<p>I apologize if I generalized or offended anyone. I am sure all students who auditioned choose their schools carefully. My S used the term “safety” school as a way to rank his choices. Some of his friends, past and present, that were accepted into Otterbein had it listed as their last choice. This was not an opinion, but comments directly. Every person auditioning SHOULD have several schools and have them ranked. As for Otterbein they are simply building their best class and need to keep all good talent in the wings. </p>
<p>Marymount “stigma”…I am trying to clarify if anyone has heard this. I am not accussing, pointing fingers or assuming. I am simply trying to help my S make an educated decision. I will list the things I have heard; Students will need to supplement their training, the academics are weak, the retention rate is low, they are looked upon as those who couldn’t get into NYU, MM does not help on a resume, senior showcase is audition only (I believe that is a fact.)</p>
<p>Please, please, please do not take this as me believing any of this is true. I am trying to sort out rumors, bitter attitudes just because and find out if anyone can validate or help stop such accusations. This is research only not a judgement. My S may go to MM and I need info!! Thanks!</p>
<p>My D is a freshman at Marymount and is having a wonderful experience. The training is very comprehensive- she has dance every day, private voice and has had a wonderful yearlong acting sequence this year, as she will every year.
She has been working hard in her academic classes-and has found them interesting and challenging. I’ve been impressed with her friends I’ve met. So far her college experience has been great there.</p>
<p>NewbieMTMom - Oops, I should have clarified. I’m an international student, applying for my first year of college. I’m definitely going to call Syraucse and Ithaca tomorrow evening (because of the time difference)… My main concern is that SU has told me they are still waiting on my SAT scores, but I’ve sent them electronically three times! I emailed as a follow-up as soon as I resent them and they never replied to confirm that they got them. :</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your response. I’m so glad to hear your D is have a great experience at Marymount. </p>
<p>Just FYI for those who also wanted to hear more. I received a PM from a MM grad who understood my concerns. Their response was that the reputation about Marymount is changing for the better. There are grads in In The Heights and Wicked. The professors have great connections that could only happen in NY. Grad said they did hate the academics but on a whole had a fruitful experience at MM. </p>
<p>I’m not sure what is worse, the audition process or having to make a decision! Thanks to everyone who has been helpful. This has been the most helpful thread so far!</p>
<p>At CMU and at UMich my D received feedback at the auditions that was unusual and not standard behavior. She was accepted to neither of these programs. In hindsight I think at the time that for whatever reason (type or whatever) they knew they might not accept her or see her again but were impressed enough to want to be encouraging. I hope in the future that someone reading this doesn’t take compliments at these places as foreboding of not getting accepted…I’m sure it could go both ways. But it is a different take on why you shouldn’t get overly optimistic from auditioner comments.</p>
<p>I just wanted to mention that I re-read TerriLK4’s original post #67. It seems to me that her son was being “courted” by the school after he got home, through emails and such. This was more than the routine compliment or encouragement at an audition. It would have lead me to think my child would at least be waitlisted if there was that kind of attention after the fact. Most know there is no such thing as a safety school and that you can’t take attention at the audition to heart. As she said later, her son wasn’t calling Otterbein a safety school but friends did. It is something kids say when they mean they will go there IF they get in, but they don’t get in anywhere else. We can learn from this that even follow-up attention has to be taken lightly.</p>
<p>Lauriemom is right. There was only one of his auditions that were tight-lipped. All others were encouraging, complimentary and upbeat, none of which he took as an offer. The courting, especially when we were told to get his scholarship application in so they could get him more money, seemed more than a “good audition.”</p>
<p>But, I do understand how my post could have been misunderstood. I, too, know of auditioneers that have taken comments to the bank when it was simply an auditor complimenting or encouraging. I suppose this was one of those times we should have not tried to read ANYTHING as a “sign”. Like they always say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!!</p>
<p>Good luck to all (especially those parents out there supporting their little darlings!)</p>
<p>Terri, that does seem odd, though Otterbein does offer great academic scholarships to kids who then don’t end up accepted there. My D got this amazing academic scholarship to Otterbein last year (a President’s Scholar award) that was quite generous and then she ended up waitlisted. One had nothing to do with the other: she got the academic scholarship before she even auditioned. I am sure some kids who get in academically but don’t get in for the MT or acting majors do end up going to Otterbein anyway.</p>