Final Acting Decisions Background - Class of 2023

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
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I’m posting the basic information here, but also going to add longer decision post, because I found last year’s posts about the process to be so helpful and informative. Hopefully I can describe some of the things I wished I had known, mistakes we made that ended up causing a lot of heartache, and some things we did right that ended up leading to a great result.

Original list of Programs (all BFA Acting unless otherwise specified):
BU
Carnegie Mellon
Chapman (BFA Screen Acting)
DePaul
Emerson
Missouri State
NYU/Tisch
Pace (FTVC, and BFA Acting)
Penn State
Rutgers
Syracuse
UCLA (BA Acting; never ended up applying as explained below)
U Michigan

Prescreens:
Passed all except DePaul

Waitlists (ultimately withdrew from all except UMich):
Chapman
Pace FTVC
Syracuse
U Michigan

Accepted to:
Emerson
Missouri State
NYU
Penn State
U Michigan

Coach:
No coach, but used a consultant (Artsbridge)

Background/Training: ApplauseNY, NY LaGuardia acting major

Summer Programs: ArtsBridge

Final Decision: U Michigan. This feels totally right to S and he is very happy with the choice.

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And here is some more detail about what I learned from the process:

Things I wish we had known earlier:

  1. This is really, really, really hard and competitive. We did somewhat know that going in, but honestly I think we really didn't understand. S has had a good amount of success at a really well-known and competitive performing arts high school, has an agent, and has done a bit of professional work, so we were optimistic going in. We did get a good result, but I don't think we were fully prepared for the difficulty of the process, the number of rejections that would come through, and the sheer amount of WORK it takes to do all of these applications, prescreens, auditions, etc. I thought we were crazy to be applying to a dozen schools, but actually that was probably not enough. And we did not take to heart enough that the goal is not to get in everywhere. The goal is to get one great acceptance at a school that feels like a real fit. That's the definition of a win.
  2. Pay attention to ALL of the requirements for applications. We realized too late that UCLA requires the SAT with an essay, rather than just the regular SAT. S's school administers the SAT in school during a regular school day, and he got an unexpectedly great score during that test, so he cancelled his second test day that would have had the essay too. By the time we realized that UCLA wants the essay, there was no way for him to take it (he was deep in rehearsals for the school musical and was committed every Saturday and Sunday) so he was never able to apply. That was a bit of a disappointment.
  3. Check voicemail, ALL the way through the process and not just when decisions might be coming! One very fateful thing that happened to S was that, after his Michigan audition, he got a voicemail from his auditor telling him he had done a great job. He is not in the habit of checking voicemail, so he never picked up that call until six weeks later, after he had been waitlisted at UMich. We'll never know what would have happened if he had expressed more interest in responding to the voicemail when received, but I have some suspicion it could have made the difference between a regular acceptance and the waitlist - which would have saved us a TON of stress and delay. Once S actually got in contact with his auditor (more on this below) it was an instant connection that became a great bond.
  4. Getting applications in early and getting some auditions out of the way early would have been a really good idea. We were slow on the applications and prescreens because S was so busy with his school musical, and ended up needing to schedule almost all of the auditions during NY Unifieds. S had at least one audition a day for 8 days straight. By the end, his monologues felt stale, he was totally fried, and - not shockingly - his success rate for the end-of-week schools was a lot lower than the early ones.
  5. There is a HUGE difference between the strict conservatory programs and the more well-rounded ones. We started the process thinking that CMU and Rutgers were S's first choice - but when he went to the Rutgers callback weekend and learned more about their program, he realized that it's not for him at all. He is looking for a more well-rounded experience than the intense Meisner training, and was very put off for example that apparently Rutgers strongly discourages weight training for freshmen and sophomores because it causes them to hold too much tension in their arms and interferes with their acting training. This is an interesting theory and very intense training, but not something that would work for S. I think if we had realized all of this earlier, we would have had a better focused list of schools to apply to -- Rutgers and CMU were not the "dream schools" we originally thought.
  6. We possibly should have used a coach to help refine S's monologues before auditions. He had already done Artsbridge and gets some good monologue training in his high school, so we didn't think more was needed. But I think the truth is that most people do get a little coaching as well, and this process is so competitive that maybe more preparation would have helped. I'm less sure about this one - but I wish we had realized earlier that this was even a thing we should have been considering.

Things I think we did right:

  1. The ArtsBridge Summer program made a huge difference. Because ArtsBridge isn't tied to any one school, the faculty came from five different top programs. Walking into the audition room and already knowing the auditors was a huge confidence boost. As importantly, the substantive input gained from the summer program was huge. McCaela Donavan from BU is the person who helped S find his favorite monologue, for example - just one example of their very, very valuable input.
  2. We also used ArtsBridge for consulting. This was a big cost investment, and I can honestly see both sides of the decision to do or not do this. The thing we found most helpful was the ability to get feedback in real time during the process from the admissions staff at some of the schools. This helped S understand better which programs were "fits" for him and which were not, improve some things that he could do in applications and auditions, and in particular decide how and when to follow up over the course of the process. And it was really good input in helping make a final decision about where to go. I think this was worth it. I also mention it, though, because I want to be honest with future families about how hard this process is and how much help might be useful. It is very competitive, and the reality is that a bunch of people involved are using consultants and coaches.
  3. We followed up with the schools that were really important to us. For example, when S was waitlisted at U Michigan, he emailed immediately to express his interest, saying it was an honor to be on the list at all. This led him to a great dialogue with Daniel Cantor (who is wonderful) that they kept up for weeks and weeks. When it finally came time for them to go to the waitlist, S was the person they called because of that follow-up, and (equally important!) we had a good idea that good news might be coming, so we were prepared and ready to make a decision very quickly rather than already being mentally committed somewhere else.
  4. We had a good, well-rounded list of schools that included some "value plays". We found two schools that are just starting or working to improve their BFA Acting programs (Penn State and Missouri State) and made a guess that the odds would be a little better at those schools. Both of those programs are absolutely terrific and S felt very good about his acceptances there, and we ended up taking them both very seriously as options. But having those acceptances relatively early gave us a lot of comfort during the difficult stretch of waiting and a string of rejections and waitlists.
  5. We took the admitted student days very seriously. S actually visited every single school he was accepted to (including U Mich before he was even accepted), even where he had been on campus for his audition. Having the chance to sit in on classes and get a true sense for the feel of the school made a huge difference in the decision.
  6. We sought a lot of support! I found the College Confidential community to be really helpful; S relied on his school friends and his friends from summer programs. Reaching out to other people going through the same process kept us sane and was a really useful reality check. This is a very tough process and support matters! Also, the information I gained from reading last year's forum was HUGELY helpful. [Thanks, everyone!!]
2 Likes
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@Great feedback @MomMimi ! Very useful information for the class of 2024 on…! Congratulations on Michigan - it sounds like he found his perfect fit, even if he had to sweat it out on the waitlist!!!

So happy for your D @SceneStealer - I hope she loves the IPE!

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Everyone, and I mean everyone, uses a bicycle to get around Davis. It’s perfect for that (completely flat), so don’t worry about the no-car rule.

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming. (And good luck.)

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Programs Applied to: BFA Acting

Prescreens: (passed all except Syracuse)
CMU
DePaul
Ithaca
Pace FTVC
Syracuse

We started planning in May of D’s junior year, when she started working with MTCA. In June, she started selecting her monologues. By mid August, she finished selecting her monologues and continued to work on them. We filmed prescreens the last two weekends of September and submitted them on 10/13. We continue to submit applications 10/14-10/28. The strategy was to submit applications early so we can get first dibs in scheduling all auditions during LA Regional/Unifieds. I spreadsheeted an ideal audition schedule based on hotel location and on whether they were a 3-4 hour block audition vs. a 30 minute time frame, and made those requests. Because it was early enough, we were able to schedule all 13 auditions (plus 3 walk-ins) in the span of the four days of LA Regional/Unifieds. D loved the energy at LA Unifieds. In November, D participated in Mock Auditions with MTCA, which was a valuable experience.

On 2/12/19, D finds out that she is invited to Rutgers/Mason Gross Callback Weekend! Initially, Rutgers wasn’t on the top of her list. After attending Callback Weekend, it’s in her top 5. On 2/27/19, D receives a personal email from Pace FTVC offering her a spot in their program before official letters go out. He tells her that she would make an amazing impact in their program and wanted to tell her immediately after her audition/callback. This made my D feel so special!

On 3/8/19, D got her official acceptance letter from LIU Post, with a Presidential Scholarship covering Full Tuition! Yay! This was a walk-in audition D did at LA Unifieds. This was the audition that my D was in the room for a long time…she finally came out and asked me to come in, and then they spent another 15 minutes talking with me about how much they want my D to be in their program. They invited us to an interview later that day, which was an info session about their program. I really like David Hugo, and what he had to say about LIU’s acting program, which I’ve heard is a “hidden gem” and with this scholarship, we seriously consider LIU Post. We’re still waiting to hear from 4 more schools!

On 3/19/19, D gets a YES from Rutgers/Mason Gross School of the Arts and she’s so excited! She is surprised that she gets a no from DePaul and BU. She felt her strongest audition was at her DePaul Callback, and she also felts strong about her BU audition where she was in the room for a very long time. The auditor for BU spent a lot of time getting to know D during her interview. But this all means that D is meant to be in the NY/NJ area!

On 3/27/19 D is on the waitlist for SUNY Purchase! We add SUNY Purchase to the NY campuses to visit in April during D’s spring break, along with Pace and LIU Post. On 3/28/17 D gets a yes from NYU Tisch with a great Tisch Scholarship! Whaaat! What a nice surprise!

On 4/16/19, while we’re in New York visiting D’s top 4 choices, she gets accepted to SUNY Purchase off the waitlist!

Accepted to:

NYU Tisch
Rutgers/Mason Gross
Pace FTVC
SUNY Purchase
LIU Post
Emerson
Hartt
Point Park (redirect to BA)
University of the Arts
Drew (BA)

Declined from:

BU
CMU
DePaul
Ithaca
U Michigan

Coach: Ryan Quinn/MTCA

Background/Training: D started acting when she was 6 years old. Attended a PA middle school and an arts HS. On top of theatre classes at school, she also studied with different acting teachers outside of school. Also, took vocal lessons and dance classes. D plays 5 musical instruments by ear - piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, clarinet, violin. D is also a visual artist and started her own company selling her digital art work. She also writes and directs.

Summer Programs: Acting classes in Los Angeles

The last two weeks leading up to May 1st, D was torn between Rutgers/Mason Gross and NYU Tisch! They are both very different programs. She emailed Rutgers and NYU with questions back and forth. She made a pros and cons list. And still there was not a clear front-runner. One day, she would decide on Rutgers. The next day, it was NYU. She wanted to go to both schools! But ultimately, decided…

Final Decision: Rutgers/Mason Gross School of the Arts!
After spending 3 days at Rutgers for their Callback Weekend, observing and experiencing acting classes, as well as classes in voice, movement, and speech, she got a feel of what it would like to train at Rutgers. At NYU, there were more unknown factors - not knowing her studio placement and not being able to observe classes. So even though NYU was her dream school, she felt Rutgers was a better fit for her and that will grow to be a strong actor there.

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@love2share Congrats best of luck to your D!!!

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@Gapyearguru Thanks so much!

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Great news @love2share - pretty sure she would have enjoyed any of her top choices but so glad she feels 100% now about Rutgers! Happy for you all!

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@CaMom13 Thanks so much and thank you for all the info you shared with me! I was emotional when NYU was released…D worked so hard to get in that school.

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@love2share I know @MomMimi felt the same way! But your kids are heading to beautiful programs and soon all this stress about deciding and “letting go” of programs you loved will be in the rear view mirror and your actor will just be filled with joy and excitement about the school they’re attending. Next year will be awesome!

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@love2share Congratulations! Really enjoyed

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Following your story!

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Following your story!

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@MomMimi Really excellent reflection of your S’s journey! Great advice for any future readers and I cannot agree more with your feedback. I had to laugh at the upper body workout bit, that has been my S biggest challenge this year at his school! Best of luck at Michigan!

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Congratulations! Wonderful acceptances and wonderful final choice!

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Congratulations @love2share ! Your D had such great options and glad she has found her fit at Rutgers!

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@NYDreammom Thank you so much!

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Congrats @love2share ! What a great school and program!

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@HPDbfa Thank you so much!

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@love2share so great! Congrats. I think she’ll really love it! Just left the 1st year’s performance ensemble sharing - blown away by the presence and talent of these kids. My s is a different actor now. Callback weekend really is the program so if she loved it - that’s it!