<p>There are a lot of discussions here regarding this, so you might want to browse. There are so many things that come into play, and a lot of it is personal choice. There are the obvious things that you mentioned, including BFA vs. BA, size of program, size and type of school, (conservatory vs. univ., big vs. small), voice lessons as freshman, # of productions and when students are allowed to audition, scholarships, cut policies, senior showcases, etc. Also check out opportunities that may be specific to that program. All of the students at my D’s program recently went to NY for dance and voice master classes- expenses were paid by the program (incl. lodging, transportation, and the classes) except for food and a show that many of the kids attended. Also sometimes even if there are few students in the program, other majors are allowed to audition so there still may be a lot of competition. You might also want to check to see what the numbers are when it comes to getting cast; are there a lot of kids graduating who have never been cast in a show at the school. I don’t know that being chosen in the first round would have mattered to my daughter. If you are offered an acceptance at, say, your second choice, and are wait-listed at a first choice, there is nothing wrong with accepting the offer at the 2nd choice as long as it is a school you would be extremely happy to attend. Then if you were to come off the waitlist at your 1st choice, you are allowed to notify the 2nd choice school that you are no longer planning on attending because you were accepted off the wait-list at the other program. You may lose any deposit, but that would be the only issue. A lot of it is just fit- does the student see themselves at this school for 4 years. Sometimes when it comes down to the final decision, it might help to make a chart to compare features of the school and program.</p>