<p>I don’t think it’s fair to say that when the subject of DePaul (or U of Arizona, etc.) comes up, no one has anything nice to say. I think most people on this board acknowledge quite freely that DePaul’s training program is very strong and that that is what makes it attractive to the students who apply/audition for it each year. As I said, I know two kids who are really, really talented actors who are there now, and both had other choices for their BFAs. Each had his/her own reasons for choosing DePaul, and each of them knew about the cut before going in.</p>
<p>But I do think it is fair for people to discuss the cut, their feelings about it and its reason for existing. The cut is one of the first things that comes up when people discuss DePaul, after all, so it’s relevant. It’s something to consider and to think about.</p>
<p>My question about it is the same question I have had since I began posting on this board several years ago, namely:</p>
<p>It’s clear how the cut system benefits DePaul (as fishbowl said above, it’s a moneymaker and plus, it allows the powers that be at DePaul to spend a year picking the “best” kids). What is not clear, to me at least, is how the cut system benefits the *students." I guess you could posit that if you are at DePaul and not cut, then you benefit by knowing you are one of the ones that the faculty believes has the right stuff. However, I would imagine that if the camaraderie within each ensemble is as close and vibrant as I would imagine it is, a lot of people will end up very sad about seeing their friends go. And if you are cut, well, you are likely (note I used the word “likely”) to be left scrambling to figure out where to go, what to do, and so on.</p>
<p>burning, a question for you: You say that kids at DePaul that you know did got out during the fall and winter of their freshmen year to audition for other schools. I would guess they did that at Chicago Unifieds, because otherwise they would have had to be absent from studio and so forth. So, how did they handle the questions that the auditors form, say, CMU must have had about why first semester students at DePaul wanted to transfer? Surely the auditors form CCM, CMU, NCSA and so on are aware of the cut system, so I would guess that those schools’ auditors already know that the kids are auditioning as a fallback. To me, this would make the other schools less likely to offer a coveted place in their classes to someone who is only seeking a place “in case.”</p>
<p>If I am wrong – and it wouldn’t be the first time! – please correct me. When my D was researching BFAs, she was very impressed by the materials that came from DePaul and as she went along, heard many wonderful things about the training. In the end, she chose not to audition for DePaul for various reasons, including the cut. So understand that this is all purely hypothetical. :)</p>