<p>Have you guys heard of students who haven't been accepted to a single program? In your experience, do you think this happens often?</p>
<p>People I know in this situation go to a normal university with a good BA program. For example, Muhlenberg is a safety for many people applying to BFA schools.</p>
<p>It happens. I don’t know how anyone could say how “often” it happens. For the ones I am aware of, it is usually the result of the student and parents not understanding how difficult it is to get into programs and not having a balanced list. </p>
<p>Agree with ActingDad that it’s a matter of a balanced list including nonauditioned programs that are true academic safeties (which Muhlenberg is NOT for most students–especially not regular decision).</p>
<p>It does happen, yes, but I don’t know how often. It’s scary, for sure. I agree with everyone here–this is why it’s so important to have safeties. Besides picking yourself up and going to a BA program either in theatre or not, another option if you don’t get in anywhere is to take a gap year. This is much more common the UK, where it is not uncommon for people to audition 2 or even 3 years in a row for an acting program. I know of one young woman here in the US who didn’t get in anywhere at all last year, and decided to take a gap year, take acting classes, work–and hire a good coach. She got in early admission to Emerson. </p>
<p>Happened to my older daughter. She went to a BA program and re-auditioned the next year and received some acceptances so she transferred. We understood the process, had a balanced list and she is talented. It was puzzling, but positive side, she can take a rejection and let it roll off her back! Good for this business! (This was for MT)</p>
<p>mtmom, that is awesome! I think resilience and persistence are the best traits our kids can have in this business. </p>
<p>Thanks, she is doing well, loves her program and is happy. At the end of the day, no matter where they end up, you just want them to be happy!</p>
<p>Kyle Dean Massey (Fiyero on Broadway) tweeted this today: " @kyledeanmassey
When I was 18 years old I sang “Corner of the Sky” at my college auditions. Not a single school accepted me." </p>
<p>Clearly it didn’t stop him from working towards his goal. It reminds me that everyone’s path is different. Maybe him not getting into a program strengthened his resolve and he trained more, or trained differently, or he got some expert advice . . . who knows. I love stories like his though . . . stories about kids who had the moxy to stand up when they were dealt a blow like that. It clearly changed him and today he’s living with that same intention he had when he was 18 years old. Be heartened . . . everything really does work out exactly the way it’s supposed to. </p>
<p>Yes, I do know of a student last year who only applied to audition schools and came up dry. My advice is to have an acceptance in hand (Early Action) before you go into audition season.</p>
<p>Yep, happened to me. The only BFA program I got into was too expensive for me to attend. I applied to 4 BFAs and 3 non-audition BAs. None of them were tippy-top schools like NYU, Michigan, Carnegie, etc., etc. (because I knew I wouldn’t get in and couldn’t afford to pay $100 app fees for 30 trillion schools) and only 2 of them were nationally-ranked at all (CCM and Evansville). I didn’t get into any of the BFAs I applied to and wound up going to my last resort school because my scholarship is literally paying me to be here and I don’t want to be out -$40,000+ trying to move to NYC someday. </p>
<p>The theatre program is mediocre and I would LOVE to transfer; but I do not have enough money to re-apply, travel and audition for several schools all over again. However, I’m still working towards being an actress. Luckily, my city has a big community theatre scene so right now I’m working on networking and just auditioning for and working with as many different people as possible. I’m also trying to build up a little film work so I can eventually move to LA to be a TV/Film actor. I’m (hopefully) auditioning for an indie next month and there’s little things every now and then that are shot here or nearby that are good for cutting your teeth on. My goal next summer is to audition for summerstock and see what I can do.</p>
<p>I honestly think a big part of my rejection is I just was not ready. I had only been at the performing arts school I graduated from for 2 years instead of 4 and that is the most intensive acting training I’ve had because my family can’t afford and is unsupportive of the extracurricular acting school in town. I did a Lady Macbeth monologue at a few auditions, flubbed the lyrics to my solo (which I had done 300 times) at Evansville, and was not as mature of an actor as I am now. Everyone else had been acting since they were 5 and yada yada. I had been dabbling in singing, instrumental music, dance, theatre, and all four at the same time until I decided to hone in on acting specifically 5 years ago. </p>
<p>Another big part is my look/type. If you’ll notice, most of the people who get into the BFA programs at the best schools in the country are thin and/or fit and attractive. I am the exact opposite. So, there’s minus 10 points for marketability–which is part of what these schools want. A BFA program is designed to put you straight into the workforce, so the top will not accept someone who they don’t think can be marketed as it will hurt their track record and credibility. I also don’t really have a particular type. Every role on my resume is drastically different. I’ve played a doctor, Ross in Macbeth, Maria (from WSS) in a Musical Theatre Workshop, an angel in a student production, a mammy in another workshop. Unfortunately, this is not what colleges are looking for. They are basically trying to restock their shelf. They need a few people of each type–the ingenue, the comedian, the leading lady, the naive Romeo Montague heartthrob, etc.–to replace the people of these types that they already have. </p>
<p>Anyways, I’m rambling. It happens. It’s excruciating. Life sucks more for some people than others. You deal with it and use it to make you stronger.</p>
<p>Thank you for sharing this with us, Camean02! It’s very touching. The important thing is you know what you want. That’s already more than many kids face now when graduating from high school. Many of the girls in my daughter’s former HS senior class would envy you-- you know what you want, you are working on that, you do your best and sooner or later all your efforts will yield a result. Good luck to you with finding good job/internship opportunities this summer!</p>
<p>Camean02, yes, thank you for sharing this. Very generous of you. You sound very strong and wise. Knowing your type, being disciplined and resourceful and determined, knowing where you still need to grow–these are the key attributes of success in this field, much more important in the long run than simply having talent or being the right type, and you have all these qualities. </p>
<p>The other thing you can do to establish connections is to apply for summer internships at theatres; there are several that are no-cost, although some do ask for cost of living If your money is tight, there are some scholarships available. Does your school do study abroad? Best of luck in your journey. </p>
<p>A wonderful story, Camean02! It’s so nice to see that you seem so self-aware. I think it’s very hard, speaking as a high schooler, for teenagers to really peg where they belong. Like, it’s so easy to have a distorted view of yourself that ultimately just leads you to applying to schools where you might not ‘fit.’ I remember my sophomore year, this was the case with one of the kids in my school’s drama club. He was our co-president, always the male lead, and totally talented. He also just happened to audition for only extremely selective schools, and ended up with no options. He ended up applying to Columbia College Chicago kind of last-minute, and he’s there now. He LOVES it! It’s a perfect fit for him, and whenever he comes home, he has some really funny stories.
There are TONS of options for the seemingly option-less. Whether it’s finding a non-audition school with a far-off deadline, taking a gap year, getting involved in internship opportunities, whatever. It’s amazing how creative people are in the face of difficulty!</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing Camean2. You sound like you have a good head on your shoulders. Finding and knowing your type is extremely important. Years ago my daughter had an agent interview from hell but he did say one thing that has stuck with me. He said less talented people who know their type often do much better than far more talented people who don’t understand what they can play. </p>
<p>Camean, I hope you are able to get as much as you can out of your program, and possibly there are other opportunities around in the community. You sound like you have common sense, and that is a wonderful attribute to have in this business. I look forward to following your path.</p>
<p>Yes, Columbia College of Chicago is a great school for the right student. It is basically open admissions but I believe there are auditions to get into specific programs. I have a friend’s son who went there and was able to do things he could never have done in a larger, more competitive school. He graduated almost two years ago and has been working steadily in his area. You need to be driven and self-motivated in what you want and they will provide the knowledge and opportunities. </p>
<p>Thank you all for your kind words. It’s honestly no problem for me to share my journey anymore. This business/career field is so up-in-the-air, it’s terribly easy to be misguided and get caught up in it all when there’s no 100% right way to achieve or do almost anything. ESPECIALLY with college auditions, every little thing can seem like the end of your future. But, part of what I’m coming to terms with now is that not all of us were dealt the same cards. Like I previously said, life sucks more for some people than others. But, it’s up to us to make something out of a mess. </p>
<p>I’m not a Broadway Baby. I don’t have parents that can ship me off to $11,000 acting camps every summer. I’m not from NYC or LA with professional training and opportunities out the wazoo. I’m not going to UMich or Carnegie or any other school that almost guarantees a career. I never will be or have those things. But, there’s no way in h*ll I’m going to be weeded out that easily. This is just the beginning. And, hopefully future college auditionees or current seniors that are starting to recieve acceptances/rejections can read the things I post and get something out of it. Even if I never make it to Broadway, Hollywood, or the GRAMMYs, you can’t say I didn’t try because the thought of giving up kills me more than the thought of not going to NYU.</p>
<p>@connections- Yes, we do have Study Abroad. But, the scholarships are sparse. I would have to spend my scholarship stipend to go anywhere and that’s money I need to save for emergencies/big expenses (such as car issues and medical procedures), career expenses (headshots, dance shoes, vocal lessons, etc.) and eventually moving to NYC–especially since I can only work part-time during the school year.</p>
<p>Camean02 – I like just about all of your post except for the line about places like UMich or Carnagie or other schools “that almost guarantees a career.” I am research nut and I have looked at a lot of resumes of recent grads (past 3-5 years) at various of these schools and it is absolutely not the case that graduating from these schools is anything close to an assurance of a career. </p>
<p>Someone who made it who isn’t a Twiggy.</p>
<p><a href=“Kathy Kinney - Wikipedia”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathy_Kinney</a></p>