Northwestern Theater Major/Musical Theater Admissions Questions

I am a senior this year and applying to Northwestern ED for the Theater Major and Applied Mathematics Major as part of of the 5 year dual degree program. Let’s begin with a long list of my information. In terms of academics, I am a very strong student: Class rank of 3/340 (top 1% of high school class) GPA of 4.06 weighted (Odd GPA scale. A’s in AP classes are counted 4.125 or something like that instead of 5) 35 ACT Composite. I am also looking at the Musical Theater Certificate Program. For starters, I have a very strong background in Vocal Music. I am a three year member of the WSMA State Honors Choir, I have had many Classical and Musical Theater Solos qualify for state in WSMA Solo and Ensemble Festivals. I have had over 5 years of voice lessons and worked with Professors from my local college. Additionally, I have been a part of a summer musical theater program at my local college, which has been great for musical theater experience. I have had leading roles in my school musicals Junior and Senior year (I only auditioned junior and senior year because I had conflicts Freshman and Sophomore year and did not know that I would end up wanting to pursue MT). I also have been part of school choirs and specifically a very competitive show choir, where I have found a niche for dancing. My dance and acting experience is limited, but I have no struggles with either. I was elected show choir dance captain for Junior and Senior year, plus I just started taking tap this past summer. I feel pretty confident in my chances of making it into Northwestern, but I have heard that the Theater Major is a b*tch to get into, and that has worried me. Not to mention a very competitive MT program as well. I am not a cherub (I have no idea what that even is) and I was hoping to get some info on my chances, especially because I am applying ED and very committed to this university. Thank you in advance!

You are a very strong candidate but no one is a sure thing. Good luck and spend some time thinking about what you’ll do if you don’t get in.

Northwestern was at the top of my son’s list last year, but he does not have the ACT score to be competitive. I did a rough survey through private messaging of the grades/stats of people who got in for theatre last year and you are right in line with what they had. I think you have a great chance, but as @Jkellynh17 says there is no sure thing. And, btw, Cherubs is the pre-college summer program that is at Northwestern and is run by National High School Institute (NHSI). Good luck!

@Jkellynh17 Is it a risk to apply into the Theater Major?

@AlexxMalavet - I don’t think it’s any more of a risk than any other major per se. You have strong stats - but so do a lot of other people. This is an area where spending a LOT of time on your essays is going to be important - good luck!!

@toowonderful Phew! I’ve been working on my essays all summer, reviewed by counselor, two English teachers, and they’re pretty strong, so I’m hoping that gives me the edge I need.

Good luck to you! ED is a smart move at Northwestern, it definitely gives a bump (nearly doubles admissions odds if I am correct)

UPDATE Accepted Early Decision!

Good for you!! Congrats!!

Congrats Alex! My son is a freshman theatre major at Northwestern - and loves it. But, just a note, you have to audition for MT in fall quarter - and it’s competitive.

@efr9598 did your son pursue the MT program at northwestern?

Hi @mtmaybe - he did audition for the certificate program in the fall and was not selected. However, several faculty reached out to him personally to say that the competition was really tough this year and to encourage him to enroll in as much MT related coursework as possible. He has been taking voice lessons since he arrived with one of the MT voice faculty and is currently enrolled in a performance based Rodgers and Hammerstein repetoire class. He still has one more quarter of coursework to take - and his required theatre course is performance based. He may audition next fall again, but at the moment he is focused on completing his gen ed requirements. Intense performance based coursework begins sophomore year, so we will see what haooens then. He loves the program and feels like he is learning and growing.

I’m hoping you an provide a little more insight on Theater at Northwestern. My daughter is considering applying, but is concerned about it not being a BFA. Any insights? Also, since she is applying to other acting programs, she can’t ED as most theater programs don’t offer that. Will that work too much against her?Thanks in advance!

@gidamom: My D is a theatre major at NU having transferred in from another major last year. What are your daughter’s concerns about it not being a BFA?

Thanks @momzhood ! I hope your D is enjoying NU and the program thus far. My daughter has been actively looking at BFAs thinking the training in those programs will be more specialized and higher amount of courses geared toward performing specifically. Do you have any insights or thoughts on this? Also, is it still an audition program although it’s a BA? Thanks in advance!

@gidamom In a similar predicament, it doesn’t look like you got an answer here. If you found out more about the BA in acting at NU please share. I am wondering if they need to audition after acceptance.

@momzhood @gidamom The NU program is a BA in Theatre and does not require an audition. You apply to the School of Communications as a Theatre major. They accept only 100 Theatre majors each year. The Musical Theatre Certificate (similar to a minor) does require an audition. Auditions for the MT certificate program take place during the first year. Only 25 students are accepted into the MT certificate program each year. If you are interested in the MT certificate program, you should send an arts supplement (similar to a BFA MT prescreen video). It does not function in lieu of an MT audition which takes place during the first year, but might give you a leg up in admission to the University if the Arts Supplement is strong.

@gidamom and @2artskidz: My D loves being a Theatre major at NU. However, she transferred into the major at the end of her sophomore year, so she is still busy catching up on her major courses. She would have described her college search as a “Voice major dual degree with liberal arts with heavy theatre opportunities” rather than the usual “Do I Want A BA vs a BFA?” discussion that I think most potential theatre students address first. I think there are several CC threads that discuss BA vs BFA that could give you some good points about this comparison. But with regard to a BA at NU vs a BFA - a BA from NU is going to be more academic. By that I mean, more discussion and writing classes although she has performance-based classes and performance opportunities. The academics were what she wanted - some students don’t. Another point of difference for NU is that the university emphasizes multiple interests. There are many students who are double-majoring in theatre and engineering, liberal arts, music, etc. I think the best option would be for your daughter would be to research the theatre major classes and major worksheet in the School of Communications. It’s all laid out as the what classes are taken and when. You could build out all 4 years and compare them with a BFA program. Finally, another thing to realize about NU is that there are many, many performance opportunities. Students audition for 12 or so mainstage and student productions every quarter. My daughter started her Jr year in September. By February, she will have been in 1 play, 1 musical, several student films, and been dramaturg for 2 productions. Hope this helps you somewhat.