@NYYFanNowMTdad that’s cool news about that guy getting the understudy role for DEH. I wonder if the Roman Banks guy from Shenandoah is being replaced as the understudy or he’s strictly a standby for Evan only now . I know he was understudy for title role and two others.
So, not sure who is collecting info for the class of 2023, but here’s some takeaways for us.
- This forum is fantastic for support. It's a process unlike any other and filled with people who "get" what it's like.
- People have been extremely helpful in putting out info for schools and also for schools that are harder and easier to get into via audition. However, if you don't have an idea of where your kiddo is in terms of talent, I'd highly recommend getting an evaluation by a national coach or somebody local who knows the audition process. In our case, we did both and both evaluators agreed on what was a fit/reach/safety for my kiddo.
- We are in the camp where my D was strongest in acting. We tried to target schools that had either an acting program or an acting focus. If your kiddo is stronger in voice or dance, there are schools that are more focused on that and it could help balance a list for your child.
- I am glad we cast a balanced list not just in terms of reaches/fits/safeties, but in terms of conservatories, liberal arts, etc. My D wavered throughout the process and it was nice that she got a taste of different options. Her friends wavered as well, so I'd suggest including that.
- We are probably in the minority here, but I do not think applying to a large amount of schools is needed (my D applied to 12 (plus 1 prescreen), but I don't think more than 15-20 is needed if your list is balanced). This is from our personal experience and I do realize it's different for everyone. If you have a targeted list and you have your talent assessed objectively, I do think you will have some options. But, this could also have been just our experience and I know there is more than one way to do this.
- I highly recommend doing some fall auditions. It allows you to test the waters and (hopefully) get a few acceptances. My D was lucky to get 2 before thanksgiving, but if she didn't, it would have allowed her to change up what she was doing and/or alter her list.
- The nice surprise for us was doing a regional audition. There are a lot of these cropping up and it's a great way to test the waters (and in a lot of cases, gain artistic acceptance or pass a prescreen from an audition). In our region, there was VTA in October, MARCAS in November and Ohio Unifieds in January. I heard about one in Florida, Atlanta, and (I think) Nebraska.
Anyway, wish I knew who to tag on this one. But, hope this is helpful for somebody down the line 
For a friend:
Programs that still have auditions this year??
@jbrown I don’t know about this year but last year someone auditioned very late to AMDA, U Arts, The New School, Molloy Cap21. She actually got into Uarts from this late video submission!
@mtdreamz. Ty!!! I will pass this on right now.
@21stParent I’m so sorry! What a terrible way to word it. So far, nothing yet but she’ll keep checking the portal. She has a few good options so far so thankfully a Rider acceptance isn’t going to make or break her. Wishing your son the best of luck!! I’m sure he will land just where he’s meant to be!
Some perspective perhaps…
I regularly check this thread and forum, though don’t have a kid in this “race” this year. But I am a mom, and have two daughters who went through college admissions, one to highly selective colleges and one to BFA in MT programs, and are now in their professional careers. I’m also a college counselor and so go through the college admissions process every year in depth with many students and so am always living it, even if they are not my own kids (and some I have for several years). Truly, I understand the stress and anxiety involved and the whole overwhelming process. As parents, we all want the best for our kids, and we don’t like seeing them disappointed, and this is one time when we really cannot control the outcome. I get it!
I have to say that reading this thread, there is a palpable angst and high level of anxiety that I observe. It seems like parents can barely contain themselves by the hour not having the results, and also witnessing many rejections. And I do feel for everyone as this is definitely NOT easy!!! Perhaps I have forgotten how I felt at the time, but I don’t recall feeling like it was so unbearable all year as I am sensing it is for some here. There was a lull in late winter and we knew results wouldn’t come for most schools until late March or even April 1 (and my non-MT kid heard from most of her school the final week of March or April 1 too). So, I don’t recall being in a frenzy that much during the long wait and it simply got more intense right around when notifications were going to be released. Maybe it is tougher now because of social media and everyone seems to have a pulse on every last development related to the admissions notifications and so on. I’ll admit, some of the schools your kids are applying to unfortunately are not that transparent as to when notifications are released and how, whereas most of my non-MT D’s schools notified everyone on a certain date and told the date in advance, and for my MT D, we had some idea, but not for all schools, and so we were in the dark a bit, but not entirely. Generally, though, we knew and expected to not hear much until mid to late March and so didn’t get too uptight until the notification period.
My belief is that if your child has a well crafted college list, that is appropriate to them, and well balanced, as well as only has colleges on it that they are beyond willing to attend, they will land somewhere. When you are in the midst of it all, it is very stressful, but if you can look at the bigger picture, and like all of us who have been through it, you will get to the “other side.” Your child will likely be at a college next year and hopefully happy and thriving. Once immersed at their school, none of this “how many schools I got into” or “which schools rejected me” won’t matter any longer. They can only attend one and they will go on. It’s nice to have options. That is my plan when building a college list with a student. But overall, all this will pass and your kids will be at a college on their list, and hopefully they crafted their list to only have colleges on it that they would consider attending. Go into the process expecting that many rejections are a part of it, for most everyone. They are no fun, but should be very much expected. Even the most successful people in this field got SOME college rejections, not to mention didn’t get every part they auditioned for.
I don’t believe that the name of the school you attend determines your success in life. It really is about the student. You can attend a top school and not be successful and attend a less renown school and become wildly successful. It really depends on the person (luck can help too). Become your best possible self. Have the drive to succeed and reach for your long term goals. You can do that no matter where you go to school. Where you attend matters more in terms of feeling a good fit for the four years and having a really great experience there. Make the most of where you land. The “getting into college” is such a small part of the big picture. Once you get to college, none of this past admissions process will matter. Try to keep that in mind even if you are immersed in the angst now. It’s gonna pass.
When I read the nervous posts lately, I think about what I wrote above. And then I think back to my experience when my MT D went through this process. And today seems like the perfect day for me to remember it all. Because this very date (March 13) 14 years ago will forever be in our memories. Many of you on this thread haven’t been on CC THAT long. I’ve been on it for 17 years. Many of you were not here when my kid was going through the BFA in MT admissions process. I’ll just share that one week after my D’s final college audition (she only did on campus auditions), she was in a horrific car accident and sustained very serious injuries and landed in intensive care. It was a horrible experience. The angst wasn’t over college admissions, but now it was on her survival and hope for a recovery and a full recovery if possible. I lived in the hospital with her for ten days. When I saw her in the ER, I wondered about survival and recovery. Was her face gonna be marked up (not good for this field), though she was lucky it wasn’t. When I heard of some of her injuries, I wondered if she would ever dance again (she has five metal screws in her hip and can dance). Would she be able to go off to college in six months? She was hooked up to all sorts of machines. Had surgery. Had complications from it. Witnessed her during recovery in the hospital about to pass out and saying she felt as if she was about to die and calling for help and she needed a blood transfusion. It was rough.
And while in the hospital, she was getting college results! Imagine all that. I wasn’t going back to our home to sleep (it was 50 miles away). I read on CC that NYU/Tisch had sent out “Saturday in the Square” invitations, which at the time, was a sign you were accepted before the official acceptance letter. Her Dad went home at night and opened the mail and called the hospital. I told my D she was accepted to the school she had wanted to attend since she was 12. In all her physical misery, she yelped loudly for joy (the best medicine) and the nurses rushed in and asked what was wrong and I said she was crying for joy that she got accepted to college. More results came while she was laid up. When she got to go home, she was confined full time to a hospital bed in our living room. I recall during that time more college results and also a letter from NYU with a scholarship arrived. Her first day out of a bed in 3 weeks, was the day we travelled to NYU for the accepted student event (Saturday in the Square) at Tisch, in a wheelchair. My D had 6 months to recover in time to start college in the fall. Thankfully, she had completed all of her auditions. She is fine today.
Today when my D and I communicated, we both thought back to this very date 14 years ago, as we do every year, with huge gratefulness that she survived and recovered. That was what really mattered at the time, not what colleges accepted her. And so though I don’t wish that experience on anyone, keep the bigger picture in mind. Your kids are going to be fine and will land somewhere and great adventures await them.
@jbrown I think New Paltz has an audition March 30 - I think have to apply to the school first
and April 13, 2019 on the SUNY Cortland Campus - DO NOT NEED to be accepted to schedule!
@jbrown. If you or your friend is on accepted, there are a few schools that look like they are still taking applications. From a quick glance, I see UArts, Bowling Green, Ohio Northern, Nebraska Wesleyan, Aurora U. May want to check with the schools though as this was just a quick search. A friend of mine is applying for Colorado Mesa (she is local) and they have an April audition.
@kittysmom12 .
Thank you, I really appreciate that <3
My son has told me whatever happens he will make the best of it and he will find a way to make a career as a performer, no matter what happens with this college process. This kid of mine has passion and drive at 16 years-old that impresses this middle-aged mom…I believe him! However, I think he still has enough schools left that there is still plenty of hope still on the table. fingers crossed
Yay, I am happy your daughter has some good acceptances, already!! happy dance 
@artandtechmom and @Mtdreamz Yall are the best …passing this along!!
Wow, @soozievt, that was a huge dose of important perspective! I’m so sorry you and your D had to go through such a scary experience! Very thankful she recovered so well!
And yes - once they’re “on the other side”, settled in their college and making friends and doing what they love, all this anxiety will be gone and won’t matter. Hang on!
@soozievt
Oh my, I just read your post. How scary for you all. I am very happy to hear your daughter survived and recovered and went on with her life. Yes, having our children safe and sound is something to be thankful for and help keep the angst in perspective.
@soozievt
I’m so happy your daughter survived , my family went through a similar experience during this whole audition/acceptance process and sadly not with the same outcome , we lost a young friend and it’s been horrible and yes a sad reminder to keep this all in perspective.our children will land where they should , grow and thrive ., I’m so impressed with these brave beautiful children and wish them all the best xx
So sorry, @“paicked in the suburbs”
@theaterwork The kid who is understudy for DEH was in the Carnegie program with my son last summer. Obviously, an Uber-talented kid. Not sure what schools he applied to or has been admitted (he’s not posted anything on FB about that). Would be very interested in knowing!
@mamaboyz - Regarding the indictment of Huffman, it seems like (from reading articles) that it was the auditioning daughter that had the scores altered. That daughter is apparently18, whereas the younger daughter is 16. The older daughter goes to a PA high school, whereas I read that the younger daughter is more academically focused.
@“paicked in the suburbs”
I wish you and all those hurting some peace and comfort. I am very sorry for your loss. 
@“boola boola” I heard that he did not get into UM and is waitlisted at CMU (although he might be in now LOL)
@jbrown and anyone else interested Western Mich has auditions this friday