<p>So I just got back from New York after auditioning for Juilliard on Saturday! I’m going to share my experience with all of you so you can have an idea of what it’s like.</p>
<p>I was asked to be there at 9:00 Saturday morning. I wanted to walk the whole way there from my hotel in Times Square (about a mile) to get rid of some of my nerves, so I allowed plenty of time and arrived at about 8:15. I was greeted by an EXTREMELY enthusiastic student at the front door who directed me to the check in. I talked to about 4 or 5 different current Juilliard students on the way to the waiting room, and everyone was so happy and encouraging. My dad was asked to wait in the lobby, but since we knew it would probably be at least a few hours, he made his own plans to see New York.
The waiting room was pretty empty when I got there, but about 80 or 90 auditionees filled it up within the next 45 minutes. There was a room next door to mine that I’m assuming had the same amount. I noticed that a lot of people were being rather obnoxious with their various stretches, warm ups, and vocal exercise. I felt that they were trying to intimidate other people.
At 9:00, we were escorted into a large room where some faculty members spoke to us about the day ahead. We were constantly being encouraged and cheered on. They tried to stress to us that they weren’t trying to judge or eliminate us, but they were trying to find the people that would be the right fit for the program at that time. We were told, “the universe has a way of putting you where you need to be.” Then we did some vocal exercises and stretches as a group.
As we were led back to our waiting rooms, the students at Juilliard lined up in the halls and cheered for us, shouting encouragements and clapping. Lists on the wall said when our audition time slot was and what number we would be. Luckily, I was in the 10:00 time slot, which was the first one. About 10 minutes before my turn, a very friendly Juilliard student brought me to my room where I was able to focus on my upcoming audition in a much calmer and less tense environment. I went in at about 10:45, spoke to the 3 person panel watching me, and went straight into my monologues. After I performed my first two, they asked me to sing a song. I AM NOT A SINGER. I made sure to find a song that I connected with emotionally. I know it sounded horrible, but I think they could tell how emotionally invested I was in it. Then they asked what other monologues I had prepared and asked me to perform a third. Then they asked me to perform my second monologue again with a very helpful adjustment. They thanked me, and I waited outside for a few minutes to make sure they didn’t want to see me again. The Juilliard student that was helping me confirmed that they didn’t, so I headed back to the waiting room.
I was told that I wouldn’t need to be back in the waiting room until at least 1:30, so I had lunch with some other auditioners in the lobby before going back to the waiting room at around 1. The energy was so tense and anxious that I wanted to avoid it as much as I could. They announced that they had seen the last person at 1:45, and the list for callbacks was posted at 2:15.
Out of about 170 auditioners, 18 of us made it to callbacks. Nobody that I talked to all day made it, and none of the students who seemed to be attempting to intimidate their competition made it. They made it very clear that if you didn’t make it, you were not being considered for admission. Those of us who made it were asked to take our stuff to a classroom at the end of the hall. We were each cheered for individually when we walked through the door. It was a really great feeling. We had to fill out some paperwork and our pictures were taken, and they gave us a run through of what the evening would be like.
At about 3:00, we lined up alphabetically and introduced ourselves to the entire faculty. Then one by one, we performed our song and a monologue that was chosen for us by the audition panel we had seen earlier. I did my monologue and song, and then they asked what else I had. I told them my other monologues, and they asked me to choose the one that I would perform. Then they gave me a bit of direction and had me do the first section of it over and over. Afterward, I waited in the hall to see if I’d be called back in again, and I wasn’t. They made sure that we knew not to read anything in to whether we were called back in or not. I think that only one person was called back in the whole night.
While everyone else was auditioning, I had to write three short essays. When everyone was finished, we all went back in together and played some games with imagination, teamwork, and movement. After that, we waited some more. (DID I MENTION THERE IS SOOO MUCH WAITING?) A few people were chosen to stay for interviews. They told us it was less than usual because they had to leave early in the morning for Chicago to hold auditions there. They made it very clear again that if we weren’t asked to be interviewed, it didn’t mean that we weren’t being considered for admission. They didn’t want us to stress ourselves out over nothing.
I ended up leaving at about 9:00 that night. I was SO exhausted afterward.
The best advice I can give anyone who’s planning on auditioning is to be yourself and know that even if you don’t get in, it isn’t the end of the world. Have a positive outlook on everything. Take advantage of your audition slot as YOUR time to perform and do what you love! And always remember that the universe will help you end up where you need to be, even if the path that it’s sending you on doesn’t seem right at the time.
I hope that this can be helpful to some of you. :)</p>
I was just about to update this board, JuilliardBound. You read my mind.