<p>I received a rejection from Ithaca College today and I'm starting to get worried because the rest of my schools (Carnegie Mellon, Fordham, DePaul, Rutgers, Boston U, Muhlenberg and Hartt School) are more competitive to get into. I was just wondering- Are there people who have been rejected from their bottom schools but been accepted by more difficult ones?</p>
<p>Ithaca is pretty competitive, Actr12-- they all are and they’re all looking for very small classes composed of a variety of people. You might be a great actor but they already have too many-- swarthy baritones, or whatever. It’s not worth questioning (though, as the long March days go on, it’s hard not to question!) </p>
<p>Muhlenberg though, doesn’t base admission on your audition. If your GPA and SATs are in the top of their range, especially if you’re a guy, you have a very good chance of getting in. And people rave about their theater dept. So, hold on tight, you’re on the roller coaster…the worst thing that could happen is that you end up taking a gap year and trying again-- with that much more maturity and experience. LOTS of people start BFA’s a year or two late, so if you want to go that route you’ll have plenty of company. </p>
<p>My fingers are crossed for good things for you, soon!</p>
<p>Actr12 - Were you called back for DePaul and Mason Gross? DePaul states plainly that students who are not called back are not under consideration; Mason Gross is coy about it, but I assume that no call-back means acceptance is unlikely. If you were called back for DePaul, you cleared a major preliminary hurdle, so your chances aren’t bad. I’ve inferred from these threads that Fordham has already notified accepted students, and so I’ve crossed them off as well (my son wasn’t called back at DePaul or Mason Gross). Every school looks for something a little different. Did you apply to any non-audition schools, or to any less-competitive B.F.A. programs?</p>
<p>Don’t worry Actr12, something will hopefully work out. I’m a good example of getting rejections at safeties but receiving acceptances from top choices. I got my first rejection back in late January. It was a safety and so I was quite surprised but I concluded that as an out of state student applying to a state school, my chances were always going to be slim. Then a couple weeks later I got wait-listed at my absolute back-up safety school. I was devastated to say the least, not so much about the school itself but because I immediately concluded that I would get nothing but more rejections in the coming months. About 10 or so days later I got accepted to Penn State’s BA Theatre program (with an emphasis on performance). Not only is this a hard school to get in to, but I also had to audition. I was (and currently am) thrilled as PSU is one of my first choices. It made me realize there was no sense in thinking I was doomed just because of a few rejections. I’m still waiting to hear from a few more schools but I am no longer in a dire situation.</p>
<p>Multiple acceptances are great of course, but at the end of the day all you need is one. </p>
<p>Also, I wanted to add that the majority of programs you listed are auditioned BFA’s and whilst loads of people do get rejected from these programs, it’s worth remembering not every one of those schools are looking for the exact same thing. For example, you might not be what Ithaca is looking for but you may be exactly what Rutgers wants. </p>
<p>As difficult as this sounds, stay strong and just wait to see what happens with the rest of the schools you applied to.</p>
<p>Stagemum: I was called back to DePaul but not to Rutgers. The colleges I listed above are the only colleges I have left but I have faith that Ill get into at least one.
Thank you JME1992- Those are very inspiring words! Im so happy that you found what is right for you!</p>
<p>I do think that one thing that influenced my decision was my application at the audition for Ithaca. They asked the order of my college list and where I wanted to go and I put it in exactly as it was (instead of putting Ithaca as my first which soo many people probs do). Then again I do believe that I’'ll end up where Im supposed to be. My friend just got into her top college today and was rejected from all of her others. That gives me a lot of hope :)</p>
<p>Actr12, JME1992 is totally right–all you need is one acceptance. This doesn’t have to do with musical theatre, but my older D was rejected by several lower level schools but accepted by Williams. Anything is possible. Especially in theatre programs. Hang in there, and best of luck.</p>
<p>I’m sure you’ll get into at least one of your schools, and, as a firm believer in Karma, it will be the right one for you. My son is still holding out for Emerson or BU, but he is grateful to already have two attractive options in UArts and Rutgers School of Arts & Sciences (where he can major in Theatre, and take classes at Mason Gross, while having the flexibility to pursue outside interests, and possibly attend a football or basketball game sometime). I heartily recommend current juniors to apply to at least one or two schools with rolling admissions or non-binding early decision options.</p>
<p>Hoveringmom: Thank you for your words of encouragement! 
Stagemum: Thank you! I applied to BU as well. Its a great program and when the staff worked with me I grew A LOT! I hope your son has good luck with Emerson and BU!!</p>
<p>Rejected: DePaul, Coastal Carolina, Texas State
Waiting on: Emerson, Texas Christian
Accepted: Southern Utah
Accepted and Attending: Chapman</p>
<p>There’s definitely a trend that I was rejected from the more competitive schools, but I personally prioritized Chapman as my #1 because of peripheral factors (location, weather, local scene). Keep your chin up-- once you find a place that’s right for you, even if you weren’t building it up as your personal favorite, all of the rejections just roll right off. As I said in another thread, you can use them as motivation to succeed in the future; my new goal is to make the admissions officers who passed over me kick themselves someday. ;)</p>
<p>Smart strategy, strangebro, and I’ve heard great things about Chapman too! Congratulations.</p>
<p>Strangebro: I agree with Gwen Fairfax. Chapman has a really great theatre program! Congratulations! I definitely agree with you about that. When I auditioned with Juilliard though it wasn’t a great experience for me, the head of the Drama Department gave us a talk about all the people that they denied that have gone on to become successful actors. He was like “the college process is all about finding the place that is best for you.” That was the best thing I got from that experience.
But I have another question: I fully believe in that statement but can someones college name influence future work? Will casting directors ever see a certain school or schools and go definitely not or definitely yes during an audition? I’ve often heard that that can happen</p>
<p>@ StrangeBro</p>
<p>Chapman is a great University! They also have a top-notch film program and I am guessing you will have the opportunity to be in some of their productions as well. Good luck there! The weather IS awesome (except for Santa Ana winds sometimes.). I know because I used to live in Orange County.</p>
<p>My strategy this year was to lock in my safeties right away and get those acceptances in hand. Then I had a total mix of BA and BFA programs in both Acting and MT and a couple Conservatories. It was easy to pick the dream schools but I also tried to get some I thought were good fits. My final list was 11 colleges/programs. So I began with two acceptances, then had a rejection within an hour of my audition (Julliard - yeah BIG reach!) and two weeks later found out I had been accepted to my dream school (The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) for MT and am also on a list of finalists or wait-listed (can’t really tell by their terminology) for Acting. So whether MT or Acting I am almost certainly going to Glasgow!</p>
<p>Now I am starting to get all the rejections and I thought it would be no big deal, but it can still sting - especially for those colleges where I thought I had done REALLY well at the audition. I mean, some were obvious “No’s” meaning no connection and no warm and fuzzy feeling (like Julliard) - and those rejections are easier. But the others did kinda hurt. I’m still waiting to hear from a few more colleges, but I am thrilled by my dream “yes” and I doubt any other offers will be as good as theirs.</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone waiting to hear. I hope each of us gets an offer that we like…and if not, don’t give up! You have worked too hard to take “No” for an answer. Take a gap year and try again.</p>
<p>Actr12 - Very, very rarely. Casting agents are looking for the best actor for the part - regardless of where they have been trained or even whether they’ve been formally trained. I think having a particular school on your resume may peak interest, but I know for a fact when they are casting a movie, your school isn’t even a factor.</p>
<p>Actr12 - You will be admitted to a college with an acting program because you included a non-audition school. Smart Girl!!!</p>
<p>I have to completely agree with what Luvzthe8r, even with an acceptance in hand a rejection will always hurt. In a way, as tough is it seems now, all this rejection could be a great way of preparing us for the real world. The schools you do eventually get into will be the right ones for you and despite the rejections from other places, that school you end up attending will be the one you were always supposed to go to! </p>
<p>Also, I have to give a HUGE congratulations to luvzth8re for getting into The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland!!! I live in Europe and that is one of the most talked about and famous programs. If you get in there, people practically expect to see you on the red carpet one day :P! I have a friend who also has gotten waitlisted for Acting and everyone here was thrilled with even that! So congrats on getting in!</p>
<p>JME1992 do you know anything on the LIPA program?</p>
<p>LIPA (Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts) is another one that people do talk about but I would have to say it is less glorified than some of the others. The only reason for that is that most people, when considering conservatories in England, tend to always think of the ones in London first (such as RADA or Central etc). It is definitely a well known program and Liverpool does have quite a theatre reputation (some of the UK’s best artists have come from there) but people generally consider London as the place to be (within England). </p>
<p>That shouldn’t take away from the program though. I’m sure anyone who attended would get great training and if you do get in you should certainly consider it. Although it isn’t as highly desired as some of the London programs, the silver lining is that it’s undoubtedly the most famous and most respected program in the North!!</p>
<p>Another thing I would say though (which I suppose is debatable) is that unless you’ve visited Liverpool, I would be a little reluctant towards going for the place itself. Liverpool does have some wonderful areas but as an American (or any non-European) making the transition of living in the UK, Liverpool might be one of the toughest places to do so. It can certainly be a tough city and there are quite a few bad areas (mainly because of the city’s working class environment). It is not nearly as much of an international place like London (and this tends to be the case with most cities in the North) and there is definitely some hostility towards foreigners. Also, the Liverpudlian accent is MUCH thicker than a London or southern English accent (the slang dialect in Liverpool is called scouse) and if you aren’t used to it, then it can be very difficult to understand at first. </p>
<p>I don’t want to take anything away from LIPA cause it is a great program but I would say, if you do get in you should try and visit before committing to it. Liverpool is one of those places that some people will absolutely love and others will passionately despise. You really have to see it for yourself to decide.</p>
<p>Act12:</p>
<p>In the professional entertainment world, when you are auditioning, a professional casting director is ONLY paying attention to your audition. They are not looking at where you went to college, or even whether you went to college at all. (There are LOADS of succesful actors who did not go to college).</p>
<p>I can remember, for example, holding auditions for a British play that required the correct accents, and one actor with impressive training (including accent classes) could not do the accent, so I didn’t cast him, while there was an actress who did the accent incredibly, and when I asked her she just said she learned the accent from watching Monty Python and other British TV shows.</p>
<p>KEVP</p>
<p>Thank you TheRealKEVP! That really puts things into perspective. Thank you for sharing that</p>
<p>@ JME1992</p>
<p>Thank you so much! I am soooo excited to attend RCS. I found out about the program last August when my Drama Teacher pointed it out to me. He has had several students attend over the years and thought it would be a good program for me. The more I researched, the more I loved it! I was able to connect with some current students through FB and ask lots of questions and also one of the alumni of my HS who attended. </p>
<p>I was not super nervous for my other college auditions, but I had butterflies in my stomach for the RCS ones. I auditioned for both Acting and MT to increase my chances (since they only take 3 - 4 American students in a program each year) and I have to say I thought both auditions went pretty well. You can never tell, though, (as evidenced by some program rejections after I thought I did well) and so the waiting was excruciating. RCS said they would have a decision about 2 weeks after the audition (I auditioned in Chicago) and that was the longest two weeks of my life! I actually found out about Acting (Reserve List) two days later but the MT (Acceptance) took 2 weeks and 6 days. I do know how incredibly lucky I am - there were many very talented people that auditioned here in the states. Just so thankful they saw my potential and are offering me a place </p>
<p>Good luck to your friend. Hope he/she gets in, too!</p>