LizMT

Who's with me?

fishbowlfreshman

Hmmmm ... Interesting concept. I'm on the fence.

I'm totally shooting from the hip because I don't have the actual numbers, but it seems like many of the kids in the "top" BFA acting schools were also accepted to at least one or two of the other "top" programs. It's like there's a group of around one hundred or so prospees - mostly arts h/s types - who have each generally auditioned and been accepted into different combinations of two to four of eight or so "top" schools. That's not even including the other less selective programs to which they might have been accepted. It also doesn't include those who opt to go Ivy or top LAC BA. Then there are those whose financial deals aren't good enough at their BFA acceptances and are forced to try to piece something together at less expensive State U type options. I'm assuming it's pretty much the same at the "top" MT programs.

Seems like this would either cause some near-violent competitive behavior between the "top" schools for those students or force some to start shooting more for the middle of the talent/readiness pool. Otherwise, they would have to shut down due to lack of numbers in the program. No telling how it would effect the less selective programs. Maybe more of those would be forced to start having auditions for the BFA from an existing BA class at the end of freshman year instead of holding them for entering freshmen. It sure would make it more difficult to get a new BFA program going.

Would less programs result? I guess those who are of the opinion that professional training on the undergraduate level isn't such a good thing would be pleased.

Obviously, I'm just musing, but it would be interesting to see what some of the faculty types who are intimate with the process from the inside have to say about all this.

StickerShock

You just made my head hurt, Fishbowl.

fishbowlfreshman

^ Mine, too. I must be on break or something.

tom<3avenueq

I'd rather say I got waitlisted at a school then get full out rejected.

MTgrlsmom

Gotta admit, I love reading your posts fishbowl "...near-violent competitive behavior..."; I actually had a rather funny visual that involved all the Drama Dept.'s heads in the style of "The Incredibles"...

MTDad777

Here's a fun concept, why not skip right to it and tell them right on the spot. If you make it you have to accept because if you don't want to go there why audition. This would prevent the same kids from all getting into the same schools. The schools could draw audtion dates from a hat. This of course would be insane.

NotMamaRose

Yes, MtDad777, that *would* be insane, especially because many kids need to see if the financial aid package that they are offered is adequate to allow them to go there. Your plan would also prohibit the schools from seeing the entire (or almost whole) applicant pool, as they would have to pluck kids as they go along. It's fun to fantasize, though! I think we need to keep in mind that no one said that the process would be fair. Like a lot of life, it just is not.

fishbowlfreshman

Hey, I know! What they should do is hold huge cattle call type auditions in several cities with all the schools in one place. Then they could have a lottery for positioning and do something like a sports-style draft! I wonder how they'd work with the hold-outs for financial deals.

My experience is that it's really not all that far off from that with some of the acting schools although the students are mostly left to do the dirty work instead of the faculty. When I went through it a couple of years ago, one of them put a student on me who told me all kinds of crazy stuff about the other schools I was considering. Obviously, she was overlooking the fact that I had friends at those schools and knew better. I was just like "Yuh huh ..."

Amazing that I chose such an "overrated has been" from which I'll "graduate on a stretcher" and out of a "cookie cutter" without really learning anything. And to think that I almost went to the one that was revealed last year on this forum to "train pretty people to be pretty ..." LOL

Given all that, maybe I should have just stayed at my state university's BA. Had I done that, I would have probably graduated in December with several more professional credits on my resume and would now be playing the waiting game after MFA auditions. Odd ... Wonder if any of those play the diss the competition game?

Don't know for sure if there are MT schools that do that although I think I've seen a few rumblings of such here in the past.

NotMamaRose

fish, LOL! The comment about "cookie cutters" really hit home. My D has heard from a number of acting/MT programs that they "don't turn out cookie cutter performers" like "such-and-such" a program. Or, the more positive way to spin that: "WE cater to the individual. Not like SOME programs." As for me, I wish the students and faculty/administrators at all the programs would realize that dissing their competition is not a classy thing to do and doesn't reflect well on them and their program. Heads of good programs ought to send broadcast emails out to all their students before auditioners arrive on campus, saying "Feel free to talk openly about our program and its strong and weak points, but please refrain from cutting down/criticizing the other programs by name or reference. It doesn't help us."

LizMT

I just think they are excessive and unnecessary.

They can have waitlists just dont tell me.
I prefer to either get rejected or at least not know I was second choice (or like 30th choice, for that matter)

if they need to admit more people, admit them laters

MTgrlsmom

Just had this image of college auditions looking like an "open call" for Spring Awakening, hundreds of people snaking around the block, lining up in the wee hours of the morning, or even setting up tents on the side walk the night before.

Then, in the morning, an army of stern looking people with clip boards walking around telling people "sorry, you are typed out!".

Hm, I think I am beginning to like the college audition process after all...

ttmom

For what it is worth, My D has kids in her program at PSU as well as kids in her friends' classes at CCM, BOCO, B-W, Webster, and SU that all came off the waitlist. The faculties treat everyone the same, and none of these kids feels inferior; rather, they were all grateful to get in to the school they really wanted, no matter how they skinned the proverbial cat. After all the acceptances are completed, the deferral list pretty much drops away and the schools assemble their classes based on accepted and waitlisted students in order to acheive their desired classes, especially bc some kids do get acceptances to several of the most desired programs and those schools still need to have a complete class even if they lose out on a few of their frist choices. To a school, from the ones my D auditioned at(13 in all), auditioners were told that the school could fill the class at least twice with the talent they see and want. So obliterating the waitlist, imho, only hurts the potential attendee, not the program.

MusThCC

I assumed that the topic was a semi-humorous rant meant to express the frustration of being on the waitlist -- leading to having to wait even longer for the news -- than a serious thought.

If this is in any way serious, then yes, I agree with ttmom.

MTDad777

I don't see why any school would treat waitlisted students any different than their original acceptances. A 4 minute audition is not the be all end all of talent evaluation. One would think not only are there waistlisted kids that would be a fine addition to any schools program but there are many talented kids that have been rejected that will end up working in professional theatre.

LizMT - hang in there darling.