Just for fun, here’s how some of the subject lines read in my mailbox:
Congratulations on being accepted to Pace University!
Celebrate your admission to Ball State!
Emerson College Performing Arts Artistic Review | Thank you for your talent!
It’s time to activate your Texas State ID!
^^^KaMaMom…oy vey. Glad you are finding in the humor in it all!
By the way, these posts remind me (and this is likely true for some others) that the majority of the schools on my D’s list were not schools she would have chosen to apply to or attend without their MT program. Her college list would have been vastly different had she not been seeking a BFA in MT. So, an academic acceptance to any of these schools without their BFA program’s acceptance, were pretty meaningless to her. Not knocking these schools but really they were chosen cause of their MT programs primarily.
On Friday(day of MT calls), Pace called me(irrelevant academic info) , sent an email with the subject of “Congratulations on your acceptance to Pace University!”, and I received snail mail that started off once again with “Congratulations on your acceptance to Pace University!”
Friday was not a good day lol
For what it’s worth (which I think is probably a lot) Ball State Bill posted on Ball State’s ‘acceptance’ thread:
“Remember that the National Signing Deadline date is May 1st. No school should tell you they need a response before then. If they do, they are in violation of the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) policies related to this.”
Elsewhere in this forum, folks have said that programs are allowed to set an earlier deadline though schools are not. Soooo…
I am the one that posted about the May 1 deadline with regard to NACAC rules. I believe what I posted is correct.
With regard to NAST, I am certainly not an expert, but I didn’t find any reference to rules about a May 1 deadline requirement in the NAST Standards/Handbook. This is what I found:
and
There are rules in the NASM Standards/Handbook (schools of music) about a May 1 deadline for Financial Aid commitments.
Most, but not all, university theatre programs are accredited by NAST and/or NASM. East Carolina (the school in question) is accredited by NAST.
Speaking of NAST, here is a list of schools from the top of this forum that are NOT accredited by NAST (the length of the list is kind of surprising to me):
American
UCI
Carnegie Mellon
UCF
Elon
Emerson
Illinois Wesleyan
Marymount Manhattan
Millikin
Muhlenberg
University of Miami
University of Michigan
Northwestern
NYU
Ohio Northern
Pace
Point Park
Roosevelt-CCPA
Sam Houston
Santa Fe
USC
Syracuse
TCU
Texas State
U Arts
Webster
The following schools are not accredited by NAST but the musical theatre programs are part of a school of music or conservatory accredited by NASM (schools of music):
Baldwin Wallace (BM)
Boston Conservatory
Catholic (BM)
Shenandoah Conservatory
I left off some of the W’s in post #2686 (and Rider) and the MT degrees from Boco and Shenandoah are not accredited by NASM:
Schools NOT accredited by NAST:
American
Boston Conservatory
UCI
Carnegie Mellon
UCF
Elon
Emerson
Illinois Wesleyan
Marymount Manhattan
Millikin
Muhlenberg
University of Miami
University of Michigan
Northwestern
NYU
Ohio Northern
Pace
Point Park
Rider
Roosevelt-CCPA
Sam Houston
Santa Fe
Shenandoah
USC
Syracuse
TCU
Texas State
U Arts
Viterbo
Wagner
Webster
Wright State
The following schools are not accredited by NAST but the musical theatre programs are accredited by NASM:
Baldwin Wallace (BM)
Catholic (BM)
In the rejections thread, @KaMaMom has a post in which she talks about how special this time can be with our children, how some auditioners from years past look back at this time as a special one with his/her parent(s), and how she wouldn’t trade it. I originally posted this response in that thread, but thought it might be more appropriate here, instead:
I completely agree, @KaMaMom! This has been an amazing time with my D ( @stage2nature )! From hours spent researching details of tons of programs to painstakingly whittling down those to create her list to watching her delve deeply and meaningfully into essays to reminding/nagging her to finish yet another essay to making sure she has all of her many vitamins and probiotics and Secret of Thieves and running humidifier and whatever else to stave off illnesses to shopping for the perfect audition clothes for her to filming prescreens hoping nothing goes wrong with the equipment and barely breathing myself in order to be as still and quiet as possible to scheduling auditions to attending those auditions all over to exploring NYC and catching a Broadway show along with her sister and Dad between auditions to walking a mile to her favorite restaurant (Chiplotle) during the 5th worst blizzard in Chicago history to guiding her around outside while she’s so bundled that only her nose is showing during said blizzard to taking a great pic of her like that under the El with both mittened hands giving a thumbs up because pursuing theatre is worth it to eating great desserts and food in different cities to relaxing in the jacuzzi daily during Unifieds to taking in her positive energy and excitement at auditions to the thumbs up and shining eyes after most auditions to the private sharing of details after all auditions to the meeting of great fellow auditioners and parents to many funny stories and many laughs to traveling through this with my very supportive spouse as well to hearing and watching her almost cry with excitement and almost cry with dismay to confirming how strong and grounded and just amazingly lovely she is as a person to dealing with schools missing information to the shared holding of breath and/or deep breathing and silent prayers as she makes the daily walk to and from the mailbox to comparing notes to wondering how a waitlist might enlongate an already long process to laughing and commiserating with others on CC and in person… This has been incredible.
I am blessed to have shared and continue to share this time with my D with all of its ups and downs and intensity, especially as I stare reluctantly, bittersweetly, and excitedly straight into the fact that, very soon, she will be off to wherever on her adventure, away from our home.
(Hmm… Why do I tear up so easily these days? 
)
My D and I have always been close. This experience, while often challenging, is a neat sort of capstone to our life together in our home. I hope that this will help her to realize what strength she has and to also solidify the strength of our relationship before she goes off. I hope the same for your senior and you! With that, I also wish the best for each of our kids!
@myloves: What a thoughtful recollection of this crazy time with your daughter. My story, like so many others here, would sound very similar. I actually teared up when I read of your many adventures because my daughter’s and mine sounds very similar. Thank you for reminding us all that, while this is a time of great stress and fear of the unknown, it is also time that will build memories that will last a lifetime. 
I love that post @myloves ! Though I am a bit apprehensive about this as my daughter prepares for college auditions this coming year…I am excited about spending time with her on the journey. Couple of questions : A: where the heck was Chipotle in Chicago??? Went this year to check out Unifieds and support friends. (My daughter is addicted to Chipotle) and B:Secret of Theives? (looked it up…interesting)
My Chipotle story is a bit less glorious.
Dad: “I’m starved”
D: “Let’s go to Chipotle.”
Mom: “NO WAY I’m going out there!”
Palmer House at the top, Chipotle at the bottom, really cold, snowy, slushy walk with wind blowing both ways in between…
http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-CWmCvt2/0/M/i-CWmCvt2-M.jpg
Funny! We live in the south- realized that snow boots are a definite need for next years trip!
@myloves … love your memories!!
I’ll share my favorite of this whole college audition process … my D is seriously hysterically funny. She’s snarky and witty … and from when she was little, she’s just been one of those glass full, wake up on the good side of the bed people. It’s just who she is. And she’ll talk to everyone/anyone - most times with no filter.
Anyway, she’s walking out of the dance call with about twenty other kids - and this is no joke - at least three or four of them at one point make their way over to her. They tell her it was great meeting her, good luck, have a safe drive, hope to see you again, etc.
And I’m standing there with a WTF look on my face.
Me: What the heck did you do to those kids? You were in there for only an hour.
D: Moooooommmmm. (With a look of total annoyance of how/why I don’t get it on her face.) I’m just funny.
In other news, I changed my profile pic for everyone’s viewing pleasure. Enjoy.
From this California mom, snow boots were the best investment we made! I may never use mine again, but I i aging my D will since all of her schools are places that snow!
I keep trying to explain to my southern child who has applied everywhere between Chicago and Boston, that it’s not a bad day or two of weather, it is MONTHS and MONTHS! She really doesn’t get it!
@limbo2019 … it’s really not THAT bad. (Chicagoan - city proper - born & raised here!) My kids (and me!) only ever wear boots when we are shoveling.
We had our first 40 degree day here in a while yesterday … and I can’t tell you how many tshirts, TANK TOPS (that was too far even for me!), shorts and no jackets I saw while I was out doing errands yesterday. (No jacket for me either.)
KaMaMom, we are thin blooded down here in the South! I also keep trying to explain that cold in Chicago, Boston, NYC…where there are things to do if the weather is bad, is more bearable than upstate NY. I couldn’t get my D to show ANY interest South of the Carolinas, Texas, California…I tried, for my own sake!
I was very impressed to see that @Divamamacita had on snow boots when I met her knowing that she hailed from California. They were definitely needed for the next day which brought 8 inches of snow!
HAAA!!! The D wouldn’t consider warm states last year either, @limbo2019. I kept saying “you do realize that those places measure snow in feet, right?!”
