<p>Hi there steamedartichoke! You sound a lot like me when I was a junior. I, too, have always considered acting my strength. I’m also a strong singer, but hardly a dancer at all. So here’s a little background on me, and what my life looked like from a year ago to now.</p>
<p>I’m 18 years old, and I’ve been acting and singing for 10 years, and danced on and off for about 5 throughout childhood and teen years. I am not a trained dancer, but I am, in fact, randomly enough, a tap dancer. I have a 4.0 weighted GPA, got a 31 on my ACT, and go to a Public High School. My training is not highly specialized; I took acting classes for about 6 years and voice for about 6 now. Nothing professional.</p>
<p>When it came to college application, I applied for MT and Acting. Mostly, I was interested in MT, but wanted a program with Acting at the core. I applied to many schools. Some required an audition, some did not, and from the perspective of a stronger actor/singer with little dance training, I thought I’d fill you in on my audition process and what came of it all.</p>
<p>Northwestern - Non-audition. Very selective, but a very good school if you are interested in a double major. They offer a BA in Theatre and a Certificate program for MT which you can audition for at the end of your freshman year. If double majoring is important to you and you’ve got good grades, consider applying here. They even encourage double majoring. I was rejected.
University of Michigan - Audition, beginning with a Pre-Screen video. Very nice and smart people in this department. One of the most difficult programs to get into, I believe. I felt my lack of dance training hindered me from getting in. I passed the pre-screen, but was ultimitely rejected.
Ball State - Audition. Also very kind in the audition process. Though they emphasize acting in their training, I felt it was not the most vital component they considered in admission. Again, my lack of dance hindered me. I know multiple people in the program who adore it, all who had heavy dance training before auditioning. I was rejected from MT, but admitted to their Theatre Arts program and to the school.
CCM - Audition. They believe singing is the most important component of MT. I believe their emphasis seems to be on singing, dancing, then acting. That’s the impression I got. Not an approach I’m a big fan of. Their dance audition was fun and not difficult, but I believe they like dancers, once again. I was rejected.
Carnegie Mellon - Audition. This, I believe, is THE most difficult program to get into. Their emphasis is acting all the way. They emphasize dance very little, even in the audition. I think the program is exceptional, but a lot like winning the lottery; your chances have little to do with your ability. I was rejected.
Penn State - Audition. Penn State holds auditions for just singing and acting, then they ask students to attend a dance call later that day if they are interested. This “call-back”, in effect, lets you know if you are in consideration or not. If not asked to dance, not considered. Their dance audition was challenging, and they also have a strong emphasis on dance, I believe. I am currently waitlisted.
University of Miami - Audition. I did a walk-in audition at the Chicago Unifieds, then applied. Miami has a strong emphasis on acting in their curriculum; there was a dance call, but I was unable to attend it. Miami also requires their applicants to be academically admitted to the school to get into MT, which means they stress high grades. I was accepted for MT.
Emerson - Audition. This dance call was very basic, with an emphasis on acting through dance. Emerson’s approach is very much from a viewpoint of acting first. I was accepted for MT.
Ithaca - Audition. Ithaca had no dance audition, however, I don’t believe their training lacks strength in dance. They, too, emphasize acting in their training and admission. Ithaca allows you to be considered for other programs if you are not admitted to your first choice. I was accepted for MT.
Syracuse - Audition. The dance audition was challenging. They seem to emphasize acting, but dance seems to be fairly important, as most of their MTs are very good dancers. Like Ithaca, they allow you to be considered for the BFA Acting program if you are not admitted to MT. I was accepted for Acting.
NYU - Audition. The dance was challenging. NYU considers audition and grades equally in admission (50/50). You can choose, like the above two, whether you just want to be considered for MT, or for other Tisch studios as well, which encompass acting, directing, etc. I was accepted to Tisch, and don’t know which studio I’ve been placed in yet.</p>
<p>In all, I know this was a lengthy read, but hope it gave you some insight. I recommend, if you are unsure about whether to apply for MT or Acting, to apply to the schools that consider you for both. Beyond that, you should know that you don’t need to know exactly what you want just yet. Life plays out in funny ways. Think about what you want to learn. Music is very important in my life, but very few MT programs offer in-depth training in classical theatre, like Shakespeare. I’m realizing that this is important to me, so I’ve really considering a straight acting program, and then I’d take dance and voice lessons outside my major. My point is, whatever you end up deciding, you will always have a role in your education, and you’re never stuck at the school you decide to go to, either. Like I said, life is funny. Let it lead you somewhere, then follow it for a bit. I know I’m only a year older than you and am probably not much wiser, but I’ve been through the process, so I hope my advice helps you out a bit. Good luck to you! :)</p>