Not Getting in an MT BFA program

Doesn’t Juilliard limit the number of times you can audition? Thought I remembered that from back in our research period

I do know that Pace only allows you to audition twice and then that’s it. Wayne talked about it last year when people asked about re-auditioning. He also said the likelihood of being accepted once rejected from them was really, really small.

Yes, @toowonderful, Juilliard does limit auditions. According to what they told us at audition day parent meeting this year, a student can audition twice for the acting program. Not sure if that applies for their instrumental or voice programs as well.

Well twice is a bit better than one and done. With voice and acting so much can change I am surprised that any school would worry about how often someone auditioned…it just seems an odd rule. I may be missing something here…

Lots of great advice here.

Just to put it out there: Three of my own kids did gap years, and the results were terrific–one went to Williams, one went to Northwestern, and one went to LAMDA. I’m only saying their results because a lot of people have this fear that if you take the gap you it will hurt you in some way.

Each of them had different reasons for a gap year but all were on board about the gap year. It’s really important to feel like the gap year is a good thing - not a consolation prize. Obviously if you don’t get into colleges then at first it will feel like a consolation prize, or worse; but to make it work you do have to seize the moment and turn it into something positive.

We are not well off and my kids didn’t do anything fancy during gap year. All 3 worked. Also, while at home, they were not ‘trouble’-- meaning I didn’t have to worry about irresponsible choices, and they helped in the household.

I’ll detail their stories here for those who are interested–

Older D is an aspiring artist. She did get into her dream art school but we couldn’t afford it. She got into other great art schools, but in the process of negotiations and visits, she changed her mind & realized she didn’t want to go to an art school undergrad & would prefer to retry the next year and apply for a LAC. She worked all year as at the local municipal library, where she’d been volunteering for two years. They offered her a job as a children’s library assistant, which she did, about 30 hours/week. She also used some of her money to travel to Europe and go on an archaeological dig (I didn’t pay). Before you knew it, applications came again. She applied and had really great stuff to write about - after all, she knew where she wanted to go and why - and got into Williams.

My younger D is an aspiring actor. She just didn’t apply to college. She didn’t feel ready. Now I do have to say that if you take the gap year you have to be ready for a) other kids all going to college and you being alone at home possibly wondering if you’re doing the right thing b) busy-bodies outright saying you are ‘dropping out’ and questioning you. We had both relatives and friends outright questioning me and her. It can get really obnoxious–just a warning.

She was a diner hostess about 30 hours/week. She also took adult classes at the local regional equity theatre, landed a role in a semi-professional Shakespeare company (in a bit part), and took a language class at the community college to strengthen her language requirement as she’d only had 2 years since she stinks at foreign languages.

For those considering community college btw, beware not to go over 12 credits. You want to enter as a Freshman. I mean if your plan is to enter as a transfer, that’s not a gap year—that’s a transfer.

She also worked on her auditions. She got into Northwestern.

My S was a bit different as he was a professional theatre actor and homeschooled, but he did take the gap year as he also felt he wasn’t ready, and worked as an actor (and took his GED). Honestly, believe it or not, he too had people saying he was a ‘college drop out.’ People can be very judgemental… So definitely be prepared for that!

I’m detailing all this to show that a gap year is certainly possible and doesn’t have to cost the parent any money other than the food for that year and probably driving costs, although my kids contributed to the costs. But the key is that you are doing it for what you feel is a positive reason.

For a BFA program, I would definitely 100% be sure to use the year to beef up the audition and target areas of need. Also if your SATs were weaker or if you want to improve, I’d retake (my younger D did)–this is good for scholarships/grants as well as getting into some BFA schools.

A lot of times, it’s simply a matter of maturing one year. Also it’s easier to do the audition circuit when you’re not in school full time!

Another “one and done” school is Western Michigan - they do not allow re-auditions to their MT program.

@kategrizz - As far as I know, what you said about Western Michigan is not true. My d knows students who have auditioned several times for the MT program.

Wright State’s policy is only audition once for the program, but there has been at least 1 theatre studies major who auditioned and got in the next year while D (senior) has been there. I think she was not accepted for the BFA, decided to attend as a theatre studies major, and then re-auditioned the following year. I think the policy may be from when WSU had rolling admissions - you couldn’t audition in the fall and then re-audition in the spring - although that couldn’t happen now. I may be wrong about this… @mom4bwayboy - any more info?

@EmsDad … when my D auditioned at Western Michigan a couple of years ago, I do remember a prof/admin saying that during the question and answer session in the auditorium. (That they’re basically a one-and-done audition system.)

So maybe that’s what they say publicly? Who knows! ;))

@MTmom2017 - I’m not 100% certain. My understanding was that if you auditioned at WSU and were redirected to Theater Studies BA and enrolled/attended, you were not allowed to re-audition for BFA at a later date. I know of one current junior who I believe was VP at another school, transferred into WSU as BA for a year (1/2 year??) and then auditioned into BFA MT. It makes sense that you could not re-audition within the same audition season when they were doing rolling acceptances.

I think at most schools, you can apply/audition more than one time (year). However, I think a bigger issue for those trying for a second year to get admitted to college after a year off, is to have mostly different schools on their list than the first time around. Keep a few if really interested in them and you think your skill set has vastly improved. But one key thing to success on the second go around is developing a new list of schools. Having the right list for yourself is a big factor in the final results.

@soozievt
So agree, the right list is huge. So this is where I think audition coaches on a National level can really help. Especially if you are not in a big market getting feedback early on, new to the performing arts field, or not new but just have not gotten much feedback on this performing arts college audition process. I think you can do it all on your own it just gets tricky time wise if you are newer to the field:)

I asked one school which is considered a top tier school if you could re audition later if you were denied, the faculty member told me that you could do that if you wished but the odds are definitely not in your favor the second time around and in 10 yrs they had only taken one person from a second audition and that was someone who had been waitlisted previously. That being said I’m assuming that faculty member meant that it’s not really a school that based auditions on type very much & what they need any given year, because it seemed to be that if they didn’t think you had the talent level the first time they would still feel like that the second time. Whereas if it was more based on type that they need , you might have a better chance the second time because the class demographics would be changing…

Having a college list appropriate to you, and well balanced, is key, in my opinion, as to the final outcome for students not only who apply for MT, but to college in general. In my work as a college counselor, I see many who start out with their own list that is very unrealistic. To me, the right list for the individual is very important and so much follows from that early step in the college admissions process.

@EmsDad - Just like @KaMaMom - I’m also going off what we were told during our D’s audition process. I do know that they sometimes make exceptions to that policy - I know someone personally who was permitted to audition again for the program (She was reauditioning the same date as my D auditioned) - but even she gave me the distinct impression that it was an exception - not the norm - and that she had to get special permission from the program director.

Now that the majority of results are in, I am curious as to the plans of others without a BFA option…

My D is going to do an auditioned BA Theatre and Dance. I am so grateful that she threw that audition in at the last minute!

@connections can you speak more to the transfer vs freshman piece? S may be looking at a version of a gap year. He has artistic acceptances but was rejected academically from what would have been the more realistic options financially. If we can’t find the money for the other, he will be forced to take a gap year.

I was thinking that going to community college would be a help as it would allow him to present a higher GPA, as well as fill in places where he was deficient (foreign language, specifically). He would still be looking at BFA programs, but i was hoping that with a transfer status academically he may have a better chance of acceptance. However, if he needs to keep freshman status for the BFA, then we need to ensure he doesn’t take too many classes.

I think I would speak to the MT departments his been accepted to this year. I’m not sure how defiecent he is but perhaps they could pull strings. But remember MT is very rigorous and challenging.

For those who auditioned for Texas State and didn’t get accepted to BFA MT or BFA Acting, or for those looking for a BFA safety for next year, they do have a non-auditioned BFA in Performance and Production at Texas State that may be of interest. I think coursework spans the gamut of on-stage/off-stage topics. Worth researching for kids who really want BFA designation.