<p>Wow, I’m sorry to hear about the bad luck you’ve been having. With so many auditions for such competitive programs, it can be a lot like a crap shoot. I have had good luck so far, but I have only received 1/3 of my decisions. 8 more to go, including my more competitive programs. Best of luck to all of you!!</p>
<p>In my opinion it’s less “bad luck” and more “awkward fate”. I wish I’d been accepted to these schools, but I know I’ll end up acting somehow. The results of these auditions will tell me how my acting career will take shape, not if it will. Yes, conservatory would probably give me an easier in, but I’m prepared to take the long and winding road if I need to.</p>
<p>bogface, what schools did you apply to?</p>
<p>I applied to:</p>
<p>CMU
BU
Tisch
Juilliard
NCSA
Purchase
Vassar (BA)
Princeton (BA)</p>
<p>I also applied to two other non-BFA programs but I’m not sure I’d seriously think about attending them or even majoring in theater at them. So I have my two BA programs left to hear from and three more conservatories.</p>
<p>Bogface,
I am rooting for you. I have to say that your list has all schools with extremely chancy odds…every one of them considered a “reach” for even the best academic and artistically talented kids. </p>
<p>Are you only willing to consider the tippy top BFA and BA schools? Your list would worry me as the odds of being shut out are realistically a possibility and yet if you are this smart and talented, there are wonderful well regarded theater schools out there that are not the tippy tops in the country where you could go and thrive.</p>
<p>Thanks, SoozieVT. I do understand the chanciness of my list. I always have. Unlike most of my friends, I’m not especially freaked out about the prospect of not getting into college this year. Even at the beginning of my search, I sort of regarded this year as a test run, to see if I could get into any of these schools right away. If I have to make a list for next year, it will be considerably more dynamic. That said, I really do look forward to the experience that a gap year would provide for me if I had to take one. </p>
<p>So I guess my answer is no, I’m not only willing to consider the tippy-top ones for my future. But right now, they’re not an option. It’s kind of like a trade-off: if I get into one of these top schools, I don’t get to go on adventures next year. If I don’t, I get to go on adventures and then come back for round two. We’ll see where the chips fall!</p>
<p>bogface…sounds like a plan!! A gap year can be a great option. If you do go that route, then the college list on the next round needs more balance. My nephew did not get into his schools last year and is in a gap year this year and I think it has served him really well and he is doing things in his field and has a new college list this year and is doing great on the admissions results so far. This is not a negative path by any means. So, you shall see how things evolve!</p>
<p>PS…I’m gonna root for NYU for you for two reasons…you seem like a very good student and a talented actor and NYU/Tisch would be the perfect combo compared to how some schools on your list are very strong academic schools and some are mostly conservatory and NYU is a mix of both those things. My other reason is that my kid LOVED her four years at Tisch and I bet you would too.</p>
<p>Yeah, NYU and BU have always been at the top of my list because they are part of larger, challenging academic schools. I’m pretty sure my NYU audition was embarrassingly bad, though, so I’m really not expecting much from that one. BU, on the other hand, went quite well (aside from the story I posted in the Funny Stories/Venting Thread). We shall see! Interestingly, someone I might live in LA with for a bit next year is graduating from Tisch this semester.</p>
<p>As far as creating a more balanced list goes, I agree with you completely. If nothing happens this year, my list next year will be much more thought out and nuanced. Thank you for your advice!</p>
<p>bogface, please be assured that I would have given this advice to any of the most talented actors I know, or any of the strongest academic students I know, and it is not a reflection of your qualifications, but simply the extremely chancy odds of such a college list. </p>
<p>Keep us posted on how things evolve.</p>
<p>Oh, I never took it as anything judgmental. That would be silly, seeing as we’ve never actually seen each other! I’m just glad to be getting advice.</p>
<p>(On a side note, the way you phrased that was very reminiscent of the language of the rejection letters I’ve received – perhaps a reflection of how involved in the process you’ve been?)</p>
<p>Ha, well, my thoughts were not really related to any rejection letters I’ve ever seen. But it is more reflective of the nature of elite or highly selective college admissions. Such programs and schools must turn away very qualified people. But my point was more to do with the college LIST itself and that I would have advised anyone, even the best candidates I know, to have a more balanced list. I say this not only as a college counselor who advises applicants, but even as a parent who has one D who went to an Ivy League school for undergrad and MIT for grad school, and one who went to a BFA in MT degree program. Even though they were qualified candidates, I would have been very concerned if they had a college list like yours given the odds.</p>
<p>However, I should qualify my comments by the fact that you say you applied to two more BA schools but didn’t name them and I don’t know how reachy those schools are (nor do I honestly know anything about your profile of course).</p>
<p>Wow Soozievt, you sound like you know a lot about this process. Do you think it is a good idea to enter college, even if it isn’t my top choice, and the try out again next year for one of the BFA theatre programs? Or, is it better to take a gap year and do community theatre? Or, do you think being rejected just simply means I don’t have a chance, ever? Thanks for your opinion!</p>
<p>THEATER REJECTIONS 2010</p>
<p>To add yours, copy entire contents of this post to a new post, then add your result, keeping the college list in alphabetical order. Specify (BA) or (DTPM) for non-BFA programs. Musical theater rejections: please post over on the MT Forum instead.</p>
<p>CalArts: ksologist
Emerson: sandkmom’s S (BA), drama, ksologist, actordudesmom’s S, sskylaar’s D
Juilliard: operationgold7, Actor, drama, bogface
Marymount Manhattan: jbehlend’s S
Minnesota: littlemermaid13, dramaramaxo,zipperquicker, SRED’s D, actordudesmom’s S
Mountview (London): drama
SUNY Purchase: theatreca, collegebrowser’s S, SRED’s D, neospeed56k, bogface, NJCTheatreMom’s D, luellalab’s S
UCLA: violetsky, originalho2, ksologist
UNCSA: Actor, vanadium, sheilatara, bogface, nansan’s D</p>
<p>DTPM = design, tech, production mgmt</p>
<p>dknklk…I don’t nearly know enough about you or where you applied this year and so on in order to advise you. I don’t know where you got in or where you got rejected, nor your academic or artistic profile or your college selection criteria. Without that, I’m not sure I can make an informed suggestion. If your college list was not appropriate for you the first time, or if you did not have adequate training, a gap year may be beneficial and add more training and come up with a better college list for you and try again. If you have a college you can already go to that has a BA theater department that is good and that you like, that is also a viable option. </p>
<p>This thread is really not one meant for discussion of individual cases but it is just a listing of rejections.</p>
<p>dknklk…By the way, many students don’t get into their “top choice” college or program, particularly when dealing with highly selective ones. Build a balanced list of colleges you like. If your aim is to get into your top choice and you’d only be happy if that were the case, that is a problem. Build a college list of many schools where you would be happy to attend. If you have some acceptances, I presume that those colleges interested you enough to apply to them. Getting into a first choice is not that common and is not worth holding out for. There are plenty of colleges where you can be happy and get a great education.</p>
<p>Thanks Soozievt for your thoughts. I guess I’m posting on the wrong thread - sorry about that! My question was sort of generic. I was just wondering if rejection from top BFA schools (and therefore assessment by top professionals) means you really don’t have talent and should choose a different path. Or, does it mean that you weren’t prepared for the audition. I just don’t know if assessors are so good at seeing talent that they can accurately predict a person’s abilities after a short audition. Sorry again about posting on the wrong thread.</p>
<p>dknklk, I’m definitely in the same place as you. This whole audtition process is really making me doubt myself; maybe I’m really not cut out for theatre…</p>
<p>embemily, yes I am with you. I think that the top schools probably only accept kids with lots of experience. At the UNCSA audition the students I met ALL had either trained at a super intense high school performing arts school or had taken a year off and worked in community theatre. I wish they would just tell you that you don’t have a chance without that type of experience before going through the whole process. I haven’t given up on myself yet, so hopefully you won’t either…</p>
<p>THEATER REJECTIONS 2010</p>
<p>To add yours, copy entire contents of this post to a new post, then add your result, keeping the college list in alphabetical order. Specify (BA) or (DTPM) for non-BFA programs. Musical theater rejections: please post over on the MT Forum instead.</p>
<p>CalArts: ksologist
Emerson: sandkmom’s S (BA), drama, ksologist, actordudesmom’s S, sskylaar’s D
Evansville: Brynnefrau
Juilliard: operationgold7, Actor, drama, bogface
Marymount Manhattan: jbehlend’s S
Minnesota: littlemermaid13, dramaramaxo,zipperquicker, SRED’s D, actordudesmom’s S
Mountview (London): drama
SUNY Purchase: theatreca, collegebrowser’s S, SRED’s D, neospeed56k, bogface, NJCTheatreMom’s D, luellalab’s S
UCLA: violetsky, originalho2, ksologist
UNCSA: Actor, vanadium, sheilatara, bogface, nansan’s D</p>
<p>DTPM = design, tech, production mgmt</p>
<p>THEATER REJECTIONS 2010</p>
<p>To add yours, copy entire contents of this post to a new post, then add your result, keeping the college list in alphabetical order. Specify (BA) or (DTPM) for non-BFA programs. Musical theater rejections: please post over on the MT Forum instead.</p>
<p>CalArts: ksologist
DePaul: calli2010
Emerson: sandkmom’s S (BA), drama, ksologist, actordudesmom’s S, sskylaar’s D
Evansville: Brynnefrau
Juilliard: operationgold7, Actor, drama, bogface
Marymount Manhattan: jbehlend’s S
Minnesota: littlemermaid13, dramaramaxo,zipperquicker, SRED’s D, actordudesmom’s S
Mountview (London): drama
SUNY Purchase: theatreca, collegebrowser’s S, SRED’s D, neospeed56k, bogface, NJCTheatreMom’s D, luellalab’s S
UCLA: violetsky, originalho2, ksologist
UNCSA: Actor, vanadium, sheilatara, bogface, nansan’s D</p>
<p>DTPM = design, tech, production mgmt</p>