<p>Well, the light bulb went on for us in the past couple of weeks. Once we started focusing on the "safety" school, it really became very exciting. If we can find a really good safety school that my D would love to go to, then everything else is just icing on the cake. I really feel my D will be able to find a safety school that she would be happy to attend. We have sent several e-mails to different schools and have received wonderful replies about their programs.</p>
<p>That being said, we now have to start focusing on the audition schools as we have WAY too many on the list. The problem is my D isn't very particular about location and size so narrowing the scope will definitely be more curriculum based, which is a lot more work!</p>
<p>Anyway, I wanted to share with others that are going through this process. I feel much better about this whole process knowing that there is a good fit for my D regardless of the audition outcome.</p>
<p>Every person with experience on this forum has said to be sure to pick a safety, but it didn't register with me until now how freeing that is!</p>
<p>For a safety school I know Muhlenberg has a great non-BA program, also I see that you’re from California and I think UC Irvine is non audition and you start as a BA and then audition for the BFA your sophomore year, and I know Allison Case went there.</p>
<p>I find that it can be nice to have TWO safety schools, because just in case none of the other schools come through, there still is a CHOICE/OPTIONS in the spring. Just a thought.</p>
<p>dg22894…since you bring up Muhlenberg and UC Irvine, two excellent options, I just want to mention for those who are reading (not directed at you), that these are not safeties for all students. You have to be a pretty good student to get into these two. Remember that for a MT applicant, all non-audition schools are not safeties. They are only a safety if they are a sure bet academic admit (and financially doable) for an individual applicant.</p>
<p>dcsparent, yes we will go visit sometime this next year to make sure.</p>
<p>soozievt, you are correct that 2 are better for choices and I think we will have that also.</p>
<p>dg22894, soozievt is correct that it needs to be an academic safety. Also, most California state schools are impacted meaning they are very full. She is guaranteed to be able to go to a school, but not guaranteed which one, so those are not a good safety for her.</p>
<p>I’d like to the add the idea of a financial safety as well. Muhlenberg is over $50,000 a year but UC Irvine in state if the academic’s fit the safety mold then I’d bet
it would also be a good financial safety.</p>
<p>Our son had a few non-audition schools as safety schools (that were also academic targets or safety’s, but we didn’t visit them nor take the time to make sure he would be happy there. Then, without either my wife or I knowing, he didn’t complete his applications for those schools. My wife found out, but didn’t tell me until he got his first acceptance from an audition school. She was then able to breath a sigh of relief, and brought me up to speed. I was lucky, as those 2 weeks while my wife was stressed (would he have a school to go to n the fall?), I was oblivious to the whole thing. The season - make sure your child s excited even about the safety schools, and make sure they complete the applications, and hit “submit.”</p>
<p>UC Irvine was my safety and is where I’m attending although I got into 4 other audition programs. In the end it has everything I wanted in a program and more. Quality. Working alumni. World-class dance. Tons of performance opportunities. Good reputation academically and artistically.They told us the incoming Freshman class had an average GPA of 4.1 and since people were talking about Allison Case. Interestingly, she never even got into the higher level MT classes and is now on Broadway. Plus it’s in an amazingly wonderful area. I received a drama scholarship and a big chunk of gift aid and am so excited to attend.</p>
<p>Good for you, actor12. Glad you researched and chose a safety that you would be - and WILL BE - extremely happy at!</p>
<p>SaratogaParent - I would have flipped if I knew about the “No Submits”. Your poor wife, she must have been sick to her stomach about that. Did your don do that on purpose, or did he just get backed-up with the applications - cheeky little offspring!</p>
<p>Another option for safety schools are rolling admissions programs with very early auditions. D had several decent acceptances after a summer round of Nebraska Thespian auditions, so those schools became her safeties even before she started completing applications, and we know several other kids who had the same experience.</p>
<p>I agree that having some acceptable safety schools in the bag removes a lot of pressure.</p>
<p>A few people posted advice to make sure your child is excited about their safety school choice(s). Much easier said than done! We had several on our initial list: UNH, URI, Ole Miss, Christopher Newport, Columbia College, but my D just couldn’t get excited about these programs/schools. When we visited U of Alabama, she fell in love with the school and the program. She felt confident that she would get in academically, and the cost was fairly low. Although their MT program is auditioned, the Acting program is not. They also allow you to audition again during Freshman year for MT. They have rolling admissions, so when she was admitted academically (in October?) she decided it would be her safety school. There are other schools with MT programs where she auditioned that have a very open department, such as Indiana U, and I think that would have been a good fit for her too. If my D hadn’t gotten admitted to an auditioned program, she would have been very disappointed. I can’t say she would be really excited to attend one of these schools as a safety, but she felt more comfortable in that scenario than attending a school with a completely non-auditioned mentality. It wouldn’t have been my choice for her because I was worried about a potential hierarchy, but at least I knew she would go to college no matter what. </p>
<p>I suggest you all look at the Big List of MT Programs by Type. The schools are broken down in Audition BFA, Audition BA, Non-Audition BFA, Non-Audition BA, and BA-to-BFA programs. I will bump the thread AGAIN. I wish it would get flagged as Important and reside at the top.</p>
<p>Shaun you’re right that it can be very hard for acting and MT students to get excited about safeties. D felt strongly that she only wanted a conservatory BFA but I insisted she apply to a few safety schools, although she insisted she would rather take a gap year. (I insisted on ‘a few’ because I wanted her to have a choice finally; I knew that decision making process might be important, even if she did take a gap year.)</p>
<p>I think that if you apply wisely, to some better known and some lesser known programs, you are likely to have a good auditioned option in the spring. But I’d also say-- if a college grabs you for any reason, take a chance and apply. Kids change so much over the course of senior year-- it’s worth casting a wide net.</p>
<p>A word about Muhlenberg: we added this school at the last minute after we heard about it from a friend. We had a “safety” school of a sort already because of Rider’s rolling admission policy (acting, not MT but it took a lot of pressure off of my D). So we visited and auditioned for Charlie Richter (for scholarships) at Muhlenberg and my D absolutely loved it there. Their admission rate is low for the school overall, but if Charlie likes you he makes a recommendation to the admissions committee. You should demonstrate interest as well (start an email conversation with your admission couselor) It greatly improves your chances. Their merit aid/talent scholarship combination is generous.</p>
<p>My D ended up deciding to attend an auditioned BFA in a big city (her initial desire), however the fact that she felt she would have been so happy at Muhlenberg made our spring much less stressful. </p>
<p>I also highly recommend auditioning for a school or 2 in the fall that has rolling admissions! I cannot stress enough how having an acceptance early helps your kid’s confidence and mood. ;-)</p>
<p>My S visited Muhlenberg in the spring and absolutely loved it too. It really offers a lot of what he is looking for. When his time comes (he will be a junior this year so still has one more year) he will definitely apply. I hate to call it a “safety” since he might end up picking it depending on where else he gets in, and also because I think it might be a bit of a stretch for him academically, but he was quite impressed with the program. The performing arts center is beautiful, and they really seem to offer good dance, acting and vocal training, and take advantage of their proximity to New York. And Charlie Richter could not have been more helpful or nicer. I second austinmt’s recommendation!</p>
<p>If you are only receiving merit aid, then the max you can get from Muhlenberg is about $20K a year. (Research this number–it is in their fine print somewhere on-line.)</p>
<p>As for Skidmore, mentioned as a safety earlier, they give virtually no merit aid at all. MT students may audition for their Filene Music scholarship for $12K a year. But I believe only 3 or 4 are given all together, all instruments.</p>
<p>So definitely keep in mind whether each school would be a financial safety if your EFC is high.</p>
<p>Just a quick note about Muhlenberg, which my son and I liked very much, although with some reservations. This year they apparently took an even higher percentage of their freshman class ED than in years past (when it’s been about 65% of incoming freshmen from the early decision pool, as I recall). Their application rate is climbing, and thus their acceptance rate is falling. Great program, everyone loves Charlie Richter, and their graduates are well prepared and connected, but it is NOT a safety for anyone who isn’t applying early decision. I’d definitely suggest taking a look and including it on a well-balanced list of schools, but just bear in mind that you should show them a lot of love (i.e., “demonstrated interest”) and have an excellent academic record if you want to feel secure about regular-decision acceptance. :)</p>
<p>For those of you whose kids have high GPAs and/or good scores, look at Tulane! Tulane was our safety. My D’s list was admittedly top heavy…she wouldn’t apply to any BA programs at all. Yes, I know, there are great BA programs out there. But she refused. So her safety was Tulane…it’s a great BFA program with an Equity theater attached to the school, and they gave us a LOT of money. Video audition. I have a feeling Tulane will soon join the ranks of audition schools, but until then, take a look!</p>