alwaysamom

Sorry for the misunderstanding, Josie. I missed Wanna_Be's post. It seems very difficult to get a copy of the actual curriculum there for some strange reason. I would recommend that if your D is truly interested in MMC, that you make sure you get one before you accept an offer. I'd recommend this to anyone of every school they're auditioning for, it's perhaps the single most important part of the research that should be done.

josiemax

We will get a curriculum. I know she has talked extensively to the girl from her high school who just graduated. So I think she has pretty good idea of what it is like but she hasnt shared details with me. We are just at the beginning of the audition process. She has done 2 and has 7 more scheduled and I am periodically panicking that she wont get in anywhere.

Mary Anna

Josie,
That's interesting. I guess they were referring to my student.

All I can assume is that any acceptance based on audition is always contingent upon academic acceptance. It seems some of these schools can and do accept on talent before academics but both criteria have to be met eventually.

I did have a student get in the BFA in acting at USC and then get rejected academically. I was told my a USC rep that that is very unusal.

thanks for the info.
xxx,Mary Anna

chrism

OscarJ,
what ever happened to the plan to move the theater dept north (around 103rd street, if I remember correctly? or correct me on this) away from the main campus? This was being discussed when my D auditioned there last year.

If they are not moving now, do they have other plans as the theater dept outgrows the main campus site?

thanks!

soozievt

Could it be that these "admissions" offers at these "audition" events (ie. NET auditions in Texas) are of the nature that..."we want you in the BFA program but it is contingent upon acceptance to the university." ? Such as....you passed the artistic/audition review but must now go through admissions? The difference here is the student is actually being told that as opposed to at an on campus audition, where the faculty reviewing BFA candidates wants someone and then submits those names to the admissions office who decides whether or not to admit. In the latter scenario (which is basically what is happening at many of these colleges), the student just never FINDS out they passed the artistic review. They simply get an acceptance or denial. What it sounds like to me in these cases that Mary Anna is discussing in Texas with MM or with USC or wherever, that they were told they would be accepted to the BFA programs (or whatever acting/MT program the school has) but they still must get accepted to the college. So, that is not exactly the same as "an acceptance" to attend. I'm inferring this from the various posts, though have no experience with these Texas auditions. It is not unusual to be "accepted" or to "pass review" by the artistic faculty but not to be accepted academically at a school, but it is just that most people don't find that out like these Texas kids who are in a two step type of process. But lots of kids have talent but not the academic qualifications. Otherwise, schools would not bother with the written applications and scores, transcripts, etc.

If you recall NewMTMom's D last year, whose D had been rejected at all her BFA programs, who then auditioned for the BA in MT program at American and she first was accepted by the MT faculty for the program following her audition but academically, she was not going to be accepted at one point. With various interventions that I do not recall, she eventually was accepted academically. At many schools my D auditioned at, they explained that following auditions, after they picked who they wanted, the names get submitted to the admissions office who then review the applicants. I recall that very statement at Ithaca and Penn State, as some examples. At NYU ,the artistic and academic review are each 50% and both processes are going on at the same time. At UMich, you pass academic review just to be invited to audition. At various schools my D did NOT apply to but are being talked about on these forums, there is a two step process where applicants find out if they are accepted academically sometimes before they even attend the audition such as Baldwin Wallace, Otterbein, Point Park.

In any case, using the word "accepted" at these Texas auditions, is likely not the accurate way to describe it if it is contingent on academic acceptance. Obviously some schools' academic review is at a very low bar and some students would practically "know" if they could surpass it but at others, there is more to the academic review, such as USC.

Susan

Mary Anna

Let me start by saying that all these questions should be directly to the colleges specifically. I don't know all the standards of each university.

You are right Susan about USC.'s academic bar.
I think what the rep mean't about it being unusual that a student would be accepted into the BFA acting, but not academically is that they consider the BFA in acting bar to be even higher than the USC academic bar!

OK, so now on with this "accepted" thing. It is a good thing I have a lot of energy to continue trying to answer yours and the one other poster questions/scepticisms. I am good naturedly teasing. But, I am apparently not doing a very good job of explaining. I appologize again.

Here goes:

I will QUOTE the letters of what I, my students and their parents are calling "acceptance" after the audition at NET and BEFORE application.

"I am writing to offer you acceptance into the BFA program at the ------University"

"I am pleased to let you know that we are prepared to offer you placement within the-----track in the -------School of Drama for the Fall of 2006."

"We would be delighted to have you as a BA student in Theatre Arts at------"

Verbal paraphrase "You are in, no question about it, we want you in our program"

OK, call me crazy, but these are acceptances in my book. All these happened BEFORE an application was completed.

Now, let me suggest that you please call the individual schools and ask them directly to clarify. I have posted the list of colleges twice, so you or anyone with questions should be able to get the names easily.

Of course, as I have always stated, these acceptances are based on the artisic merit of the audition and contingent upon a completed application. Some of these schools,as Susan said, have a basic academic bar.

Let's not, continue to argue semantics over this please. Even after an acceptance letter after a completed application, the offer is contingent upon graduation and a passing grade in all classes. Yes?

Thanks for you interest in this process,

xxx,Mary Anna

soozievt

Mary Anna, with regard to the vignette about USC and a student, I don't find that unusual whatsoever. USC, unlike some of these other acceptances you are talking about after an artistic review where the schools' academic bar is fairly basic and not that high,where academic acceptance now will be a formality, but at USC the school is selective academically as well. What that person was saying is that the bar to get into a BFA is higher....yes, of course, we all know the VERY low admit rates to BFA programs and these rates are LOWER (more selective) than the university as a whole. Example, Penn State accepts 55% of applicants to the university but only 5% to the BFA program (many others are just like this). But it is NOT unsual at all that a kid could be talented enough to be admitted to a BFA program but not have the adequate qualifications to be admitted to the selective university even if the academic selectivity is at a higher rate than their BFA program. For instance, to be admitted to Tisch for a BFA is a low admit rate, lower than to the university as a whole if just applying academically. However, there ARE kids all the time who have what it takes to get into Tisch for the BFA but don't have the qualifications to get in academically. That's even with the academic admit rate not being as low as the BFA admit rate. The academic bar itself still must be gotten over. It doesn't matter if the BFA itself is more selective in terms of the acceptance rate. There are kids who would not have the academic qualifications to get into USC or some other selective schools academically.

For instance, I am working with clients now who may have the talent to get into any BFA program but I don't even have schools like NYU, CMU, USC, UMiami, Syracuse on their list because academically, the students could not get in. There ARE BFA programs where the academic bar is fairly low. Some of those programs....if someone came to an artistic review and said the kid is in, well, the kid is likely close to in if he/she meets the fairly low academic bar. But for a school like your example with USC, this would not necessarily be considered an admittance without acceptance academically which would not have been a sure thing, as you can see. That is why I don't find what happened unusual at all.....where the BFA program was saying yes but admissions was saying no. Otherwise, if this did not happen, why do the kids have to bother writing essays, sending scores, transcripts, recs, etc. At some schools, there really IS something to the academic review. USC is one such example. It is entirely possible for a very selective BFA program with a low admit rate (higher bar as you called it) to want a student but the student cannot pass the selectivity of the academic program, even if that academic program has a higher admit rate (which is typical) than the BFA program itself. Schools like USC or U Mich or NYU are selective universities in their own right academically. And then a school like NYU also weighs academics 50% of the admissions decision. So, that is why unless you want to go to certain conservatories or certain levels of colleges that have a BFA program, it always pays to do well academically. I have clients who are closed out of even trying for several fine BFA programs due to academics alone.

Susan

Mary Anna

Has anyone out there done the MT minor singing audition on the Marymount campus?

I would be interested in any feedback about this singing audition itself and how it was conducted. Also, is there a dance component?

Thanks for any info from those who have participated in this or those who know someone who has.


xxx,Mary Anna

lynnm

Mary Anna - I have heard that all those participating in the MT minor audition are in the same theatre watching/listening to each other perform.

Mary Anna

That's really good piece of information to have.

Any idea how they evaluate which dancers are advanced? Is there any tap?

josiemax

There is no dance audition for MT. Also they time your monologues with a stop watch. The auditions are done as a group and my daughter said more than half of the kids were cut off.

clairesellers

Hi Everyone!
I auditioned for MMC BA or BFA theatre with a mt minor in the beginning of November. I was wondering if anyone has heard back from the theatre department. I got my acceptance into the college about a week ago.

Also, How competitive is it. They said they accepted 1 in 5 but that seems like a really low acceptance rate...

Mary Anna

I don't know about the acceptance rate. I didn't ask.
They were very selective at the Dallas NET auditions (which are listed on their web site). Of the 200 who auditioned they only made offers to a handful and additionally, just a small number at the Booker T. Washington Senior Showcase which was the next day.

I have a student who was accepted for theatre from the November audition in Dallas, but now has to go on campus and sing in order to pursue the MT minor degree.

Their website says that there is a mulit-level dance component for the MT minor audition but some are saying there isn't one. I will call and find out more but was interested in anyone's experience. Until now, I have never had a student who was interested and am out of the loop about MM.

Thanks for the feedback

xxx,Mary Anna

Mary Anna

I just read your old post.

I don't disagree with your logic. But why do you think the USC rep said that was an unusual situation? He must have had a reason.

Maybe in his mind, he thinks that there are so few people who have the talent to get in the BFA acting and so many more who have the grades/tests to be accepted into the college. And remember this is the BFA, not the BA in acting, which, although it is competitive, not as much so as the BFA.

I am just guessing, but, so are you I suppose.


xxx,Mary Anna

clairesellers

Mary Anna,
There is not a dance component, they said that you are given an evaluation upon acceptance. Thanks for your information, let me know if you find out anything else!
Claire