soozievt

You can have a fantastic audition at a school like CMU (sounds like you did) and still not get in. So, if you don't get in, do not chalk it up as not being good enough or not having had a good audition. I know quite a few kids who got sent around to various faculty at their CMU audition and did many monologues, songs, and so on....all a good sign apparently at CMU...who still did not get in. When they take about 2% of applicants, you must realize that more than 2% had what it takes to get in and more than 2% had a terrific audition.

seamom

Thanks soozievt. Those are encouraging words. This is a challenging process. My d thought she had a great audition at CMU. Was told she had the best dance score of the day, asked to do additional monologues, etc. Obviously, since she didn't get a phone call she didn't get in but she is still waiting for that letter. I don't have the heart to discourage her. She did get some other nice offers and scholarship money. One odd thing--Otterbein offered her a scholarship and acceptance into their program to minor in dance. The letter was very encouraging, saying that dance minors routinely get cast in the musicals, etc. but if your ambition is musical theatre and you have other offers, that doesn't seem like a good choice. Never the less, I guess it is better than out an out rejection. The comment I would make after going through her six auditions with her is that it is very unpredictable. I guess that mirrors life. Secondly, I want to say that we met many lovely people on this journey and I was particularly impressed with how gracious and kind the students were that we met at auditions. I hope everyone lands in a place where they will be happy.

Mom4X

I am guessing those who have not heard are either declined or wait listed, as we know from facebook and CC that they have already accepted the class, right? Maybe I am completely off base here???

soozievt

I would assume that CMU has called all the accepted students. The package that will arrive for everyone else will either be a rejection (most likely) or a wait list. My D applied to CMU four years ago and got wait listed (was on what is called Priority Wait list). So, it is possible that those not yet contacted, will be wait listed. But that wait list is not that long. Many who are offered a spot at CMU take it and then there is a short wait list for any spots that open up as CMU does not accept "extras" to yield their desired number as many other schools do. The year before my D's year, she had a friend get into CMU off the wait list. In my D's year, she and another friend were on the wait list but did not get in.

kaysmom

It is my understand that everyone has been called. That is just for acceptances and not for waitlists - so that waitlist possibility is still there for sure! Good Luck!

NYQ12

I was going to wait to share this information until I heard from the school, but now since I haven't been admitted anyway, and the chance of being on the waitlist is so small, I thought why not? I have recently decided that even IF I am on the waitlist, I will decline because I do not think it is worth 50,000+ dollars to go compared to the other 4-5 options I have for s cheaper price... Hey is IS CARNEGIE MELLON. But all these schools are wonderful and put out wonderful grads some just have nice prestigious names more than others... ANYWAY, I was an acting applicant this year. All the schools I auditioned for were for acting except NYU and CMU because you are considered for either all studios at NYU or both Acting and MT and Carnegie, so I thought... why not just do mt?

Anyway, I flew to Pittsburgh to Audition on campus, stayed with some people in the program for two nights, toured, all that stuff. I saw two shows in which I saw a variety and I mean a very large spectrum of talent... Brilliant to dreadful. Anyway, I keep rambling... My audition:

I was assigned to dance first... I am not a dancer, it was fine. I wasn't tripping over myself, but whatever, I didn't really care because I would be happier in the acting program anyway.

After dancing, I changed and was sent to the "warmup room" to sing --- I then wen to sing for Gary. He sang me through 3 songs told me I had a beautiful and colorful voice capable of a lot on the stage, and then we proceeded to talk about me and my goals and reasons for pursuing this for about 3-5 minutes. He then sent me to the other singing adjudicator, a woman. He said, she would like my voice and he wanted her to hear me as well... So I went to her, sang the one song of mine that Gary liked the best and she then proceeded to again tell me how beautiful my voice was... and we went on to talk about the same topics I did with Gary. I left feeling good, and confident. I felt as though they really had liked me. But they probably like a lot of people, right? At least, I received positive feedback.

Then I went on to the acting audition... I was first sent to one woman's room, not the head of the program, and did 3 monologues. She then proceeded to compliment me and interview me for a while. I was in there for about 10 minutes. She said, I won't work with you too much, I know Barbara will want to work with you in her room, remember it is a good thing to be sent over not a bad thing at all! Think of it as a callback, you did great, you really have a lot to bring..... So I proceeded to go to Barbara's room feeling "good" about what I had just accomplished in the previous room... So, I went to Barbara's room, the head of acting, and did my first monologue, it was my shakespeare. She stopped me half way through and told me to try it as a comedian saying it to an audience. She said, "look at the people's faces in the crowd you are talking to." So, i did that... Next, I did my second monologue, a contemporary one... I did the whole thing without being stopped... Afterwars, she was silent for a few seconds and said... "Wow, you have a really strong connection to this piece, this is fantastic" Then I went on to the third monologue... I did this one straight through and finished. I looked at her when I had completed it and she was just nodding her head writing on my audition sheet...

THEN THIS IS THE WEIRDEST PART... She gets out from behind the table she was watching me from and walks up to me in the middle of the audition room where I had done my monologues... She shakes my hand and says, "Thank you, thank you so much for sharing your talents with me. You are an extremely gifted young actor, and it is rare I see a student of your age come in here with such a connected, mature, and invigorating audition. You are very very talented and not to mention very attractive... You have a lot to bring to the table and your monologue choices showed an extreme set of diversity in your abilities. I know from watching you I would be able to do a lot with you, you are very versatile and risk-taking." She then proceeded to walk me to the door. Upon arriving at the door before opening it she said, "You know what, you are going to be great. I know you will be somewhere great next year because it shows, and I cannot say if that will be here or not because none of us know yet, none of us know. But you will be great. Good luck with choosing I am sure you will have choices. It was a pleasure to meet you."

.... Now, this is more or less word for word of what she said... Trust me, I remember...Kind of weird right? I was stunned........... I walked out of the room alive with confidence and satisfaction. I mean, whoa! There is no way she does this normally to everyone..... right??? I was confused. But it was just so nice to be recognized weather I hear good or bad news from them... I just didn't know what to make of it... IF ANYONE HAS experienced something to the same degree please share... I have talked to several admitted students over the years and none of them had a similar experience... at all! They all say they were just told "thank you" and left. It was just the weirdest thing... SO unexpected.

NYQ12

Okay and to make it even weirder about the time the acceptance calls were going out some random girl that is in the program contacted me on facebook... Someone I had never met or seen and she sent me a message saying "Congratulation! You were accepted to CMU right?"

musicalthetremom

Wow.....you must be so talented to hear all of that wonderful feedback. My D was told she had very high marks in singing by Barbara, she loved hearing that. We just checked online and she did not get admitted just like we reckoned....oh well, no surprise. You could very possibly get on the short wait list though, not sure if you want to go there anyway. Loved the story. Good for the rising seniors to hear what to expect next year.....maybe don't bother and waste your $70 audition fee is a good option too. Spend your time on other applications and auditions.

BrownEyes

"Where Am I In the Process" seems to have been updated today (5pm) so you can now check your status on-line ... Best of luck to all who are still waiting!

Mom4X

So the 'decision' box on line is still blank. Anybody else still in that situation?

perischack

Here too, Mom4X.

soozievt

^^^I don't want to get you guys' hopes up, but I recall in my D's year, reading of people getting their decisions online for CMU for the Drama Dept. and my D's status had not changed online. Then, she got a package in the mall that she was on the Priority Wait List. I have no idea if that same thing will happen to your kids (but given their talent, it is possible!!) and I have not heard of anyone getting the wait list yet from CMU ....so maybe that is the reason the status has not changed but I have no way of knowing that. Just sharing our experience four years ago.

CarnegieMT2012

I know for a fact of one girl who was accepted as an actor but is in fact on that MT priority waitlist, and i'm pretty sure, for girl's sake, last year they only had 3 priority waitlist girls. I'm not sure the number around which they have for boys.

perischack

A friend of my son's (a boy) is on the priority wait list for MT. He found out yesterday. (Well, he actually had some kind of indication prior, not sure what, but his status changed officially online yesterday.)

Soozie, I don't really think our hopes are up...still way too much of a long shot. Curious, though!

soozievt

perischack....Yeah, just can't be sure but I recall a lot of confusion in my D's year as I was reading that people's status changed online and my D's did not and then she heard many days later via snail mail of the Priority Waitlist. I just can't say if that it the pattern or the case for your kids but thought I would share that that was how it went down in her case.

In her year, there were only 3 or 4 girls admitted for MT. Crazy odds! My D's Priority Wait List was for ACTING, though she was a MT applicant (I know they consider you for either). She felt flattered by the wait list (so it served a nice purpose!) because of the three disciplines of singing, dancing and acting, she had had the least training in acting, though had acted on stage in many roles over the years but didn't have much formal acting training at all as we have no drama classes at our HS or in our region.