@NewEngMTMom - Montclair is not the only school like this…sadly, Wagner and Pace try to lure you in with FA offers and flowery words…and they don’t give up easily. There may be others, but D had personal experience with those two, and so have other CCers.
We have no other acceptances. We are waiting on LIU, Manhattan School of Music and Boston Conservatory. BoCo is a certain no, I think. I am beyond exhausted. I’m watching D get tortured. We were assured the she has what it takes to do this. We still believe in her.
And you should, @NewEngMTMom ! Sending you cyber hugs and lots of positive thoughts for the last few notifications.
@NewEngMTMom Is she pursuing any alternatives like the ones suggested in this thread? If she gets all the way to the end and has not gotten in anywhere, that might be a harder place to be than if she has back up irons in the fire, even if they are not what she thought she wanted.
Keep thinking positive! If you read the books on getting in, they suggest auditioning for 12-20 schools (and making sure that several are safety schools, BA, non-audition, etc). That being said, there probably aren’t a ton of openings at this late date for this year so all you can do is wait and see. If nothing comes through, maybe a gap year working to save money and hiring a coach like MTCA? Good luck! I hope one of them comes through for her.
we have a friend studying vocal jazz at U of Arts - loves it. They have a musical theater program, and an April 14 audition date: https://www.uarts.edu/admissions/audition-and-interview-dates
@NewEngMTMom - It’s a brutal situation and I really do empathize - my senior D has no BFA acceptances and only has two BFA programs left to hear from. She does have a good Plan B (and C and D… ) but I wasn’t prepared for the emotional toll this process has taken on her - and on me! I send you cyber hugs and hopes that this will all someday be a distant unpleasant memory as your daughter moves on to great success.
@cgmndt, she mentioned in post #31 that they had already auditioned at UArts.
Hofstra University has rolling admissions with a later application date. Everyone enters into the theater BA program, then audition at the end of freshman year for the BFA. From the coaching perspective, Hofstra is considered a solid theater & MT program.
I second (or third) Columbia College in Chicago - rolling admission very good merit money and non audition. Everyone goes in as BA and you can audition for the BFA but you can also stick with the BA and do a minor.
U of Arts already turned her down. Wouldn’t have been a good fit for her anyway.
My husband and I have several things in mind for plan B. She’s too stressed to discuss it yet.
She’s in a gap year now. But a coach is on our list of things for Plan B!
Thank you @CaMom13 !
Has she considered SUNY Fredonia? I am not sure if it’s too late for this audition season, but it has a no-audition theater major and students are allowed to audition for the BFA when enrolled (it offers both MT and Acting). My son is a tech student there and the production I saw in the fall had BA, BFA and non-theater kids in the cast. It’s a strong music school and my son really likes it there. There may be one more round of auditions, but I don’t know. Check the theater department website and call - they are SO nice.
Just a thought…I have worked with families that took a gap “year” but it really isn’t a year at all and it goes by really fast. Since the student is out of high school they have time to devote to reapplying early and can do a lot of early action auditions oftentimes resulting in an acceptance by the end of the year. By the time they consider the gap year option it is already April or May. They can devote themselves over the summer to working on new material and start the process as soon as applications come out sometimes as early as August. Before you know it they are auditioning and getting results again. It can be a time to do some soul searching and making sure this is really how they want to spend their lives. As many will tell you this audition/rejection process is a HUGE part of this career path. If it is too emotionally destructive it might be the universe suggesting they look at other options. I realize these are very young adults and haven’t always developed the emotional skills that will help them later in life but sometimes it is a necessary wake up call. I know many students who start their BFA programs only to find it isn’t what they want to do and change midstream. Take a look at the acceptance vs graduation rates. Even the tippy top programs lose a few along the way. These same kids would have said NO WAY will that be me when they start. Again, just a thought…
@Pohsmom is right. Even in my son’s beginning cohort of this year, several kids have left the program for various reasons. One switched to a BA major in theater that isn’t part of the BFA, one became ill and dropped out but hopes to return next year and restart the BFA, another also became ill and wants to return but to the BA and another is thinking of transferring to a school in the state they originally came from. S17 assumes some transfers may be accepted next year.
I think @NewEngMTMom 's D knows what she wants and has already taken a gap “year.” It is true that this process is brutal, and that it is only the beginning of a brutal lifestyle. My D fought and clawed her way into a program, and is now fighting and clawing to get a job - any job. I have never seen anyone work so hard just to be seen, only to be rejected, again and again. This life is not for the faint of heart, the unconfident, the uncommitted, the thin-skinned. I have faced a number of challenges in my life, but nothing like this. NewEngMTMom, if your D can survive this, then she belongs in this business - BAL, BAL!
@NewEngMTMom @CaMom13 Sending you both virtual hugs! I have had several of my students consider gap years after a less than satisfactory first run through the application and audition process. All of them have been successful after their second time around. Please do not despair! It will all work out in the end even if you have some twists and turns right now.
And we just got a no from MSM. We have LIU and BoCo left. I highly doubt she’ll get accepted to BoCo. She has a chance with LIU but she’s not at all enthusiastic about that program. We’ve already done the gap year (but this is her first round of applications and auditions). I am beyond frustrated and angry at the world. Everyone tells us she’s good enough. Everyone tells us don’t give up. We don’t even have a wait list option to pin our hopes on anywhere. Sorry to be so negative but I don’t know where else to let off steam about this. She’s being incredibly brave. I just want to scream.