<p>Yes, we do go through this every year in different ways - and the truth remains the same. There is no legal force behind the suggested guidelines revolving around the date of May 1st. Any school may opt for any procedure they so choose. Yes, many schools do follow the May 1st commitment day - this is great and lends a bit of sanity to the whole process. However, there is nothing legally, morally, or ethically wrong with a particular school asking for an acceptance of a scholarship, deposit, commitment to attend, or any other procedure to procure an entering freshman class in any time frame they see fit to their circumstance. If one finds the practice objectionable - perhaps they might question the program, ask for an exception or extension, or perhaps they should consider another institution.</p>
<p>It’s a very strange form of hardball to play with kids who auditioned and are clearly interested, and it suggests that they don’t care terribly much about the quality of their student body. It also suggests that they don’t take student needs into account. I think you’d be justified in making the agreement and then breaking it-- but the unpleasantness of the whole thing would taint your experience of the school at the very beginning. I’m really sorry to see this, TracyVP, and glad your D has some other good options.</p>
<p>I suppose they are trying to avoid the whole wait-list thing. A school not yet mentioned in this thread asked my D to accept a scholarship by January. She wrote them and said she was delighted and she accepted the scholarship but they should know she could not commit to attend until all her offers were in. We never heard anything back about that.</p>
<p>I suppose you could honestly say “At this time I intend to pursue a BFA/MT at your school; however, it is possible I will change my plans when I learn of my options from other schools.” It would be interesting to see if you get a response.</p>
<p>^^That is a great idea! I think she will do that. At this point, considering the other options she has, WCU isn’t at the top of her list, BUT we still don’t know what the $$ is going to look like anywhere, and things could change very quickly once that puzzle piece is in place!</p>
<p>If your audition occurred earlier than our February 4 or March 24 auditions then the response date will be earlier. We have a number of students auditioning and we are not a position to HOLD a spot. WCU MT recently selected the first few students from the February 4 audition – not knowing if they will say yes or no. But the spots are available for those who respond first, giving the spots to the students who have chosen WCU as their first choice.</p>
<p>Seems like this is a very poor policy and only serves to hurt the program. If they are offering these students spots first, then they must feel these are the students they really want in the program. But by giving those same students only 2 weeks to decide, and so early in the whole process, they are almost guaranteed to lose most of them. My D is now a junior at PSU, but there is no way she would have accepted any offer so early in the game. There are so many factors at play, including not only the fit of the program, but the scholarships offered by different programs, and in the end the final cost to attend any program. It sounds as if WCS is trying to build their program, but I can’t imagine that this policy will help them in any way.</p>
<p>Agree with takeitallin! </p>
<p>Most schools do not operate in this fashion.</p>
<p>Has anyone from the March auditions heard anything yet?</p>
<p>Yes, my D received her acceptance last week in a letter.</p>
<p>Did anyone send in a video audition tape?</p>
<p>Was just accpeted to Western Carolina for MT BFA!</p>
<p>Congratulations, Jorjor247!!! When we went there last fall we loved everything about it. D would have been very very happy to attend there if her heart wasn’t committed elsewhere. Please keep us updated so we can all learn more about this hidden gem of a program!</p>
<p>As a follow-up, did anyone end up sending in a conditional acceptance to the program? What was their reaction? My D is a Junior and WCU is on our list, but I don’t want to waste our time and money to apply if this response date is firm.</p>
<p>My daughter’s letter said if you need more time to make your decision, just let them know. It doesn’t come off as demanding, but we did not ask for more time. It looks like a wonderful program and another CCer said the program seemed fantastic and their production of Sweeney Todd was incredible, so I do think it would be worth asking the school about their policy.</p>
<p>My D did contact them and let them know she would not be able to make a decision by the deadline. The extended the deadline for her, then, when she didn’t reply by that deadline, gave her another opportunity to reply. Even after she let them know that she would not be attending, they still sent her another email extending the deadline once again. (I think this was due to there being 2 different admissions clerks handling her file). </p>
<p>So I suspect that as long as you stay in touch with them, you won’t be in danger of losing your place.</p>
<p>Thanks tracyvp. Although I find it a strange way to make offers, at least it’s not a deal-breaker as far as I am concerned.</p>
<p>I would definitely consider this school. There’s not a lot of info here at CC about it but we were really impressed when we visited. Hopefully if sweetpea88’s D and Jorjor247 decide to attend they will post more info as they advance through the program.</p>
<p>Absolutely, I will. D is set on this program.</p>
<p>Western Carolina update: D LOVES it! Gorgeous campus, great training, impressive theater, great, talented classmates. Terrence Mann came and did a Master Class and will be directing the next show. So far so good!</p>
<p>Sweetpea, one of my D’s very closest friends is at WCU in MT. He’s a sophomore this year and loves the program, too! I’m glad your D is so happy!</p>