<p>Elon has ED, which is binding and EA which is not, and then they have a huge waiting list that is released in late March, early April (I am not sure of the exact dates). Most of the class is from their EA and ED acceptances, though.</p>
<p>Well, that stinks if true since they have hundreds and hundreds attend on campus auditions into February. Some of this process is just annoying. Yeah, for brutal pre-screening!</p>
<p>actor12 - The ED and EA at Elon are academic acceptances. The audition process is not ED or EA. At Elon, you can go ahead and audition without having been accepted to the university. But many find applying EA and finding out that you will be accepted academically is worth it if you are concerned that your grades/scores might keep you out, since all their auditions are on campus.
[Elon</a> University - Department of Performing Arts](<a href=“Elon University / Performing Arts”>Elon University / Performing Arts)</p>
<p>Oh, got it. Well, that makes more sense. I was academically accepted with lots of scholarship money but not into the BFA MT. Didn’t apply for acting although they had us sit on one class. Honestly, it was very much not the right fit for me and I knew that at about 8:30 in the morning on a day that lasted until after dark. Not fun.</p>
<p>My stats are good, but not amazing.</p>
<p>In terms of “no auditioned BFA is a safety,” we all know that some are even harder to get into than others. Carnegie Mellon is indisputably in this category, but the kids accepted there were ALL rejected from other places, some of which might have been considered less selective. I know it is human nature to think, “I have a better chance HERE than THERE,” but it ain’t necessarily so. Also, it varies from year to year. If a school has a “bulge year” of freshmen, where more students enrolled than they expected, the school will very likely take fewer students the next year.</p>
<p>By the way, I disagree about Marymount Manhattan being less selective artistically than Pace.</p>
<p>Another aspect of this that people don’t really talk about much is that schools want to protect their yield. Sometimes, this explains the extraordinary kid getting rejected by a mediocre program. And other times it’s just a crapshoot and who knows.</p>
<p>For MT Marymount is a BA so that could be why it seems they take more. PACE is much more selective for MT these days. Not sure about BFA acting.</p>
<p>This will be my fourth time in the process, and one thing I’ve learned is that you absolutely cannot make any predictions at all. Please consider very seriously the wisdom that no auditioned BFA program is a safety or even a match. This is a very competitive and unpredictable process. It’s already unpredictable for BA non-theatre majors. My older non-theatre D was rejected by some schools that were definitely safeties and matches, and accepted into a couple of far-reaches. </p>
<p>I’d recommend strongly having as large a pool as your time and pocketbook and sanity will allow and to be as prepared as possible at the audition (including preparing for the interview). Also, make sure to include non-auditioned safeties. You can often get a wonderful theatre education in such schools. If your S or D absolutely wants a conservatory experience, consider a non-BFA conservatory such as Circle in the Square or Stella Adler, which do have a higher chance of admits. </p>
<p>It may look as though you can calculate odds, but those odds are averages and anyway, some BFA programs stack the stats to make it appear they are more ‘selective’ than they actually are–for instance, they include general unified auditions into their total (so if a student auditions at unifieds and y college is there, even if the student is not specifically auditioning for y college, that college will include the audition). Also, please remember that most BFA programs include gender as a factor (so girls have a statistically lower chance than boys) and that some BFA programs also include type and looks and height to match their own aesthetic or balance, and that these factors are out of your control. </p>
<p>The other thing I’d say is that ‘selectivity’ and yield, although sort of trendy to consider, most certainly do not necessarily reflect the excellence of the program or its match <em>for you.</em> As you visit and explore, you will find programs unexpectedly opening up – I’d suggest keeping a very open mind. Sometimes gems crop up where you least expect them.</p>
<p>Finally, I would certainly not dismiss a school like Marymount Manhattan just because someone said once that it is ‘like high school.’ Don’t get me wrong, I am just as influenced as the next person, and have been known to avoid a college just because someone told me it was bad, or suggest a college just because someone said it was good. This is just something I’ve learned as I’ve gone through this—one person’s ‘yuck’ is another person’s treasure. It’s really, really individual. Especially for a BFA program. Anyway, Marymount is a well regarded program that has a great track record, and yes, it is difficult to get into.</p>
<p>^Great post, Connections–thank you.</p>
<p>Here I am again, highly suggesting Coastal Carolina! It is an auditioned school, so it’s not a true safety. With its popularity growing, CCU will eventually not be considered a safety by anyone’s standards. However, going off the list of what your student wants, CCU fits the bill.</p>