<p>^^^^^ Last year was the only showcase I missed in the last 5 years. I thought your answer was spot on in every aspect. I counted 53 seniors and I know they started with a class of 60. That is a surprising graduation rate for Boco. </p>
<p>Also, BOCO makes it very easy for the talent and casting agents by supplying them with a pocket folder full of pics, bios, interest cards, song lists, performance order, score sheets, etc.</p>
<p>I’m only auditioning next year, but does anyone know when all final decisions are out by for boco? Have all the accepted students been contacted yet?</p>
<p>jessgn, BoCo doesn’t let anyone know until March 31st or April 1st. The good news is that they do it all at once…no news coming in dribs and drabs. The bad news is that it is one of the last schools to notify! So, no accepted students have been contacted yet.</p>
<p>I like schools like BOCO that notify everyone at one time!</p>
<p>As a point of reference, one of my students got into BOCO a couple years ago and the notification online was on March 26. So, yes, it is very late in March but may be before March 31. Last year, it was on March 31. So, who knows, but it is still too soon at least for now!</p>
<p>On their website it says April 1st this year. Really makes it hard to plan a visit over spring break when ours starts April 6!!! We didn’t do any college visits before hand due to distance/expense and my D not wanting to fall in love with any one program before she had an acceptance. Wish the acceptances would come a little sooner but it is what it is! Good luck to everyone! Hang in there!</p>
<p>momarmarino, I could not agree with you more. We did not make an visits prior to auditions as well for the same reasons and want to make our visit during that same week in April. We may have to make separate visits, which could become costly, but I am thinking that we are going to visit one of her top schools she got into first. We are going to wait out this week for more notices and BoCo will just have to be one we visit separately later in April if she is accepted.</p>
<p>djexpress: Our problem is that my D is playing Evita in her high school production
that opens April 24 and runs through May 4. So it’s spring break visits or nothing!!! Good luck with your journeys…safe travels.</p>
<p>Momarmarino–Thank you! You definitely want to make those visits before having to commit on May 1st!</p>
<p>It is hard to fit in seeing the schools they get accepted to with such short notice. Lucky for us, all of my D’s schools are in the NE and we are planning to see the ones she already got in to and leaving room to see the ones we are still waiting on, whether because of a wait list or they haven’t come out yet (i.e. BoCo). Can anyone give advise on what is the better way to see the school - either by the “accepted student” event - usually a full day welcome wagon with info thing - or go during the week when classes are in session and sit in on classes? We are doing a bit of both because it is the only way to fit the necessary visits in. Any advise?</p>
<p>Go in session, take a class, stay overnight in one of the dorms (usually with a freshman). You are making one of the biggest and most expensive decisions in your life so if it costs you 1K or 2K to make a decision that will cost between 100K - $250K. DO IT. Many highs schools would would consider this to be an excused absence. Regarding school plays… this was one of the many important factors we made as parents to keep our daughter off the performance stage the last few months of her school year!</p>
<p>This is also why we kept our daughter off the stage this spring. She needs to be able to visit colleges and really know the program of each school in order to make an informed decision. It is a large investment.</p>
<p>I don’t know how you could to it…keep them off the stage for their last time in high school. Senior year happens once in their life. No way could I have taken that experience from her, she is only young once. I am glad I didn’t because she was selected for the lead. She is usually a supporting character so that was pretty cool. I definitely get that it’s much more practical to have them available, but when I think of all the things she’s given up for the past few months, all that she has missed with auditions and before that all of the preparation for auditions, I didn’t want Senior year to be a total bust. We did all but 3 auditions on campus though so we have seen many schools already.</p>
<p>It was easy to keep her off stage. In fact it was her decision with a little input from us. She needed to be unencumbered so she could make the best possible decision for her career as well as make one of the biggest decisions of her young life (college). The play or musical plus auditions, plus school work, plus college decision IS too much so I guess it is a questions of priorities. Her focus was on the future not the present.</p>
<p>It’s an individual thing I guess. She did skip the winter production for auditions but is doing the last show of the year. They are done on Sunday though, so still plenty of time to get visits in if we need to. Like I said, we did mostly on campus auditions and explored the schools that wy. So far only one extra trip will be needed.</p>
<p>Bare in mind that visiting schools is nothing more then a sales job job by the students and staff. Probably even gave you coffee and donuts and every turn. Staying over with a freshman, attending class, etc. is the true litmus test.</p>
<p>No one is judging here. We decided it was best for our D and she has been in every show since Freshman year in high school. I just do not think she could have done as much as she did. Applying to so many colleges, training, school, work, etc. It was the best individual decision for her. Now that the auditions are over, she is able to audition for local professional theatres in town and may possibly be able to be in a summer show. </p>
<p>It is an individual choice. As long as your daughter can handle it then so be it. I know we needed freedom to make visits. </p>
<p>Great idea beentheredad, in reference to the visits. I think that is the best way to see if the school is right for you. I love the schools that offer students to shadow another student.</p>
<p>I can’t tell you how many times my daughter changed "her favorite"status. After visiting the schools the decision was an easier one.</p>
<p>I just don’t want this thread to freak people out and have them arbitrarily pull their kids out of shows. I DEFINITELY agree that its an individual thing. You have to know the kid. Two of my students last year did MANY shows throughout the school year and were performing while auditioning for schools. One of them was commuting several hours each way to perform in NYC. That same student was valedictorian! Both girls were accepted to almost every school they applied to! Both girls went CCM. They felt it was important (for many reasons) to keep performing.</p>
<p>Not everyone can do it, so you have to make a choice based on your child. When people really WANT to pack their schedules, but feel they’ll be judged I always remind them that scheduling and prioritizing only gets harder as you get older and while you have the luxury now of eliminating things from your schedule, in a BFA program, you won’t. So if you want to learn to tackle it now, its only going to help you for the future (if you are committed to working really hard)</p>
<p>I think some of what you have to look at is the program they are performing in. Are they teaching time management? Will they excuse for college auditions? Will your child’s skills improve and confidence grow from this program?</p>
<p>Well said MTCoachNYC. Some of it is timing as well right? My daughter’s show will be done this weekend, leaving the month of April for college visits if needed. We worked with her director throughout rehearsals and tried to miss as little as possible, and what she did miss she made sure he knew about it well in advance. One thing I do feel strongly about is to make sure that my kid (as driven and passionate as she is) doesn’t push so hard and fast that she misses out on actually BEING a kid. (and with theater, choir, dance and orchestra as well as being an honor student, that can happen!) Things like a social life, dances, and yes, her last high school musical are things that at no other time in her life will she be able to do. In no way have we neglected school visits for any of this. There’s been a lot of homework on airplanes and in airports/hotel rooms for sure, but it’s all been worth it. I am glad she did this last show. She didn’t get in to every show in HS, they have a pecking order and the straight plays they do are usually small cast, and they only do one musical a year. It’s a great program but poorly funded so they do their best with what they have. She’s done tech, set construction, pit (she is an accomplished violinist) and just about everything else you can think of in the theater but wasn’t always cast in a role on stage. She’s had some great parts, don’t get me wrong, but this was her lead. She will have these memories forever, and never again will there be a time in her life like this one. Just a different perspective I guess. No right or wrong, just different.</p>
<p>In MT orientation meeting at BoCo yesterday, the MT Director said they had 65 freshman this year. There is very little attrition, and he indicated they have 52 seniors. For the few who leave the program, it is for assorted reasons like not wanting to be in a conservatory program, deciding they wanted some thing other than MT, family financial situation change, etc.</p>