@MTMom2019 @MTlizard - Pace (a great program BTW) loves unique kids, so it’s possible that your child was just too traditional for them. That would be a simple matter of “fit”. Regarding their prescreen material, did you have help selecting the monologues and songs?
Hey @MTMom2019 and @MTlizard - my D didn’t pass Pace’s MT prescreen last year! Be sad and move on - it doesn’t mean anything other than that you can’t audition at Pace. Actually, if you love the school you can resubmit for Acting, which my D did and she did pass that. Roll with the rejections. They will happen, especially if you have an over-represented “type” (short blonde sopranos seemed to have trouble last year). It’s not a message about your talent or your chances for success.
@beachymom We had help with selections. And we do feel good about what she chose. She carefully made selections. We don’t want to second guess everything she has been working on since April 
You’re are absolutely right that she may not be a “fit” for them. So we are not going to dwell on it. It is ONE “no” from One School. Focus on the positives. We have 6 acceptances and 1 pre screen pass - Positives! There will be enough negatives with the process. Buckle up people - its gonna be a ride for sure! :)) I’m glad this thread is here! :x
@ beachymom @MTlizard - Thank you for your words, advice and thoughts. They help me more than you know. I just want to stay positive for her but I need a place to vent with people that get this. She had a “coaching team” help her pick everything. Hopefully she will get better news from some of the other schools. To be shut out at this part in the process is hard.
Hi All. I am new to the thread but also have a D that is in the middle of all this craziness. We have 2 auditions scheduled so far (one in November - no prescreen- and one in February - prescreen was waived -), one pre-screen submission that we are waiting to hear back from, and are still finishing up with the taping for the pre-screens for the other programs she is submitting to. There are so many different requirements that the taping is taking much longer than anticipated. So glad to see we are not alone in this wild process!
@MTlizard - you are absolutely right. Focus on the positives!! Last year, my kid got “yeses” from what many people consider “top” schools and was given a no by others. He is blooming and happily thriving in his college program!
@MTMom2019 - if you want to PM me, please do! I’m happy to help and encourage.
@MTMom2019 Don’t despair. There is no logic to this process. Action by one school does NOT predict actions of others. When my son went through this process he was admitted to 14 schools, including Texas State (where he went), Carnegie Mellon, Elon, Penn State, etc. Waitlistied at Michigan. The one school that rejected him? You got it, PACE! There will be a place for your daughter. Its only October. Months to go!
@MTMom2019 yes!!!^^^^ to what @MTDadandProud said!! Many months to go. If her list is balanced, try to take a breath. I know it’s hard! Break all the legs.
Take heart…It’s very early in the process. The good things about not passing a prescreen are: you won’t have the expense of the actual audition (travel/hotel) or the added stress that comes with that…and it allows you to narrow and focus on the rest of your list. Hang in there…
Between my job and son’s school and still quite active rehearsal schedule I totally feel like I need to hire a personal assistant to manage our calendar!
I want to let him be as independent as possible in this process, but it is overwhelming to me and I don’t want to let anything fall through the cracks.
We have a couple of auditions coming up this weekend on Saturday and then on Monday. Still waiting to hear on several prescreens to schedule more. Reading this board helps keep me sane so thank you all!
Anyone submitted to Indiana University or heard back about prescreen yet?
My D got her first no pre-screen from Rider last night to their BFA program, but emailed them and asked if they would consider auditioning her for the BA with MT concentration and they said yes! It does not hurt to follow-up. She found out today that Ithaca and Syracuse approved her pre-screens, so I too agree that it appears there really is no rhyme or reason and it really is going to boil down what school is going to know they want my D and if my D wants them!
@MTVTmom I think that is so true. And you never know who is watching these prescreens. I posted a question about that a while back and got little response. I think none of us knows the answer, but I have been told at some schools it is a graduate students or different faculty who may not even be a voice or acting professors. I don’t know if any of the department heads actually watch the prescreens. Maybe some do? Seems uneven to me.
My D got a no to rider prescreen also, but was redirected to BA in theatre with concentration in musical theatre. She wasn’t interested in that route so declined graciously. The only way she found out was a personal email from head of theatre who said he was impressed with her monologues. Thought it a little strange.
As there was a question about who watches prescreens above ^, I thought I would chime in. While I can’t speak to any other school, I can speak about Coastal Carolina.
ALL the faculty watches EACH prescreen and then votes on it. It is time consuming to have everyone have a say, but that is the process that works best for them. The faculty there is like a big family so they all want their opinion heard. Best of luck to everyone during this crazy process!
I don’t know of a reputable program where faculty does not watch the pre-screens. It’s definitely worth enquiring about if you feel that the schools you have selected might not have fully trained evaluators. I think programs worth attending take auditions and who they accept extremely seriously, which is the reason so many schools are actually adding the pre-screen process. What I have been told by faculty at several schools is that pre-screens are usually divided up between faculty members (as the number of pre-screens are so large). When you hear back regarding a pre-screen can really vary depending how much a faculty member might have on their plate. So if a particular prof is directing that semester and your prescreen ended up in his/her pile…it make take a while to hear back. While someone else who sent in a prescreen on the same day may hear a lot quicker. Just good to know when you find yourself wondering why you haven’t heard back yet and friends have their results!
@MTDadandProud I love it! I have been telling her that but wasn’t sure I believed it. Glad to know it is actually true. We should hear from five next week. Hopefully some will be “yes”
An interesting pre-screen rejection story from last year: there was a boy on the acting board who was accepted to the BFA Acting programs at SUNY Purchase, Rutgers, UNCSA, UMinn, and I think wait-listed for Carnegie Mellon…but did not pass the pre-screen for Florida State University! Talk about no rhyme or reason!
You know…I was thinking today about this whole process. I feel so bad for the students who are talented enough to make it to the top schools and don’t have parents that spend the COUNTLESS hours researching and assisting. It is really one of those things that is near impossible to do alone. It makes me sad for them.
@MTMom2019 , @MTlizard , @MTVTmom , @MTmama19 Sorry for the pre-screen denials. My D has only sent in a couple of pre-screens so far, and we hope to be done next weekend with filming for the rest (a week later than planned). I’m worried about how it’s going to affect her when she gets her first no.
@Kristiern1 Good luck this weekend with auditions! Let us know how it goes!
@carriemc95 I agree. This process is pretty overwhelming for ME, so I can’t imagine trying to go through the process alone while still in high school. I think I will need a lot of wine this year! Ha!
Super excited for my son. Just received an invite to audition at IU from his prescreen. Should make for a fun weekend. His high schools fall musical opens Friday Night 11/2. Saturday am 11/3 will have to drive to Bloomington for audition and then come straight home for Saturday Night Show. Thankfully only about 1 1/2 hours from home.