Looking back on the audition season: Celebrations, mistakes and 20/20 is hindsight!

College Majors Musical Theater Majors
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<p>My D spent 2 days with CoachC, Mark and Charlie in New York just before Christmas and got all new material in monologues and songs, which was tremendously helpful. The critiques of my D’s vocals at that time helped us decide to add other avenues of entry into some of these colleges. If we had arranged lessons earlier my D would have had much more ability to compete on the playing field as it exists today. Lesson is - if you don’t have someone, get them.</p>

<p>Also - a few notes on Unifieds. Our initial audition plan did not call for this to happen, but because of illnesses and conflicts, she ended up auditioning for 7 schools in 4 days at NY Unifieds. Make note of the fact that CCM and BOCO have auditions on the Friday of Unified weekend. Most colleges are there on Saturday and Sunday, some only one of those days. If you are interested in either of those 2 schools, get your apps in early and book that day if you want to do a lot of auditions there. She had one on Friday, 2 on Saturday, 3 on Sunday and NYU on Monday (they do not participate in Unifieds, but since we were there anyway…). My ideal number in planning was 5, but she actually got on a roll and became more confident and relaxed as she went on. Her best day was the day she did 3! She may be unusual, because she is used to dance competitions, where she competed 5 to 10 dances in a day. </p>

<p>We did a combination of visiting schools prior to auditions (last year’s spring break we saw Emerson, BOCO, Syracuse and Ithaca in one trip with several flights and a rental car). That at least gave her an idea as to whether she liked those colleges for a starter (Ithaca was eliminated because of location and other observations). She auditioned on campus at 6 schools, saw CMU during Pre-College and eliminated that from her list, and did the rest at Unifieds. Whatever she is accepted to (she still has 6 schools to hear from), any that she hasn’t seen we will visit quickly in April.</p>

<p>If you go to NY Unifieds, do Priceline as evasmom suggested, or really surf the web for hotel deals, which really do exist at that time of year in NY. Be sure to stay close to the Unified site - it’s so easy and so much fun to walk in New York! We saw 3 plays (broadwaybox.com or TKTS when you get there) and generally stayed pretty calm and had a blast, even though there were stressful moments.</p>

<p>Be sure to follow the classic CC advice - there are no audition safeties, but there ARE colleges that are relatively a little less competitive to get into. I mean, NYU’s 1,000 applicants for 64 CAP 21 spots compared to 150-200 applicants for 20-25 spots at some schools for example. Do your research. Add in at least one non-audition BA and maybe one or two audition BA’s. If your child excels at dance, go for the ones who emphasize this. As I said in a previous post, this does not insure entry, but what the heck, it doesn’t hurt, and if they DO get in, they will love the program. Look at the info on CC on some of the newer programs which may be a little less competitive because they are up and coming, but still offer a great education.</p>

<p>Above all, have fun!</p>

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<p>Even though we are a year out from this experience, I’d like to add 2 cents, Being over prepared is a good idea, back up songs and monologues, extra clothes, go over your checklist twice, Make sure the audition bag has all sorts of shoes, water, tylenol, snax, fruit breezers, extra headshots and resumes, ect… Even if you don’t need all of this stuff, its a comfort to not have to worry. Of course my S didn’t worry about ANY of this stuff, because he knew I was! Now that he’s at college, the tables have turned! Ha!</p>

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<p>wow, what great responses! My d (and I) got in to this game in the 7th inning and I would give my right arm to have had this information even 8 months ago. You guys are awesome! The only thing I can add to this, is a portable CD player. My d auditioned for CCM at a location off campus (not unifieds) and had to have her music recorded. If we had thought to bring a cd player with us, she could have rehearsed in the practice rooms.
Also, I bought her a roll-up keyboard at Target. This little gadget was great and she took it with her and used it to warm up in the hotel room etc.
I second the Vicks personal steamer Coach C told us about!</p>

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<p>Totally concur with everything as written above.</p>

<p>1) I learned this strategy here myself, and passed it on to my D, who wrote her essays in the summer and did the Common application (with added supplemental essays for several schools (!)) in advance. (You can download the Common application before July and fill it out. As I recall, it became unavailable for the rest of the summer, then available, and possible slightly different after 9/01). However, I don’t recall any difference, and I then became the data-entry person, as she was in two back-to-back shows in the fall. This made the fall, in terms of school, much easier, and far less stressful than her non-MT peers. And you are good to go when the audition times become available.
1B) Expect to have glitches. I found it invariable that here were glitches at each and every school. It does seem that the admissions and the MT departments don’t speak to each other, and sometimes, just about anything needed to be done twice, from the application itself, to recommendation letters, to extra requirements. Check, double check and triple check before you head to the audition. Another good reason to start early. And oh yeh, do ask for the academic teacher and coach rec. letters in the spring of junior year. I still didn’t get them until September, they didn’t quite believe that they really were needed that early. English teachers are the best writers in my experience.</p>

<p>2) She also selected somewhat easier academic courses for her senior year, as she had done the hardest courses she had planned to take in her junior year, and her academic standing was high enough to meet rigorous standards already. This choice was partly because she hoped to have these two plays in production, and would be too busy to keep up a more demanding schedule. The two plays allowed her to gain her final EMC credits, and this appeared to her to be seen as a plus at her auditions at her top choices. She chose not to join Equity until needed.</p>

<p>3) My D took the SAT’s twice before Sr. year, and then a third time as soon as she could in her senior year. The third time was the charm, and she raised her points nicely to be very competitive. The first one was borderline in one area, so this strategy worked well for her without studying or a tutorial. I wouldn’t generally recommend that, it’s just my D’s style with standardized tests, and it seemed to work for her, as long as she was willing to </p>

<p>4) Definitely shop for audition outfits that pack well, this is trememndously helpful, as you change often, and the outfit always looks presentable.</p>

<p>5) If you go to Unified’s, I would definitely recommend getting the hotel that is closest. This is much easier in the winter with the unpredictable weather, and great for maximizing time to warm up, take breaks, etc. I was able to get a good break in Ny by registering a couple of months in advance.</p>

<p>6) Count the bags as you travel. We lost the dance bag on our first trip. (Yeh, ouch…) I think it’s great to have all the audition “stuff” in a carry on for reasons of losing bags. However, the security problems for liquids on airplanes does pose problems for hair products. I bought special bottles, and was told on the phone they would work, At the airport, they nixed that, so be careful. I filled my (pack mule) checked luggage with extra water bottles. Used every last one of them.</p>

<p>7) The Unifieds were stressful for my D. She would probably have preferred to go to each school separately to reduce the stress by having more time in between, but time and $$ did not allow for that. She did limit her Unified auditions to one-a-day over four days. Looking back, we probably could have auditioned at more schools that week. So many schools seem to audition in NY that week, just not at the Unifieds. We knew about two (CMU and NYU), just not others, perhaps I could have researched this better. It did seem to be a relief to get so many out of the way by early February, and it was efficient. It was also both fun and inspiring to be able to see shows at night!</p>

<p>8) Definitely pick a “road test” school for your first audition, not your top choice, a safety if possible. This turned out to be the least stressful audition, but she had also lost her shoes, so we had to pinch hit and borrow from others (including those nice CC’rs that I had been in touch with via pm’s and e-mails). It definitely helps when trying to orient in a new situation to have someone to check in with. Thanks guys!</p>

<p>9) What I did not expect was that the hardest time seems to be the waiting after the audtions are done. I somehow missed how stressful this was until we were actually going through it. I stress the “we” here, as it is stressful for the student and the parents in different ways. I don’t know if I would do it differently if I had predicted this more accurately, but hopefully, I would have gathered my wits about me a little more.</p>

<p>Best of luck! Especially to those of us who are still waiting!!!</p>

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<p>Wow! That sounds so fun!! :)</p>

<p>oh, and also, NanE…those steamers are great, too. yay!</p>

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<p>Yeah. This actually is the worst part. Especially because you can’t predict when you will hear…and it’s just so trying. I’d suggest keeping yourself busy. Or you’ll feel restless, like I do RIGHT NOW!!</p>

<p>also, i would say to future auditioners…don’t overlook any of the good advice on CC. I feel as though there were things I thought “oh, I’m sure that’s not really the case”…but in the end, it all WAS the case. So take it all.</p>

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<p>Thank you again for all of you who shared their expertise. One question: many of you suggested to get applications and essays early, which I think is a great idea–Some of you even said you S or D worked on their essays thru the summer. I thought applications usually are not available till fall?–How did you know the essay questions?? Did you assume the essay questions are the same as prior years and begin from that point onward?? Please advise. Thanks!!</p>

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<p>I think in our experience, most colleges (but not all) had their applications available on August 1, and the common app. is also available then. Our daughter used the common app. (plus any supplements) for 4 schools, but for most schools used the individual school application, even if the common app. was allowed. She used the common app. for Muhlenberg because that is the only app. they use, and for another BA program, as well as two BFA programs which were not very high on her list. For the schools which were more important to her, she used the school app. I know it isn’t supposed to matter, but she wanted to make the extra effort in those cases. Also, many of the schools had somewhat similar essays, so she could write one, and then maybe tweak it for another school. But overall, she wrote MANY essays or short answer paragraphs. It’s a long process.</p>

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<p>I also just wanted to agree with Kaysmom, Dancermom, Sarahsmom, Evasmom, and others. Reach out to the other junior parents here! My daughter and I have made some GREAT friends during this year, have met up with some wonderful CC friends at various auditions or college visits. It has made this whole process much easier to bear and the auditions were much more fun for my daughter when she had someone to bond with. I’m sure she thought I was crazy at first when I would tell her about my CC friends, but once we actually started to meet them, she has made some great friends and they have been so supportive of each other!</p>

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<p>To follow up on mtsmom’s question and nydancemom’s response, another decission is whether to file electronically or not. Except where a school specifically required an app to be filed electronically (Emerson), we decided to file hard copies for 3 reasons. 1) Electronic filing requires someone at the school (often part time student workers) to log the app in on their system, print it out and put it in your file as opposed to just logging and filing a hard copy. Fewer steps, fewer opportunities for errors, oversights etc. 2) Hard copies can be sent certified mail return receipt requested thereby giving you proof of delivery for tracking purposes if the school later says they are missing the app or a part of it (this does happen with more frequency than you would expect, particularly at schools receiving thousands of apps). 3) E-apps, when printed out, often have bizzare formatting issues that are not apparent when filling them out. It’s beneficial to see what a school will actually be looking at.</p>

<p>Use of the common app, where a school offers it, is a real time saver. The app can be filled out online on the common app website and then printed out multiple times for use with each school. Much easier than doing a separate common app for each school. Individual common app school supplements can also be done online and printed. Again a time saver since filling out a form online is easier than typing a hard copy. </p>

<p>Finally, I can’t overemphasize the importance of checking with schools to confirm receipt of various application components. We had incidents where schools claimed they received an app but no supplement even though both were in the same envelope when mailed, where teacher recommendations and school transcripts were “never received” (even though they were sent to all schools at the same time and other schools acknowledged receiving them). It’s important to catch these problems early so that additional copies can be sent in a timely manner. Our general rule was to give a school 2 weeks to log and file something mailed to them before we called to check. We then checked back every week to 10 days until we had confirmation of receipt. Some schools have web pages that show what has been received for a student - also very helpful.</p>

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<p>Oh yeh, have your students clean up their myspace or face book pages. I know very little about this, but often am quite surprised to see what is on these pages, and then open for admission comittee members to see via use of them for e-mail, etc. NYTimes just did a major article about how colleges are looking at these to guide admission processes…(Yikes, Big brother is here, and it is us…:-() Anyway it would be a shame for this issue to slipup a really arduous process!</p>

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<p>wow…thats crazy!!!</p>

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<p>VTbroadwaybaby: it is a fun little thing to have! It was one of those last minute Christmas gifts I picked up, I think it was around $50. It rolls up into a neat little travel bag, no bigger than an average size cosmetic bag. It works off batteries or AC, and it will record what you play. I was very surprised how good it sounded for the $$$. </p>

<p>Two more things I thought of, and I hope I’m not repeating someone else! We printed off maps of each campus and highlighted the buildings and colored coded the important buildings in the map index, ie: where auditions would be held, interview site, student union, bookstore etc. </p>

<p>and another thing, most colleges will have pics and bios of their faculty on their web sites. Take the time to learn their names and faces, it might come in handy!</p>

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<p>I would disagree with MichaelNKat in that we filed all but one electronically (and it wasnt available). I did follow up as suggested here and we had no problems at 8 schools. These days everything tends to go into a central database system and I worry more about someone rekeying my info in wrong. And weird formatting is usually something they are aware of and have compensated for when they print it out. So put us on the tech end of the scale I guess…there could be problems either way! </p>

<p>ALL THAT SAID - PRINT EVERYTHING OUT!! I had hard copies of every application in the folder and I also printed out EVERY EMAIL as well of confirmation etc. This was all part of what I took to each audition - just in case!! :slight_smile: Staying on top of each school became my job!!!</p>

<p>MikksMom</p>

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<p>I agree with everything Mikksmom said. We sent applications to I think 13 schools (didn’t audition for all of them ultimately). A few of them did not charge a fee if the app. was filed electronically, but mainly, most of the schools preferred the electronic application. As one of the admissions counselors told me, if the app. is filed electronically, one of them does not have to input the info, so the app. does not sit around in one of their boxes until they have time.</p>

<p>There was one college however, which lost her app. in “cyberspace” - how does that happen? - and therefore she missed the early deadline, which luckily was not a huge deal, but it is just the principle of the thing.</p>

<p>The Common App On Line is wonderful! We used it for 5 schools, and although we found it more grueling to complete than the average application, think about the fact that it covered that many schools!</p>

<p>As others have said, the earlier the better on the essays (although it was like pulling teeth to get them out of my D!), and be sure to triple check on the number of essays required by the schools - even with the Common App., NYU requires 4 additional essays, and they are not the only one! With the ones that don’t however, again the Common App is great because once those essays are done, they’re done!</p>

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<p>i think doing some things electronically helps…like having your recommenders e-mail their letters…i think it is easier for them to do that, thu, it gets done quicker, probably</p>

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<p>“highlights/lowlights” of our application and audition experience have largely been covered but here are a few things that were very important:
*S got all apps in electronically well before due dates so he’d have choices in audition dates. He didn’t do them before school started but he was done before Thanksgiving. He got all audition dates he wanted.
*He did not try to audition with more than two schools a week. This meant he was doing auditions longer than many of his friends who did multiple schools at Unified; however, it saved him from having too many schools scheduled at the same time when he came down with a terrible cold–that only wiped out 2 or 3 schools instead of the 5 it could have!
*Saving “first choice” schools to later in the process is a good idea because experience with the auditions helps.<br>
*Do have additional material ready, even if it’s only likely to be needed for a single school on your list. You don’t want to look back and say you weren’t prepared and could have been.
*We planned a trip we all looked forward to (in Aruba) at the end of the audition schedule. There were times it felt like that was all we had to look forward to as stress relief! (It was also well timed to take up some of the “waiting time” for admissions response.)
*We found the use of one Excel file that grew and shrank over the whole admissions period to be very helpful (file all info about possible schools in it as the application choices are under consideration, then narrow down the list to those schools where apps are submitted and add more info about auditions, deadlines, etc., and finally, note any contacts and other info as the audition schedule unfolds).
*We agreed in advance to use my email address as the “formal” one. I like the suggestion of creating a unique address for the college process, though.
*We took our GPS along to auditions and found it very helpful (although I also did mapquest printouts for every trip) I think Garmin’s Nuvi is great because it’s so small.
*We had a checklist of everything required for each audition trip. Since they differed slightly, making the effort to check off the items each time was a good idea.</p>

<p>Hope this helps!</p>

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<p>Thank you all for being so generous with your suggestions…it looks like, from the “acceptences” thread, that all of the advice is well worth heeding. So glad to have found CC as we start this process. It will be fun to watch the “final decision” thread start to grow! :)</p>

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<p>I cannot thank all of you enough for all of this advice. I have to admit, I am not a very organized person but I want to do my best for my d. She wants this more than anything and there is no way I would even know where to begin if not for the advice I am getting from each of you on cc! I am making up folders as soon as I get off the computer…hee hee! Thank you!!! I hope I can return the favor next year for others.</p>

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<p>My friends who have observed my involvement in my daughter’s MT college search and application process over the last year are not sure whether I am simply a type A micromanaging personality or whether my brain synapses are firing very oddly and I am in need of intensive psychotherapy. Well actually they are sure, but they won’t tell me; instead I think they are planning an “intervention”. In any event, in order to facilitate a cathartic experience, I would like to offer to the juniors out there and their parents the charts and spreadsheets my daughter and I used to map out and organize her journey over the last year. (Well, actually, I used them; she tolerated me.)</p>

<p>I offer the following:

  1. College Search Overview Chart - info on colleges in Word chart format. Cells expand vertically as filled in.
  2. Admissions Requirements Chart - organized by college, same format as above.
    3.Musical Theatre Program Questions - what to ask when you visit. Word Doc.
  3. Application Types and Due Dates for Each Part - info on application requirements/components organized by school. Excel spreadsheet.
  4. Applications Received Chart - track when each application component has been sent and received. Organized by school. Excel spreadsheet.
  5. Guidance Dept Chart - track each item your high school is supposed to send. Organized by college. Excel spreadsheet.
  6. Audition Chart - organize audition scheduling and what is needed for each audition. Organized by school. Excel spreadsheet.
  7. College Evaluation Chart - when acceptances come in, line the schools up side by side. Word Chart. Cells expand vertically as info put in.</p>

<p>You see, my friends were right. Please take these off my hands. It will be part of my road to recovery.</p>

<p>Send me an email (<a href="mailto:michaelnkat@comcast.net">michaelnkat@comcast.net</a>) and I will gladly send you these docs. All you will need to do is delete the school specific info in the cells on the charts and you will have templates for your own use.</p>