Someone told me that getting into a BFA acting program depends 80% on the audition and 20% on the application/grades/recommendations/etc. So I guess my question is: do the theatre auditors look at your application/grades/recommendations?
Some pertinent information: I’m applying to transfer to BU’s Theatre Arts BFA and currently go to Scripps College, an equally prestigious and selective school. I’ve gotten As in all my acting classes here, except I got a B in my acting class this semester X( I don’t even know why!!! I also have a 10.16 cumulative gpa (we use a 12 pt. scale). Anyway, I would hate for one B to be THE deciding factor for the admissions committee.
At BU they use a dual process- you have to meet the academic standard of the school, AND pass the audition. So it’s 50/50. Those processes are entirely separate- so yes, they will be looking at your grades/recommendations etc- and not just from theater classes.
I doubt one B is going to be THE deciding factor for BU. My S was admitted to the BFA program and he had a few Bs on his transcript.
I have friends that got into BU’s acting program with less than stellar grades. Anything is possible–I wouldn’t stress over one B.
I’m sure every school is different, but my view from the outside (as a parent, so basically an informed observer but not an authority) is that most acting programs build a company, and for that company they want a mix of different types. In such a scenario, academic qualifications are more of a filter than an equally weighted part of the decision-making process. That means that if your grades are “good enough” – whatever that means for a given school – then the decision really hinges on a combination of your audition and your fit for the class. As a transfer student it will really matter what the rest of the class already has. There is perhaps more leeway in Acting than, say, musical theatre (a class will only have so many sopranos, for example), but it will matter if there are or are not other class members with your castable type. For example, any class would love to have a Danny DeVito, and even two would be fine. But no school would want a class made up of 30 Danny DeVitos. 