@trish0118 you are definitely not alone. Hugs to you and your D.
@Trish0118 you are NOT alone. There are kids in my S’s drama dept that are exceptional students and actors and they are getting denied left and right. This has been a very disappointing ride for us as we had applied to 21 schools and only 3-audition acceptances. Last year the drama kids seemed to fly thru their prescreens and get accepted easily to top programs. One of the lucky NYU moms even told me that my S will pass all his prescreens (because “all of them do”) and get into every school he auditions for. Um…NO, that did NOT happen at all. He got rejected by at least 45% of the schools for prescreens. We still have our fingers crossed for his top 2 schools, Pace & NYU. It will be a looooonnnnngshot.
But you are not alone. At least 20% more people applied to the programs this year and yet many seem to accept smaller numbers than last year!
@Trish0118 - you are NOT alone - and you are brave for coming on here and posting about it. TBH - it does NOT get easier with time. My D was not cast in a show this semester at her school- despite 6 callbacks to various projects. (One was 3 rounds - she was final 2 for a BIG deal show, but it went to the other girl). Now she has been doing auditions for summer things (NETC as well as various open calls in NYC and video submissions) so far… crickets. For me- It is SO easy for doubt to creep in - and this dry spell is stressing me out big time. Just trying to say that this is only phase ONE of “keeping the faith” - so you all are getting good practice!
Hugs to all of us supporting our kid’s dreams
@Trish0118 SO not alone. Cyber hugs and wishes for THREE YESES headed your way.
Doubt is a continuing feature of the theatre mom lifestyle.
Doubt seems to be the word for the day! So, after feeling pretty confident that one school was going to be the one we were choosing, we received a “no” in the mail from my D’s favorite school (the one she spent TWO WEEKS with over the summer, the one that told her she was amazing, the one she auditioned for where the instructors called her by her name, and everyone else by a number, and the one where the college student assistants went streaming out of the audition room to see her and saying how amazing she was, and that “they were sure that she was getting in to the school”, and made sure they got her Instagram name)… yes, that one - that’s the one that she got a no from. So, Doubt has crept in. Not that she got a yes from two good programs, but a NO from those she knew and thought she trusted. So now I see a questioning if the other programs even matter to her. This is such a rough business. Nothing is a sure thing. I hurt so much for her right now.
I am sure that the program that she chooses will be the right one for her. But right now, I guess we just need to mourn the loss of what had hoped for.
@Fergie978, I can’t believe that’s story! That’s horrible. I’ve heard some other tales kind of along those lines, but your D’s is the most extreme. I think these programs should impress upon their students the importance of not sharing things like this to kids they know who are auditioning. Way too much potential for false hope there.
Sending big hugs your way. This whole process really sucks.
@Fergie978 that’s terrible I’m sure she got her hopes up. I’m sorry to hear that. We had a similar experience at a school- alumni telling her how great she was etc and then got the dreaded no. I dint even think you can rely on what happens in the room or how well you might have think it went. Doesn’t mean you’re getting in. My daughter thought she had some great auditions, asked for another song chatted with her etc… then got the rejection and was like - what happened?
I totally agree with @toowonderful , it doesn’t get any easier. Freshman year in a performing arts program is HARD! There are programs with tons of performance opportunities and if your student is one who only thrives when they are on stage, take that into consideration when making your final choice. In my opinion it is super important to make a choice of a program that your child will be happy at even if they don’t get cast at all the first year. Find a program that has a core group of students who can have as much fun off stage as on stage. And find a place where they will be okay if they catch the flu and need others to help them through it (yep that happened to our daughter this year and luckily she had many great friends to help her through it!).
@Trish0118 you are not alone! Wishing you hugs and love and lots of great wishes for a wonderful YES to be coming your way!
@Fergie978 Yes, we had a similar experience after a 6 week summer program. All the student assistants pulled my S aside and whispered, I am not suppose to say this, but you are so right for the program. you’ll totally get in…we talk about you at all the meetings… So many strong signals were sent, only to receive a rejection.
@Fergie978 my daughter was your daughter two years ago. Now she’s a super happy sophomore at the school she chose to attend. Hang in there. By all means mourn what could have been. Then embrace what is and look forward, not back.
I want to send everyone out there a hug. This process is brutal, however we are incredibly lucky to have each other. I feel like there are people that understand what it’s like to be a parent of a child going through this process. For my family hiring a coach was not an option, but I’ve learned so much from every one of you. Keep your chin up, mourn the losses and celebrate the fact that our children are the brave ones that are going for their dreams.
@MomofJ5, as @DramaRama says our S is a freshman at U Miami this year. He loves the program and the school. I’m not even sure it was on his original list at the start of the whole process but it kept going higher as he learned more about it and researched it. When he had his three acceptances in March, we scheduled visits to all three schools. It was clear after our day at Miami that it was 95% certain that would be his final choice. The only thing waiting was a Wait List at another school that never came through. If you have any questions about the school or program, I will do my best to answer them.
You are not alone. What I would give for just ONE artistic acceptance. Still waiting and hoping.@trish0118
@Fergie978 I cannot believe that! That sucks so much. Wow.
Thanks to everyone for your support! It sounds some of you have gone through the same thing - with having the students pull you aside in auditions to tell you how wonderful your child is!
It does help to know that we are not alone! And thanks for the reminder of always looking ahead and not back on the journey! @CTDramaMom @mommafaria @Work64 @Trish0118 @fancytheatrekid @katew529
It really is a learning experience to take rejection and get back up again! Don’t let others (or other schools, for t hat matter) define your children by their rejection OR ACCEPTANCE! They get accepted because they are looking for a type - not because you are better or worse.
Sending you all hugs and POWER to get through this!
@mandidnam Yes - same thing happened to us. Fell in love with the teachers and the school. If I had it to do over again, I would know - not worth the promise of the Summer Scholars Scholarship!
I am careful to never pontificate that a gap year is the best way to go. Because every path is unique; and of course, had D gotten into one of her 7 dream schools last year, she never would have taken a gap year. But. For her, for us-I truly believe that it was predestined; and a far better alternative than going to one of the schools that she was accepted to. She is not a year more mature & determined than a year ago: She is light years more so. So for those of you in panic mode, and still waiting on notifications-it’s too soon. You are not there yet. Your S/D may wind up with one or more awesome acceptances. And, OMG, I wish that for you! But: If/when the time comes…a gap year has been a positively amazing trajectory, thus far, for my D. There are many paths…
@emdcollege My oldest d graduated from U Tampa 3 years ago. She was a graphic design major & a business minor. If you would like some insight into the school I would be happy to talk to you. She loved the school and is pretty introverted.
Yes, Cap 21 is one of our last few that we have not heard from.