I’m a rising high school junior (girl if that matters) and am working on a list of colleges that I might apply to next year. There are currently wayyyyy too many to actually apply to all of them (nearing 30 and I’m not even close to done). Are there any large programs (UMich, Pace, Syracuse, Emerson, etc.) that are given too much hype? Any smaller programs that you think should be considered on the same level as big-names? Non-audition programs that have great training?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. This whole process is pretty stressful and I want to start narrowing down my list. Thank you!
There are lots of great musical theatre programs across the country, and as a graduate of a BFA MT program, I believe that quality of training has largely homogenized over the past decade. What should be important to you is minimizing the amount of debt you take on for this degree, because it is so much harder to succeed as a performer if you have exorbitant student loan debt. What is your family’s budget, and what is your state school? From there, we can start to make better recommendations for you.
That’s great! What are you looking for out of a BFA program: are you looking for a program that focuses (more) on acting, voice, or dance? Are you looking for a school where you can double major or explore other interests? Do you have preferences about size of school, location/weather, Greek life/big sports? What schools are on your list already that you’re most interested in, and why are you drawn to them?
I’d like a fairly balanced program but I know dance is my weak point so I want to make sure that there is consistent dance training. I’d like to minor in Spanish but I’ve heard it’s really hard to double major with a BFA. I’d like a school larger than 5000 students but I’m willing to go lower for a good program. Location and weather are not important to me. I probably won’t do Greek life or care that much about sports but I don’t mind them. I don’t really want a school where it’s hard to socialize without partying/drinking. I’m most interested in UMich (but the odds are low low), Indiana University at Bloomington, and IL Wesleyan (I know it’s small but since ISU is right there it feels bigger). I like that they are relatively close to home and have reputed, audition-based programs. They are also all pretty walkable and offer study abroad, which I’m interested in.
Illinois Wesleyan is a great school! I would see if you could audition during their November audition date, it would be great to have an in-state option for you that will (ideally) have decisions out before the new year.
It sounds like you don’t want an urban environment, but if that changes, look into Roosevelt in Chicago - they have a dance concentration available in their BFA MT program, and even if you are not IN the dance concentration, the level of dance training available to you would be rigorous.
But it sounds like your vibe is a bit more of a traditional-feeling campus that skews larger. State school vibes with strong BFA MT training.
How do you feel about Ball State if you like IU, Oakland University or Western Michigan if you like UMich, Missouri State, Montclair State, Ohio University or the University of Utah, just to start?
Just coming here to say IL Wesleyan. My daughter did 2 year’s there in MT but for design and costume. North Central is a small program but interesting in a great city. The others in our area have been mentioned. I know Depaul isn’t MT but think they do some plays in the genre. Illinois State is close to Illinois Wesyaln but like my daughter you might think you will be there all the time. My daughters friend was there. They saw each other like once and she barely went over there. Lol. You get busy in your own stuff. Lol
These are merely suggestions for investigations, not recommendations of programs, as I know virtually nothing about the quality of any of the programs. In terms of their strength, I would confer with experts (and I most certainly am not one!).
Xavier has a non-audition MT program, has around 5k undergrads, and Cincinnati is not far from Illinois.
Kent State has about 20k undergrads and its program might be around the same size as those at UMich (based on # of grads in 2022).
If a smaller school that is near other colleges would work, Otterbein may be of interest
I am a college advisor at an arts conservatory, and I can totally validate that the MT process is very stressful! Most of our MT students apply to 20+ schools because they end up going to unified auditions and adding more to their lists. Here are some that you might want to consider based on your responses:
-Point Park University
-Long Island University
-University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point
-Slippery Rock University
