Same - CCM?? Penn yes
@NJMTMother we are still waiting to hear from USC, too. I thought we would have by now.
@BrennaK @dramamama918 @PNWdrama @DramaLove2020 @LadyMjolnir.
Same here.
D prescreened with Michigan, CMU, USC, Pace, Syracuse, Emerson, Illinois Wesleyan, Northwestern.
Results so far: Michigan - No, Northwestern and USC - waiting, All the rest - Yes and scheduled.
Also scheduled to auditions with Muhlenberg and Juilliard.
I had no clue that this would be such a complicated and expensive process. D isn’t doing unifieds so she could visit schools. USC is killing me. There is only one audition date for USC and it conflicts with D’s CMU audition date. She can’t be in CA and PA on same date and the longer USC takes, the higher the price for the flight. My D doesn’t want to reschedule CMU for an alternate date until she knows if she will need to go to CA. She is worried that the only alternate date for CMU that works for her schedule won’t be available by the time she hears from USC.
@NJMTMother it is an expensive, complex and stressful process. Non performing arts kids (and parents) have no idea what’s involved.
Actually I think it’s quite unfair to less fortunate artists who can’t afford (or have parents that simply won’t get that involved) the process. We’ve already had two trips and have four more scheduled in the next six weeks. All in cost for the application / audition process is more than a full year’s tuition at our in state universities (FL - way more if you include audition coach, camp, etc.)
I wonder where the very talented, less fortunate kids go or if they even pursue the arts professionally. I assume they attend local schools but those with BFA programs also are competitive admits with small classes.
Crazy!
It is indeed an expensive process making it challenging for less fortunate students. However, I didn’t find it any more expensive for my BFA applicant kid than my other kid who did not apply to BFA programs. Both kids visited every college on their list (one to audition/visit, and one to visit). The travel costs were similar. In terms of lessons, camps, etc., both my kids cost a bunch of money for all their lessons, camps, and activities. One was not more costly than the other. Just sharing.
And not quite the same point response, my non-BFA kid cost more to educate because a BFA degree is considered a terminal degree and my other kid went four years to graduate school, so 8 years of higher education, compared to the 4 year BFA kid.
I can actually speak to how applicants with less means approach this process. Don’t get me wrong, we are not struggling, but we do have a smaller budget. We are also a bit late to the game which also made a difference in how we have proceeded. My D agreed that staying in state (CA) was what she wanted and what we could afford without loans. That pretty much limited her right off the bat. We went to a private college tour and had to tell her is just wasn’t in the budget ($70,000/year). So, that left only public colleges and then we had to see which ones had acting and/or MT. Not many! She has not had a coach and all of the schools are within 1-2 hours driving, so no overnight visits required. Also, only one has an audition so very little cost there. How all of this pans out in the end, we shall see. So, I do think a student wanting to pursue acting/MT can do so with less means, but it is definitely a different path than most.
Also, I think she’s very talented, but I am her mom. 
Although, she has already worked professionally. Plus, she is a hard worker and really loves performing and is excited to get the training she hasn’t really had yet. Wherever she ends up!
I do love hearing all of your stories and paths taken on this crazy ride.
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@MommaCat sure sounds like your D has all the components for success! :). As someone else previously stated, u can look through the bios in any program or playbill and see a huge variety of training. From the top schools to ones I have never heard of. It’s about talent, hard work, and passion for your art. I believe that great training is a huge help and a degree from a top school definitely helps get their foot in the door. However, one of my kids who is involved in casting will say most often that it’s talent and presentation that books the job in the end. Not the resume or the school.
Also @MommaCat , I have noticed several out of state schools award in state tuition for MT. BAL!
@mommaCat Very good wisdom. We don’t have any decent MT programs with strong dance(something my D wants) in my state. Therefore, out of state is the only option. We have stayed away from the private, super expensive conservatories. Daughter and family will not be saddled with debt in a field that has a very, very low probability of paying well. Of our 14 schools, only 2 are private–Elon and TCU. We have found that the state schools–Texas Tech, Texas State, UCF, Indiana, Ball State, etc–give A LOT of money when you have strong academics. Yes, the privates have big endowments to give away money, but only enough to bring the cost down to in-state tuition.
Back to the point, this is an expensive process if you allow it to be, but talent will win out every time. If you audition well, perform well, and FIT WHAT THEY NEED AT THAT TIME (this is the X factor why two seemingly “identical” programs accept reject your prescreen or audition), you get an offer. If you aren’t a fit, on to the next school.
If you want to save money, don’t visit the school until you are accepted. Why visit a school and spend the money if they don’t accept you? Visit one of your local universities, if you have one, to get a feel for what the child may want in a college environment.
Lastly, there is so much free information on CC, YouTube, books, high school, and people our kids have performed with, that the cost audition costs can be managed. Many, many film and stage actors NEVER went to college, so don’t let the college (brand) dictate whether you will succeed or struggle. Our children can be successful whether they go to NYU, Michigan, or Oakton Community College. Attitude, hard work, and talent will persevere ALMOST every time.
@HAHCx4 Well said in a much more concise way than I! 
CCM answered phone. He said hopefully in next few days but refs by end of the week. They are finishing other schools and then will finish MT… there ya have it!
@mamaboyz - so maybe by the end of the week???
We don’t have any in-state schools with MT BFAs, so it’s all travel for us. :neutral:
Back in November, CCM told us they do their MT emails on Thursdays and Fridays, so I’m really hoping this is the week for all of us to hear back. There isn’t any time left!
So for those in the know about CCM - do they just assign you a time based on where you chose to do your auditions? Say Chicago - I am sure we picked a day for preference - however it WAS AUGUST so I can’t remember and then unified filled up rather quickly. So if they assign us a day and we can’t make it, do they let you move it?
D just got the email from USC. It was a no. So with the exception of waiting Elon, she’s set.
@DramaLove2020 regarding CCM… we were highly fortunate that my daughter submitted her prescreen and received a “yes” response quickly. They do assign you a day and time based on what you told them you could do when you filled out your form. If you need to change the time they give you they charge you $100. I called right away because I wasn’t sure if that meant like once you agree to that time then you can’t change it after the fact, and I was hoping to change her day before she “confirmed” the time they assigned her, but they said no, the time they sent was her audition spot and if we needed to change it, it would be $100. I don’t know of any other schools that charge the applicants for switching their times. The fees for pre-screening and auditioning for CCM are also ridiculous even without the $100 penalty. I know they are a HIGHLY regarded program but c’mon!
@csuram1994 @MommaCat @HAHCx4 I couldn’t agree more with you all. My daughter and I did not visit any schools to save money, since I knew we would be going to the ones where she passed the prescreen (I didn’t understand what unifieds were and still am not sure if it would have saved me much anyway since some schools don’t participate in it).
USC (So.Cal) prescreen result came in around midnight.
BFA MT Prescreen No’s:
Michigan
BFA MT Prescreen Yes’s:
USC, CMU, Syracuse, Emerson, Illinois-Wesleyan, and Pace (Accepted academically, but costs after scholarship award are $25k over my EFC, and they want me to take a parent loan to cover it. I can’t do it. I am too old to carry that kind of loan each year. I will be in my mid 60s when she gets her degree, and I don’t want to be paying off loans into my 70s. Even though NYC was her first choice, I have to say no. Definitely no, I can’t do it.).
Final words…
I do think my daughter has talent, but I am her mother and know I am biased. Even so, I will be the first to admit that I have absolutely no background in this area and am not at all qualified to legitimately assess her. Also, I hope this doesn’t sound like a “bad mother of the year” statement, but I honestly had no idea whether she would pass any of the prescreens. I recently learned that there are so many factors that go into the decision. There are so many kids out there who are amazingly strong triple threats. Plus, I had no idea what types the schools were seeking to round out their MT students. My D’s type is not the ingénue, so she might have had less competition than some of the other more popular types. It may have helped her chances of passing the prescreen. All I can do at this point is hope that her auditions go well, and that she gets accepted to at least one school that I can afford. It would be disappointing if it didn’t happen after getting so close. At least she has other options if a BFA program doesn’t work out.
I always say, “Everything happens for a reason.” No matter what path my D takes, I know she will make something of it.
BAL!
@SingerDancerMom - yes, that is frustrating… I would understand if I got a yes or a no in September or October, scheduled and then needed to change. But I submitted in August and still haven’t heard. They have to expect people to schedule other auditions - and then they expect you to jump through hoops to audition. It’s hard to say no to CCM - but that may be what they count on. I fully expect a NO but it is just hard to wait!
If I can give one piece of advice to everyone–don’t get too excited by all the smiles, positive feedback, glossy brochures, and pretty faces. After reading posts for 2 years on CC and watching my D perform over the last 14 years, negative or critical feedback is hard to come by.
How many posts have we all read that say, “My D’s audition was great. The auditors were all wildly positive about her. The head of the department came up and shook her hand personally after the audition. I think we will get an offer.”
Followed by a post a month later, “We didn’t get in to XXX. I don’t understand. I thought we were going to get an offer based on their positive feedback and excitement.”
This is a really, really hard and brutal process and business. Stay level headed. Everything happens for a reason. Your S and D are still awesome no matter what happens.
@csuram1994 Thanks. Good advice. Passed it along to my D.