I wouldn’t recommend anyone going through this process unless she couldn’t imagine living without MT in her life! I have always wanted to support my D, but this process has me worried she won’t find her best fit for a program. Keeping the faith, but getting worn down.
Agreed @newgirl17! We pay for pre-screen fees, audition fees, application fees, SAT fees, FASFA fees, and then some schools want the CSS profile as well - and AFTER they get all those fees, THEN they will tell you whether or not you get accepted or not! It’s like playing the lottery - and about the same odds at some of these schools. It is too bad they can’t reduce this, by not requiring the SAT and FASFA applications before auditions. We fill out many of these forms and pay these fees for nothing! And not a word back on getting those fees back either!
@savedrama4momma, @Mom2E and @artskids my D has been talking about doing that exact thing. I think part of the inspiration might have been that Turning the Tables episode about U Michigan, which was hilarious – sometimes we still say to each other, “who hurt you who hurt you who hurt you,” when things are getting a little absurd.
These schools are making almost 1 Million bucks in college applications with applications and auditions alone. This is their business. I couldn’t imagine them changing. Even if we protested, there would be plentiful ready and willing to fork over the $$ to take your kids place 
It’s an excellent time to remember “Take your broken heart, turn it into art”!
@savedrama4momma Actually a friend of mine and I discussed the documentary at the beginning of this process but our kids, despite being actors, probably did not need that kind of stress (being filmed filming prescreens). A book, however, just doesn’t do this entire process justice. @toowonderful my main point is that these schools are basically self-selecting wealthy (or relatively wealthy) kids (or kids of parents willing to risk their financial futures because they are too enamored of their child’s talent and dreams to say no to thousands, tens of thousands of dollars to prepare and finish this process), and that is probably not in the best interest of the schools, society or the kids. Clearly, minorities and kids from families who cannot pay have a lot of scholarship opportunities and waivers and paths to pay for college once they get there, but my guess is that unless those kids have extremely involved parents (like us – arguably over-involved but how the ### would any kid get through this alone?), they don’t know how to even pay for the prescreens and give up.
@MusTheaFam I hear you loud and clear on worn down. The kids are worn down. Its not very healthy. Hang in there. Maybe they won’t find a great fit; maybe they will decide to bag it all; maybe they will find it but it won’t be right away.
One last comment about feeling gouged $-wise by these programs. It would have helped A LOT if the Dec. 1 deadlines did not exist and the BFA programs made the deadlines the same for Theater as for General Academic Admissions. The reason being that at least people like my D could have gotten her early action decisions academically and her early audition decisions in mid-December and then decided whether to spend all the money applying to other schools. In fact, I think the BFA programs do themselves a disservice moving up the deadline to Dec. 1 because there were actually schools that my D wanted to apply to but just couldn’t make the 12/01 deadline for (why? Because she has real schoolwork and rehearsals etc. and needs to sleep!), even though the University didn’t have a deadline until 01/01 or 02/01. Its just a big pressure game and I am so so sick of it. I am really going to encourage my D to take the offers that have $ attached and forget about prestige. She can get the training she needs in summer programs without all these big name schools, and in the end, as Angela Duckworth would say, its about GRIT.
@singoutlouise: Yes yes. My daughter’s first semester wasn’t even over and she was applying for auditions for Summer work. In a few weeks, it will be auditions for her school’s theatre season beginning in Fall. It doesn’t get any easier or less expensive or less competitive once you’ve found a school/program.
D got the rejection letter from Ithaca in the mail today 
I am worn out…praying for that one “yes”
@newgirl17 - couldn’t the same things he said about the process of being admitted to any elite College? Are the odds always stacked in favor of those from wealthier backgrounds? If you spend any time on the parents for him, you will see link the discussion of the advantages of kids who can’t afford all types of additional programming, computers, college coaching, etc. as they seek admissions to ivies or elite LACs. I am not attempting to justify the system, only mentioning that it is not unique to the BFA process
And at least we have unifieds to group up auditions- I have known kids applying as instrumental majors (facing similar odds to our kids at the elite programs as I understand it, though I will FREELY admit I don’t much about their process) - they have to travel to EVERY school - I know a girl who has done 15 on campus so far…
Sorry to hear that @mtplayer. Sending you good vibes that you get a “yes” soon…
Here’s reality,folks. My D called me yesterday. As you know, she’s graduating in 3 months. The doubt and second-guessing has begun, as she cuts class to get on a long line at 5:00 a.m. to audition with 600 other girls for a non-equity gig. Some, she says, sleep on the sidewalk all night. This is not once in a while; and this is in NYC, where D (correctly, as it turned out, insisted on going to school). It’s a hard life. D finally realized this, and is worried about how she will support herself if nothing pans out - a distinct possibility. After busting her butt to get into an MT program, and busting it even harder for the past 4 years, reality has set in. Sorry to be a downer, but this is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. There’s always law school!
It’s a no from Ithaca. Hard to remind her the no answers come first. Heavy sigh.
And I’m a lawyer. Law school ain’t so bad
@artskid too cold anyway LOL
I’m sorry @artskids she will find her fit. we’re awaiting rejections while we still have to rehearse for the callbacks (and that’s always a 50/50 chance). all of this is so stressful. @EastchesterMom Ugh! your daughter could teach at some of these performance art schools and audition on the side? If she’s in NYC and waking up at 5am, she’s determined and I have a feeling she’s going to make it!
@toowonderful Yes. It can. And, I don’t think I could have supported my D if she had to visit even 5 of the schools she applied to, so yes, Unified Auditions was a good idea and kudos to whoever came up with it and made it happen. I am just feeling really stupid for not figuring out ahead of time how to make better decisions about where to spend money getting INTO the BFA program, because the financial realities @EAstchesterMom are definitely starting to become very clear.
@actingdreams - this is my mantra: never give up, never surrender!
Just for some perspective, I have a friend whose son is applying to medical school. Ivy league grad with a 3.98 gpa. He applied to about 18 medical schools and was either rejected or waitlisted from the majority of them (IVY LEAGUE with an almost a perfect gpa!) I think he got two acceptances. Things are tough all over I guess.