<p>Prof. Himmelheber,
My daughter currently attends an out of state MT school, which obviously has a higher cost.
Therefore, I was wondering typically how many transfer students jury in May?<br>
Are these students shown the same consideration, or do CSUF students have priority?<br>
Also, what type of scholarships/grants are offered to MT students at CSUF?
Are the “silver bullet” requests to the admission office applicable to transfer students?
Thanks</p>

19

<p>There are not many transfer students who have the equivalent of all the prerequisites to jury, so most end up spending one year in prep for juries (coming in as sophomores). Of those who have juried straight in, I can’t remember any in the last eight years who were taken into the BFA. It’s not that we give preference to native students; it’s just that they are not as well prepared as their native competition pool. Students who have studied here for at least one year do much better with the accelerated pace of the dance juries (three hours back-to-back: tap, jazz, and ballet), as well as the acting jury (natives do a scene, whereas transfers can choose a scene with a partner they supply or two monologues). In the latter case, the actors who study here are more successful at demonstrating the level of honesty and active commitment that we espouse in our training.</p>

<p>The silver bullet requests are only being offered for first-time-freshmen admissions. There is some little leeway there; but with transfers, admission eligibility is determined based on coursework taken, and a minimum GPA. You can find the university’s admission standards for non-Calif. Comm. College transfers here: [url=&lt;a href=“Redirect”&gt;Redirect]FAQs[/url</a>]</p>

<p>Thank you for the great questions!</p>

20

<p>Prof. Himmelheber:</p>

<p>It’s great to see an actual professor from the program monitoring the forums. Some schools have a student doing it (which is fine) but many do not have anyone monitoring at all. For that I congratulate you.</p>

<p>We are helping our daughter through the MT app/audition process this year for 2012 entrance. </p>

<p>Some thoughts on your info:</p>

<ol>
<li>Web Site Info Not Clear: We too were waiting for information about auditions for incoming freshman. The site is not very clear. If you go to the main arts page and click on “Prospective Students” you get this page: [Welcome</a> to the College of the Arts at California State University, Fullerton](<a href=“http://www.fullerton.edu/arts/theatredance/prospstudents.html]Welcome”>http://www.fullerton.edu/arts/theatredance/prospstudents.html) - Under the heading BFA Theatre Arts, there is an “Introduction” link and under it, it says “auditions: pending” - for which we’ve been waiting for more info. ;-)</li>
</ol>

<p>If you do click on the “Introduction” link it opens a PDF document. You have to scroll all the way through the program marketing down to the bottom of page 2 under the heading “Core Curriculum” to find out the information you so clearly explained here on the forum. I would never have looked there for the program entry requirements. I would think the “Core Curriculum” would describe the courses the students would be taking in the program, not the program entrance requirements. My suggestion would be a section clearly labeled, “Admission into the BFA Musical Theatre Program”.</p>

<p>Further down on the Prospective Students page below under “Important Notice …” it sort of states what you’ve written here, but it is not really clear.</p>

<p>BTW: when we first began the application process (September/October?) there was still information on that page regarding a required video prescreen with “(coming soon)” - it seems to have been removed now. </p>

<ol>
<li>I’ll Invest If You Invest: While it looks like you’ve got a great program, it is too speculative to be a first choice for us. First off, the student has to put one year into a program in which they are not sure they will be accepted. Second, they have to hope they are in the top 25% in the eyes of your faculty to graduate with the BFA degree. </li>
</ol>

<p>We all know performance has an element of personal taste. If a student is a great performer, but just not to the taste of your jury (or if they just lose in the numbers game), they suffer. Sure, they could choose to prove you wrong later, but only after investing two or more years of their college career in your program. Secondly, any acting program requires a lot of trust - students are asked to rip open their emotional souls in front of teachers and classmates. I’m not sure how free a student can be in such an environment if they are constantly aware of having to be one of the top 25% to go further in the program. </p>

<p>Seems to me, you are asking the student and parents to invest their time and money in your program - so we should have the right to ask you to invest as well. That’s why programs who do audition and choose the students they want in their program from the beginning are going to be more attractive.</p>

<ol>
<li>Budget Issues: Your logic regarding the state cutting your BFA program if you only accepted 10 students as freshman really doesn’t add up. Nothing says you can only accept 10. You could structure the program any way you want and I am sure make it viable. Most of the top programs take between 10-30, and the majority are somewhat flexible on that (plus or minus 1/2) based on the talent they get each year. Many take transfers under specific guidelines.</li>
</ol>

<p>Just my two cents.</p>