@EmsDad put together such a great list with the BIg list of schools by program. I am sifting through the BA audition and non audition schools. I am looking to add less competitive schools on my D’s list. (yes I know any MT program is competitive) but in reality CMU is highly competitive while probably a lesser known program will be less competitive in comparison. Any advice would be much appreciated.
I’m not saying this program is not competitive, but I’d say check out Temple. It recently got ranked #1 underrated BA program for Northeast, and has a lot to offer. It’s right in Philly which is an amazing city for the arts, awesome faculty, a lot of course options, and the school has a lot of scholarships for good grades. Definitely worth a look!
IMHO - “competitive” and “quality” are not mutually exclusive. It depends on what you are looking for- but I think in general (northwestern being a big exception) auditioned would generally be considered “more” competitive.
Thank you @attheballet (love the name and nod to Chorus Line) I forgot about Temple,my older D did audition there for dance several ears ago. I will look at it. Thank you!!
@toowonderful I would agree but again for just an example,Rhode Island College is audition but will be less competitive than CMU.
I would say again “in general” bfas are more competitive than “most” BAs (several notable exceptions) so there is a bit of an apples/oranges connotation. Yes- CMU is uber competitive- and a Bfa. That doesn’t seem like what you are looking for. Many high quality BA programs may be more academically than artistically competitive
Agreed!! And yes we are looking at BA’s…
Audition or not audition? Two ex in OH are Kenyon and Denison- but one (Kenyon) is more academically selective…
Also, how common is BA MT? Most of the programs I know (like the one I mentioned above) are “theatre”. They DO musicals- but may not be their focus…
@toowonderful - there are actually dozens of BA MT programs in our Big List by Program Type, both audition and non-audition:
The total is almost 100.
Yes @EmsDad that is the list I am working off of. It has been a lifesaver/timesaver for us as we research.
A few BA MT programs that do not require an audition, pull from a more regional pool, or see a smaller number of auditionees to look at are Plymouth State University (NH), Christopher Newport University (VA), Emory & Henry (VA), Dean college (MA).
As you all know, any school that requires an audition is competitive. This is not a clear cut process and personal aesthetics of those making decisions come into play in acceptances.
Also, just because a school may be less competitive for admissions does not mean that the training and experience is inferior. I have had the opportunity to work with, or see performances by, students and alums of these programs. They have been strong.
I am sure that others will chime in with additional schools to look at!
@Emsdad - not trying to disrespect the list. (Which is epic) BA MT was not a part of our search criteria - I meant it more as an honest question. (As I said in my post- the ones I know are straight theater) Sorry
@toowonderful - sorry if my reply seemed terse or curt. Behind the keyboard and the screen, I was genuinely enthusiastic about pointing out how many BA MT programs there are, which is a larger number than I would have guessed.
Thank you all.I want to add some safety-ish schools on the list. Since CD’s academics are very strong, that helps make some non-audition schools safeties and adding a couple of lesser known or less competitive audition schools cannot hurt either. And I completely agree @KatMT that just bc it is lesser known or less competitive does not mean the training is not good. Christopher Newport is on our list, their theater looks beautiful!
@Joyfulmama I concur on the C Newport. It’s on our list too. I have heard from someone that there may not be enough MT emphasis like especially dance, so I’m going to check that out. Looks great otherwise !
@theaterwork it looks like on their catalog there are 3 semesters required of dance but since they have a dance major and minor I would assume one could take more dance if they wanted as electives.
Did you see on there if they get private voice too?
Also @Joyfulmama I think we may go try to see a show there as well, looks like in Feb they are doing Legally Blonde.
@theaterwork I will look for private voice,not sure… and OMG but by February next year we will be done with visits and auditions!!! So crazy to think about that! We are definitely visiting JMU this fall, which my D is in love with, so will visit CNU same trip. Hopefully we can see shows at least one of them.
@Joyfulmama Oh I didnt realize your daughter was a senior upcoming, mine is a junior. Well, post info if you visit and let us know. We are close to VA so just drove by JMU yesterday on way back from NC. Harrisonburg is nice area. Did you ever look into Emory and Henry? I heard some positive things about it also…It is in VA
@theaterwork E&H is too small for my D. Her high school is about 2500 students so
she wants bigger than that. Yes you are lucky to have found CC so early. I will definitely post about our visits. We are going to see Catholic University( they have a BM in MT) and American University ( BA in MT ) on Monday & Tuesday next week. Hopefully we can see the performance facilities,