I agree totally @DivaStageMom …my daughter’s gap year was filled full time with auditioning prep and auditioning. It would have been absolutely impossible if she’d been in school somewhere else.
@Lilybird4 I’m going to echo what others have already said – we LOVED (like, really, really loved) Muhlenberg, so much that my daughter is struggling to let it go! There’s so much good about that program for a student who knows what they need and is ready to dig in and excel. It beat out several of the BFA programs on my daughter’s list when all’s said and done, and is really and truly the school she’s sad to let go. What we loved there:
– a leveled, comprehensive program in dance that really has no “ceiling.” I’m pretty sure they offer full 4-year sequences in tap, jazz, and modern, plus 5 levels of ballet (and that 5th level is where there is no ceiling, students who work their way into that class are more or less getting private instruction because the class is very small) and 2 levels each of several other things, like hip hop and I think aerial silks? Check out the dance program there, it’s spectacular and nearly unparalleled by anywhere else my daughter auditioned.
–comprehensive actor training that represents multiple styles and approaches
–the ability to truly customize one’s own education: a student might double major in theatre and dance, or major in dance and minor in music, major in music and minor in theatre and dance, really the permutations are endless and anything goes, it seems, as long as there is a plan in place that satisfies requirements for graduation.
–Some have commented on a lack of performance opportunities there, but that wasn’t what we gathered from our experience and conversations with students. The programs present what they present, but the students have so much else going on that nobody will go without performing something unless that’s what they choose to do.
–Muhlenberg’s study abroad options were unbelievable and made me want to apply and go back to college! They have both ballet and actor training programs in Italy (which before the virus took over was the most attractive thing about the school to my daughter, and she was fully planning to spend a year in Italy, to partake of both options). There are others, and all of them were the price of tuition – financial aid “goes with you,” we were told, so if a student is receiving financial aid, the price of a semester abroad is the same as the price of a semester in Allentown on campus. Another attractive “study abroad” option was a semester in NYC, working “behind the table” in agencies, casting offices, and more. Where some might pooh-pooh the lack of a senior showcase, we were marveling at the opportunity to spend a few weeks alongside an agent and getting to know, intimately, what they look for in a new client and how actors can best market themselves … perhaps even resulting in a relationship that leads to representation after graduation.
–We didn’t get a good assessment of the music department and whether the vocal training is of the same quality as the dance and acting training. Our thinking was that if my daughter went there and wasn’t happy with her options there, she could (because of the flexibility and customizability of the BA) opt not to study voice at all there and instead travel into NYC twice a month (or, as we’re learning now, engage a teacher via Skype, etc.) to work with a vocal coach (or coaches) of her choosing. The trip to NYC from Allentown is an easy one, with multiple buses scheduled to and from, and low fares.
–The ultimate deciding factor against Muhlenberg for my daughter was its size. She really wants a larger university setting and a mid-sized city, and Allentown didn’t excite her, in general. She was also disappointed in a general lack of diversity among students on the Muhlenberg campus, though she did note the theatre students were quite diverse and all very welcoming, friendly, and the “vibe” was a positive one for her. Muhlenberg is a little too close to home for her, too, as she’s been waiting to spread her wings and go as far away as she’s able. Being close to NYC isn’t meaningful to her, she would rather be somewhere completely different.
I hope this is helpful to you as your daughter contemplates her options! I agree with @soozievt that if your daughter goes to Muhlenberg or American, she should go with an open mind and heart. I can’t speak for American but I can definitely say that, from a training perspective, she might arrive at Muhlenberg and discover that she’s found her home and will receive everything she needs there. I can tell you from A LOT of experience that no casting director is going to ask whether the actor before them has a BA or a BFA, or whether they went to a 4-year college program or a 2-year certificate program or whether they passed pre-screens their senior year or any of it! Once this class graduates, they are all, for the most part, standing on level ground – even the students coming from programs with senior showcases and well-connected alumni still have to do their thing in the audition room and that comes down to training and preparation. Muhlenberg seems to offer top-notch training and fertile ground for all the preparation a student could take on in 4 years to make their mark in the industry.
I wish you well as you weigh your options! There’s part of me that may be envious of your daughter if she chooses Muhlenberg. 
@Lilybird4 Some things my D feels made a difference this year… first, although last year she was ALL IN, this year, she had an extra fire lit under her; she walked in those rooms believing in herself like she never had before. She loved her material last year, but (with the help of a different coach,) chose more difficult material this year. Many people will say to cast a wider net; in her case, she did the opposite. She had auditioned for 30+ schools last year and felt like maybe she had spent too much time on paperwork, and applied to some schools that she really wouldn’t have been happy at. This year, she auditioned for half as many, but took more time to research the schools, and to prepare what those schools were looking for. Last year, when the auditors asked if she had any questions, she typically did not. This year, she she made sure she knew about each program (even if it was a walk-in,) and asked questions that showed her interest in each program. Last year, she went into the audition rooms just wanting to be accepted; this year, she explained how she had grown, why she wanted to transfer, and had conversations to make sure she loved the program as much as she hoped they loved her. Last year, she went to NYC and Chicago unifieds as well as several on campus auditions. She was exhausted… mentally, physically, emotionally… this year, she only went to NYC unifieds and one on campus close to home. Last year, she was so drained at the end of audition season that she didn’t follow up with many schools. This year, if she still loved the school after the audition, she sent a thank you email to the auditors, explaining how she loved the audition and the program, and referenced some part of the conversation in the audition room. She was late to the game this year as she made her decision to transfer in mid-October, but she says if she knew now, in April, that she were going to re-audition next year, she’d be taking advantage of all the time at home right now and researching schools, writing essays, ordering headshots, updating her resume, choosing and practicing new material, etc. And she’d get applications and prescreens in early. In my D’s case, she went off to a school that she was not very excited about, but with the intent of supplementing and making the best of it for 4 years. If your daughter knows she is going to re-audition, would she be open to the idea of taking a gap year instead? It’s do-able to be in school and re-audition (anything is possible,) but it was A LOT. And as others have mentioned, transfer students receive less financial aid at some schools, so that may be something to think about. Some schools also audition transfers at a different time (NYU comes to mind) and I’ve heard it said that some programs have an even lower acceptance rate for transfer students than their already nearly impossible acceptance rates (although my D did not feel that was an issue for her… she felt that the auditors embraced her growth from her experience.) Another thing that helped my D immensely this year… only she and I knew that she was re-auditioning… although people mean well when they say, “Of course you’re going to get in everywhere!” or “Have you heard back from any schools?”, she was so uncomfortable and embarrassed every time someone asked her those questions last year (and it was CONSTANT.) This year, she didn’t have that pressure and it made it SO MUCH easier for her! These are the things that come to mind right now… if you have any other questions, please just ask! Hugs to your D and to you! I know how tough it is for both of you!
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@MAmum1234 - great advice!
We aren’t considering a gap year - but it’s my nature to always think of how we would do things differently. And I agree we would go with harder material. I hated the songs D and her coaches chose for the pre-screens and even though she passed all but one, we changed the songs for auditions - while I felt she related to the new songs a lot more - I don’t think they were challenging enough.
She had solid auditions - picking more challenging songs would have been a little riskier - but its a risk that needs to be taken. This process is so competitive - everything needs to be special and show all that you can do.
My advice to anyone considering a gap year would be to think a lot about your material - what is it that makes you special? And don’t pick anything that doesn’t show that off.
@MAmum1234! Thank you for this post it really makes us feel that things will be ok. My S applied to 11 BFA programs and has been waitlisted to NYU and UMiami. We knew it was competitive, but always believed at lest one school would accept him. We are crushed and feel so horrible for him and all the hard work and dedication he has put into his craft, since he started in the six grade. We are at that point where now what but realize thanks to these comments, he has other options.We definitely have learned a lot this first time around. Thank you…
@APerez I had two students that took a gap year and both were very successful this year! I am happy to talk to you about it. But also look for past stories from longtime members like @owensfolks and others. Senior year + college auditions can be rough. It does take a lot of time and effort and (IMO) a little bit wider of a net to cast. I don’t know what your school list was, but balancing that list is also good, too. Getting a good mix of reach vs. non-reach vs. safety schools. I don’t. know if anyone has said this but talent and how good you are is really only about 50 percent of getting in. The other is “type.” Because many of the MT classes are only 15-25 spots (unless you are looking at Cap21 or LIU Post or NYC ), that means when they balance gender, range, type and diversity, there is only 1-3 spots for your son. And, if they already have one of “him” in their program, they may need more of another type. So, don’t doubt his talent or ability. It is also hard to get the right material for 90 seconds - 3 min of an audition. It is helpful to know who you are as a performer, what your type is…and to make sure that comes across in your audition. So often, students want to sing songs they love, instead of songs that are a good fit for their type.
Also - on the adding more “difficult” material…hmm… how do I put this…it may not be the answer?? I have heard some songs that are very repetitious, don’t have any “build”…no story…no ability really to “act” through the music. Those probably aren’t good choices for auditions. But that doesn’t make them necessarily less difficult.
Sometimes, it is truly all about the “cut.” Here’s a good example. One of my students did a song from “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.” His voice sounded beautiful on this song and there was a lot of emotion packed into it. If you haven’t heard it, I will just tell you I cry every time I listen to it!
So, initially, we looked at a cut which starts from the intro. Easy place to start. Lots of great opportunity for acting and emotion. But the tempo of the beginning is sooooo slow, you would not get an opportunity to really build or move to a climax in the song. If you ended the cut at “how long have I been sleeping?” that’s about 1:21 and you haven’t really built up anything yet.
But if you start at different place (2:19), the tempo picks up a bit…and you get to capture that emotion…while building…but a little quicker…and then you get to move to a completely different “feel” within the song (mood/tempo change). Then, fitting within the same cut, you get to completely change the mood and temp (around 2:58). It becomes a “barroom stomp” and a completely different mood and personality. Ending at 3:46. It was a risky choice (especially with the tempo changes and the difficult piano accompaniment), but one that ended up paying off. (He just kept singing, with the accompanist stopped playing…LOL!)
That cut packed a LOT into less than 90 seconds and it allowed him to show different emotion, acting through music, depth and uptempo and legato in the same cut. (Might be a bit of a stretch for true legato…but I think it helped them to hear that he could do it. Opportunities for beautiful tones there…those vowels in that song!!).
LOL! I hope that did bore you guys too much…but sometimes it isn’t about the difficulty, but rather, the cut. You can cut a song a million different ways (just like a pie). Just make sure your slice has the most flavor. 
@MAmum1234 - such a great post. I love that you mentioned the importance of targeting schools. I think the “wide net” concept is preached all the time but it’s also important is to choose schools where you want what they have to offer for more reasons than “it’s a BFA in MT” or “It’s a big name” or “they have a great program” because everyone applies for those same reasons. These schools are different and I think it makes a student stand out when they can show they know the individual program and they chose to apply because they know they personally are a fit for it. Not all students belong at all schools! My D’s experience was not either of your D’s - she didn’t cast a wide net and she didn’t know enough about the programs when she applied to at ALL - but her top choices were so few that I made her widen her net… and the programs she “added on” were the ones she didn’t do at all well at - either didn’t pass pre-screens or didn’t like after auditions. In retrospect, the schools on her “core” list really were her best fits - she knew what she had to offer and knew what she wanted. It’s not a surprising idea that you should look for schools that will love who “you” are… but it does frequently get lost in the applications wide-net panic. When you have 30 schools on your list you’re spending all of your energy on all those many applications and auditions as opposed to preparing as your D did, able to walk in to each audition 100% prepared to impress and engage… Nice job and wonderfully helpful story!
@onette Thank you for all the great information. His list was just not wide enough and we realize that now. He applied to only one BA. He received call backs for:
Pace:MT/ Acting
NYU: MT/ Acting
Carnegie Mellon: Acting
Syracuse: Acting
Rutgers:Acting
DePaul: Acting
UMiami:MT
Juilliard
Northwestern no video required to apply.
No callbacks:
FSU
UCF
He attended DePaul for their summer Theater program for three weeks. Truthfully the response we received from the staff and the MFA students that were helping in the summer camp was just great feedback and seemed promising. He even had one of the main roles for the production that summer. Thirty eight students that Summe, 17 were actors. Really we thought this was home for four years his interviewer for the callback was with one of his professors that he worked with closely that summer. He even asked him if he would see him back to apply for the school. Well as you can see we are just very disappointed and confused with that one.But maybe at the end of the day they had second thoughts for some reason. He was able to apply to Skidmore and Drew their applications were still open. You are right talent alone is not enough. He is crushed, fist time he feels he’s just not good enough. He’s NEVER had confidence issues. Let’s see how this all turns out. We really appreciate this forum it’s really helped! Thank you and stay safe.
@APerez Based on your list, your S clearly has talent so that’s not the issue. Could be the songs, the cut, the fit, etc. But I tend to agree that your list was pretty top heavy and on the short side. We did about twice that. D had a stretch where she got rejected by everyone and then had a nice patch where she got acceptances from 3 or 4 in a row. Also was a pretty top heavy list but wide. If she shortened her list, she might have been rejected for next year.
Gap year isn’t for everyone. But as @onette can attest to, it can be a great thing. A lot more time to be strategic and prepared. Fairly certain D would have gone that route had she not gotten lucky in the second half of the season.
@onette I think we are saying the same thing - material matters - difficulty, cut, a song you can relate to - these people don’t know you and you have two 180 seconds to show them who you are - make those 180 seconds count!
@APerez - your list is pretty top-heavy. And the one BA is Northwestern - which is one of the top schools in the country. If you do end up with a gap year he should look at adding some less competitive schools - I would look at the list of schools people tended to get into this year - I hate to use the word safety - because there is no safety - but look at schools that have larger acceptances. There is the list MT Acceptances by School for the Class of 2024 on CC.
I would also add a school like Muhlenberg as an academic non-audition… I know other kids who faced the same problem as your son by applying to all top schools - it’s a common mistake. As some have noted you don’t need to apply to 30 schools - but you do need a balanced list.
@DivaStageMom- We truly appreciate the MT acceptance list for 2024, and all the advice. Not sure what CC means sorry. Thank you again to everyone for their help…
CC stands for College Confidential!
@APerez I can understand how you feel. Unfortunately, summer participation and making connections with faculty doesn’t always translate into acceptance. I think there are a lot of people on here who have told similar stories. DePaul is a highly-competitive program and there are SO many things that may have played into his acceptance. You just cannot know for sure. However, if you trust the program (and certainly, DePaul is an amazing and respected program for acting), then DO believe there was interest. Unfortunately, one faculty member (or two) do not make the final decisions, usually. I know that each of my students had developed a strong, encouraging relationship with someone in this process who did not make them an offer. That hurt pretty badly, but they both realized it wasn’t them. There was just not a spot for “their type” in that class. I encouraged both of them to keep in communication with those faculty members. Theatre is a small world. You never know who you will work with in the future. One of them reached out to his to ask recommendation about choosing a school from his acceptances. He got great feedback and I am thrilled that he is keeping that relationship going.
I agree that the list was too reach-heavy. There are some AMAZING programs that are not reach schools. Strong acting programs (as opposed to MT) is (and I may get some disagreement with this) is an area of instruction you can find at schools who do not necessarily have the facilities and curriculum to support MT. There are schools that do both well. But there are schools that only have Theatre or Acting and they are incredible, rigorous programs. There is an Acting/Theatre forum here on College Confidential as well and the parents there are more in tune with acting programs (as opposed to musical theatre), but off the top of my head, some other ones to consider (if he does a gap year) would be Skidmore (which you are already pursuing), Southern Oregon, SCAD, Pepperdine, Cornish College of the Arts, University of Alabama (one of my students was accepted into Acting here and absolutely LOVED the director…but he really wanted MT), University of Memphis, University of Houston (Houston has an incredible theatre scene with TUTS, Houston Shakespeare Festival and Alley Theatre and there are many opportunities for students), Baylor, Ball State, Wright State, University of Alabama Birmingham (have heard really positive things about their entire program!), Baylor (Stan is an amazing director! Again, not strong in MT but for acting…very good), University of Texas at Austin, Hofstra…and I could probably add 10 more but hopefully this gives you some more to consider. I know quite a few schools did not get their final audition dates because of COVID-19 and they are accepting video auditions – still. University of Houston, for example, has something on their page to email for admissions consideration.
Additionally, if you didn’t work with someone who knows how to suggest monologues and songs for college auditions, the material may have not “fit” what they were looking for. Or may not have been a good fit for your son’s “type.” If he workshopped the same material at DePaul, that would surprise me. But knowing how to find monologues that are not overdone, not on the “don’t do” list, within 5 years of your son’s playable age (usually 14-28 for acting is a good range), that show contrast…all of that is hard.
I hope this helps!
@APerez -
This is the list - I would look at the schools with a lot of names under them - now obviously college confidential isn’t going to give you a perfect sample - but I think it does a decent job of representing a school’s selectivity…
Research a few of those schools and see if there is one or two he would be happy attending - his grades must be good if he was looking at Northwestern - but as I said that’s a top-top school with an 8% acceptance rate - I would also look at JMU and Muhlenberg to provide some academic schools that are a little less selective. People on this site seem to like those schools - although neither were ones we looked at.
Good Luck and hang in there - my d has a friend who didn’t make any schools last year and this year he killed it! A gap year is definitely a good option.
@onette & DivaSTAGEMOM. We are just trying to keep it together. He’s emailed Thanking them and no response! We emailed the head of admission and she responded to our email stating they are not able to provide audition results, but would encourage our S to continue, that it was a pleasure meeting our S and hopes he finds somewhere that makes him happy. Again we had such great feedback from EVERYONE there. They were clear that just because one attends for the summer it’s not guaranteed they would be admitted. But the professor was second in charge of the theatre school and my son said they worked very well together and he basically gave him the most difficult lines in the play that summer( Oberon- King of the fairies A Midsummer night dream) and asked him if he was coming back to audition. My S did not perform the monologues they gave him. Maybe that was it or something totally else just not a fit. He really loved that school and feels like WOW he auditioned for this gentleman who taught him so much that summer… Again that’s behind us and it was a rude awakening for him! Hopefully things will work out for the best! Thanks again you both have really been great…
@APerez - so very hard. I have heard the same story before with different programs - I think it’s harder to get a rejection when the student feels like they have that personal connection with the auditors because it feels more like a betrayal. But it really isn’t - the schools have so many talented students audition and they don’t just pick their personal favorites or the kids they know - if they did it wouldn’t be fair to all the other applicants.
The school builds a class and in the process has to say no to MANY applicants who are just as talented and likeable as the kids they accept. I always remember the story that a CMU MT auditor said that they auditioned over a thousand kids and saw about 65 nationwide they wanted to admit. That means 2/3 of the kids who were were fully qualified, rocked their auditions AND made a huge impression on the auditors still got rejected. Make sure he knows it wasn’t that he failed at anything. We call the super competitive MT / Acting programs “lottery” schools because you need a certain about of luck in addition to everything else to get in. The numbers were against him from the start; it’s not a message about his talent or a lesson about trust - it’s a lesson about numbers and how you can’t rely on beating the odds all the time.
Good morning all! Sorry that I have not been on for a bit. But I wanted to make sure to thank @MAmum1234 and @DivaStageMom for their advice regarding Gap year and re-auditioning while in the first year of college. Your advice was very helpful, and we have decided to move forward with the options she has in hand. Current front runners are American MT and TCU BA Theater. She is still hopeful to get off of the waitlist at Wagner. We still haven’t heard back from OCU, and if that comes back positive, it could be a game changer. She has been in contact with them and hopes to hear soon.
Even though Muhlenberg has a great program and she loves the school, it was taken off her list because when she looks at the accepted students FB group, it is nearly all theater majors. She would rather be at a smaller program.
Also, if anyone knows anything about American MT, we would love to hear it! They have no Instagram page for Theater, no YouTube videos of any of their performances, and no accepted students page on FB for theater. It is nearly impossible to find out anything. This is a huge red flag for us!!
Thanks and hope all are doing well! ?
@Lilybird4 - I don’t know either program well but maybe @Loribelle can provide info on TCU. I don’t know any current students but a high school friend of my older D’s went to American for MT and she was happy there. I think the advantage AU has over TCU is your D is already accepted into the MT program and so will be one of the “elite” as there is no BFA program there. Attending a school as a BA when you want a BFA is an iffy situation unless the school makes an effort to level that playing fields. I feel for you on AU’s lack of social media - online resources are so important for schools you don’t know well - but AU does take a very different tack for MT education and the schools with the best social media presence aren’t necessarily the best schools, just the best marketers.
A few links in case you haven’t found them (editing because my post got flagged…)
2017 article on BA programs in MT:
https://www.americantheatre.org/2017/01/04/the-case-for-a-b-a-musical-theatre-degree/
Older thread with some concrete info on a couple of visits with +/- views:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/american-university-mt/1997699-american-u-musical-theater-p1.html
Okay, it was the FB link that got my comment blocked so let me try: Facebook page (you know the site)/pg/theatreNmtATAU/
@Lilybird4 - TCU has strong academics and is difficult to get acceptance to (especially this year – I think they had record applications). I would reach out to Harry and ask if it is possible to reaudition at the end of freshman year for BFA. Ask about how much overlap is there freshman year (could be more than you think!) and adding voice and dance. I know one of my students was redirected to BFA Acting (one of two schools where he was) and he had similar concerns but set up some time with Harry to discuss and came away feeling good about it.
Do not make your choice based on reaudition, by the way. Because the result MAY be the same. But, it just allows you to know what the options may be for the future – especially after training from TCU that may help your student get closer to what they are looking for.
One more thing - there is a wonderful array of theatre in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area for outside opportunities. From what I’ve heard, Harry encourages students to do this (after auditioning for school opportunities first!). Ft. Worth alone has some fantastic theatre opportunities - Casa Manana, Stage West, Circle Theatre, Stolen Shakespeare Guild, Jubilee Theatre…then, not too far away…Granbury Opera House and Plaza Theatre in Cleburne. And that is just a fraction of the theatre opportunities available!