Class of 2013--checking in! - Page 2

ActingDad · 11-13-2012, 06:31 PM

OddDad -- oh, I won't be anywhere near the audition area. I'm the stage parent for some things but I'm not getting involved in any aspect of the audition part. The best thing about finding her a good acting coach who is experienced with this process is I'm out of it altogether. Our deal is I get to see the monologues after audition season is over. She both values my opinion and thinks I don't have a clue at the same time so its best for me to stay away.

Good luck to your daughter!

OddDad · 11-13-2012, 06:40 PM

^^My job ends once I point out the appropriate building

skewlcounselor · 11-18-2012, 10:13 PM

Well, my daughter took a chance on an early audition at DePaul and did not get a callback. It would have been nice to have a confidence-builder early in the game, but she rebounded quickly and is looking forward to Round #2! It helps that she has a couple of acceptances at safety BAs such as Indiana and Minnesota.

Her parents' favorite offer is a full-tuition scholarship plus $12,000 in grants to Temple University. The grants are to supplement her studies with study abroad, etc. Theirs is not a liberal arts degree, but a performance degree with an Acting Concentration. Plus, they have a dance program so she can continue her dance training and because it is a BA she can double major. It sounds like a great opportunity but we have yet to visit, though! I am hoping we can fit in a quick trip after Unifieds.

Gwen Fairfax · 11-18-2012, 10:58 PM

Smart girl to bounce right back! There are lots of fish in the sea!

ugadog99 · 11-19-2012, 09:57 AM

Oh, I'm sorry skewlcounselor. I'm glad she bounced back, though. The Temple offer sounds mighty tempting!

Two visits and interviews done for us and many more to go. The first visit was fabulous; the second one wasn't so great. She wasn't rejected, but neither of us has very high hopes on that one. Oh well, off to the next one. Well, really just to Atlanta and an interview with Point Park mid December. I am SO glad they are coming here!!

ActingDad · 11-19-2012, 11:04 AM

I guess up and down is the name of the game with this process. I have been reading this Board for a couple of years and you definitely feel more connected to everyone when your child is going through the process at the same time. Wishing only best for everyone.

On our end, we had a big down when her retake of her mid-1500s SAT scores proved to be a bust. We got a nice rebound when her headshots turned out very well and we decided to add two more schools (CCM and UMinn-Guthrie) when it became clear she could make 15 schools fit in the schedule and still have only 1 or 2 schools each NYC unified days.

For the SAT, she had bombed the writing section (not the essay but the rules stuff) the first time around. She did some work with a private tutor and took several practice tests this time around and it was pretty clear she would score quite a bit higher. The first test date in November was cancelled because of Sandy. The makeup was this past weekend. She wakes up with a migraine. She's been taking these extra srength migraine pills. You are supposed to take no more than 2. I take a quick look at the label and see that it is basically asprin and tylenol (as I recall) and know there isn't any real risk with either so I give her a third third to try to knock the migraine down. We get a call about an hour into the test that she threw up (a normal occurence with a really bad migraine) and that she can't continue. When I pick her up, its not what I expect at all. She's shaking like leaf and you'd almost swear she was high she was so loopy. She says her head is fine but her hands were shaking so badly she couldn't even draw circles in the right spots and her essay was completely illegible. Finally, our pharmacist friend figured it out when she asked us if she'd had any coffee in the morning. I was not thinking at the time that the migraine pills had caffeine in them and that amount of caffeine plus a large latte was about like drinking an entire pot of coffee in 30 minutes. On top of that, she said her calculator failed so math would have been a disaster even without the caffeine issues.

Needless to say, I am feel really guilty about contributing to this disaster. We thought about taking the test again in December but we'd have to move her Dec. 1 U of Arts audition and take time away from getting ready for auditions. So she is just going to forward with October test score.

On the plus side, we got her new headshots back last week. I know the headshots themselves are not that important a part of college audition but I was amazed at the story she can tell through her eyes. We used a photographer her manager recommended and the message we got back from her after seeing the shots was are you sure I can't send you out for print and modeling jobs so that must be a good sign though we told her no jobs till April! Of course, she picks out and puts on her facebook page the most glamorous of the shots while I'm working on her that her acting audition headshot has to be one of the ones that shows more of who she is even if not as technically perfect.

So at least at our end, we'll have to hope that some mix of talent/beauty will offset SAT scores!

arwarw · 11-19-2012, 11:21 AM

She'll do fine Actingdad.

Good luck!!

I'm following your story and others with interest.

Marbleheader · 11-19-2012, 01:32 PM

Similar story with the testing, ActingDad. We got S's ACT scores and they were stinky. But he knew as soon as he got home from the test, and we went right to the computer to remove all the schools but Purchase. Purchase doesn't care about scores as much as the other schools he had down, and their median ACT score (listed on their website) was the same as S's, so we left that one. He'll just go with his SATs for the other schools.

As I was reading your post, I knew immediately that you missed the caffeine that is usually in Migraine medication. I have done the coffee & headache meds and it ends up being totally counterproductive. So sorry she was sick at the test - you can't fault your girl for trying!

Glad about the headshots, too. I love S's and helped him pick not the most dramatic or handsome, but the most neutral one. When I look at it, I can see him doing comedy, drama, improv, musicals - everything! I don't really know how much they impact an admissions decision, but you never know, right?

Anyway - Dec 1 looms! S has two apps to get int. He has complete his Purchase application, alto I don't think he submitted it yet, and still has to write his Hartt essay. He finds the "why do you want to go to our school?" essays challenging. He feels they should be telling him that!!! LOL!

ugadog99 · 11-19-2012, 03:07 PM

Oh, ActingDad, that stinks! Everyone who follows my story knows my D's ACT scores are so low we can't mention them. She did get accommodations approved for the December 8th ACT so we'll see if the scores improve. Really, they couldn't get worse.

I'm trying to get myself to the point where I believe that this will all work out the way it is supposed to and that I shouldn't worry so much. Yeah....that probably isn't going to happen!

We are still toying with the idea of adding one more school to her list. It would be somewhere with an urban setting, which is what she seems to want. The problem is I don't know which school! Ideas/suggestions, anyone?

I have to say that these boards are helping me maintain an ounce or two of sanity. I couldn't imagine going through this without having a place where others understand the process. No one in my group of friends has a theatre kid, and none of the seniors in my D's drama group are concerned at all about applications and auditions.

Gwen Fairfax · 11-19-2012, 03:22 PM

What's on her list already, Ugadog? And-- she's looking for Design and Production? Stage mgmt?

EmmyBet · 11-19-2012, 03:44 PM

Yes, please everyone try to have faith that things will end up as they should - that has been the experience of just about everyone for the past several years that I have been following this forum. Of course there are disappointments, both in getting rejected and also in finding schools weren't what was expected. There are also wonderful surprises and affirmations. It all seems to even out.

While these kids have a really different time than many other college applicants, there is still an overriding rule that everyone shares: Love thy safety. "Safety" can mean anything, just that there is a back-up plan if the majority of schools turn you down. If you know there's a guaranteed plan that suits you, your worries get a whole lot easier.

Those of us who are over the fence will continue to listen and give encouragement. I'll say here what I say everywhere - this process will test parents and kids in so many ways, so try to remember that the most important thing is to keep a caring relationship, and not let the judgments and the hype get the best of you. College is a big step, but it's only one step in life. Everyone learns something through this terribly difficult year, and the lessons are always valuable.

ActingDad, don't be too hard on yourself. We've all had these rough things happen. I'm sure your D knows how much you care and that her well-being is the most important thing. I hope you all can just shake that one off and move forward with your heads held high.

prodesse · 11-19-2012, 06:40 PM

I know some "Mama Rose" type drama mamas, so I try hard not to be one of them. I've been telling my son that he's in charge of the artistic end and I'm management. That's pretty much how the professional world is anyway. And there's a reason for it.

Not that I can stop myself from asking "How did it go?" But I've learned that he never thinks it went as well as it should, so I don't take it seriously.

ActingDad · 11-19-2012, 07:18 PM

I've said before but it bears saying again that the perhaps the best aspect of having an acting coach for my daughter has been to take me out of any dialogue about what monologues she should do or how she should perform them.

ugadog99 · 11-20-2012, 02:45 PM

Gwen, my D is Design and Production. She has an interest in both lights and stage management. She has a range of schools but all BFA programs. Based on her reaction to our visit this past weekend, I'm wondering if maybe she needs one more school in an urban area.

She has schools in Pittsburgh, Richmond, St. Louis, and Chicago on the list. However, she also has some suburban type schools that I'm afraid she might not like.

We are looking at Marymount Manhattan, CCM, and the one that is on and off the list constantly: U of Arts.

Gwen Fairfax · 11-20-2012, 07:41 PM

I was going to say DePaul, CCM, and UArts-- D interviewed in D&P at UArts (accidentally-- she's an acting major but has done a lot of different stuff) and LOVED the people. And she tends to have great taste in people. And UArts has so many different theaters to work with. And Philly is such a fun city. Also I wouldn't count BU out because of low scores, not if she's got a good portfolio and can give a good interview.

Another thing though, re urban or suburban-- honestly once they're there, they are so busy that it doesn't matter much what's out the window. They spend most of their time in one theater or another and that's their world. It's exciting to see you all heading into this--there are great times ahead for your D, I'm sure.