PLEASE CHANCE ME! Want to major in Theatre Tech/Design (BFA) with 2.8UW & 3.0WGPA and 30 ACTcomp.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

As application season approaches, I am becoming increasingly concerned about my low GPA.
—I have a 2.8 UW and 3.0 W as of Junior Year.
***** Please note that I have a strong case of ADHD and have a 504 plan. I also had troubles balancing theatre with academics…particularly Junior Year.

ACT- 30 composite on the first try! (28 on second try)
English-34
Math-28
Reading-31
Science-26
Writing-6

Here are the schools I am looking at. A “*” indicates top choice. After the list of schools are my tech theatre credentials (More ECs to follow theatre creds). Also, if you have suggestions on where else I may want to apply to, please feel free to let me know!

*Ithaca College
*Michigan State
*Penn State
*VCU
SUNY Purchase
CCM (U. of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music)
DePaul University
Christopher Newport University

Tech Theatre Experience:
Freshman Year:
-The Hobbit: Props Crew and Set Deco

Sophomore Year:
–Into the Woods: Props, Set Construction, Stage Crew
–Pride and Prejudice: Set Construction, Stage crew

Junior Year:
–Tech Theatre 1 class (Genie certification included! Learned trades of all sorts!)
–Hired by Fairfax County Public Schools as a student technician (I work lighting, backstage, and sound for outside user groups in our auditorium… Pays well too!) I plan on keeping the part-time/as needed job through senior year.
–White Christmas: Set construction, Set decoration, Stage Crew
–Waiting (original musical): Set Construction, Set design (group collaboration), Props Head, and still managed to be a minor role in the show.

Senior Year Outlook:
–Fashion Design Class
–Tech Theatre 2 class
–Meet Me in St. Louis: Props Head and set designer for one aspect of the set.
–Spring show: Unknown

Other ECs:
–Member of the International Thespian Society
–Active Member of Gay-Straight-Alliance
–Was a member of Active Minds- a club promoting student mental health- until it got cancelled due to lack of interest
–Student Ambassador for STEM program at a neighboring high school

Thank you for taking the time to read through all of this! I look forward to reading your responses below!

2

Focus on assembling your portfolio. Most of those programs will care more about that than your GPA and test scores. Your academic profile is too low for NYU, Emerson, and a few other programs, but is more than adequate for most BFA Theater schools. Trust me on that: my older son’s was no better. He was rejected from the majority of schools he applied to, but one of the best Theater schools in the country put it this succinctly: “We don’t care about your grades.” You should cast a wide net. If money is a concern, be sure that you have some in-state, public options. If it’s not too big a concern, you should include Columbia College Chicago as a safety. They have some great opportunities, with open admission. UArts in Philadelphia has a higher acceptance rate than many Theater schools, and you will have a chance to work at the historic Merriam Theater next door. Temple has a good non-audition/portfolio Theater school, which you stand a decent chance for admission to. If you’re looking at some of the strong public university programs, remember Mason Gross/Rutgers, UNCSA, SUNY Purchase, Indiana, et al.

3

@woogzmama If you don’t mind me asking, what school did your son go to and which schools was he rejected from? Also, money is fortunately not an issue for me. One thing that always frustrates me is when a school (let’s have Indiana U. be our example) states that they are looking for students with a high academic profile, but then say nothing about the academic profiles of students currently enrolled in talent-based programs. I know this because when I visited IU, the admissions speaker claimed that students in all programs were held to roughly the same standards…which we both know is the “vague” answer. Moving on to UNCSA, the one thing I am concerned about is its location- Winston-Salem. Is Winston Salem even a theatre-friendly town/city? (Not to sound naive, but I live and breathe Northeastern U.S. culture :)) )

4

Consider Montclair State-- it’s in the NYC suburbs and has a great program. http://www.buzzfeed.com/anthonyc4736e421c/the-nations-top-10-collegiate-musical-theater-pro-10wzb