My D is a Junior, knows she wants Musical Theatre (BFA or BM), and looking Midwest and all up and down the east coast. We toured several colleges last year (10 total), but after reading thoughts/suggestions on here, we may wait on the rest until we see where she actually gets accepted. BUT… we need help on narrowing down this list of where to apply to. One reason, is that when we did tour schools, she asked each school what made their MT program unique. She basically received the same answer from each school, so now we’re back at square one. We are looking through curriculums now (I actually printed them out and cut the names of the schools off so no bias to any). That is going okay, but since not all school websites are the easiest to maneuver through, we don’t always have a clear picture of what the four-year plan would look like. Any help/suggestions/thoughts are very much appreciated!
Re: the idea of getting the same answer to “what makes you unique” - I found that schools don’t always have a lot of info on each other. After all, they have enough to keep track of with their OWN program without following everyone else’s too. 
Suggestions for defining differences between schools
Is there an area (dance, music, acting) that you particularly want to focus on? Check on curriculum there. Some schools level dance and some don’t, some require you to play an instrument or sing in a chorus (common in BM programs since you mentioned that)
Is there an element like showcase or access to industry etc that is very important to you? Check and make sure it’s included. For my D a study abroad option was key so we focused on schools where that is doable.
Are there academic requirements you want to keep/avoid? Some want to avoid math, or go pure conservatory, others want more access to liberal arts classes too- including the opportunity to minor etc.
Hope that helps
@toowonderful Thank you for the reply! That makes sense about schools not really knowing info on each other. The answer we typically received from each though was about their facilities and being well-rounded.
She’s looking for a school that’s strong in all 3 areas (her thought is triple-threat) and she definitely wants a school that offers a Showcase. It’s actually been fun going through the curriculums to see the differences in each school. She likes conservatory and liberal arts programs, but does not want any more math or science!
It’s amusing to me that schools can’t seem to answer the question “What makes your school unique?”, while having students submit entire essays on “Why did you choose our school?”
@claire74 - I found schools much more focused on what THEY were doing rather than worrying about what other schools do. Frankly, I found it refreshing in a world where so many judge themselves based on what OTHER people value. And I think the “why choose…” essay fits into that. Reading that will help them determine if what a kid is looking for is something they are offering.
My child found it very helpful to look through the lists of past productions to see if the kind of work she wanted to do was happening at the schools at which she was looking.
Also, look at the overall size & setting of the school. Some students will be happier in smaller or larger environments. Some will prefer urban (or urban-ish) vs small town or rural. Some are huge sports fans and want to be able to see the occasional football game, others want greek life. What are the dorms like? How close is the school in question to home… if your kid gets in there, what is the plan to travel to and from (is it near an airport, etc.)? There are lots of factors beyond the MT program to consider. This is the place she will call home for 4 years. It has to be comfortable on a lot of levels.
Here are some things that my d used to differentiate schools - note that “bigger is better” is not implied here, only that differentiation can be made. Some students may want “smaller and less” vs. “larger and more.”
- Production Season - number of main stage shows total, number of main stage musicals. Some schools have larger production seasons than others. Some schools only do 1 main stage musical, some do 2-3. Some schools offer lots of cabaret-type opportunities. And so on.
- Cross-over in casting between MT students and Acting students in straight plays and musicals. In some schools, there is very little cross-over (zero in a few cases).
- Amount of non-performance-related classes required in the MT curriculum. Some schools require 15-21 hours of non-performance courses in stagecraft, theatre history, etc. Some require only 1 stagecraft course and 1-2 classes in theatre history.
- Amount of dance offered in the curriculum and the number of levels of dance offered. Some programs require 20+ hours of dance, others 10-12. Some programs only have 2 levels of dance (Ballet I & II) while others offer many levels (Ballet I-IV, etc.).
- Facilities and Production Budgets: some programs have relatively limited stage facilities with small sets and shows, some have fantastic facilities and put on amazing theatrical productions.
- Attitude evidenced during auditions. Some schools project a definite "feel" at auditions that can be a distinct "fit" or "NOT." Just as schools observe auditioners from the moment they step through the front door, my d observed everything about how she was treated during the audition like Sherlock Holmes with "the game afoot." "Cool detachment" was OK, "thinly veiled arrogance" was not OK. Some schools asked interesting and thought-provoking questions, one school asked a question that seemed "out of bounds." YMMV is definitely a by-word for this type of comparison.
- Proximity and access to professional or semi-professional theatre companies. Some schools have URTA theatres on-site, some have other types of professional theatre companies on-site or have partnerships with some close by.
- Some programs require very little or no Music Theory/Aural Skills/Keyboard training, some require fairly extensive training in musicianship. Theory/Aural Skills/Keyboarding was really important to my d.
- Amount of General Education courses required. Some programs require 30 hours or less, some 50 hours or more. Some have a Foreign Language requirement, many do not. Some require little or no Math or Science.
Some great advice coming through that we will use!
@EmsDad - what is YMMV and URTA?
YMMV - “Your Mileage May Vary” - not everyone sees the same thing.
URTA - University Resident Theatre Association. An association of university theatre programs that, among other benefits, have a special Equity contract that permits many of them (maybe all) to offer Equity points and cards to students.
I should note that some schools are not URTA members but have points-granting Equity contracts, like St. Edwards in Austin.
Our D also found it useful to study lists of successful graduates from various schools, and to see how long a program had been in existence and whether its reputation had survived (or would be likely to survive) numerous leadership/staff changes. She wanted a degree with a shelf-life likely to at least equal the length of her hopefully-long career. She also researched the strength of schools’ alumni networks.
If you have some specific questions about some of the schools you have visited, here is a list of people willing to share information about the program their child attended/is attending. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1808884-mt-school-forums-p1.html
@mom4bwayboy - that is a wonderful resource. Thank you for sharing!