My daughter was just accepted into the Musical Theater program. The school is very pricey and I’m just wanting to hear from other MT students how they feel about their experience here. I have read some really bad reviews but those have mainly come from the art students and NOT the performing arts students. So if any current students or alumni could give me your honest opinion that would help. We will be coming for a visit on April 1st to check it out. One thing I am really interested in since my daughter had to audition for this school, is how many do they take a year in the MT program? Thanks in advance for any info you can give me.
PM me! I am a sophomore MT and I love it here!
@MTkid2017 my daughter is a freshman MT and has had a great first year. Sent you a PM. Contemporary program that encourages the students to grow and take risks.
@myloves has a sophomore daughter as well.
Congratulations on your D’s acceptance!
Yes, my D is a sophomore MT major, and she also loves UArts! My H and I are thrilled with it, too. In a nutshell, here are some of the reasons why:
-They value and prioritize individualized, personal education. We’ve seen multiple examples of this throughout D’s time here from faculty members and administration, and we continue to be impressed by it.
-D went into college with a good amount of professional experience, and she had worked with many amazing, experienced, respected directors and voice teachers prior to college. UArts has continued to challenge her, and she has developed greatly as an artist. It’s been a development of the whole artist–artistically, intellectually, emotionally, physically–as UArts is concerned with all of those areas.
-Besides having all faculty members be active, respected artists, they offer opportunities to work with and learn from outside professionals, which is great for development and connections.
-The student body is largely motivated and focused on their art, and the college has a supportive environment. It’s a treat to witness this during their shows and performances!
-Acting studios are with acting majors, and D has loved and learned a lot from each of hers. Dance classes are taught by the same dance teachers that teach at the top rated dance program, are leveled (with personal attention within the classes, too–plus it’s all individual–for example, D has been asked to advance to the next level mid-semester before and to audit the next level for free along with the current level, also mid-semester, and everyone advances at his/her pace), and are sometimes with dance majors. Voice teachers and coaches are matched by voice type and personality. The very first voice lesson, my D called and excitedly told me that she learned so much; she continues to greatly appreciate her voice teacher.
-The school is pricey, but they can be generous with aid. They are with my D; otherwise, she probably wouldn’t be able to attend. The financial aid office is friendly to work with, so if you don’t get the aid you need, you could try to see if they will help you more.
-They audition between 800-900 people and accept 8-10%. They are going for a class of around 24. D’s year, the majority accepted, and they ended up with a class of 50-55! UArts handled it well, though; individual attention and small class sizes have continued. This year’s class size is another larger one at, I think, around 35. The larger class sizes do make casting a bit more challenging, but there are many performance opportunities.
I’ll PM you with some more details, also. And, my D likes to answer prospective students’ questions, so I can give you her email address if you’d like.
About those reviews… I’d take them with a grain of salt, which is the general consensus about college review websites. Also, conservatories seem to get about the same grades and types of reviews, as do many of the universities/colleges that also have excellent theatre departments within them.
Thank you so much for this invaluable information. I really appreciate it. We are excited for our visit on April 1st.
Thank you so much for responding. I really appreciate all the feedback.
I’m a sophomore MT and happy to answer any questions as well!
Also visiting April 1. Looking forward to it. Got tickets to one of the Polyphony shows.
I’m going April 1st too! I’m extremely excited and definitely going to attend if I can go financially
Anyone know how long it takes them to review a video audition?
or how long it takes for a decision on the 4/8 auditions?
I’ll answer my own question for future researchers - 12 days to get a yes
In considering the appropriateness of a program, location is frequently an important consideration. My daughter graduated from UArts with a BFA in MT in May 2011 and while achieving successes as a performer decided to change careers for reasons I have discussed elsewhere. UArts has undergone many changes since my daughter graduated so I can’t nor should I comment about the training students receive today. However, for any student or parent wondering about what life for a student is like in center city Philadelphia, artiscally, culturally, socially and in terms of safety, I can tell you that it is a Mecca for UArts students. Picture everything NYC has to offer but on a smaller, more manageable, more affordable and more intimate scale. My daughter moved out of our house in August 2007 and has remained in center city Philadelphia to work, play, and live, now as a home owner, ever since. My office is a block and a half from the Terra Building. UArt’s location will not disappoint.
^^^ This is completely accurate. My D, a rising junior MT major at UArts, loves living and learning in the thick of Philly’s art/theatre culture. We love visiting the area, too (besides the obvious reason that we love visiting our D 
). It’s a terrific environment–a wonderful living backdrop for the vibrant, creative culture of UArts itself.
S18’s GF is a freshman there. She loves it too.
My D was recently accepted and after our recent visit, we have a few questions. Do MT freshman receive an hour private voice lesson each week?
Where do they perform the student shows? We heard they sold the Theater
Hey, I am another current junior MT and I work the audition days - shoot me a DM and I will answer!
Congratulations, @tessmom !
Freshman MTs receive a 1/2 hour voice lesson and a 15-20 minute vocal coaching session each week (unless that has changed; my D is a junior MT). The time for both increases over the years. I questioned whether it was enough when D was a freshman, as she had had 60 minute lessons at home (from two faculty members at other highly respected programs), and D assured me that it was. She even called after her very first lesson, excited by all she had learned (and, again, she had highly qualified voice teachers at home). She continues to love her voice teacher and to feel that she is growing leaps and bounds.
They mainly perform shows in 2 theatres—one large one and one smaller one that also has a black box theatre. There are two other theatres in two other buildings, as well, but I’ve never attended a show there and am not sure actual shows open to the public are held there. UArts did sell the Mirriam (the largest theatre), but they lease it back from Kimmel for shows and other events, and there is now a strong relationship between Kimmel and UArts that benefits both and that is growing more.
Hi, I haven’t posted in the past, but have learned so much from lurking! My son is trying to decide between UArts and another MT program for the fall. We attended AdmitOne last weekend and were so impressed, but he didn’t get to meet any current MT students and ask questions. Is anyone willing to talk/Skype/Facetime him this weekend?
I am beyond happy to be joining this thread (if you look at my previous posts, you’ll see why). My d just got her acceptance letter! This is her second acceptance, after a very disappointing audition season. It was not a school she originally planned on applying to, so we really know nothing about it. We haven’t even visited, and we missed Admit one (just got the letter yesterday). I just read some great things on this thread (which is making me happy).
My D goes to a PA (performing arts, not Pennsylvania, lol) HS now, and her private voice teacher recommended it, because she’s used to that all-arts environment. We also live in a big city, and she was looking at schools with this type of ‘campus’, so she’d be fine with that.
We are trying to squeeze in a visit before May 1, so I’m hoping all our questions will be answered before that (between here and when we visit).