<p>My daughter will graduate in May of 2011. She will be auditioning for musical theater schools in the Fall of 2011/ Spring of 2012. Due to the competitive nature of this major, her backup plan is to apply to two or three safety schools as a liberal arts major. Since we’ve been visiting musical theater colleges/universities, it is no surprise that two her backup school choices are also musical theater schools that she’ll be auditioning for this upcoming school year. I’m not sure if this is a good idea - applying to the same school as a musical theater major and a liberal arts major, from a college admissions standpoint. Any thoughts/opinions would be appreciated. Thanks.</p>
<p>Have you checked to confirm that you are able to apply to multiple programs at those school? Some school will allow you to apply to more than one program at the university (I believe U Michigan is one as long as you indicate that you are applying to both School of Music and Liberal Arts)… some will not (NYU is one where you apply to only “college” – Tisch, Steinhardt, CAS, etc… and must be admitted in order to attend NYU)… some you do not need to apply to multiple programs (I believe Elon and I know JMU is in this category) at these schools you must be admitted to both the university and the program. If you are admitted to the university and not the program you may still attend the university in a different major.</p>
<p>Does you daughter still want to be able to participate in musical theatre if not admitted to the musical theatre program? At some schools this is not possible (for example – at Syracuse you must be in the Drama Department and have passed first year core acting classes before you can audition for Drama Department productions… although there are some avocational theatrical opportunities outside of the department). At others it may be possible, but unlikely for non-majors to be cast in productions, and often they cannot take the same acting classes.</p>
<p>Depending on the policies (and the realities) at her non-auditioned academic safety schools, she may want to consider a non-auditioned safety without a BFA program that has lots of opportunities for all students to audition for and participate in theatrical productions.</p>
<p>It is my understanding that at many schools it is not possible to be considered for liberal arts admission if you are rejected for your audition major. My I ask which schools are the two you are referring to?</p>
<p>My information goes back to 3-5 years ago, but I know students who were academically admitted (and could have attended with a non-auditioned major) to Webster, Elon, Otterbein, and Baldwin-Wallace. I’m sure there are many others - these are just ones that I know.</p>
<p>As always, double check with schools you are interested in, because policies can change from year to year.</p>
<p>i would definitely add a school or two that are not the same as the audition schools! She is likely to feel like a second banana if she goes to a school where she’d prefer to be in the BFA program. I also would add at least one or two BA programs that are not safeties, but are more targets, so that if she does not successfully audition into any BFAs, she ends up at a BA program that she does not feel like she is settling for.</p>
<p>Seconding what SDonCC says, I would look at programs where she could still be involved in MT even if she is not in that program. At many schools that offer a BFA she might have little or no opportunities to be involved in shows if she is not part of the program. A school that does not offer a BFA at all and allows all students to audition for and be involved in productions might be a better choice as a back up plan.</p>
<p>Is there a list of schools that offer MT opportunities, without majoring in MT that are academically challenging? We know Yale fits this category, but would like other schools that are one notch down in difficulty of admission.</p>
<p>I know 4 schools where you can still get in if you don’t make the BFA program – Elon and Michigan (as was mentioned), Penn State and Indiana U. But you have to make it clear on the applications (and each is different) that you would still like to be considered for admissions if you don’t make the MT BFA.</p>
<p>Emerson also. You just list a second major on the supplement if you want to be considered for admission even if you don’t get into a performing arts major.</p>
<p>Actually, with Emerson, I am not so sure you have to list a second major. My D never did (she would only attend Emerson if she got into the BFA in MT program) and she was admitted to Emerson but not the BFA. </p>
<p>I happen to agree with several others that I would not use the BFA schools that will accept you separately for the BA (not all do this anyway) as the back up plan if not admitted to any BFA programs. At many schools, going for the BA would be a second fiddle type situation in the theater program and it makes more sense to me to attend a college where the BA in theater/MT program is THE sole program and where there is not also a BFA program. There are very few exceptions that I might make. One is for Indiana University, where there are plenty of courses and production opportunities for non-BFA students. I also would not have “BA in another major” as the back up plan for a student who is interested so much in MT, enough to have wanted to do a BFA degree program. A happy medium is a very good BA Theater program (that stands alone).</p>
<p>FYI the BA at Penn State is audition only and is separate from the MT program though the kids do take some classes together. Kids from both get cast but the BA is definitely NOT a back-up option for the BFA in MT at PSU and is a strong program with
its own audition schedule.</p>