Reach/Match/Safety?

bfahopeful
Thu, 15 Sep 2016 23:47:59 +0000

Most people here agree that no audition based school is a true safety. Most of them
Accept 10% or less of those auditioning. That said there are differences between a lottery school (Juilliard with less than 1% acceptance for BFA acting majors) and other schools with a smaller applicant pool. But due to the nature of auditions - nobody is guaranteed an admit at any school. Lots of talented people get turned down from one but admitted to another. For many they may get into one that they consider more prestigious than one they were not admitted to. As others here have said “it is one of life’s great mysteries” how schools select their MT and drama classes based on such a brief audition. Talent is only part of it.

There are many threads on both the MT and the drama/theater forum about “safety” schools. A true safety is non-audition, one you know you can get in academically and a financial safety (you know you can afford it without needing lots of scholarships which you may or may not get).

Most schools that you named above are competitive admits via audition. I know Wagner you have to be invited to audition based on your application (not a prescreen). Marymount has a few different options for majors and the classes are a little larger than at other schools. But not everyone is admitted of course! Emerson is very competitive from what we saw last year.

Some of it is subjective too. We know kids that did not think milikin was hard to be admitted to and also know others that felt it was a selective audition. Perspective changes opinions.

Really casting a wide net with a range of programs (not all lottery schools) is a good approach. And either having a true safety or plan of action should you not be admitted to an audition based program is a must. My daughter had an early academic admit to a school she could get a BA in theater (no audition required) if she didn’t get into the BFA program. So she said that was her “safety”. (Note that is not an option at all schools)

Good luck to you in your search.