<p>This question actually began in the thread: Artistic Resume HELP!! asked by TheatreG14 </p>
<p>On an Artistic Resume, can you include clubs that directly support your intended major (such as the International Thespian Society for Acting/MT candidate, for example)? What about leadership positions or membership in clubs/organizations that may or may not pertain to your intended major? </p>
<p>There seems to be different philosophies on this subject and it would be great to hear what Colleges prefer.</p>
<p>(See thread “Artistic Resume HELP!!” for more details.)</p>
<p>Just like people had differing opinions on the other thread, it would not surprise me if different college reps had different answers as well. If you are really stressing over this, you might want to call the Theatre dept at the schools you are applying to and asking their preference. This way you can tailor your artistic resume to the requirements and preferences of each school. It would not be unusual for a person to have different artistic resumes for different schools. Good luck! :)</p>
<p>Well. As a rep. As a person who looks at the resumes most intently. I can say from my singular perspective (and you are going to hate this.) It doesn’t matter. Sorry. Theatre people are ridiculously sure of their own opinions regarding talent and fit. If you handed me a piece of paper that said you have done 20 shows, been in every club, and worked at the homeless shelter I would take note. But if you weren’t a good fit, or what we were looking for, we wouldn’t much care. I suppose if two people are at some plausible “same level, same look” situation, we MAY look at the resume and make some decision. But it is rather unlikely. </p>
<p>I don’t see any issue placing that information there. No matter what, it will never be detrimental. There is absolutely no formula for a high school resume (there is barely one for a professional resume!) Stop sweating the small stuff. I can’t imagine a single school saying, “well, we liked him/her, but all this extra stuff on the resume rules them out.” </p>
<p>I wish you luck in your endeavors. This cannot be easy from a parent or student perspective. If it makes you feel any better, at least where I am, we spend hours discussing and debating the merits and fit of the potential incoming class. And we feel terrible when people we have connected with aren’t invited into the program. This is a very difficult process.</p>
<p>I too am a college program rep., and I agree with kjgc (as usual :)) . The resume does not carry a lot of weight in and of itself for us in the program admissions process. It does give us a sense of the kind of experiences in which an applicant has been involved, and we often use it as a jumping off point for the interview… asking questions about somethings on the resume in order to get the student to talk about their experiences. </p>
<p>Ultimately, at least for us, the audition itself (followed by the interview, essay, and academics) carry MUCH more weight than the resume. </p>
<p>It is such a difficult process for parents and students, and because it is subjective it is natural to “sweat the small stuff,” but in the end, I believe for the majority of programs it really comes down to the audition, interview, and perceived fit of a student for the program.</p>
<p>I also teach at a university MT program and agree with the others. If someone sings incredibly well with no voice lessons on their resume I may get really excited - its raw talent. If someone sings ok but has 8 years of lessons on their resume, I may be turned off - not a rule, but sometimes its a concern. Same for number of shows - Super talented actor with no shows - OK!, middle of the pack actor with 30 shows - could make you wonder if this person is more interested in being on the stage or doing the hard disciplined work it will take to climb up the ladder. </p>
<p>When I walk into the audition room, I never know for sure what I am going to see, so I don’t really have a pre-determined idea of what I expect. In my mind, the resume is a conversation starter. If I look down the list and see the name of a colleague (which happens frequently) its a great topic for conversation. Those conversations can lead to other topics and help me get to know the student. To me personally, that is the most valuable bit of information I get in a live audition. If I’m reviewing a screening video, I usually only look for people I know and if they have dance experience. If they are ok in voice and acting but have more than 4 years of dance, it says something, more than 8 says something else, and less than 1 tells me something else I need to know.</p>
<p>Personally I am not concerned with clubs, community service, or anything non-theatre related. For me it just clutters up the page and gets in the way of the information I would like to see. In general, less is more.</p>
<p>Fortunately for my d, she applied to a BFA program with a very stong music department. In her audition she was tested for sight singing and was given the chance to sell herself on her piano and background in music theory. It was fortunate for her because her dance background was weak. Instead of being eliminated imediately she was given the chance to sell herself as a lop-sided applicant but none the less talented. Thank goodness the faculty took her book, asked her to sing from selections they chose and looked at her as an unusual candidate.</p>
<p>After reading these posts i am getting very nervous. My S has been singing in choir since he was in 3rd grade. However, he has only had a year of voice lessons in the past and has just started lessons with a new voice teacher. He is a junior in HS. He has no dance experience but will start ballet in January. He has been in shows since 5th grade. He absolutely loves MT and does want to apply next year for MT. I realize the competitiveness of this endeavor.
I guess what I am asking is how much is based on the audition and how much on grades, prior experience and test scores. Also, he will be applying to pre-college programs and I was hoping this would allow us to see a national pool of talent. I have learned a tremendous amount of information by reading these posts but I still do not have a handle on were he fits. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks</p>
<p>Maggie1962,
Admission is primarily about talent level and fit. It isn’t about grades (although that will play a part) nor is it about experience. Voice lessons aren’t vital at this point. Not at all. But clean singing, honest delivery, ability to take direction, and honesty will be the things looked at/for. We are looking for students who have ability AND are ready and willing to enter into training. Good grades are great, and will help. But they won’t be the deciding factor.</p>
<p>Please, let me know if I can clarify any of this.</p>
<p>Dearest college reps - this has been a very interesting discussion and I so appreciate your input. Younger students who are deciding between faithfully attending dance class or doing yet another high school show should really think hard about what has been written here.</p>
<p>Would you reps care to elaborate on this thing you call “fit”? Are you talking about casting suitability for future shows, or a personality that will work with the existing bunch or that certain je ne sais quoi? :)</p>
<p>Depending on the school academics will have a greater or lesser pull in the admissions process. The resume itself rarely will have a large pull in the admissions process.</p>
<p>“Fit” – I can only speak for where I teach… fit will be different from school to school… but fit is not so much about casting for future shows (although most schools do look for diversity of gender, skills, type, etc… to be able to provide ample performance opportunities for students in the program). Each school offers a specific training experience and educational environment. The experience and the environment may not be the best match for all students. Just like the students are looking for the school that feels like it will offer them the kind of experience they are looking for, schools are looking for the students who feel like they are the best match for what a particular school has to offer.</p>
<p>This is very interesting and thank-you for your insight! A good question for an accepted student to ask come April when decisions are being made might be: “How did the faculty come to decide that I’d be a good fit at this school?”</p>
<p>Thank you to all the college reps that responded. I think everyone wants to do their absolute best and that’s why we all worry (sometimes unnecessarily) about each detail in this process.</p>