<p>Oh, and thanks very much for your answer! We know summer isn’t the most optimal time to visit but it’s the only time we can manage to get there without some production, work, or school getting in the way. D is in rehearsal for Hairspray (Penny) right now and I am designing all of the printed media and programs for the show. Busy, busy!!</p>
<p>We hope to narrow the choices down and be ready to start the application and audition process (if she plans to go that way) in August!</p>
<p>Shoot me a message when you visit. I likely will be away, but there are some musical theatre and theatre students taking summer classes or performing with the professional Children’s Theatre company on campus… Children’s Playshop… a student may be able to meet with you and show you and your D around.</p>
<p>Good luck with the show!!</p>
<p>Thank you! D just called another school that is on the list today and is now hedging towards visiting in the fall when she can actually talk to people. That will mean time off from school and that worries me. Oh well… ya gotta do what ya gotta do! When does JMU go back to class?</p>
<p>We go back to class around August 27th. We are in the midst of deciding and publishing our 2012/ 2013 visitation days. If none of those work we will try to accommodate visitors on other days. </p>
<p>An audition is required for the program, and our audition days are in January and February. Some students choose to save the visit for their audition. Others visit once before in the spring of junior year or the fall of senior year to help them to decide whether or not they will apply and audition for the school. </p>
<p>So many of the kids auditioning for programs miss quite a bit of school during audition season. Parents on the forum can share their experiences with how they and their children juggle it all with school! </p>
<p>Please let me know if you have any additional questions. :)</p>
<p>Hi Kat! A quick question. My D just found out she was deferred by JMU. She has an audition coming up next month. She has a 2000 SAT and a 3.5 GPA. What can she do to increase her chances of being admitted? She absolutely loves the campus and has been talking about getting in to the MT program since we visited there last spring.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Here is what KatMT posted earlier in another thread:</p>
<p>There is no real general admissions boost for those applying EA because it is non-binding. Generally JMU will admit or defer during the EA round rather than denying an applicant outright, except in the case of an applicant who they know for certain would not be admitted in the RD round either.</p>
<p>While we do recommend to academic admissions during the RD round (including students deferred from EA) applicants we would like to admit to the programs, academic admissions will say “no” if an applicant is well below the academic admissions standards for JMU. So, you are correct “it probably wouldn’t have made a difference whether (s)he applied EA or RD.”</p>
<p>An applicant being admitted academically through EA does not influence our decision in terms of program admissions. An applicant being deferred from EA to RD does not influence our decision in terms of program admissions (ie. recommendation to academic admissions).</p>
<p>The real benefit of being admitted academically in the EA round is that those applicants will find out about admission to the program in late February/ Early March, while those admitted academically in the RD round will find out about admission to the program in Late March/ Early April. This is a benefit in terms of notification only. We do not make any decisions on who will be admitted to the Theatre or Musical Theatre programs in the School of Theatre & Dance until we have completed all auditions in mid-February. We simply cannot notify applicants of the program decision until they have been admitted academically to the university, so EA academic admits find out sooner than RD academic admits.</p>
<p>The other benefit this past year was that students offered admission to the programs who were also admitted academically EA were offered a guaranteed place in the Wayland Arts Living Learning Community. Although all students admitted to JMU in Visual and Performing Arts majors may apply for a place in the community, and there are students who were admitted academically in both the EA and RD rounds in the community. JMU Office of Residence Life - James Madison University
James Madison University - Extreme Makeover Makes Residence Hall One Of A Kind</p>
<p>I do not know whether or not the Wayland Hall Arts Living Community EA guarantee will be the same this admissions cycle.</p>
<p>Hope this helps with the decision making process. Let me know if you have any additional questions.</p>
<p>Hello!</p>
<p>A 2000 SAT and a 3.5 GPA is within the academic admit range for JMU, so she should be competitive academically for RD academic admissions.</p>
<p>We also make recommendations to academic admissions for students that we would like in the Theatre and Musical Theatre programs. </p>
<p>We currently have students in the MT program who was deferred academically from EA to RD.</p>
<p>Please let me know if you have any additional questions.</p>
<p>Kate</p>
<p>Thanks so much! I forgot to mention that at VTA auditions she received a callback from JMU. When she has her audition this month, will the VTA info play into any decisions?</p>
<p>We call students back at VTA who we think could possibly be a fit for JMU. But, all decisions are made based upon the on-campus audition/ interview, and the VTA callback does not come into play in decision making. We just do not see enough from each student at VTA to base decisions on those auditions. </p>
<p>We aim for a small MT class generally 8 - 12 (although the current freshman class ended up being 14 because we had a higher yield this past year than expected). In order to end up with as diverse and balanced a MT class as possible we do not make any decisions until we have seen all auditions.</p>
<p>Some students choose to be considered for both Theatre & Musical Theatre, or for only Theatre. We aim for a freshman Theatre class of 30 - 40 total across the areas… acting, theatre studies, desin/ technology, etc… (although the current freshman class is slightly larger because we had a higher yield than expected here as well).</p>
<p>Hi KatMT! My D was deferred EA at JMU with a 3.67 GPA, a best combination score of 1710 SAT , 27 ACT 5 AP classes at a competitive fcps school in No
Va. She was recommended to audition JMU at vta and will do so in a couple weeks. If they want her in the mt program, does she have any hope to be admitted academically? Do 1st semester grades count? She really wants to get into this program</p>
<p>Many students who are deferred from academic admissions at JMU during the EA round are admitted in the RD round.</p>
<p>A deferral means she is academically competitive, and still in consideration academically.</p>
<p>A EA deferral or acceptance does not impact the program admissions decisions at all. We base our decisions on the audition and interview. We also do make recommendations for students we would like to admit to the program to academic admissions. This can help to boost the academic admissions chances.</p>
<p>We look forward to seeing her at upcoming auditions. :-)</p>
<p>Thanks KatMT!</p>
<p>We’re trying to plan ahead for S’s JMU audition (acting concentration) in February and are wondering if anyone can tell us how the day works–what time to check in, what the general order of business might be? Thanks in advance for any info!</p>
<p>A specific schedule will be sent to each auditioning student a week before their audition date… but the general schedule for the Theatre Concentration (all programs) is:</p>
<p>Theatre ONLY
8:15 - 9:30 - Check-in
9:30 - Information Session
10 - 1 - Audition/ Portfolio Reviews and Interviews</p>
<p>The day for those being considered for BOTH Musical Theatre and Theatre or for Musical Theatre ONLY is on slightly different schedule. For the 1/19 and 1/26 dates the schedule is as follows.</p>
<p>BOTH Theatre/ Musical Theatre
8 - 8:15 - Check-in
8:15 - 9:30 - Dance Call
9:30 -Information Session
10 - 12:30 - Singing Audition
12:30 - 3 - Acting Audition/ Interview</p>
<p>Musical Theatre ONLY
10 -12:30 - Check-in
12:30 - 1:30 - Dance Audition
1:30 - 2 - Information Session
2 - 6 - Singing/ Acting Audition/ Interview</p>
<p>The 2/2 and 2/9 schedules will likely be similar, but are not yet finalized.</p>
<p>This is a huge help–thank you so much! We’re looking forward to the audition.</p>
<p>Just a quick follow-up to say that JMU’s audition day was well-planned and welcoming. My son really enjoyed his session with the auditors, and he also was surprised to find himself so interested in the theater education curricular options–that’s something he’d thought about but had not really picked up on at other schools. I was impressed with how bright, engaging, and genuinely enthusiastic the current students were during the parent info session. Oh, and it didn’t hurt that it was a gorgeous day! Now if only it weren’t such a long wait till late March…! :)</p>
<p>Glad you and your son had a good day at JMU. I am sorry that we did not have the opportunity to chat directly in person!! </p>
<p>I love working with the students at JMU. Interested, bright, and interesting. It is terrific over the course of four years to watch them develop from bright and talented teenagers to wonderful collaborative young adult colleagues. </p>
<p>Please let me know if I can help connect your son directly with current students, or if I can answer any questions he may have.</p>
<p>January flew, and February is already flying… late March will be here before we know it!! :)</p>
<p>Thanks, KatMT; it was sorta fun to see you in person (even at a distance) after reading so many of your posts! I will definitely take you up on that offer if my son is fortunate enough to be accepted to the acting program. The audition experience was very positive for him.</p>
<p>I have heard JMU has progressed greatly in recent years for MT and the connections in the DC MT world are very good. Can anyone elaborate more on this? My D is a rising senior interested in MT and her uncle went to JMU and we are interested in visiting.</p>
<p>I am the Musical Theatre program coordinator at James Madison University, and would be happy to answer questions… put you in touch with current students and alums.</p>
<p>Visiting in the fall would also be a great way to get a sense of the program and the students. </p>
<p>We have alums on national tours, Broadway and Off-Broadway, sit down companies in major cities, film TV, and working in regional theatre. Most of our alums go to NYC or DC (if not into national tours/ cruise ships/ regional resident company positions) post grad. But we also have alum networks in Chicago, LA, Richmond, and Philly. </p>
<p>We currently do an industry showcase in DC for seniors and recent alums. And invite DC, NYC, etc… professionals to work with students on campus. We often have 25 - 30+ opportunities for students to interact with professional guest artists on campus each year.</p>
<p>Feel free to PM me or email me at <a href=“mailto:arecchkm@jmu.edu”>arecchkm@jmu.edu</a> with any specific questions.</p>
<p>:-) kate</p>