@connections wrote:
I have to agree with this. In so many capacities, students who are of means have a leg up when it comes to the college admissions process. This is not really any different for MT applicants than for all college applicants.
As an aside, we did not spend more money on our MT kid during her HS activities or her college admissions process than for our non-MT applicant daughter.
Both daughters: were in many extracurriculars…many dance classes, private instrumental lessons on two instruments each, band, many sports, voice lessons, etc. No more for MT D than other D.
Both daughters: went away every summer to six week programs
Both daughters had application fees to 8 colleges.
Both daughters did campus visits to all 8 colleges (and 2nd visits to a couple of them), though MT D did do 3 flights and other D did not (but that didn’t have to be that way).
Non-MT D had some private SAT tutoring. MT D did not.
MT D did not have an audition coach. She worked on her songs with her voice teacher of 5 years (yes, these cost money but so did other D’s ski racing expenses as one example). MT D did get some monologue prep lessons with an acting instructor, but again, non-MT D had many associated expenses with her activities/lessons too.
I’ll be the first to say that this experience is not cheap. But kids who do not do MT also do campus visits and have application and test fees and other lessons in their extracurricular interests and may also attend summer programs and so on. It is not exclusively expensive for theater kids.
I feel for kids who do not have parental support or the funds to do all that our kids get to do. But I also believe that where there is a will, there is a way, generally speaking. It just is far more challenging to accomplish without support to enter the college admissions process.
I gotta say, however, that the the MT College admissions/audition process is not for the faint of heart. It is a doozy for sure.
As far as one’s age and adjusting to rejection…many HS students who are applying to college have to adjust to rejection. Yes, the BFA in MT admissions process is so highly selective that there will most likely be more rejections than acceptances. However, I had another kid (and advise other students) who are applying to highly selective regular colleges and these are super chancy odds too. My D who went into MT, was applying to college around her 16th birthday and went through the audition process at 16. She dealt with it as many others have done. I don’t wish rejection on anyone but it is a maturing experience and one that they will be enduring IN college too (getting cast is harder in college, for example). My kid hit the professional MT audition circuit upon college graduation at age 20. Rejection is part of this game. The earlier a kid can get used to it, the better, I think.