I thought it was important to post for those that will audition in the future. So many of our kids grew up with everyone telling them how talented they are and if you have a boy, how all the colleges will be after him. In reality it takes only one person to beat you out of a spot. You definitely need a balanced list as all these programs are tough too get in no matter how talented your child is. I thought the kids like mine regarding academics could see that grades can impact no matter how talented you are. Two of the schools he got into he really likes. One he loved the day he auditioned. My husband bought a wallet with the school name and my son bought a sweatshirt that day in December. It also gave him the biggest talent award, so maybe it’s fate. His top choice was he felt his best audition. They spent a lot of time with him and had him do an extra song when they saw he was trained classical, redirected his monologue in a creative, fun way, had him do his special skills and really went over his resume with him. It just shows you never know until you get the decision. Now that he got over his top choice rejecting him he is getting excited. After going through this process he knows he is lucky to have choices.
@momsingson, you are so right. At most schools, the difference between and acceptance and a rejection may be just one kid who did very slightly better on the day or has a slightly stronger resume, slightly stronger grades, or is maybe one inch shorter or taller. None of these can you control. And, I’m sorry girl-moms, but when it comes down to a choice among a schools top 30 candidates, the competition is as strong for boys as it is for girls. Plus, the looks on the faces of friends and neighbors when your talented boy doesn’t “make it” is possibly more painful for boy-moms! Full disclosure–I have both a boy and a girl headed toward MT careers, so I feel your pain, too! Good luck making the right decisions, @momsingson–and to all girl-moms, too!
My D finally had the time to email TCU to clarify the letter about the redirect from MT To Acting after the initial MT acceptance. For those who recall, there were others who received this same letter and he did confirm that it was totally a mistake. I did log into her account and confirmed her status as MT and that the grant money was still being offered. So TCU is still in the running. He was very apologetic
@claire74 -is your MT girl younger? I would be interested in seeing variations between 2 in the same family. I have often said that I think girls actually have an ADVANTAGE in the BFA process- they are used to having to fight for things. I have known several talented MT boys who have breezed through youth and HS theater- always cast (usually leads) who got their 1st taste of “no” during college auditions - and it was a rude awakening. Girls - even mega talented girls- generally have more experience with casting rejections, so the sting is not a new sensation
@toowonderful, No, she is older. And a VP major who has changed her mind. She is a fighter, though and has achieved some good MT successes while in college. She has a huge amount of experience with rejections, too. Serves me right, for being so proud of them both when they were younger–I now have two of them chasing the same dream. Yikes.
@Momsingson - I am with you 100%! My S is a lot like yours… Has always gotten lots and lots of kudos and people telling him how all the colleges will be after him. This process has been an eye-opener. He’s so happy with the schools that want him, but disappointed as well not getting in where he thought he would! I’m so happy his list was balanced. It’s funny he pretty much got into or waitlisted at all the schools in his middle 5 on his top 15 list. His list of 15 consisted of: top 5-Dream schools, middle 5-great reality schools and last 5-good schools that he would be okay going to but not in his top 10! Funny how it worked out!
I have both a boy and a girl who have gone through the BFA procress. The field is absolutely more crowded for girls but I am not sure it translates into the process being more less difficult for the boys vs girls. My S is an MT (D is Acting) and the processes are miles apart. The MT process was more involved and intense overall so maybe I am comparing apples and oranges.
The bottom line - the process is hard matter who you are and no matter how much success.your child has or hasn’t had in HS. My third child (girl) has started down the potential MT path. She’s headed to Stagedoor this summer and a PA HS for her Jr and Sr year of HS. If she decides to pursue MT (God help me), I will be able to compare first-hand the MT process for a boy vs a girl. Then I’ll write a book 
Not to be argumentative, this process is very tough on boys and girls. Very little question. Just brutal. That said, I am not sure there is much of an argument on boys and girls. Had two separate, very respected (MT) program heads unquestionably say as much in front of a room of parents. Classes vary year to year but at a macro level they tend to average out to a split of boys to girls. That said there are 2-3X the girls in most of these processes.
My D did both MT and Acting- and had acceptances for both. There are certainly variations, but I don’t know that I would agree with the assessment that they are “miles apart”, or that the MT version was more intense (other than length of audition b/c you have singing and dance- though 2 of her acting auditions asked her to sing, and one had a movement portion) I do agree the process is hard no matter what- and that success in HS does NOT equal success in BFA acceptances
Hi All, I have been watching for a couple of weeks. Really appreciate all the supportive posts - we were feeling pretty down with the no’s even though we have had some positives - they were not the top on his list.
S passed all his pre audition videos and was accepted to all that required admission in order to audition. Applied to 16 schools: (Decided not to audition for 1)
Still waiting to hear from Syracuse - how long should we wait before we call.
Also, is it common not to here anything from walkin auditions (unified’s)
Does anyone know how long we will have to wait for waitlist positions.
Grateful to have some possibilities to work with. Wishing you and your children all the best!
@Dadagogo no question - far more girls in the rooms! And not much that has “gone before” guarantees success in the BFA process. I have seen wildly talented kids - boys and girls - not do well in the college audition process. Who knows why.
I don’t know why either. But here are three possible contributing factors off the top of my head:
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Auditioning is a skill in itself. Someone could be wildly talented, but not always present well in an audition scenario. I think to get really good at auditioning, you have to audition a lot.
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The fact that there is a huge number of extremely talented kids vying for programs with very low acceptance rates means that even the most talented kids are going to get rejections. Some may just strike out at a lot of programs, despite having what it takes to be admitted. Each program must turn away a large number of truly qualified candidates.
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While we all have an idea of who we think is wildly talented and some of us have seen a large number of talented MT kids who have done well prior to college…we truly are not privy to the entire applicant pool that the auditors get to see.
I think it also has a lot to do with (1) picking the wrong material and/or (2) not having a balanced list. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you have to look beyond the schools everyone talks about. I thought our list was more balance, but in retrospect I wish we’d broadened our search a bit. Thank goodness she got two good acceptances that she’s debating between (she’s pretty much made her choice, but is visiting both schools just to be sure), but honestly it was touch and go there for a while.
I also maintain that the right list is crucial, in terms of appropriateness for the individual candidate and that it needs to be well balanced both on the academic and artistic fronts.
Super agree with you on that. @soozievt I think mine went from 10 to 10-15 to 15-18 all in one month. Because of needed diversity
Well I heard from Viterbo today finally! I got a redirect from BFA MT to BFA Acting with serious assurance that I could stylize it to a Musical Theatre type concentration. Taking 8 semesters of private voice, minoring in dance to ensure I get those hours. I kind of had a feeling this would happen, and I’m grateful for the acceptance! I have three BFA options to choose from and I plan to visit Wisconsin really soon 
@rmilunas Call Syracuse today. There’s been some confusion with what major was declared, prescreens and incomplete files. Call admissions this morning - just in case your child’s file is viewed as incomplete.
Is anyone still waiting to hear from Hartt? We have heard not a peep…
I emailed Syracuse this morning and was told we’d have decisions by Friday. Of course, that’s what they said LAST week, too…
@craz4mtsmom STILL waiting for a letter from Hartt too.