<p>chimerical96–what a lovely and vulnerable story to share. Thank you! </p>
<p>I hope your “snorting” classmate is now aware of your acceptance! 
I love a happy ending! Congrats chimerical96!</p>
<p>chimerical96 Congratulations on getting accepted to Michigan! My son was also accepted and is thrilled! Just wanted to be sure you are aware that there is a facebook page for admitted BFA students for fall…its called University of Michigan BFA Acting/Directing Class of 2018. It is run by current students. It is a closed group but they will add you if they know you are accepted (they found my son on the Unified facebook page which is for anyone who auditioned this year). Also, they have and “Admitted Student Day” that you might want to look into. Morning activities are general but afternoon are specific to UMTD.</p>
<p>First of all, I agree with all that has been said here…if you have a dream school and don’t fit the numbers you should still go for it! If you don’t , you will always wonder. Believe in yourself and the auditioners will see what you have to offer.</p>
<p>I would like the weigh in on the other side of the academics issue. My son didn’t become interested in theatre until he was a sophomore so he knew it was highly unlikely that his audition and resume alone would get him into one of his top choices. I think that it is great that schools like NYU, Boston and Michigan weigh academics AND the audition. It shows that they believe that a kid who is smart, passionate and hard working can be successful in theatre. Boston did say that they pick kids based on the audition and then send them to admissions for approval whereas NYU made it clear that it was 50-50. I might add that I thought that Michigans process was the most thorough and fair…in addition to the resume and headshot they required a letter of recommendation from someone in theatre and an essay about why you chose theatre and wanted to go to Michigan. Just my two cents for what its worth…</p>
<p>I am bumping this thread to put it in front of rising classes- some great info here. One multiple threads people have been giving advice on things to do to get ready for next year… and a GREAT thing to spend time on this summer would be some test prep for anyone who needs to improve their SAT/ACT. The last thing any parent would want if for their kid to be denied their dream school b/c of a lousy test you can take again!</p>
<p>Just read this thread and want to say I think mountainhiker’s and chimerical’s posts are spot on.
Takeaway from chimerical - ALWAYS reach for your dream. If you don’t try you can’t succeed.
Takeaway from mountainhiker - prepare your auditions of course, but for those early in the process don’t neglect your academics.<br>
According to the head of the high school drama program at UNCSA the academics is what will get kids the scholarship money that may make the difference in actually being able to afford to attend one of the “dream schools” they may be fortunate enough to get accepted to. Schools like Juilliard, NYU, CMU, BU, USC, cost close to $70,000 per year. Out of state at UCLA, Michigan, DePaul are also pretty pricey. I’m sure there are others. My understanding is that scholarship money is given out every year, but generally is awarded based on a combo of need PLUS academic excellence. Even if you don’t have great financial need several schools have scholarships available for students with great grades and or test scores.
It is hard to say exactly why one person is admitted to a school and another not, but provided all other things are equal - excellent auditions, right “type” (whatever that means) and “good fit” for the ensemble being formed - then the one with the better “academic” qualifications just might get the nod. </p>