@anastasiasmom Happy holidays! I cannot believe my D’s senior year is halfway over already. She finishes her first semester Friday. I am super excited for the next few months when we all find out more decisions but also wishing time would slow down.
Also, very thankful for CC and how supportive everyone is!
Thanks!
Ditto on how time is flying by and wishing it would slow down a bit! Yikes! Senior year is half way over. That’s a happy and sad moment for sure!!
@MommaCat , same here…D’s last day of the semester is today, and like you, I can’t believe the year is half over! And yes…now I’m wishing it would slow down a bit too…it feels like fall went by in about a week! LOL.
One more prescreen still to hear back from for my D and her audition calendar will be set. Does anyone else find it scary that so many Acting programs DON’T have prescreens??? As some of you may know, my D was all about MT for many years and only fairly recently (in the last 6 months or so) decided that she mainly wanted to apply to Acting programs. Getting prescreen results isn’t easy, but at least if you get a yes you know you’re somewhere in the ballpark of what they’re looking for, and if you get a no it saves you from auditioning at a school that wasn’t gonna be into you anyway. But with no prescreens…wow…I’m grateful that my D will have a chance to give it her best shot in person (I think video takes a little something away), but it’s scary not knowing if she’s even remotely close to what a school is looking for. Does anyone else have similar nerves about this, or am I just a total worrywart!!!
Part of me likes the idea of a prescreen. It helps to narrow the field of potential schools. But I know my D actually enjoys the in person audition and interview. I’ll say that my D was able to really hone in on what she is looking for in a program due to in person auditions (early auditions). But the flip side is the cost saving in both time and money with a prescreen.
By doing early auditions and looking at her prescreen rejections we were able to remove a few schools from D’s list that probably wouldn’t have been the best fit.
My D will also be auditioning for a mix of MT and acting. Some MT programs got replaced by acting when she took a deeper look at the program and realized she could continue with voice and dance in the acting program. The bulk of her auditions are for Acting.
But I do agree that it’s a bit scary not knowing if your kid is a fit for what a school is looking for.
My D found the Unified auditions at non-prescreen schools to be more engaging and personal than the prescreened ones! For the record she did pre-screened auditions at CMU (MT), The New School and Pace and auditioned without prescreening at NYU (MT), BU and Rutgers. All her favorites after auditions were in the last group. If I were to do it again (and TG I will never) I would have had her look for more schools that didn’t prescreen… I just think they were overall better experiences.
@CaMom13 The New School doesn’t have a true prescreen- the video/info you submit is part of the application and is required for submission but getting an audition spot was never dependent on “passing” it.
To everyone going through it this year - you will know if the school was looking for your kid only after you get the acceptance or rejection. So don’t spend time worrying about that, focus on the school being a good fit or not for your student (and your budget). And don’t settle! Like everything else, you will know it when it is right.
Having gone through this w a few kids I can see pros and cons to both. “Back in the day” of no prescreens, we likely wasted a lot of time and money going to schools that wouldn’t have any interest in my kids or simply not a great fit. On the flip side, I am a firm believer that the videos we submitted this time do not show my child at their best. I don’t believe anything compares to in person auditions. I understand there has to be a way to get these auditions to a manageable number though. I am just grateful that most schools participated in the Accptd unified prescreens which made it MUCH easier.
Yes, @NYDreammom, I am aware but thank you for clarifying for the folks still applying to programs. My point was that programs who haven’t seen auditioning actors before auditions are no less responsive to them and can provide as enjoyable and productive audition experiences.
Agreed on all points @HAHCx4 ! I think the Unified prescreen is a wonderful concept and I am so glad so many schools signed on.
@CaMom13 Oh absolutely! My D only had one pre-screen, the rest were live only.
Ok I have a question. :). So far we have only been to MT auditions this season. My other kids have only auditionEd for MT as well. My kids were always a part of the typical room of magical jewel toned outfits. I know Acting auditions are a bit different and many have movement involved as part of the audition. The next couple of auditions coming up are for a bfa in Acting. What do you typically see kids wearing? What is appropriate?
@HAHCx4 D wore pants that had some stretch to them but were not leggings. She wore a shirt that was fitted but long enough to not show skin if she was walking like an elk (Syracuse). She also wore converses. Continued good luck this audition season.
My D has seen a mix of outfits for Acting auditions. She wore a cute pant and top set and also wore a nice dress to her auditions. Your D can dress nice but she should feel comfortable in whatever she wears.
For movement calls, since my D is a dancer, she’s wore leggings and a form fitting top. She usually pulls her hair back and will wear sneakers but she said they usually want you in socks or barefoot.
As a side note - my D says that people wear whatever (her word) for movement calls but she thinks it looks more professional and serious with clean lines and simple plain clothes. That is the dancer in her talking of course but it’s the way she views it. I have to say that one audition she didn’t have time to change (she was wearing a cute pair of jeans and a form fitting sweater) and just went to the movement call in that. It didn’t negatively impact that audition.
@HAHCx4 - in one of my D’s Acting auditions the director of admissions specifically said they liked it when the kids came in looking like “themselves” and she sort of joked a bit about the generic MT girl look with the hair half-pulled back and the jewel toned dress. My D looked at me and we both realized she had her hair that way! She was not wearing a jewel toned dress, however (TG). She wore pants, flats and close-fitting sweaters for all her auditions (dance clothing for dance) because that’s what we found she felt most confident and comfortable in. I have heard that you don’t want an outfit that distracts from the actor and you definitely do want one they can move in.
Thank you all!
@HAHCx4 , a funny story: when my daughter auditioned for acting at Montclair two years ago, they were holding acting and MT auditions on the same day, so everyone was in the same holding room. My daughter and I were cracking up because it was SO obvious which girls were there for acting and which for MT!
The MT girls all wore jewel-toned dresses as you said, and looked very feminine with curled hair and pantyhose and high heels.
The acting girls, including my own daughter, wore casual dark or neutral colored tops, sometimes with a flannel shirt or vest or jacket over it, and either nice jeans or black leggings with a short skirt, and all of them wore boots!
My daughter had dressed that way because it’s what she’s comfortable with and thought it represents her, but apparently lots of acting girls share her clothing tastes! LOL
My D wore herself in what she was comfortable.
I went back to the class of 2023 to see what they were talking about this time of year. I found this post by @FourStars that might help generate some questions going forward at interviews, information sessions or when it is time to make a decision.
@anastasiasmom Thank you for this post! I know it is going to be super helpful once my D gets an acceptance (or 2, I hope).
I don’t think I have asked about this program in this thread yet. Does anyone have any information about admissions to UCSD Theatre undergrad program? More specifically, if those accepted in the past still had the crazy GPA & SATs that are the average for this school. My D submitted the optional supplement which included a video of a monologue, resume, rec letter from drama teacher. Her GPA is 3.95 and SAT is 1310 (low for UCSD).
Hello, all. Mom of a Class of 23 BFA student here, and I just dropped in to this thread because I was remembering all of the stress and frenzy we were going through last year with this process. I echo the comments from the other parents who have been there and done that: it is a total roller coaster ride, but I truly believe each kid finds their perfect fit. S is now a happy freshman Wolverine (U Mich Acting).
Wanted to respond to @HAHCx4 - S went to a performing arts HS in NYC and they were very much taught to audition in neat, put-together clothing that was pretty neutral. He usually wore khakis or neat (not ripped, well-fitting) jeans, and a single-color sweater or a black collared shirt.