2dogs1cat

Some schools require that the applicant have a web page - with resume/downloads/headshots. I am concerned about having a web page out in cyberspace with all of S's information. Has anyone found a safe and creative way to handle this? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

soozievt

Can you mention what schools require this? I haven't come across one that has and am curious. My own kid applied to 8 BFA programs and this was never a requirement. I have advised many students over the years and have yet to run into this. The headshots and theater resumes were brought to auditions. My daughter is a professional singer/actor now and still doesn't have a web page, though plans on getting one but did not have one prior to college, nor her four years in college.

anne1244

I agree with Soozievt. We've looked at a number of schools and none requires a personal website. Soozie's comment did raise a question, however. Now, with most college apps being submitted online, is it necessary or advisable to paste a copy of one's headshot in the additional info section? I suspect in the past when forms were mailed, one just sent in a copy of the headshot and resume. Under the current system, it looks like the first time a department will see a photo of the kid may be at the audition, itself. Just wondering if I am missing something.

soozievt

Anne, every school is different, but most schools, including the ones my daughter applied to, did not involve the headshot and resume with the application, but rather those two things were brought to the audition. I have a lot of kids with whom I work applying to audition based programs and I am not aware of schools that want the headshot and resume with the application, but there could be some schools that do but most don't that I am aware of. The only resume that my own kids, as well as my advisees, send with their application is their activity resume (non-required document), but not their theater resume. Most auditions want to see a headshot (or photo) and theater resume AT the audition. The application sent to admissions has more to do with admissions to the university and what is brought to the audition has more to do with the artistic selection process, if that helps as a generalization.

PS, my daughter did paper applications by the way and still the theater resume and head shot did not get submitted with the application. It was only brought to the audition.

anne1244

Thanks so much, Susan. This process is just so foreign from my older D's experience. As always, I appreciate your help.

soozievt

Anne....agreed....it is very different than the regular college process (which is plenty of work as it is!). My BFA D was also my second D who went through college admissions.

soozievt

Just to clarify....I gave a general rule of thumb above, but let me emphasize how important it is to read the requirements for each college as they truly differ and there may be exceptions to the generality that I posted above.

2dogs1cat

Sorry, I started the thread and then walked away for a few days. Perhaps I am reading the Common application wrong, but the supplements for SMU, NYU, and PACE state the following: "Please provide a web address where member institutions can view or listen to a 10 minute sample of your work that demonstrates contrasting examples of expression and technique." This led me to believe that he needed a web page. Since my posting I have found an excellent web template and hosting system specifically for actors. We have used this web page and plan to down load some songs and a few monologues. If this is wrong please please tell me. If I am right, and you would like to know the name of the cite, send me a private e-mail and I'll send you the name.

Thank you parents out there - you guys are great.

soozievt

Well, your post confuses me a bit and I am not entirely clear where you read this but I'm gonna make a guess. Are you talking about the "Arts Supplement" Form on the Common App site? If so, first of all, the form doesn't mention a web address that I can see, but rather submitting a sample CD or DVD." Regardless, one would only send in that form, in my opinion, for a BA school where they wish to send in samples of their artistic work at schools that do not have auditions or artistic reviews for admissions but allow submissions to be considered as part of the application process as supplemental materials. This would NOT pertain to BFA applicants AT ALL. In fact, BFA applicants are required to audition to be admitted to BFA degree programs and thus no BFA program is going to take the time to view samples submitted, let alone on a website, when they hold live auditions (the exception being a school that accepts video auditions in lieu of a live audition). Now, I don't see anything about a "webpage" but again, this is not for BFA admissions. If you are talking the Common App forms, that is. I suppose an alternative to a DVD submission in an arts suppllement to a non-audition school, a webpage link might sub for a DVD perhaps.

But in any case, I don't know one applicant ever who had a webpage as part of their admissions process. While I am less familiar with SMU admissions as I have not yet had a student apply there, I have had many students in the past and present apply to both NYU and Pace and even my own daughter was admitted to NYU/Tisch, and NONE had a website or submitted artistic supplemental materials because these are BFA schools that require live auditions. Supplemental artistic forms and materials are more relevant as optional materials to BA schools, to my knowledge.


One more thing....I assume you were referring to the Common App Arts Supplement, even though you called it the supplement for those specific schools. But I do not see that statement about a webpage on the school specific supplements.

CathyErnshaw

I disagree with what was being said thus far. I have 2 children both MT students, both going for their BFAs and both of them submitted 2 types of resumes with their college applications. One was the regular academic type and the other was their professional resume. In addition, they both submitted CDs and DVDs of their work and 2 different head shots. These items were also brought along with them during their auditions. The same is true for a number of other friends I have whose children are currently enrolled in BFA programs or conservatories or are in the process of applying. Though the "requirements" that a college may ask for may not "include" these specialty items, we were advised by my children's agents and manager that it would be a good idea to include them with the application. By the way, the guidance counselor at their high school didn't seem to have the same opinion with both of my kids.

KatMT

WELCOME to CC Cathy! It is great to have parents who currently have kids in programs on the board to help offer information to the prospective parents and students. There are a lot of parents on here as well as college representatives, professional college counselors, and students and graduates of programs.

There may be some audition based MT programs that look at non-requested DVDs, CDs etc... I believe that many do not even if they do take them.

We usually will not even take them from auditioning students. We give back all material prospective students bring to the audition that we do not request (additional recommendations, CDs, DVDs, additional pictures, etc..) because we evaluate all students on the same criteria. We used to accept the additional materials and throw them away before looking at them, but since families spend quite a bit of money on the materials it seemed fairer to simply return them to the auditioning student so they could use them elsewhere.

Cathy, I suspect that your children would have gotten in to those schools without the additional DVDs and CDs. In most cases it probably does not hurt to submit additional materials to the program, but it may not help.

xatty

I appreciate Cathy's post and the "extra mile" her kids went. However, before others think they HAVE to do those extras, I'll put in my two cents. My D is a freshman BFA MT. She auditioned for ten schools and was accepted into seven programs. She did none of those extras. She gave each school exactly what they requested - nothing more and nothing less. Our experience showed that you don't need extras. What you do need is a kick butt audition! I'd recommend spending extra time on songs and monologues to be as prepared as possible. Would those extras help? I have no idea.

soozievt

Typically, BFA programs do not view CD's and DVD's. Agents and managers may not be up on college admissions necessarily.

Some non-audition BA programs will accept CD's and DVD's, however. I encourage those be sent to BA non-audition programs. ( I have a senior right now sending tht to Yale and Brown in fact). Colleges, such as BFA programs, that hold auditions, are not ALSO going to view your DVD for MT. (none of my BFA students re sending DVDs to MT programs)

Regardless of BFA or no BFA, but applying to ANY college, my own children, as well as all of my students, have sent in activity resumes with their applications to admissions (regular admissions, not the theater department audition) as often the two inches on an application doesn't do justice in showing their involvement in activities. This is quite recommended by college counselors in fact. I feel certain my D's admissions offices did view her activity resume (in fact, one thing she was selected for, "Scholar", which we did not even know existed until she was selected, had certain criteria for selection and upon reading it after the fact, it is clear that certain things on her activity resume dovetailed with what they were seeking).

A Theater Resume is very appropriate to bring to an audition, with the head shot, required or not. I highly recommend doing so. I do not send the Theater resume to regular admissions as they are not the theater department and are weighing the activities (which include performing arts of course) and the students' involvement and contributions, but do not need their list of roles/credits. The activity resume and theater resume overlap but the activity resume does not list each role and the theater resume, likewise, doesn't list all academic awards and all extracurriculars that are not theater related. Typically, the admissions office is dealing with the academic record, the test scores, the essays, the recs, the extracurricular activities and achievements, and so forth. The BFA program deals with the theater background/training resume and the audition.

CathyErnshaw

Thank you for the welcome Cat. I suppose everyone's experience is different and my children were fortunate that they were able to get into as many programs as they did. I also forgot to mention that they both submitted original writing samples, separate and apart from the required essays. One guidance counselor told me that 2 particular Ivy League Universities would be "put off" by receiving anything other than what they had asked for and would in all probability throw the items away. In the end, we decided to do what we believed to be in their best interest. As it turned out, one such school not only did "not" throw out the extras, but one of my children was personally contacted about them, with the University interested in their submissions. It did turn out well for my children, but I don't know if I'd reccommend to go against what the school asks for. I can only say in our family it worked rather well. With the schools that are most difficult to get into, I have found that anything you can do to make your child's application appear differently than all the others can be beneficial. I suppose the reverse can also be true. I just wanted to pass that on because we didn't "follow the rules" per se and it worked to my children's benefit.