More College Questions!

Background info on moi: I live in Illinois with a sister who lives in California (would I be able to work something out to get in-state?) am a junior, have a 3.7 gpa, and am planning on MT or Music Ed, but the dream is MT (shocker!)


QUESTIONS


University of Michigan and Northwestern University- how is the financial aid? What kind of aid did you receive if you have attended/are attending?


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Columbia College Chicago
Milikin
UW Madison
University of Minnesota: Twin Cities
UCLA
Belmont
Roosevelt
UIC
Fordham
DePaul

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Do these schools have good theater programs?


General Questions:
Would a double major in education/MT be possible/wise?
What scholarships do you know of for any of these schools?
Which schools have auditions?

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Updated On: 1/3/09 at 08:16 PM

I would suggest asking questions that can't be answered on the schools' websites (e.g., personal experiences with the schools, getting a less biased opinion than the one the school gives for itself). I could find answers to your questions pretty quickly, but this is college: it's important for you to research for yourself. If I had any personal experience with any of the schools you asked about (or even knew people who went there) I'd be happy to share that. Sadly, I don't.

Yeah. It does. Thanks melody =]

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In my opinion, Fordham has a good theatre program, but I think what also matters is what you want to get out of it. Most of the majors seem to love it, and the only complaints I've heard so far are about the tuition and core curriculum. And it's straight theatre, though it's been mentioned that at least one of the plays each year involves singing. Four mainstages and many studio shows are put up every year, and I know of someone who is double-majoring, though I imagine it's alot of work. My advice would be to really research the colleges you are looking at to see if they have what you want. It could be anything about a college that makes you think that you'll either really want to attend it, or maybe it'll repel you from it. Good luck.

Has anyone on here auditioned for (or plan on auditioning for) Julliard?

I wonder, what's that like?

I'm in the process of applying to Northwestern, but I know for fact that they have a huge endowment and are really good with financial aid.

Well, it's worth a try to audition... maybe? Thanks for the advice Lotte.

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Yeah, my thoughts exactly.

If I audition for theater at a school, and don't make it, would I still be able to attend the college for education as a major?

And would I have to audition if I minored in theater?

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I don't think stagemom3 meant to discourage you from auditioning at any of these schools. I think what she means is that at schools where it's basically assumed that if you get in, you're going (very few turn down CMU or UMich), they don't tend to offer very much financial aid. Basically, they know they have you. Cynical, yes, but the whole applying-to-MT-schools taught me a lot about the business side of things. Some schools do talent scholarships, but many larger schools will probably give you financial assistance in grants based on academics in high school, so that 3.7 gpa should help you a lot.

As a current MT student, I can assure you that this major will completely consume you. In a good way, of course. You'll be busy with classes, homework, practicing, recitals, performances, etc., and it makes many things (including a double major) nearly impossible. This is in reference mainly to more intensive programs; perhaps at a smaller school, arrangements could be made to double major, but it might not be the best idea for your health and sanity

I agree with the other posters here that you should do the individual nitty gritty research. Even though you're not in the potential MT class of 2013, join the group on Facebook (if you're on there too). There are current 2012 MTs that could help you out with specific, personal experiences. I know one girl who goes to Millikin who could be of assistance!

"If I audition for theater at a school, and don't make it, would I still be able to attend the college for education as a major?"

In some cases, depending on the school, that is a possibility. That's the sort of question you'd ask on tours or by calling the school.

Before I tell you my experience and what I've heard about schools, I just want to reiterate that you should first look for information from the schools, then from college confidential, then through searching these boards, and then from asking new questions in this thread. A lot of good info has been posted before, and I'd hate for this to be the only resource you look to for the answers to these questions.

I'm a freshman theatre major at Northwestern right now. There is no MT major, but a certificate program that you can audition for the end of freshman year. Vocal Performance students can audition for this too. A double major in music ed is not possible with theatre. There is no audition to get into the theatre major at NU. Because NU is a liberal arts college, the theatre major is either a B.A. or B.S. depending on whether you want to complete a language requirement or not, so it isn't conservatory training like a BFA would be. Financial aid was good for me, but keep in mind that with the economy like it is that it may not continue to be.

Also, I'm from Illinois, so I'll tell you what little I know about the programs I looked at and my friends auditioned for:
Millikin- BFA in musical theatre, has competitive auditions, if you audition there get as early a time as possible because once they've found who they want they stop taking people. Overall school is welcoming when you visit, but the theatre department seems like it could be a little cut-throat (just my impressions, don't take this as fact)
Roosevelt- I assume a tough audition because a friend was not accepted.
Illinois Wesleyan U- Not on your list, but you should check it out. MT BFA. Freshman can't perform but good school.
Belmont- A really good kid from my town is going there.
UofI- doesn't have a listed MT major but a girl from my school is in some sort of a MT program that they are trying to legitamize.

Do video searches on mt for the schools you're considering. Overall they can tell you a lot about what kind of performances these schools are churning out.

Sorry for the scatterbrain-ed-ness of this post (it's late) but I hope you'll find it helpful. Take everyone's opinion with a grain of salt.

Like other people had mentioned, go for it anyways!!!
I mean, I went to a state school, I applied to Florida State, Brooklyn College and Columbia for my MFA. I visited NYU and Yale but didn't really like the program or campus.
So, guess what, only Columbia accepted me! I thought for sure Brooklyn College would and Florida was iffy. But if I thought i couldn't get in and didn't even bother, than right, I wouldn't have gotten in!

But check out Florida State because there are big actors that have come out of there, it's a state school so it's cheaper and the weather is a little bit better! :)

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