Adding to BU information, while we were on the theatre dept. tour (April 2019). The department rep said that if your SAT score is under 1450, DO NOT submit it. Theatre dept applicants do not need to submit test scores. But if you do submit a score, it had better be 1450 or above. If not, admin will decline your application. He did not speak to GPA needed.
^ Iād think that applies to any other school that places equal emphasis on academics (i.e. NYU) - if your score is not competitive for the school no point of submitting it.
Thanks for this information. When we did the on-campus visit last fall (10/18), McCaela said the cutoff was 1300 (and above) for submitting SATs. She indicated that the Class of 2023 theatre program had average GPAs of 3.6-3.7 and 1400-1450 SATs. Any other reports from recent auditions? S auditioned for BU during NYC Unifieds, but this topic didnāt come up.
As far as SATs for BUā¦ During my session of NY unifieds last month they told us it is best NOT to submit an SAT unless it is insanely high because it is more often a detriment. She said if you had already submitted the SAT, to go back into your application and remove it from consideration. She said (unofficially) many talented theatre and arts applicants may have lower SATs (cuz math) and this is why they removed the requirement (the university does not want to pull their stats down). The admit decision is negotiated between academics and artistic sides and both are considered important.
Adding to the point about BU and academics, my sonās experience last year was that BU is THE hardest academic school among the major BFA programs. We were told in the end that my sonās non-admit came down to grades (for anyone wondering how to evaluate that, he had a 1430 SAT, decent but not perfect grades with a very strong upward trend, and 5 or 6 AP classes, and he had worked with McCaela in a summer program before his senior year). He was invited to apply the next year as a transfer, because the academics would not matter as much in that process. The BU rejection was a truly heartbreaking day at our house ā I mention all of this so other parents can be prepared.
Interestingly, other schools that are equal to or above BU in regular academic rankings (NYU, Carnegie Mellon, U Michigan) donāt seem to place as much weight on academics in the BFA admission process. My son now is at Michigan (he LOVES the program, by the way - happy to chat with anyone who has questions).
@momimi and other BU folks, did your kids do any of their monologues over the stated 1 min. My Dās comedic is 60 seconds, but her preferred cut for her dramatic is closer to 90 seconds. Iām particularly interested in hearing from anyone whose S or D was accepted to BU? Thanks!
At NY 2020 unifieds, the whole BU audition was laid back and I was not timed (I was not timed in any of the 12 auditions I did at unifieds). I ended it up with doing my longer cut too because I was feeling it. It was only one professor in the room and he worked with me a bit and did not say anything about the length of the monologues. They said they did not want a slate.
@planner2 Thank you!
@Abutilon , I answered on the MT board as well but my S was admitted to BU last year and his cuts were only a few seconds off from what they asked for. But my recollection is that he thought it was a relaxed audition so the 90 seconds is probably not a big deal. Break a leg to your D!
@mindatwork Thank you!
They told us at the BU info session right before audition slots that you donāt need to worry about timing your monologue at all. You can do spoken word or read poetry if you wantā¦ they just want to see you shine in whatever way you choose.
@TenaciousC Thank you!
I donāt know anyone who auditioned at the University of Utah ATP. If you did, I would love to hear about your audition experience. I had a rather interesting one and was trying to get a better handle on the schoolās typical vibe. You can PM me if you would be more comfortable with that. Thanks!
Does anyone know where SUNY Purchase is holding their LA auditions?
I heard University of Michigan is already contacting accepted students. Anyone hear anything?
@crazytheatregoer my son auditioned for Utah ATP in Chicago and had a really good experience. They were very welcoming to him and the director himself spent several minutes answering questions and telling him about the program. We also stuck around for the parent meeting and found that helpful as well. One of the recent alumni was helping out and actually answered a lot of questions as well and went into his audition too. All in all, it was a very good experience. Was your experience good?
I wonder if anyone has auditioned for UMiami for acting and what your thoughts on their program is? My son auditioned for what he thought was an acting program but was told he would have to attend a dance call and sing as well, so he did, but Iām just wondering about their program. It seems to be more of a combined MT/acting program at this point. Does anyone have any more info they can share? I know Miami is a difficult school to get into academically and they were interested in him because he actually has the grades/test scores to get accepted, but just wondered if anyone could shed some light on their program.
@mommyMT That sounds very similar to my experience! They were very very kind and spent a large amount of time with me. I donāt know if they are like that with everyone or if it is a good sign to get that kind of treatment.
@tenaciousc Probably too late to help for Syracuse but my D wore her audition outfit for movement warm up, Many did not but she said it was fine because her audition outfit is not fitted.
@mommyMT , @crazytheatregoer My D auditioned for U Miami MT last year. They spent almost a half hour with her in the audition room at Unifieds (way over the scheduled time): they talked to her and worked with her. They were very nice and seemed very interested. They also responded personally to an email she sent. Then, she received a rejection: she wasnāt even waitlisted. Sorry to tell you this and hope your experience is different-itās a great school!