I can’t speak for all programs (obviously :)), but in the program in which I teach we accept our top ranked (audition/ interview rank) students who we think are most going to thrive in, and add to our program. Not as much in terms of type (although that does come into play within the make-up of a particular class in a given year), but in terms of talent, energy, and interests. The interview and essay are a large part of our program admissions process. There are very talented prospective students who we do not admit to the program because they do not seem to be quite the right fit for our educational and training community. These are often talented young artists who we believe may be more well served, and happier elsewhere. We know our educational philosophy and training model, and we are trying (through the audition, interview, and looking at the essay, recommendation, and transcript) to discern if we are a good match. There are prospective students we do not admit who could be a good match, but there are only so many places to offer, so we do sometimes turn down talented students who could have potentially thrived in the educational and training environment we have to offer. That is the numbers piece.
I can honestly say that in the 9 admissions cycles I have been a part of at JMU that we have NEVER made the decision NOT to offer a place in the class (sorry for the double negative) to a prospective student that we wanted in the program because we thought they were going to be admitted to a more competitive program and would choose to go there instead. We HAVE not admitted quite a few very talented prospective students who did not seem like they were the right fit for our program, and who have been admitted to other wonderful programs. This highlights the subjective nature of the process, and why no program that requires an audition can be considered a safety.
Because a lot of kids “know” each other via social media, we often hear from current students that some prospective students that we did not accept into our program were admitted into programs that would be considered more highly competitive. Programs that statistically accept a smaller % of students than we do, see more auditions, and pull from a more national pool. This again highlights the subjective nature of the arts, and of the university/ conservatory arts admissions process.
“Making it” to me is having the skills and confidence to embark on the journey to build a life that hopefully will make you content, happy, and fulfilled more of the time than not.
I know that we are as thrilled for our alums who are working on Broadway, National Tours, Film/ TV, Regional Theatre, etc… as our alums who are now working in Business, Medicine, Education, Event Planning, Social Work, Environmental Sustainability, Marketing, Sales, etc…
Ultimately, I believe that as college educators and professional arts training leaders we are responsible for empowering our students to develop the skills, but also to more clearly define their passions and goals. Also to encourage them to question the goals they set for themselves as 16 and 17 year-olds to confirm whether or not these are still the goals they want to pursue as young adults. Life is fluid… we make choices, have experiences, clarify and redefine our choices and goals, have more experiences. I think that is terrific, and so much preferable to the alternatives.