@monkey13 …I just read your response and literally howled with laughter!!! Yours is the most comprehensive and colorful description of this crazy process I have seen. I hope everyone who applied to Syracuse sees it… 
Oh, and thank you all! Couldn’t make it through without this community!
What is it about Syracuse? Our whole experience with their audition was a little contadictory, now I hear that their admittance notifications are all over the place. Also, was not aware until visit that all Seniors are not given a showcase…great program, but moved a few spots down D’s list.
Syracuse is a good program. My D’s audition experience on campus was a little different (the audition panel never looked at her…not once…the entire time she slated and auditioned. When she was wait listed, she laughed, and said, “Mom, how do they even know who I am???”). But the program is good. There are all sorts of bizarre things in this process…one school never gave my daughter an official answer, and to this day (she’s a sophomore at Ithaca), she gets reminders to sign up for things and pay bills at this school she never heard back from. Another school sent her someone else’s rejection letter…not even in the same state as us…when we called to tell the school, they said, “Oh, thanks for letting us know,” and started to hang up…I said, “Wait! Don’t you want to know who it is so you can re-send her the letter?” Their response? “Ummm…okay, I guess.” To this day, I wonder if that poor girl ever heard anything, but I didn’t feel it was my place to tell her. 
I’m sure there is a method to their madness…for all of them…but for us, it’s just madness. Hang in there.
A thing about seniors and syracuse. As I understand it- there are 3 big opportunities for “exposure”- senior showcase, tepper semester in NYC, and Sorkin Week in LA. All of them have outstanding opportunities for professional industry connections. Last year at accepted students program, Ralph Zito (head of dept) said all seniors would get to do one, and some might get to do more than one, but you wouldn’t get to do all.
@limbo2019 - WHAAAAAAT??? No showcase for seniors??!!! Or do they just pick certain seniors (which is another whole kettle of fish)??
@monkey13 you are making our Sunday morning!! Haven’t laughed so hard since this whole process started.
At our Syracuse parent info session in Chicago, someone asked how academics fit into the equation of the selection process. He explained that all auditions were scored in increments of 20 points - 100, 80, 60, etc. The 100’s are sent to admissions to weed out the candidates who don’t fit their academic criteria, then they go to the 80’s, very rarely to the 60’s. Said several years ago they were particularly interested in a young man who was a fabulous actor, but admissions felt he would flounder at the university, based on his academic record. They could not make an offer to him. Don’t know if this has anything to do with the “waves.”
@shopforpunky- lots of schools do/don’t do showcases- you need to decide for yourself if it’s a deal breaker. What I was saying about Syracuse is that SOME BFA seniors do a showcase, SOME spend a semester in NYC where there are a variety of opportunities through the program to meet/network with agents and industry folks, and SOME get to go to LA for a week with Aaron Sorkin (a SU alum) where again, they get to make a variety of connections. When we were at accepted students last year, the dept told us all seniors would do ONE of these (and there was a possibility that some might get to do more than one) and a senior needed to think of what they were looking for in the next phase of their career- and go from there. I was one of the things I liked about Syracuse, because it offered multiple opportunities, rather than “only” a showcase (and I think showcases are great- just pointing out there is more than one way to skin a cat)
It was just pointed out to me that last year Michigan made phone calls during their spring break. Comparing the date we have on the notification thread (March 5 for the earliest notification last year) with their 2014 spring break dates, that would be correct. So, there is a possibility that Michigan could make phone calls anytime. Who knows!
@toowonderful – thanks for the insight and clarification. My response #2364 to @limbo2019 was actually written before your post #2363 re: the three options showed up on my screen…hence my WHAAAAT??? response.
No worries 
All I know is that in our Syracuse info session, all these possible opportunities were discussed, but the panel of kids said that they needed to apply for the LA opportunity. It sounds like the NYC semester is standard. What was most surprising was that Ralph Zito specifically said that all Seniors would not be offered showcases because they felt that the attention span of those attending the showcase waned after a certain amount of time. He said that those not being showcased were put on video and sent to the various agencies.
I just can’t imagine a kid pouring their heart and soul into a program for 4 years ( that advertises their program as providing a senior showcase) and then being told that x-many of your class will be showcased, but too bad for you!
From what I’ve heard…some programs are moving away from just doing the “showcase” because everyone has moved to doing them - and they are looking for something a little different. Perhaps Syracuse feels the kids will get enough exposure in the Tepper & LA programs they don’t need a showcase?
That’s part of the beauty of the process- with all the different curriculums and programs, you can choose schools that fit in with what you are looking for, it just takes research
Is there a thread for final school pick for class of 2019? Is there a protocol followed when you are given more than one offer? How long do you let the schools you know for certain are out of the running?
If you know for sure you are not going to pick a school you should release the spot so they can offer it to someone, else. IF you are 1000% sure.
There is a final decisions thread somewhere! I’ll bump it
I would agree that if you 100% sure of where you are going and have formally accepted a spot in a program that you should let any other programs that have accepted you know ASAP.
@MTnewsbie1 The most important thing to remember is: You have until May 1st to make a decision. Don’t let anyone pressure you to make a decision until you are ready.
However, as @evilqueen said, if you can definitely rule a school out, let them know you won’t be accepting your spot ASAP so they can offer that spot to someone else. People on wait lists will thank you. A simple email thanking the program heads for their offer but letting them know you have decided to attend elsewhere is fine. Be nice. Don’t ever burn any bridges.
Also, be aware that some schools have limited housing, so once your final decision is made, the sooner you accept and send in your housing deposit, the better chance there is for you to get your preferred choice of housing. (Penn State comes to mind here. Freshman housing choices are limited. They will make sure you have somewhere to live - it just could be less than ideal # of roommates or location if you wait too long) At other schools, housing is not an issue so it just depends on where you decide to go.