<p>I must have been in zone mode through the month of August or discussions of the the new Common App as it relates to theatre majors ...</p>
<p>My daughter is a high school senior, who will be applying to 10-12 schools, many via the common app. Only one has space under the writing supplement to upload a resume.</p>
<p>Her resume is a HUGE part of her identity and comprises most of what she has done for the last 6 years of school. Her grades are good, test scores middling, recs will be good, leadership ok ... but the resume is outstanding.</p>
<p>To omit it from the application seems disastrous.</p>
<p>How is everyone else dealing with this? I know there is a section for "additional information" under the writing supplement for each school ... but she cannot upload - only copy and paste. Is this overkill to copy & paste a resume here?</p>
<p>Is your daughter auditioning? Most schools are asking for a head shot and resume when she arrives at the audition. Also many of my D’s schools have something called slideroom or another (I can’t remember) that you upload her resume to the school through that site.</p>
<p>Well, I didn’t mention that she will be applying BA Theatre to mostly LACs, and a few publics. So no, perhaps only 1-2 auditions for (maybe) a couple of isolated BFAs. Which is why there is no resume option…but this summarizes more of who she is than anything else.</p>
<p>Yes. We copied and pasted the resume under additional information. My D applied to mostly LACs. If you think it’s important information, then include it.</p>
<p>The guidance counselor should also be fully briefed about all the theatre activities. He or she will be grateful to have something to write about.</p>
<p>Important: There is also an Arts Supplement for the Common App.</p>
<p>We’re in the same boat. My D has one of her Activties listed as Theatre and under this activity she states “see Additional Information Section for stage and screen credits.” Then she lists the credits in the Additional Information Section.</p>
<p>She uses separate Activity lines for voice and dance groups and lessons.</p>
<p>It’s difficult to just simply cut and paste a resume. You really need to work with it a lot and print preview a lot to get a decent, presentable format. The new Common App is not user friendly.</p>
<p>Arwarw, you are right, there has been a change for 2013-14. Here’s a good example of why it’s sensible to verify advice given in old threads, because every year things will be slightly different, like Ithaca adding a MT prescreen and Carnegie Mellon dropping the dance audition.</p>
<p>I did that too in the activities section. One line for dance, one for voice lessons, one for acting classes and one for community theatre. Then you get a few sentences to explain the activity so we did.
Colleges like to see consistency so our kid’s consistent commitment to the various areas of theatre will be a positive for them.
Also can I just say the common app is AWFUL!! We are nearly done with it. One essay to go.</p>
<p>There is always a way to provide the information. Definitely use the arts supplement. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to have your child contact the school and ask how they’d like the information sent (if you feel you cannot format the info onto the online application, other options are regular mail, emailed with an attachment, in a DVD, linked to You Tube, etc). It’s best to ask the college. Asking the college is a great way to find out more about their personality besides finding out what they’d prefer.</p>
<p>Cant’ wait to start the common app Grateful that one and maybe 2 of my kids BA choices have supplements for the theater dept. What a pain for all of us being the new CA guinea pigs :/</p>
<p>We are right there with you Chapter2… my S is also applying to quite a few BA LAC’s. He is actually meeting the Kenyon rep today as his HS, and I will get back to you guys when I hear what the rep suggests about theater supplements, i.e, resume and DVD monologues.</p>
<p>I agree with everyone who is struggling over the new CA… it is atrocious!!!</p>
<p>For a lot of these LAC’s (non BFA/Conservatories), I don’t think you can rely too heavily on extraneous submittals. I think its critical to tell your story the best you possibly can within the context your given (i.e. the bloody Common App). That’s just my opinion.</p>
<p>^I agree with arwarw re: making sure the common app is a complete and tightly composed portrayal of yourself as a student. Some schools will be happy to look at your supplementary materials and will value them; others will not. College reps have been telling our school that they are so bombarded with increasingly high application numbers that they spend less time reading applications in depth (referring here to highly selective liberal arts colleges and universities). There’s so much variety between schools: 5boys’ son is smart to meet with the Kenyon rep at his h.s., for example, but last year when the rep from our local flagship state university, much touted as a “public Ivy,” visited our school, she said point-blank that they pay no attention to whether kids come to those sessions. It’s just increasingly important to find out as much as you can about what each college prefers.</p>
<p>Glad a lot of your school choices accept the common app. Last year, a handful of the schools used their own separate application on top of the university (like Hartt school), and it was difficult to get the supplemental information sent snail mail from the high school.</p>
<p>Just sharing your frustration. We’re plugging away at it. Grouping experience by companies has worked best in our daughter’s case. Most schools she’s looking at won’t take a resume but will take an additional recommendation so she’s asked a person who has been a theatre mentor to her for many years. She’s found a way to work in theatre in some of the writing supplements so that helps. She’s made sure to invite her guidance counselor to performances of shows she’s directed or performed in so at least the counselor has an idea. We’ll see. She’s not interested in a BFA or audition-based program as she want’s to double major and her focus is in directing (which really is something you study in a master’s program.)</p>
<p>Question for anyone who might be in a similar situation… If your child has done professional work prior to high school, are you guys including it? I know colleges generally don’t want your activities prior to 9th grade but for young actresses high school is the “dead zone”… not as many parts for girls over 5 foot and often the teen roles go to young adults who can work the hours. Our daughter’s work in elementary and middle school is substantial and prestigious. Most of what she’s done the last 3 years is educational and community… paying work has been with small, local regionals. Doesn’t seem right to not include the earlier work though. I’d be curious as to how other kids are handling this.</p>
<p>turtletime - can’t really answer your question, but I wanted to say that the community service work is key for scholarships. So make sure you add that info if you are hoping to snag some local scholarships.</p>
<p>Thanks Marble… Yes, she’s listing Girl Scouts and a community service theatre troupe she’s in. Hopefully that’ll aid in scholarships which of course, we’d love to have but seem so rare these days!</p>
Grateful that one and maybe 2 of my kids BA choices have supplements for the theater dept. What a pain for all of us being the new CA guinea pigs :/</p>