@rickle1, I love a “no” isn’t a statement of your talent, it’s a snapshot in time”. Perfect.
@NeensMom - I really hope no one takes on that much debt to attend college but especially not a performing artist. That’s a crippling sum to borrow.
@NeensMom - first congrats on UArts - great school she should be proud! Second from what I hear - the longer you wait to commit the more you can get - so don’t commit immediately - reach out, let them know you need more. Then as other students who may have gotten a larger scholarship drop out money becomes available.
Also, if you get offered more talent scholarship money/merit aid/financial aid from other schools, save those letters and use them to appeal for more aid at the school you want. Sometimes you can get them to match the other offer.
@NeensMom We are having a similar discussion With D in our house about UArts. It is not one of her top choices but it is where she has gotten in for MT (she is also on a waitlist for BFA MT at another school, has a BFA Acting redirect and is waiting on 2 more schools). In addition to being concerned about $$ we are also worried about class size. We had heard that last year they ended up with a large class because of a high acceptance rate. Do you have a sense of how many students they are taking this year?
@moosegirlemy2 I was told by a couple of parents to expect 30-35 students but that class sizes are small, 12-15 students per class. I was told the faculty is very invested and get to know all the kids well so I’m not too concerned about that part. Several schools take on more students than that each year including BoCo who takes nearly twice that! One parent I spoke with said her daughter was accepted to UArts and BoCo and chose UArts due to less competition for roles with the smaller overall class size and more financial aid.
Great feedback everyone! I will definitely collect as much documentation as I can and appeal for more aid. @DivaStageMom great advice to wait til the last minute to accept. We will hold out and hope for more! That also gives us time to potentially come off a waitlist at a less expensive school. 
@moosegirlemy , @NeensMom & anyone considering BoCo, UArts, or any schools w/ large class sizes… My first time through this process my older daughter at first wanted the small class size but ended up choosing BoCo and in my opinion (and hers) IT’S A PLUS!!! Here’s why… More students means more targeted leveled dance classes. More students means more teachers which equates to more teaching styles and input and finding THAT teacher that you really click with, More students means more voice faculty. More students means if you don’t click with everyone (and you won’t) you can still find “your people”. And yes, more students means learning to compete for main stage roles. They aren’t handed to you or pre-cast for your “type”… don’t you want that before heading to NY or LA?! My younger daughter this time has some GREAT choices to pick from, and I’m happy for her, but I’m actually regretting that she won’t have the benefit of the large class size. AND… as far as it not being “as selective” that’s ridiculous. What it does do is make a place for kids who maybe are INCREDIBLE at 1 or 2 of the 3, and need training in the 3rd, rather than having to walk in the door as a straight up triple threat.
My 2 cents.
@StewNChelle , I would love to talk to you about NWU’s MT program. Right now It is DD’s top choice (still waiting on 7 or 8 responses—probably no’s from most). She was pretty big on NWU because her cousin’s good friend, Asa, is a freshman there and he is just slaying it. She also got major warm fuzzies from all the her contacts with the school and at her audition. That being said, I’d like to hear a female student perspective since Asa is like their golden boy, lol.
We are planning to go to NWU the end of April, but now with Covid-19 who knows. I would like for her to see the school (and hopefully Chidren of Eden) before committing. We are from Florida so Lincoln will be a huge change.
Unfortunately, I can PM you, but maybe you can PM me. Thanks in advance.
@MamaBear2020 do you have a feel for how many total students they have a given year in MT and Acting combined?
@mamabear2020 One of my kids visited a few weeks ago and loved it. They do an insane amount of productions each year – 16?? And estimated everyone gets 4-6 productions a year. Loved the tunnels between some of the buildings (apparently the tunnel between library and theatre was wonderful to the kid visiting!) She felt that warm, fuzzy vibe during audition as well as at the visit. She sat in on several classes, including the lab class working on Children of Eden and was impressed. Faculty and students were great and welcoming. Loved the fact they bring casting directors to campus to workshop with them through all four years instead of showcase (Utah does this as well.) Dorm rooms seem small but not impossible, Also loved the fact that the theatre dept encourages you to explore other coursework outside of theatre if that is your passion. She mentioned a student who was taking physics and was asked about it by the dept head. They mentioned it was a passion of theirs and they suggested a double major if they were interested. They had assumed that wouldn’t be allowed. That seemed to really excite my kid who wants an additional major or minor in Writing or Communications. And, the final cherry on top is rhe theatre department dog. LOL who apparently sits in on classes and the students love him! The financial part was very favorable also.
Does anyone know how many students are offered placement at Emerson? If you don’t make it into MT, do they consider you for acting automatically?
I actually have no idea how many students they take in and how it is split between MT and acting. I’m pretty sure the auditors, Joan and Jack, told D and I there were about 100 kids total in the program. Based on the size of the school, I’m assuming that’s for both programs.
You know, I never would have guessed D would go for a school that far from Florida, but she wants top notch training and a smaller school so NWU fit the bill.
@runnernyc according to the notes I took at Emerson they accept 65 MT hoping to get 18-20 commits.
It sounds like everything D is looking for and the theatre dog is going to seal the deal! She absolutely loves animals.
Thanks so much for all the support and warm comments for my D’s first offer!
After a bottle of Blue Moon, reality dawned on me as she got a fairly small scholarship. At this point, I’m hoping she gets another offer that’s more affordable so we would have options.
She has been admitted to Northern Illinois Univ. in BFA Acting with a pretty generous merit scholarship but that’s not on top of her list.
Has anyone received a decision from IL Wesleyan?
@AbigCurveBall – Blue Moon’s good like that
@AbigCurveBall Congrats!!! I know a current freshman at Northern Illinois who has been quite happy, I believe. Super talented, smart, and driven kid. I can try to get more intel for you if you like.
@AbigCurveBall - Congratulations !! I hope this sets up a great week for everyone - fingers crossed!!
@AbigCurveBall, were you able to register and log into Roosevelt’s accepted student portal at all? We were wondering if that scholarship in the letter was just from the BFA or was their total academic scholarship? But we haven’t been able to log in to see anything more than the letter yet.