More College Questions!
More College Questions!
More College Questions!#1
Posted: 1/3/09 at 8:16pm
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?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Columbia College Chicago
Milikin
UW Madison
University of Minnesota: Twin Cities
UCLA
Belmont
Roosevelt
UIC
Fordham
DePaul
^^^^^^^^^^
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?
re: More College Questions!#2
Posted: 1/4/09 at 10:02amYou should be able to find most of this information on the school websites. Just do a little research.
re: More College Questions!#2
Posted: 1/4/09 at 1:58pmI 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.
re: More College Questions!#3
Posted: 1/4/09 at 7:08pm
Columbia College in Chicago is a good school, though I think they only have regular theatre--meaning no musical theatre. Sorry I can't think of the right term. The other thing is that I know that it is not possible to double major with a Theatre degree...even at most schools that is very difficult to do.
Fordham and DePaul both have good theatre programs, though I think it depends on the person. I personally did not like either of those schools, but I know others who do.
The best thing is to go visit the schools you are planning on applying to because you never know which might be the right one for you. Only you can decide..we can only give our opinions.
Hope this helps.
re: More College Questions!#4
Posted: 1/4/09 at 7:16pmYeah. It does. Thanks melody =]
Joined: 12/31/69
re: More College Questions!#5
Posted: 1/5/09 at 9:51am
SKB, go to College Confidential and check out the message boards relative to musical theatre. There's a wealth of info there and you will find answers to every question.
re: More College Questions!#6
Posted: 1/5/09 at 10:41pmIn 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.
re: More College Questions!#7
Posted: 1/5/09 at 11:49pmI'd never heard of College Confidential. i just was wanting YOUR opinions on schools.
re: More College Questions!#8
Posted: 1/5/09 at 11:57pm
Has anyone on here auditioned for (or plan on auditioning for) Julliard?
I wonder, what's that like?
re: More College Questions!#9
Posted: 1/6/09 at 12:22am
I'm currently attending Columbia for my MA but like it's been stated, contact the schools directly and get their booklets on their programs and visit the campuses if possible. There were other schools I had interest in applying but once I visited them I said no thank you!
As far as in-state goes, they will find it odd that you graduated/still attending HS in a specific state and claim residency in another.
Carnegie Mellon and Florida State also have reputable Musical Theatre programs. Have you looked into them?
As far as scholarships, there are books out that list them, the universities will have their own and also check out scholarships.com... it's all research!
Broadway Star Joined: 3/6/07
re: More College Questions!#10
Posted: 1/6/09 at 3:36pmI'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.
Joined: 12/31/69
re: More College Questions!#11
Posted: 1/6/09 at 4:00pm
FYI: CMU saw about 1000 girls last year and took 3...U Mich saw over 600 girls and took 11...so financial aid is kind of a moot point with these two MT powerhouse schools.
Updated On: 1/6/09 at 04:00 PM
re: More College Questions!#12
Posted: 1/6/09 at 10:35pmWell, it's worth a try to audition... maybe? Thanks for the advice Lotte.
re: More College Questions!#13
Posted: 1/7/09 at 12:35amPlease please please still audition! Although the numbers are very scary, you're getting into a business where there will be 1000 girls at an audition and they'll only choose 3.
re: More College Questions!#14
Posted: 1/7/09 at 1:03am
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?
re: More College Questions!#15
Posted: 1/7/09 at 1:06am
All of you doing college research really need to go on College Confidential. It's alot of people's opinions and alot of college representatives giving legitimate facts. Alot of info that you will need!
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/
Leading Actor Joined: 10/17/04
re: More College Questions!#16
Posted: 1/7/09 at 1:09am
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!
re: More College Questions!#17
Posted: 1/7/09 at 1:26am
I HAVE looked at college confidential. But there isn't anything that I've seen about the MT programs (or the school in general) for Columbia College, UM-Twin Cities, Roosevelt, UIC, UWM or Belmont.
Leading Actor Joined: 10/17/04
re: More College Questions!#18
Posted: 1/7/09 at 1:26am
"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.
Leading Actor Joined: 10/17/04
re: More College Questions!#19
Posted: 1/7/09 at 1:37am
Columbia College: https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/189674-columbia-college-chicago.html
Roosevelt: https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/roosevelt-university-mt/
I haven't heard of the other schools you mentioned, but both of these were hidden somewhere on CC. Just had to do some extra snooping. That's what these late nights are for, I suppose
re: More College Questions!#20
Posted: 1/7/09 at 3:03am
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.
Joined: 12/31/69
re: More College Questions!#21
Posted: 1/7/09 at 10:05am
Despite the daunting odds of being accepted into the top MT schools, we still encouraged our kid to shoot for the stars...and she made it into one of the best schools. But in retrospect, even she now admits that had she known CMU was taking THREE girls out of 1000 last year, she would have saved herself the time and aggravation and us the travel costs (multiple visits), the application fee, and the additional audition fee and skipped it. But CMU is a FABULOUS program and I would have sold a kidney to cover my kid's tuition had she gotten in.
Many schools accept you academically and then let you know later about your acceptance into their MT program (based on your audition). My kid got academic scholarship offers from most of the schools to which she applied, but she decided on an MT school with no academic money whatsoever (a few talent scholarships, mostly for boys). And that kidney of mine is still for sale, as we are paying full freight!
DOLL, great advice about the video search! We learned so much about MT programs that way.
There is so much to learn from real-life experiences of others who have been through this process. That's why people keep mentioning the College Confidential message boards.
re: More College Questions!#22
Posted: 1/7/09 at 10:40am
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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