Hi there,
I have some questions about the MT program at Cap21/Molloy…
• Are there any academic classes in the MT BFA program?
• How much does the Catholic aspect of the college influence the program and are non-Catholic students as at home there?
• What is the culture of the program? Community oriented vs competitive orientation?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses?
Thanks so much!
@tatteredandfriendly Hi, I can try to answer some of your questions since my D is a Soph MT BFA student.
-There are academic classes that are taken at the Molloy campus- 3 days a week for freshmen and 2 times a wk for upperclassmen. Depending on if or how many AP or college credits you may have earned in HS, will determine how many academic courses you will have to take. My D averages 2 per semester since she came in with some credits
-There is only 1 religion class that they are req’d to take. My D took hers first semester, so she’s done.
There are jewish, non religious and quite religious students in her class-it really doesn’t seem different from any other institution. They are all very comfortable and at home there.
-I would say the culture of the program is most definitely community oriented.
-strengths-
The unique balance of having a campus life and a NYC state of the art facility to train at
Being trained by current & former NYC actors/singers/dancers
Very big emphasis on acting
There is a professional theatre on campus-The Madison. You can audition and also some students have jobs there.
Senior showcase-all seniors participate
Weaknesses-
For some, the commute on the LIRR is seen as a weakness
Molloy is a commuter school, so the
Campus is definitely quiet on weekends. Although, they are currently in the process of building brand new housing- that is a strength! Lol
I’m sure others can chime in and give you more details-hope this helps. BAL!
Hi @tatteredandfriendly I have a freshman in the program and agree with everything Jjrmom8 said. I’d add that there are a number of different religion classes they can take - from Christian to Buddhist to Hinduism. I would say that you can engage in religious activities or not. as you prefer.
I’ll also echo that the culture is definitely community oriented, and although it is more of a commuter campus, the school always as some activity going on for the students. Also, I think all but one of the students in the Freshman MT class live on campus.
There is definitely a big emphasis on acting, but I’d also say that there is balance in the program. The kids get a lot of dance training, both private and group voice classes every semester, class piano/music theory/sight singing, etc.
Let us know if you have any questions. We have a pretty active group of folks on here with kids in ever current class all the way through a parent of a graduate.
Thank you both so much! Super appreciate the info. My S will be auditioning for them next week at Unifieds. He already knows that they are high on his list, but wanted some more information in case they ask him why he wants to go there, and also just in case he gets in of course, it will be good to have information to help with decision making.
The C in CAP stands for Collaborative. Your child will participate in projects that work in specific areas of Musical Theatre. For instance - the first one is just an acting project. Then and acting/song. Then Song/Dance/Acting There is a Pop Rock project coming up. In these projects - all students have about an equal amount of performing in these projects. They do a couple of major scene studies each semester also with different members of their class, so to get used to the different styles of each performer. Every student participates in the Showcase. The only real competitive concepts are auditions at the Madison Professional performances ( Not part of the curriculum ) and the Main Stage Production their Sr year - and even then they will all participate in one form or another, just there are major roles, minor roles, and ensembles. The school is more interested in developing students that can get out and find work in the real world of theatre, than just put on shows while in school.
I can say, this program being run this way has grown my D so much not only as a performer, but confidence in herself to go out in a cruel business, and be successful. I almost dont even recognize my own child from when we dropped her off her Freshman year. There is not another program in the US that I would recommend over this one!!!
@mtandsbdad what a strong and wonderful recommendation. I’m so happy that your D is thriving there.
@tatteredandfriendly thought you would like to see some of the exciting things going on @ CAP21
https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Rob-Rokicki-Eric-Price-To-Present-Musicals-At-Molloy-CollegeCAP21
My D is a Freshman there this year as well. I second the other above comments and will add:
Strengths - Proximity to the city. My D loves having access to the city and the many opportunities that that provides. Also, although the commute into the Manhattan studios a few days a week is not always seen as a “fun time”, it does provide a wonderful, real world learning opportunity! We come from a small Midwest city with limited public transportation, so learning the public transportation system in NY has been a bonus for my D. In fact, the lack of said transportation is one of the things she is dreading about coming back home this summer 
Another strength, the faculty! My D LOVES her CAP teachers! Now she has had one or two “academic” class professors that she wasn’t too fond of - but you get that at any college/university! But the CAP instructors have been fantastic! Most are working professionals and many also teach at other prestigious programs in the area (i.e. NYU, Julliard, Pace, etc…). She also loves how supportive they all are, well most are, and how they really seem to want to help them grow both personally and professionally.
Challenges - She misses being in a show. The project approach that CAP takes really is a fantastic approach, but my D definitely misses the rehearsal and performance process of being in a show. It’s not a huge detriment, but if that is something that is really important to your child, a school that puts on multiple staged productions each year, then that is something to consider. Hopefully as she has more opportunities to participate in the projects come sophomore year that will help with her longing.
Another challenge relates to the Rockville Centre campus - the campus is very nice and quaint and in a beautiful residential area - but that sometimes can be the problem. There is nothing around the campus, no restaurants, coffee shops, stores, etc. They have to take the shuttle or a Lyft/Uber into Rockville Centre, or one of the other neighboring towns to get supplies or to eat out. It’s not like its a long commute or anything, but still a hassle. Very different from most of the larger, traditional college campuses that usually have many options within walking distance. Just something else to consider.
Molloy has historically been more of a commuter college, so I think they are still working through the logistics of having more “out of staters” in the mix. They are getting there, but still room for improvement.
All in all, I think it is a fantastic program, with amazing training and opportunities. BAL in the audition and let us know how it goes!
I will echo the sentiments of the others above and add some additional info about campus/off campus living. My d was one of the few sophomores that moved off campus this year. Since starting sophomore year they are in Manhattan 3 days a week, this means that they only need to get to the Molloy campus 2 days a week. It is best if one of the roommates has a car for this commute. But now my d lives within easy walking distance to many restaurants and grocery stores. It is an easy subway ride into the city whether that is for CAP21 classes or any other reason. If is convenient this time of year as there are several open call audition opportunities for summer work and it is easier to get into the city from her apartment than from Rockville.
Update: my son was just accepted 
I’m sure I’ll have a bunch more questions soon as final decision is being made, but for the moment I’m just so relieved. Without even having visited it yet, Molloy was at the top of his list.
Congratulations @tatteredandfriendly !! My D is a freshman at Molloy this year, so I would be happy to answer any questions I can!
My D has been accepted and is extremely excited. We visited the Cap 21 building in Manhattan over the summer. We also visited NYU, Pace, Marymount Manhattan, but she loved the feel of Molloy and it was her first choice. However, I am a little nervous about the commute from Rockville and do most of the students that live in the dorms leave on the weekends to go into Rockville or nearby cities. She is coming from California so this will be a huge change (I can’t even go there with how much I will miss her). Any words of advice about the dorms…did your kids do double or triple? How were their roommates? So much to think about. It’s just seems a little daunting that I will be so far. But this is her dream and so happy for her. Rebecca O has been wonderful to speak to.
@jsbiggestfan Many of the CAP kids are from oyher places far away. My son has two roommates…one from long island and one from Texas. We are from ND. I have never hear of him lacking for people to do things with on the weekends if they have free time. The rooming situation has gone well in the triple, but if you can get one, a double would be nicer as there’s not that much space with 3 in those rooms. The new dorm might be better for a triple since they will allow lofting there. No lofts in the current dorms. The commute hasnt been bad, and really, if they’re ever going to live/work in the city, they’ll need to get used to commuting. The kids all go in a couple of big packs so no one is commuting alone. Let us know if you have more questions. My son loves it!
Congratulations @jsbiggestfan !! So happy for your D! I will echo speezagmom’s reply and add that the shuttles run to both Rockville Centre and Garden City (where the mall is) on the weekends so students are able to get to restaurants or shopping either via shuttle or they can take a Lyft (which is often what my D and friends do). We are from Iowa so although not quite as far as California, still FAR. It’s definitely an adjustment, but so worth it! My D loves the training and proximity - can’t beat being in NY for this field!
As mentioned above, the CAP kids are from all over the country - in fact there are several this year that are also from CA. So she would be in good company in terms of being far from home;) In terms of dorms - my D was lucky enough to get a double this year and her roommate is a nursing major. In general, dorm life can be a bit of an adjustment for anyone (I won’t lie and try to say it’s like luxury hotel accommodations or anything) but my D has had a positive experience with her roommate.
Let us know if we can answer any other questions!!
Thanks so much for giving me some assurance! I’m so excited for this journey of hers!
Thanks so much for the reassurance! I’m sure I will have more questions as they come to me. Thanks’