When my daughter was accepted to Montclair her financial award came with the acceptance letter.
March is an excellent time to be in a show, involved in a sport, heavily committed to volunteer work etc. We got one yes in February, but everything else dragged out until the end of March and, in one case (Syracuse with the dreaded waves and a WL) May.
My D did end up being in the spring show (The Producers) but she has had to miss so many practices between her college auditions and auditions through her agent. This past Saturday they decided to throw in a practice and she had her American audition. She’s regretting it I think. Plus with the Guthrie call back she’ll have to miss another day and we have a wedding in Tampa in March which she also has to miss for. She told them she was going to be busy though and they said they would excuse her as much as she needed. It really ended up being worse than even we expected though…oh well! They wanted her…they got her!
This waiting period is also an excellent time to learn a new skill or spend more time on a hobby. For example, my MT D continued ceramics classes on a more regular basis (which I lightly did, as well), and we also took a lampworking (bead jewelry making) class together.
@Jkellynh17 D just started rehearsals at a local theatre 1 week ago. Your right it’s very helpful. Plus she is auditioning for summer musicals so it does help to have her looking forward instead of behind. But we are both so fragile and short wicked. I actually really appreciate everyone sharing their frustrations and anxious feelings (misery loves company). I have to confess too…and to you @marg928 you warned me months ago…having 9 schools of which 2 were non audition safeties…feels like a mistake from where we are sitting right now. If I had it to do again, I would have insisted on 12 or 13…my D agrees. I really try not think about how we would have done things differently, because hindsight is 20/20, and what good does that serve at this moment? But those regrets haunt me a bit because I’m the mom, I’m supposed to be all knowing…
@followurheart, if it helps at all, I feel like me and my kid did almost everything possible wrong, and still came out in a pretty good space. (He applied to 12 schools, five high stats BAs, rejected everywhere, and four audition schools, got into two, and two safeties)
There definitely is no perfect #/formula, that’s for sure, @followurheart! My D had a great list-in September, when she made it. But she has changed and grown a lot this year; and we both agree, her school list would be different today. She is super busy at school (as she has been all year) with Original Works, Graduation Cabaret, etc: But still, being in an environment of 20 PA classmates waiting on the email/letter/call/portal update is INTENSE. And as @Jkellynh17 reported-the waiting has really only just begun.
@followurheart we only had 7 MT programs on the list and 2 safety schools (for Arts Admin) - my D has already been rejected by Rider for MT (accepted for AA) - so that leaves us 6! My D wonders too if she should have auditioned for more schools, but she also didn’t want to audition for the sake of auditioning. She had her list of schools that she was interested in (much different from when we started looking last year - eliminating programs I thought for sure she would apply - Emerson, Ithaca and NYU). Her feeling is if she doesn’t get into one of the programs she likes, then she will go to plan B and reevaluate next year if she wants to try again. We have discussed many times how hard this career path is and whatever happens she will find HER path 
@LBSMOM my D voiced the same concerns…not auditioning for the sake of auditioning, but now, I think that was a mistake in her youthful and prideful thinking, perhaps my prideful thinking too. In this moment, we both feel a bit more humble and might have liked more options that she could have accepted or declined as HER choice…rather than not having the choice at all. We felt overwhelmed with the applications and essays and audition preparation (and travel costs) at the time and could not imagine researching and adding more schools. As others have mentioned, my daughter has changed and grown since she created the list and this career path is hard! Plan B for my D is a gap year, with lots of performing and auditioning and then try again. I would like her to go to college sooner and am just not wanting to think about plan B right now. You are so right about them finding their own path, which is key…this is her path, not what I want for her path. She will make her way, and when she makes decisions that have unexpected results, dust herself off and persevere. She has had two declines, still waiting on 5…lol, the waiting has just begun, ugh.
Thank you, all, for sharing your thoughts and tactics regarding the Long Wait for Results. I’m a planner, and all the lists and scheduling and looking for affordable flights and hotel rooms and lining up rental cars, etc., has been right up my action-taking alley. This part? The waiting? The not knowing? Not my forte! And I fear my D is the same. We are grateful she has a show in March, and a part-time job, and some APs to catch up in. And we are grateful for all of you. And we have also started talking about what a gap year might look like for working on her training, because one doesn’t want to feel powerless.
Anyone else still auditioning? We head to Tallahassee this weekend and then Norman the next. Can’t wait for this part to be over!
@LBSMOM and @followurheart - my D is one who ended up with a smaller list of schools than what “conventional” CC wisdom dictates - only 7 audition programs. We spent a long time on that list- it had to meet some really specific criteria from both of us. (mine mostly being academic, hers mostly being artistic/geographic) She got early rejections - by the time we were here 3 years ago she was down to 4 possible BFA slots (one rejection from an early audition, 2 shortly after chicago unifieds) and I was in a BLIND PANIC that led to one of the most stressed filled periods of my life. Seriously, if you knew me during March of 2014 - I was insane, and I apologize. If you had given me a magic wand, I would have been adding auditions like it was going out of style. BUT - with a longer lens I can see that we did have options in hand - including terrific safeties I know she would have ended up loving. And then of course, she was admitted to 3 out of 4 of the schools that were left - so it all that angst turned out to be moot.
I don’t know what will happen with anyone’s kids - but don’t let the stress of waiting make you doubt every decision you have made. Most of us are smarter/better than we give ourselves credit for.
For the record- if I had it to do all over again, there is only 1 school that I would have eliminated from D’s original list - not b/c she was not accepted, but b/c it didn’t really fit her criteria, but it is local, and well regarded, and “all” her friends were auditioning there (and 3 from her PA HS class ended up going there) so she got sucked in to adding it. There are 2 schools I would add - one got cut b/c it had a CB weekend the same weekend as her senior musical, she made that call then, but now we know that there were a wide variety of issues that made that show less fun than she had originally hoped - and one that was outside her planned geographic area, but I think could have been a great fit.
Moral of the story - this too shall pass.
Two more auditions for my D - Shenendoah this weekend and Oklahoma City next weekend. Saving two of her favorites for last. She is quite an experienced auditioner at this point so hopefully that will serve her well and give her the confidence to finish out strong. Then we just continue waiting and sending positive thoughts into the universe for D and all of theses deserving kids!
@singoutlouise I can echo @MTmom1216 - D is at MSM and loves it, the other kids, the teachers and Luis!
@toowonderful @followurheart it is tough, especially NOW, with the waiting. D wanted to stay in the North East - no farther south then DC, no farther west then Cleveland - so that limited her options - but she wanted to be close to cities and the seasons. It’s her college career, not mine! So that took a lot of schools immediately off the list - including all schools in the south, midwest etc. She knew that going in. I frankly feel she is OK with whatever happens - along the audition process a few of her schools moved up and down her list - she has one more audition this weekend at her top choice -(and she has a cold!) - and then we see what comes in! We do approach it with some humor (like yesterday, it was President’s Day - NO MAIL = NO REJECTION LETTERS - D is smart and will do just fine. I know this is where her passion lies and as her mom I hope she gets at least 1 acceptance for MT! I know as parents who probably wouldn’t pick such a tough career path for our kids we are just as anxious as they are!
I am so happy I am not alone! This waiting is crazy and its just starting! We have 2 live auditions left. Elon on March 3 and Millikin on March 24 and 1 video submission. This was our 2nd time around since D only auditioned at 4 schools last year and did not get accepted. We made the decision to take a gap year. She got a PT job, did some community theater, was vocal director for the shows at the HS she attended, took lessons and practiced. She is a dedicated and determined kid whose true, strong mezzo voice has grown ! This year she is auditioning at 12 schools and we are hoping for at least one yes. It was a heartbreaker last year. Good luck one and all and thanks for the support!
So… already saw on the BW thread that 17 kids have already been accepted into mt … is my daughter going to an audition there this weekend a waste of time? I mean now are they just putting anyone on a waitlist if they’re interested in them ? I knew these late auditions were a bad idea . … sigh …,
Comments please…
@theaterwork if your daughter wants to go there absolutely go. That is just the list of accepted not that kids have committed. Those will not all go there. That way you won’t look back and say I should have gone.
@theaterwork Don’t despair! I’m not sure what BW wants for their final yield, but remember these schools tend to accept more applicants than they know they will finally end up with to ensure the class size they are seeking. I don’t know how they crunch the numbers but if they are still holding auditions that means they are still looking for more students so just keep the faith!
Aargh …It’s just wearing on me this whole thing. I know everyone can relate. Unbelievably my D is fairly calm lol. Thank goodness. Kids handle things so much better then adults!