<p>I definitely think schools should put effort into making the audition day as best as possible because for some, that is all they will know about the school. It goes without saying, I think, that everyone should expect courtesy, respect, and integrity at the audition. Rude behavior, etc. is simply not acceptable! And kids (and often parents too), make first impressions from these short experiences at the audition day. I’m just encouraging people to not judge a school entirely on what happens on audition day because the experience of attending the school may be very different and should be explored to the fullest by talking to many at the school and visiting as well at some point. The audition day is just one snapshot and may or may not be an accurate picture.</p>
<p>No arguing, halflokum…you always give really good food for thought on this forum. But my point is that while it is only one data point, to me it would have a greater weight than many of the others. In my experience, first impressions are usually pretty accurate…you may later end up finding out some extra info that allows you to cut a program some “slack” but seldom will you need to change your opinion all together.</p>
<p>Programs who “don’t need you” can still have kind and magnanomous (sp?) leaders who model kind and manganomous attitudes to their students and that will come through consistently in the entire audition process. Gushy, over-promising programs can still need people to point out their shortcomings on a thread like this because the programs are in less capable hands. Mixed bag experiences may mean the program is still trying to get it right.</p>
<p>Edit: Our high school has a director like that…makes the kids feel sooo special trying to get them to audition; “promising” parts, or acceptances to choral groups, etc. and many kids are ultimately not even considered. How would you like your student to go through four years of college auditions with that director?</p>
<p>Honesty is always the best policy. I found most programs I went to with my D to be honest about how many they audition, how many they accept, etc. I thought perhaps the most honest comment was from one school that was very upfront (students and faculty) about how they look to fill their current student roster with incoming students of different physical types, etc. At diner the night before the actual audition the student hosts were very clear on that; you could do a great audition but if they already have 4 kids with your “type” you likely wouldn’t get a spot. So of course you spend the next day checking out all the women in the program to see if they’re tall, same hair color, etc. I found that type of honesty refreshing.</p>
<p>sorry to take the thread a little off-topic, so here was my original thought to get us back on track:</p>
<p>Son could not attend on-campus auditions for his ultimate choice school, so this is “props” for another school: Western Michigan by its own description pulls more of a “regional” pool of applicants but puts on one heck of a show, and has a nice audition process. On a subsequent visit for a production, we were met by a student assigned to answer any further questions we had. They were a strong contender on our list (which was a suprise!)</p>
<p>My daughter went into her on-campus audition at NYU half expecting the “deliciously New Yorky” experience that a couple of her phone call questions to admissions had been like if you get my drift. It turns out the on-campus audition was perfectly welcoming yet business like though she left unsure about the outcome because they do not gush. I’d bet anything that even if they spat in her face at the audition she was going to that school if they took her (and her parents could figure out how to pay for it). She had visited campus the previous February and had several conversations with students in the program, and although one cannot visit classes there, she did her research as best she could. Plus, it was NYC and she just wanted to be a part of that theatre scene which is more than a little bit incredible. If you have a school like that wherever it is, maybe a “eh” audition experience shouldn’t carry that much weight. But it is ENTIRELY up to you I’m just presenting the other side as food for thought.</p>
<p>I would also endorse Western Michigan. While I couldn’t attend her audition day this past Friday, I was able to take my D to Western for their Medallion Scholarship competition, and then for her final scholarship interview a few weeks later. Very impressed by all the faculty and students I met. The faculty and administration was sincere in wanting students to have the best college experience possible. On her scholarship interview day we made an appointment to see the theater department, and she got to meet with the head of the MT program, spend time chatting, and we got to watch a show rehearsal. The facilities are very impressive, as are the faculty. I know my wife was impressed when she took our D for the actual audition day. And while they have a call back process on audition day, I thought they handled it in a very good way. My D did both the acting and MT audition. After the acting audition the kids were handed envelopes and it told them whether they were to come back in the afternoon or not. Same for the dance audition for MT. Very private, very tastefully done. I wouldn’t mind one bit if this was the school my D would up attending.</p>
<p>I agree, the audition matters!!! Well said zonolo and mcpcwhite!</p>
<p>If those involved in the college audition are not on their best behavior when they are hosting auditions for perspective students and their parents, why would we think they will be better or different any other day? Like the kids auditioning, this is their big chance to make a positive impression. No excuses…</p>
<p>Agree with others who have said that Western Michigan handles their audition day cuts without embarrassing or humiliating anyone. I attended their auditions 2 years in a row - one year with my daughter, and with her friend the next - and did not see one tear shed in the theatre building.</p>
<p>Being a gracious host and giving false hopes are totally unrelated. A program can be welcoming and kind to every student (and parent) - and even serve tea and crumpets - but that is not the same as misleading someone with positive feedback, only to then reject them. Two wholly different issues…</p>
<p>“Being a gracious host and giving false hopes are totally unrelated.” So very true, do-what-u-luv! And in the same vein, I really dislike it when the schools say things like, “You can still get in if you don’t get a call back!” (when you can’t) or “We’re still making decisions” (when all the calls have been made a week ago). Giving false hope is really not necessary. I completely understand wanting to hang on to every possible shred of hope, particularly when it is a top choice, but in the end, it just makes it harder.</p>
<p>Here is our frustrating experience. When my daughter auditioned at Unifieds few years back, the head of the MT dept emailed her and told her how impressed he was with her audition and to please come and visit, seriously think about attending that university. It was almost like a recuitment letter. Next she gets an email from a MT student, sophomore or junior cannot remember now, encouraging her to PLEASE call, email, text if she has any questions about said program. Said she had heard about my daughter’s fabulous audition. So I say, oh boy we better go visit this school! Well, the head of the dept did not even see her the day my husband and she went to visit this school. It was time and money we didn’t need to spend, but we did b/c they were so impressed. Well guess what, it was a “no”. I was so upset by this that I eventually got up the nerve to call them. I just did not want them to do this to another kid. Misleading, and disingenuous. Believe me, I get the whole audition process but this was not a good way to handle being interested in a potential student. Yes, I am still annoyed after 3 years.Fortunately it was not a school my daughter had her heart set on. I think it bothered me WAY more…lol well obviously :/</p>
<p>I think it’s great to hear the positive impact, surprising impact that some schools made for students and/or their families. It can be extremely helpful for some folks who have never heard of some schools or they’re schools just a bit under the radar. Our son is attending one school already mentioned, Otterbein, which was completely unknown to us until we found this CC board several years ago.</p>
<p>Regarding the callback process for certain schools, especially at Unifieds, I do believe there is a discreet way to handle this usually with a little creative thinking. Certainly knowing about the callback situation beforehand is one big factor that can help prepare students. The envelope process previously mentioned sounds good. Perhaps a note given in the room at the initial audition could work and if questions need to be answered later the auditioning student usually knows how to seek out the representative outside the room. I know that last year at Penn State’s NYC auditions, we knew weeks beforehand that there would be a callback process at the audition. However, the student representative outside the room spoke directly to students/parents when they were invited to the callback (i.e. “we would like your student to come back to dance …”) right among everyone else waiting to audition, chatting, etc. I could see the upset and tears on some of the faces of the students who knew immediately upon exiting the audition room if they were called back or not. Our son was fortunate to get the callback, but believe me, it’s pretty rough for everyone to witness. Still, this sounds better than Pace’ process since PSU gives you a heads up when you arrange the audition. Posting a list in a conspicuous place where the students then have to make their exit through others who know them or their name does seem unnecessary. These are college auditions - usually whirlwind stressful times with people operating on less sleep, etc. They are auditions where people are willing to pay a school, not a company willing to pay the actor. All three of our kids are in theatre and they’ve experienced/witnessed all of these situations for many, many years. Even they understand the value of decent behavior on both sides of the room. </p>
<p>It seems that this process is still evolving for many schools. I’m sure it’s no picnic doing damage control either, and, sometimes it’s a student rep who’s the lucky one with that job. Hopefully, the schools will carefully consider the feedback they receive from all sources and make the process the best it can be for everyone. The bonus is that the schools will see even more talented students as word spreads of their efforts. Finally, this discussion shows just one more question to ask when arranging auditions, oncampus or at unifieds, etc. “Do you have a callback process, what are all the steps involved, etc.?” Folks don’t need the nitty gritty details, just common sense answers. Hopefully, the school can deliver concise, accurate answers. </p>
<p>Good luck to you all as you continue to hear your results and make your decisions!</p>
<p>Reading through all these great posts leads me to think that there is a sort of sliding scale of experiences from “too much” to “not enough” within a spectrum that looks something like:</p>
<p>Fawning - Gracious - Businesslike - Arrogant</p>
<p>Anything between “gracious” and “businesslike” seems to be warranted, too far on either end of the spectrum might be a bad sign.</p>
<p>Whenever a Supply-Demand curve gets too far out of whack, some aberrant behavior on the part of either buyers or sellers (whichever has the upper hand, and sometimes on both sides) is likely to follow. The college MT world seems to be no exception.</p>
<p>Hats off to the programs that make an effort to treat their customers with respect.</p>
<p>One specific note - posting callback lists is a common and accepted practice in the business, and within that context does not seem to me to be a cruel or unusual technique, however brutal it may seem to parents. My d goes through this several times a year (its not easy, but she understands that it goes with the territory). Sure, it can be done nicely, as in the examples cited for Western Michigan, but I would not fault any program for using this practice per se.</p>
<p>D played competitive sports for many years and the experience is very similar: everybody gather 'round and see who made the team…</p>
<p>I have a friend whose daughter auditioned at a prominent top-tier Acting school several years ago. After her audition, the judging panel all stood up and applauded!! The girl was stunned, and thrilled. Two months later: rejection. So, yeah, fawning and not getting in is worse than arrogant and getting in, imho.</p>
<p>^^^OUCH, Calliene. That would hurt. We all have different ways of viewing (and digesting) our pleasant or not so pleasant audition experiences. I just hope that if there are consistent comments about any particular school that was positive or negative - the school takes note of it adjusts for the future. After all, even though we may wish a “do over” none of us are going through this again! But the parents and students to come will benefit from the schools hearing about what they did right - and what they could do better. They should WANT this. After all, as I heard one school say, “we need you as much as you need us”. If the school wants the best to consider them and apply/audition, they would benefit from hearing honest assessments of our audition experiences.</p>
<p>The surprise school for me was Baldwin-Wallace. My S put it on his list after attending their NY senior showcase last year at the urging of his audition coach. I think fewer people audition there compared to other schools because they only do on-campus, yet they manage to attract extremely talented kids. They have more video up on Youtube than any other school I’ve seen. Even before the audition visit I was able to see videos of Vicky Bussert working with kids, their innovative freshman-senior buddy system and the talent filled senior showcase.</p>
<p>When we told them we were arriving the night before the audition they offered my son a free ticket to an opera they were presenting. It was excellent and the fact that MT kids can audition to be in operas was a big plus. The audition day was long but fun, informative, and we even got a free lunch. Parents had a Q&A with a group of impressive, smart students who answered every question we could think of. If my S didn’t have equal love for other programs, it would probably be alone at the top of his list. </p>
<p>On the other subject…I think schools like Pace that offer you a live audition based on a pre-screen video should try to avoid a callback process. They could be a little more selective on the front end and Amy Rogers could see everyone at the live audition. I believe UMIch does this right.</p>
<p>UArts had a similar call back situation with the “walk of shame” although it was much less obvious since parents were not all waiting in the same area like Pace. UArts also offered an optional pre-screen video which got you an automatic callback. I think that makes alot more sense than Pace’s method.</p>
<p>I agree! If a school is inviting kids to campus to audition they should probably make time to see everyone. IMHO.</p>
<p>Just to add one more thing about this re:Uarts. They let you know right on their website about their on the spot “pre-screen” and offer you to send in that video so that you don’t have to go all the way there just to spend 5 minutes with the auditioners and be sent home. Pace did it because as they said “Amy is really busy right now”. It’s just different. As I said, my daughter had the experience of mid day cuts, but they were handled differently. College auditions are different than professional auditions, like many have said. And I agree, it’s only one thing to consider of course, but it is a thing.</p>
<p>“Amy is really busy right now.” Every time I read this I am bothered by it. Are other department heads or chairs less busy? Perhaps they called back too many.</p>
<p>One thing worth mentioning is what I call the “invisible security” phenomenon. When I used to travel a lot on business, I found that when I was in an expensive suit and heels I noticed zero hotel security, but if I arrived differently dressed they immediately made themselves visible.</p>
<p>I suspect that those kids who seem to be “the ones” who appear to have what a school is looking for may be treated differently by some schools than other kids are. It’s sad, but I suspect it’s true.</p>
<p>PELKY I agree about UArts. They did this the best! Prescreen optional but if you get through it it is an automatic callback. We took the risk and didn’t do the prescreen, but that was our choice. I wish every school did it like UArts.</p>
<p>In response to lojosmo, I think that perhaps was part of why I was personally so bothered at that particular audition, I think we are all pretty busy. I think many of us work fulltime, juggle other children and spent many many weekends traveling to auditions. So, to arrive and not get any sort of question and answer session and just a mantra from the different department heads about how great the programs are, just didn’t sit well. The whole walk of shame and insensitive handling of the cuts was just icing on the cake of an overall negative experience. The positive was that the young woman who did our tour was very sweet although unable to answer some of the specific questions parent’s did have (through no fault of her own). These were questions that would have been better directed to the department heads but they were not available.
It has all been a learning experience and like others, we had mostly a very positive experience with our auditions having auditioned in the US and the UK. We had pleasant surprises all around but for me auditions do matter and the treatment of those paying the bills and those potentially attending the school for fours years does matter. Each to their own.</p>