<p>Hello,
I will be a senior this coming school year and plan on auditioning for musical theater programs for college.
I would LOOOOOOOVVE to go to the CAP21 program at NYU. I know someone in it and they absolutely love it and I know I would love it too.
The problem is that everyone emphasizes how EXTREMELY competitive it is and this fact is sort of crushing my dream.
I have a great passion for musical theater but I don’t know if I’m up to par to be accepted.
Any advice?</p>
<p>(I have had a lead in a high school production, I’ve taken ballet for about 2 yrs, singing for about 6 yrs…but not the strongest singer, I suppose I am best at acting.)</p>
<p>No reason not to audition for Tisch as long as your academic stats are within NYU range. However, you will want to make a balanced list of schools in terms of academic and artistic selectivity. This comment is not related to experience, but rather all graduating seniors who want to be sure to attend college in the fall will want to apply to a collection of safety, match, and reach schools. No school with a required audition can be considered a safety. There is a lot of valuable information here on schools, so this is a great place to start. Good Luck!</p>
<p>Let me clarify something: Just because students who audition this fall and winter for NYU TSOA won’t have CAP21 as an option for studio does NOT mean that Tisch won’t offer a musical theater studio. It WILL. Tisch is in the process of creating a brand new MT studio.</p>
<p>You should audition. Put that fear of failure out of your mind-that is not going to help you when you are standing there before the auditors. Many students are accepted to Tisch who have very little formal training. Training is not what the auditors are looking for (you’ll get that at school). Choose your material wisely-age appropriate roles you could actually play are excellent choices. Sing music in the key that it was written. I know some music teachers counsel that it is acceptable to change the key, but in my opinion it is not ever advisable. The composer wrote the song in a particular key for a reason-each key has its own color and sensibility. Practice deeply and over a long period of time so that you can perform the pieces in your sleep. Practice in front of people you don’t know very well. Ask mentors for help. good luck.</p>
<p>??? IDK. My D is in this same boat. Because she wants to get into NYU whether it’s her first passion…MT…or the school of CAS for any one of several other passions (philosophy, physics, etc.).</p>
<p>BUT…you can only apply to one school. So…if you “go for” the audition and apply to TISCH…there is no way to apply to the other school(s). </p>
<p>It’s SO frustrating. I understand NYU not wanting schools to compete against each other. But, for instance, our local college has two separate applications (as, I believe, do most). YOu apply to the college and you’re accepted academically (or not). Then you can also/separately audition for MT. If you do NOT go forward in MT…you can still attend the school and study other things. </p>
<p>At NYU you get one shot, one school. And of course no one can say in advance whether or not any given person would be competitive enough for the MT program. And D is not interested in being offered a drama only spot…it’s the music that is the “kicker”. </p>
<p>I’m SURE…with their applicant load…it’s asking a lot. But…the applications are scoured for their academic promise AND they do their auditions…just wondering why Steinhardt or Tisch can “throw a bone” to CAS if they have a great student who didn’t make it through their auditions). But…I don’t work in admissions so I guess it’s not my place to know. It’s just the rules. </p>
<p>R12, it’s a university wide policy that applies to all NYU applicants. Applicants to CAS, Stern, Gallatin, also will not be considered for another NYU college.</p>
<p>R12, I wholeheartedly agree with you. I want, no, need, to be at NYU, no matter what I end up studying. Of course, I am extremely passionate about attending Tisch but I’d love the chance to attend CAS. Like your D, there are subjects in the liberal arts I would studying and I could just seek theatre training outside of school. I am extremely frustrated because I want to apply to whatever school gives me a better shot at acceptance and like you said, it’s impossible to gauge if one has what it takes to stand out at the Tisch audition. Grrr, I could rant about this all day =)</p>
<p>I just wanted to put in my own two cents on the matter. While I’m only a senior in high school myself, I think it’s important to get out there that it’s more than the college. Don’t let your hopes be crushed if this school says no. I think it’s so much more than just where we go; it’s how we apply ourselves and make the most out of whichever school we go to. You might do great at NYU, but I’m sure there’s many other schools where you’d fit in just as well. =]</p>
<p>Just so you guys know, this doesn’t apply to theater/MT in Tisch, but when I was at the NYU info session tour, they said that sometimes, if they get a really strong applicant who’s just not right yet for the school he or she is applying to, they’ll put him or her in the Liberal Studies program, and then the person can transfer to his or her desired school after two years. I asked, though, and they said they do not do that for drama/MT because the first two years are important there. But I know a friend who applied to Stern, I believe, and didn’t get in there, but was accepted to the liberal studies program.</p>