Times3

At least one school (Otterbein) specifically asks students NOT to staple the resume and headshot together...and the way the application requirements are described for most schools, it sounds like a non-issue for undergrad auditions.

EmsDad

Here are some old threads on resumes. The staple and paper size question comes up every year:

Headshot/Resume Help

Headshot/Resume Paper?

College Theatrical Resume

Artistic Resume HELP!!

Resume

How many resumes should I have for each audition?

MrsDrz

Our experience last year was most colleges definitely wanted those performance resumes attached to the head shots. The idea is that they can easily become separated. My D's resume also contains a small color photo of her headshot on it as Mary Anna Dennard suggests in her book, "I Got In."

In the cases where the head shot size was specified as 8x10, the resume was also supposed to be cut to 8x10...I used a ruler and exacto knife to cut every one of them because I never made it to Staples! I primarily used staples in all four corners, however, switched to using a glue stick later on in the process because of those annoying indents the staples made on the additional headshots/resumes we traveled with. It was pretty anal retentive of me, but it bugged!

The problem with the glue stick is the headshot/resume would sometimes come apart because the glue I used wasn't strong enough. I now all this seems trivial, but this headshot/resume is sometime the first impression of your performer a college will see and well, IMHO, it should look professional in size, content, and presentation.

BTW, we always traveled with 3-4 extra headshots and resumes, a stapler, and staples just in case...especially at Unifieds where your kid may decide to do walk ins!

kksmom5

We used the little photo adhesive tape squares in the corners of the headshots in lieu of stapling . . . peels off fairly easily to replace with new resumes if needed.

We also pre-cut the paper to 8 x 10 sizes before we printed the resumes . . . that helped a bunch not to hassle with cutting after printing.

shaun0203

Does anyone have a sample repertoire list they can private message me, for proper formatting purposes? How likely is it that D will be asked to sing a song from her repertoire list after singing her audition pieces?

MTTwinsinCA

Shaun0203, I can send you one -- I think S1&2 had to do it for Hartt school last year. And if memory serves, they didn't sing from it, but they were all songs they could do if asked.

MTTwinsinCA

Unless specifically instructed otherwise, stapling trimmed resumes and 8x10 head shots back-to-back is customary. (staple once near top and once near bottom) For me it was almost painful to staple through those beautiful and expensive photos at first, until I saw that EVERYONE did it that way. If resume needed updating, I just carefully removed staples, replaced with new resume and re-stapled as close to original holes as possible. It has never been an issue. Carried a little student-sized stapler and staples with us to Unifieds. Best of luck to all.

ATLAST

Scotch brand permanent double-sided tape in all four corners works well, as does the user-friendly and very portable adhesive roller (red plastic thing found at office supply store). The tape is cheaper, holds it securely w/o those ugly staples showing, and when I needed to remove a resume from a headshot to update, they separated just fine. Neither the tape nor the adhesive show through the paper, so it's a nice, clean look, for those who cringe at the appearance of a stapled photo. Another anal-retentive mom here...

kksmom5

Right there with you ATLAST.

amtc

There is a wonderful CD named Bonnie Gillespie (sp?) who calls all this resume stapling vs tape vs glue stick "mind taffy." It doesn't matter how you attach your headshot to your resume as long as it stays on and doesn't block any information. The most standard method is one staple in each corner but anything other than a paper clip pretty much works. Oh and in case anyone should have the idea to print the resume right onto the headshot, I seriously suggest that you don't for many reasons including the difficulty in updating and the fact that it will often smudge. Seriously people, worry about important stuff!

monkey13

So the academic acceptances are starting to come in...and it is the strangest feeling! We just got our first, and it is kind of a let down. Because really....for a lot of these schools, my D wouldn't go unless she gets into the MT program. So you can't really get excited, b/c the biggest, hardest part is yet to come. Does anyone else feel that way, or is it just me? I just remember with my S, when he got into a school we were so excited. With my D, it's more like, "Okay, we passed that hurdle, but now comes the REALLY hard part..."

soozievt

monkey, I know what you mean! With my D, most of the schools she applied to for a BFA were also schools she would not have applied to if not for their BFA programs either. If the school has a separate academic acceptance (some do, some don't), it still is a nice feeling to have that hurdle jumped. However, for a very good student, many of the BFA programs are located in schools that are academic safeties for them anyway.

Here's a story from personal experience in my D's cycle. She applied and auditioned at Emerson Early Action just to do one audition prior to the holidays and to hear from one school early in the process, but it was not her first choice school. She always told me to not open any college admissions mail and of course I never would without her. A close friend at school was the only other kid from our school also seeking a BFA in MT. That girl also applied EA to Emerson and drove home during lunch period one day to get her mail and came back to school and told my D that she (the other girl) had gotten accepted and so my D called me at home and asked me to check the mail and wanted me to open whatever came while on the phone with her. I drove out to my mailbox and the mail lady was just dropping our mail off and I smiled at her and said, "my kid just got her first college acceptance!" because there was a big fat envelope from Emerson. I drove back to the house and opened the envelope with D on the phone. It had all the bells and whistles in it congratulating her for her acceptance to Emerson, yadda yadda. I read the cover letter to her over the phone and in all that excitement, I come to a part lower in the letter that she is deferred for the BFA in MT until regular decision in April. At the time, we were naive and did not know that such an outcome (accepted EA academically but deferred EA on the BFA program) at Emerson was a possibility and so the excitement started to fade quickly as she would never attend Emerson without the BFA. Turns out she found out her friend who thought she also got into the BFA, had the same result of an academic acceptance but deferral 'til April on the BFA program at Emerson. Upshot in April was that the friend got into Emerson's BFA and my D was denied. Friend ONLY applied to two colleges (!!), Emerson and NYU/Tisch, the latter by Early Decision. Friend got into Emerson's BFA in MT but rejected at NYU/Tisch (but not due to academics as she was salutatorian of the class), and my D got into NYU/Tisch (RD) and rejected to Emerson's BFA (but accepted academically). This is a very weird process not for the faint of heart!

PS: on a similar vein but not really on topic, that same year, another friend here in VT (different high school) got into Emerson's BFA in MT but rejected at Boston Conservatory, and my D got into Boston Conservatory but not Emerson's BFA. Both of these VT girls ended up attending Emerson, but the one from our high school eventually switched out of the BFA in MT and focused at Emerson (along with Berklee) on music/songwriting.

MrsDrz

^monkey13
Yes, I totally remember my D's first academic acceptance and it was no big deal to her because she also had no plans to attend any school in which she couldn't be a part of MT. Her first MT acceptance was, however, truly wonderful, and she was so happy that she had at least one option! I think that first one came from Oklahoma City.

D was a fantastic student and managed 14/14 academic acceptances and 6/14 audition acceptances (2 BFA MTs, 2 BFA Acting, 2 BA MT performance.) The best part was that she had choices despite all of her school being audition.

Good luck with the process!

monkey13

Yes, Soozievt and MrsDrz, that is exactly what we are feeling. Glad that is normal for this crazy business. I just hope my D has a fraction of the success that yours did when it comes to artistic acceptances!

Marbleheader

All these stories help to keep this whole process in focus. S is not a top-notch student, but very solid. So some colleges will be academic reaches along with the artistic reach (which I consider any auditioned school an artistic reach). I'm glad I have at least a clue on how it all works now.

I went to senior parent night last week, that goes over the college app process. There was a parent there that asked what the College Board was. Another parent asked if their student should take the SATs next May or June (this kid was a senior!!!!). Yet another parent thought just doing ED meant that the student would automatically be admitted. So, as much as I don't know, I am happy that I have a clue - be it a very dim one!

All you veterans - keep sharing!!!!