<p>I have been spending so much time planning for Auditions into BFAs at "the big schools" but i need to start looking into which back up schools i am going to apply to. Does anyone have any suggestions as to well ranked non auditions schools who offer BFAs?</p>
<p>It’s not a BFA, but Muhlenberg has an excellent non-audition BA.</p>
<p>Please be aware that just because a school doesn’t have an audition, it cannot be considered a “back up” or “sure bet safety”. A school is only a sure bet safety if your academic profile is above the average for the admitted student profile for that college and the college doesn’t have a low acceptance rate, let alone does not have an audition. One person’s “back up” school may be another person’s “reach” school. It is not enough to ask about non-audition schools. If you are looking for a back up school, it is in relation to YOU. Muhlenberg is a safety school for some strong students but a reach or a match for other students.</p>
<p>Also, I did not notice this the first time I read your question but you asked about non-audition BFAs. It is very rare for a BFA program to have NO audition. If you are looking for a back up, it means a BA non-audition school where your academic stats are beyond the average of the admitted students, as well as where the acceptance rate is not low. </p>
<p>There are some BA schools with no audition that offer a BFA track by audition after one or two years. Not a lot of those, but they do exist.</p>
<p>Anyway, in order for someone to recommend safety schools to you, they would have to know your academic profile.</p>
<p>I’m assuming you’re looking for places that offer at least some conservatory style training within a BA framework, and that if you knew of a few of those you could decide for yourself which might work as a backup for you? I’ve had a hard time getting answers to this question too. </p>
<p>BAs like Muhlenberg and Skidmore won’t be intense enough training for a lot of people, and it seems that such places sometimes have so many theater students that classes and stage-time is difficult to come by. If you do community theater or have a good acting teacher or coach, I’d start by asking among those contacts. A few great teachers can mean a lot, especially at a school with a more flexible curriculum. Some people decide to take a gap year for further training and apply again. Some find they’re happy with a BA as long as it fits some other needs. </p>
<p>I think it requires that you really thing hard about your priorities. But I’d ask every actor you know what he or she would do-- you may find some uniquely helpful answers. Backups is one thing this board seems to be very weak on.</p>
<p>Muhlenberg and Skidmore (which again, would not be safety schools for many kids) are both extremely strong in theater. No, a BA is not just like a BFA but it can be good training and intense. I know extremely serious MT students who CHOSE a BA over BFAs they got into in fact. </p>
<p>I do not think this forum is weak in suggestions of non-audition BA schools. There have been MANY threads and posts on that topic and I know I have contributed to them. Do a search. Every student with whom I work who prefers a BFA, also has BA safety schools. However, their safeties vary based on their own qualifications, as well as college selection criteria. The OP has not shared even a rough idea of his qualifications or his specific college search criteria.</p>
<p>If you click on this thread link below, you will find a post by me where I did a forum search of threads on this topic (for someone else who posed a similar question) and gave links to many threads with suggestions of non-audition programs. </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/919390-non-audition-musical-theatre-colleges.html?highlight=non-audition[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/919390-non-audition-musical-theatre-colleges.html?highlight=non-audition</a></p>
<p>OK, so besides going to the link I gave above in post #7 and when you go there, visit my post #2 which lists many threads about non-audition schools…</p>
<p>I also just conducted another search for safety schools on the MT forum and here are MORE links to discussions to check out in ADDITION to the ones in post #2 in the thread I linked to ABOVE. </p>
<p>(also if you visit the BIG LIST of MT Colleges pinned to the top of this forum, schools with a “~” next to them do not have an audition.)</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/944735-safety-schools.html?highlight=safety+schools[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/944735-safety-schools.html?highlight=safety+schools</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/857285-how-research-safety-schools.html?highlight=safety+schools[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/857285-how-research-safety-schools.html?highlight=safety+schools</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/749846-safety-mt-schools.html?highlight=safety+schools[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/749846-safety-mt-schools.html?highlight=safety+schools</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/525310-good-safety-schools-mt.html?highlight=safety+schools[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/525310-good-safety-schools-mt.html?highlight=safety+schools</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/370404-safety-schools.html?highlight=safety+schools[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/370404-safety-schools.html?highlight=safety+schools</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/296762-safety-schools.html?highlight=safety+schools[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/296762-safety-schools.html?highlight=safety+schools</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/245340-safety-schools-theater.html?highlight=safety+schools[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/245340-safety-schools-theater.html?highlight=safety+schools</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/808717-schools-offer-ba-mt.html?highlight=schools[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/808717-schools-offer-ba-mt.html?highlight=schools</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/609941-ba-theatre-schools-flexible-testing-requirements.html?highlight=schools[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/609941-ba-theatre-schools-flexible-testing-requirements.html?highlight=schools</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/443758-safe-schools.html?highlight=schools[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/443758-safe-schools.html?highlight=schools</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/108222-leading-non-audition-schools.html?highlight=schools[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/108222-leading-non-audition-schools.html?highlight=schools</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/235011-good-ba-musical-theater-schools.html?highlight=schools[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/235011-good-ba-musical-theater-schools.html?highlight=schools</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/42105-schools-b-musical-theater.html?highlight=schools[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/42105-schools-b-musical-theater.html?highlight=schools</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/342368-another-thread-about-ba-programs.html?highlight=programs[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/342368-another-thread-about-ba-programs.html?highlight=programs</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/60317-some-ba-programs-any-mt-strength.html?highlight=programs[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/60317-some-ba-programs-any-mt-strength.html?highlight=programs</a></p>
<p>You also may wish to search the Theater Majors Forum because there are not a lot of BA programs that are non-audition for MT and so another option is to seek a very good BA Theater program that has MT opportunities. </p>
<p>More links:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/678469-what-top-ba-acting-programs-2.html?highlight=programs[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/678469-what-top-ba-acting-programs-2.html?highlight=programs</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/894011-liberal-arts-colleges-strong-theatre-programs.html?highlight=programs[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/894011-liberal-arts-colleges-strong-theatre-programs.html?highlight=programs</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/916814-story-begins-thread-rising-seniors.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/916814-story-begins-thread-rising-seniors.html</a> **look at POST 19</p>
<p>(and don’t forget to go to the link I posted in #7 above and when you get there, look at post #2 where I listed many more links)</p>
<p>soozievt, thank you so much for collecting that data for us. Very timely for the seniors and it is unwise not to have at least one or two true safeties!</p>
<p>Soozievt, you are THE BEST!! thank you so much for all this helpful information. This area of my college application/audition journey has been one of the more confusing areas and things have definitely been cleared up! we all appreciate it!</p>