| NOCCAMom, you and your kids will have the advantage that you are going into this with your eyes open. There were parents who thought that their highly talented student would get some major awards since he/she is considered such a super star in the community. When I entered the process, I thought that the fact that S was a triple treat and male who be a great hook. Well, the hook is like the one they use to pull you off the stage. Many of his schools were shoo ins academically; it was the MT part that made them reaches, super reaches. He did get some merit awards but they were all because of his high SATs, not because of his audition or resume, and if he had had higher grades, he probably would have gotten even more money offers. The money offered was in direct relationship to the academic stats, from what I could see with all of the kids we know who went the audition reoute.
My friend, whose son had mid level 1300's in SATs and a B- average did get some merit money ranging from $1000-5000, from those schools where his SATs put him in the upper 25% to give you some idea of the threshholds, and they did not apply to the smaller, less known schools, where they may have even gotten a little more. My son' s classmate with SATs a bit lower and grades about the same from his prep school also got some merit money in that range, and also from some non MT school with strong PA programs. They also included low sticker price schools so they had a good range of option, but they were more interested in theatre and acting programs and applied only to a few MT schools.
The only comfort is that you would be in the same boat even if you were not looking at MT programs and that in looking at these programs some schools, not on most college lists with lower sticker prices, and lower merit scholarship threshholds are possibilities. Schools like SUNY Fredonia and Buffalo are not as expensive as some out of state schools, and they do give nice merit awards without the academic numbers having to be so high. Some of those little schools that are not so well known but have great MT/theatre programs are not that expensive and may well give some merit money. The big boys do not tend to budge, but you are quite right allowing them to audition, because despite what the experience overall may show, you never know what may happen on an individual basis. There is a young lady in PA who did get into TIsch with a very nice package this year that belies a lot of what is being said here--don't know the details, just through the grapevine, don't know her stats, but it was a combo fin aid/merit award. It's just that you do not want to go into this expecting a full scholarship because of what wonderful talents your kid has--there are many, many kids with talent in this area. My son could have gotten into Michigan (well, likely, I think) and CMU if he were NOT looking at MT as a major. As it was he was rejected and waitlisted. Don't know what would have happened with Syracuse and Emerson, but I am pretty sure he would have been an academic shoo in, but I wouldn't bet a dime he would have made the MT cuts. And as for scholarship, doubt he would have gotten anything at any of those schools. |