Hey everyone! A bit stressed and confused here. I finished my applications to 11 musical theatre schools and sent in 4 prescreens: got called back for UArts for MT, got callbacks for acting at Ithaca (though I applied for MT) and rejected from Otterbein and Pace. I have to make some decisions and I need help. The schools I am currently registered to audition for at Unifieds are Point Park, Emerson, Ithaca, CMU and UArts and then I also applied to Central WA (which i would rather not go to due to location) AMDA LA (same location reason) and Muhlenburg. I am planning on applying to CAP21/Molloy as well. I am extremely nervous that I should just not do unifieds and musical theatre because I’m now scared that this is life’s way of telling me that I am meant to do something else- I am very into psychology as well but I could not stop doing theatre. My point is, I want to, in order to be safe, pick a few more schools to apply to- preferably:
In the Northeast- Pennsylvania, NY, Boston, etc
liberal arts, not just conservatory
musical theatre, BA or BFA
smaller school
auditions either at unifieds or video auditions
Do you guys have any advice or suggestions on a few more, safer schools to apply to? Do I have a chance? Should i spend all of the time stress money and work and risk not getting into any?
It’s just confusing because all my life everyone has told me that I should major in musical theatre and I told myself the same. It is only now after being rejected from some that I am questioning it. Thank you!
@BeccaW444 as a parent I’m not sure what your situation is with your parents/guardians being involved in your application process, but can you sit down with them and discuss your doubts and get some help /encouragement from them? Not that people on cc aren’t helpful because they are but I feel like as a senior in this mess that is the MT process you need some family or friend advice in real time not just online. I know people here can suggest schools and that’s awesome but sometimes you need to sit down with some trusted adults and discuss your situation , get advice etc. I applaud you for doing this process on your own if you are as it is a beast for sure! Lol just a thought from a mom 
You’ll find encouragement in this thread:
Also, people say that, if you can picture yourself doing something else other than theatre, do that something else. If you absolutely must do theatre, do it! Don’t let 2 prescreen rejections stop you. You passed two! Yay! (As the above thread points out, being redirected to Ithaca’s acting audition is a good thing. Not what you had hoped, but it’s not a rejection. A few other people on CC have been redirected there this year, btw.)
I actually think your list looks good. You have a safety. Are you academically a shoe-in at Muhlenberg? If you are, it’s a good safety. Have you looked at the big list of schools by state at the top of the forum? If you haven’t, look there. You may find a few more that interest you.
Great advice @theaterwork. Family, trusted teachers and friends are all needed throughout this process for encouragement and support. Be sure to lean on them when you need to. And know it is a stressful process. Your feelings are very normal.
Here are some things to consider:
- Do not doubt yourself or your talents because 2 highly competitive schools didn’t pass you through their prescreen. There are literally thousands of people who don’t pass prescreens each year. There can be all sorts of reasons why. But if MT is something you truly want, don’t give up. The MT college audition process is a roller coaster. Most people are going to hear more no’s than yesses. But you can only go to one school in the end, so you only really need one yes. Be strong, do your best, and see what your options for schools are when it is all said and done.
- Congratulations on passing prescreens for UArts and Ithaca - Acting. Both fabulous options to consider. They are truly fantastic schools and programs and you should be very proud for passing their prescreens.
- Muhlenberg is a great option. You could definitely study psychology there in addition to theatre.
- I’ve heard fantastic things here on CC about CAP21/Molloy. Perhaps @EastchesterMom can answer any specific questions about that school. I think her D is very happy there.
- Have you looked at Wagner? I believe you have to audition on campus, but I do think you could study psychology and theatre there.
- Check out this Big List of Schools organized by state. There are several smaller schools in New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts you might want to consider:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/801037-big-list-of-mt-colleges-by-state-p15.html
Wishing you the best of luck. Any time you feel stressed or have questions, remember you have loads of people here on CC who are glad to listen and offer you support.
Sending you positive thoughts. You can do this!
@BeccaW444 - stay strong. If you are interested in being a part of the professional theater world- you are going to hear WAY more than 2 “no’s” along the way Remember that there are SO many variables that go into any decision- most of which you cannot control. We always say on CC “Kids end up where they are meant to be” - and I know that sounds corny…but I really believe it is true. We did tons of research to make my D’s list of schools- and I thought we had it all figured out. But as I continue to read info/anecdotes about some of the schools where she auditioned, my thoughts have changed. There are a couple of schools where she was denied that I now think would have been all wrong for her. (I said this on another thread recently- forgive me for repeating myself) Those rejections were devastating at the time (esp b/c she didn’t have any acceptances yet when they happened) but looking back I can see they were blessings in disguise - and maybe the auditors I was so angry with (why don’t you want my baby!!) knew what would work in their program better than I did. Go figure . Don’t give up- the right place for you is out there and waiting.
If you are interested in New York and are looking for a smaller school have you thought about Marymount Manhattan? I also second the suggestion on Wagner- D has a friend (freshman) there who is loving it.
I would tell you this; I’d estimate the vast majority of MT students currently enrolled in college programs got rejected by two schools. It is difficult for many because there’s a lot of kids that were the big fish in the small pond, got all the parts (my D went to a huge high school so she actually was more used to not getting roles than some), and when you get rejected you may not have had that experience before and don’t know exactly how to deal with it. But it’s far more the norm than not, so I certainly would not let two rejections after prescreens have you question whether you have a chance. Sounds like you have other good schools on your list, good backup plan, etc. so keep your chin up!
I will tell you the same thing I told my D when she got her first two rejections (one from one of the same schools you did): you can do theater and perform the rest of your life, what you are not sure of yet is whether you will do it for a living or for a hobby. You don’t know that yet either. What you do know is you have at least two schools that see enough in you that they want to see more, and you do know that you have other interests (psychology) that you would also find passion in pursuing. And that’s a pretty good position to be in.
Sitting down with parents to discuss, counselors, etc are all things I would advise. But in the end there’s really one question to ask: if you abandon your plans for studying MT now, will you look back and regret that you didn’t take your shot? There’s many here that can help you with school lists, provide advice and encouragement, lend an ear, and we veterans are here to do that. But only you can answer that question.
Break a leg. You’ll make the right decision for yourself, I’m sure.
No matter what you decide going forward from this point - and I think all the above posters are spot on - it does not have to determine a straight line path for the rest of your life. Regardless of where you end up next fall, you CAN change your mind. I DO believe you should see this early part of this plan all the way through. If you give up now, you’ll have a lot of “what ifs”. If you see it through to the end, it will be crazy, heartbreaking, exhilarating, exhausting, stressful, maybe terrifying at times, but you will KNOW you’ve got at least some of what it takes to survive and be successful in this field. If you get into a “right fit” program - whether BFA, BA, double major, minor - those next four years will also help you grow and support you as you strengthen your wings on the way to “flying” whatever path you choose - even if it changes along the way. Go into this with an open mind - and listen to your heart. Be prepared to develop guts of steel.
You might want to look at Christopher Newport in VA. They have a good program and do not require an audition. Plymouth State University in NH requires an audition, but may accept a video submission. Keene State, also in NH, has a new faculty member with a strong background in Musical Theatre, and they do musicals on a regular basis. Keene state does not require an audition.
Will you audition for Muhlenberg? They have an audition for scholarships. I believe they take demonstrated interest into consideration with admissions decisions.
Do you have a few non-audition financial and academic safety schools on your list that you would be happy to attend if admitted?
As others have said, just about no one passes all of their prescreens, or is admitted to all of their schools. Try not to let the early prescreens results from a few schools discourage you. Make sure that you have a balanced list of schools that you like.
Hang in!
@mom4bwayboy is spot on. Hang in there @BeccaW444 - and best of luck to you, whatever path your heart and guts lead you down! (But I wouldn’t give up and chuck it all in just yet! This is just a bump in the road, and part of the process!)
Here are some more schools to look at - balancing your list with some schools NOT listed at the top of this forum may be a good idea:
Fairleigh Dickinson U Madison/Florham BA w/MT conc NJ
Long Island U Post BFA NY
DeSales U BA PA
Seton Hill U BA/BFA PA
Schools posted at the top of the forum:
Rider U BFA NJ
Temple U BA Theater w/MT emp/conc PA
As everyone else has said, take a deep breath and try to roll with the punches, you are doing great. A career in theatre is a journey, not an event with a scoreboard.
Since you had Otterbein on your original list, you might also check out Ohio Northern and Kenyon - a stone’s throw from Pennsylvania.
@BeccaW444 – you are getting great advice here from veterans of the Audition Wars! Don’t give up now; you’ve worked hard to get where you are, and it is true that you WILL wind up where you belong. The Class of 2018 Sharing/Venting thread has a couple of tales of applicants who thought it was all over, but who conquered in the end and wound up insanely happy and right where they belonged; my D is one of them. @toowonderful is absolutely right…you may not understand why you were rejected, but it’s likely that you wouldn’t have liked it if you had been accepted. When my D auditioned for an elite NYC program, she came out of the audition and said she wouldn’t attend even if accepted (she didn’t have to worry, as it turned out). The vibe wasn’t right, and she felt it. My D is at Molloy/CAP 21 and is working her butt off, but last week, she declared a Psychology minor…it CAN be done! Wagner is also a good choice; it is a BA rather than a BFA. However: the audition is on-campus in March, everyone auditions on the same day, and it is 6 hours of hell on earth. I’m just sayin.’
I will throw out that I have seen some exceedingly impressive musicals at Keene State, and Keene is a great little city. I saw Rocky Horror there a couple of years ago and I really don’t think any school anywhere could have done it better.
@Calliene try to go see Little Women this month at Keene. Their new faculty is one of my former students, and is directing it. I am sad I can not make it up for the show.
@KatMT, done. Just made a date for Little Women with @Jkellynh17.
@Calliene and @Jkellynh Terrific!!
All great advice above! I will also throw in the suggestion that you may want to get a college coach’s opinion on your monologue and song choices, your strengths and what you can do to improve your audition. A bit of coaching goes a long way! Try MTCA. It’s a little late in the process, but I’m sure they can can help.