<p>Thank you for the encouragement and good wishes, broadway95! I do think she’ll follow your D’s way, which is fine with me, but, as you said, will be even more fine after that (hopefully) first acceptance. I’m trusting a lot; I firmly believe there is a purposeful path for D (and everyone), so I’m just going to watch how it all unfolds and enjoy the ride as much as I can. </p>
<p>I had posted this on my decision thread is that I would strongly. recommend finding a “safety” school with rolling admissions where your child can imagine themselves- so that you have an early acceptance that feels “possible”. My D and I did NOT do this- she did have BA schools and LACs where we felt confident she had a good chance (Mulhenberg and Kenyon)- she is a 4.0+ kid with strong scores- her odds were strong, but you never know. We had NO news until Mid- March, and it was stressful beyond compare. </p>
<p>Your “safety” doesn’t have to be a college. Your “safety” should be your plan should you not be accepted to an auditioned program.</p>
<p>@MTVT2015 - when you say “My mom and I started the prescreen spreadsheet today 
There are 9 schools on my list that require them…welcome to the future!” I imagine that you are basing that on last year’s requirements? As I understand it, the audition and pre-screen requirements for next year (2014-2015) will not be on most college websites until August 1st at the earliest. Make sure you check back with each school in August so you have the most accurate information! I hear even more schools will be doing pre-screens this year.</p>
<p>I don’t know how others feel but I like the prescreen, I honestly think it is better for the kids and the schools and makes everyone get on their game over the summer. </p>
<p>Evilqueen, I completely agree re the prescreens. I’d like to know D stands a chance at the school before we schedule auditions, and the second half of D summer is scheduled very lightly in part to be able to focus on the prescreens. BUT, because of the prescreens, D will probably be applying to more schools, expecting not to pass several of them. And I can’t put aside the niggling feeling that the lack of tech savvy in my family is going to make this pretty challenging. And yes, I’ve read the prescreens DIY thread several times.</p>
<p>@evilqueen - I agree. But one has to take it seriously cuz otherwise it could end the journey before it starts. It does help save time, $ and resources!</p>
<p>@mtflmomof1 that is an intersting thought that she will apply to more schools. The presecreens didn’t change our list at all but it did light a fire under her you know what to be ready for the prescreens by September. </p>
<p>My D didn’t like the prescreens. She was very glad she didn’t have to do too many. She is just finishing her freshman year and I believe she is more comfortable with them now. Back then she felt she came off so different in person versus on video. </p>
<p>MTVT, even though I don’t personally know you, I will enjoy following your journey, as a parent of a rural VT girl who went through all this not too long ago. The VT MT contingent that I have known over the years has fared quite well, considering we don’t have performing arts high schools or some of the other resources as found in more populated areas. Like you, my D did not use any national coaching services, but if you are working with Bill and Alan as voice and acting teachers to prep for auditions, you are in excellent hands, as was my kid. </p>
<p>When my D applied to BFA programs, there were no prescreens. She did make an audition video for the NFAA Young Arts Awards, and we were not tech savvy at all, but she still won an ARTS award. I would not worry about not being pros at making videos. </p>
<p>As a college counselor, I strongly advocate having non-audition safeties!! That said, I hate to admit it here, but my D had NO safeties. She applied to 8 BFA in MT programs only and just wanted to study in a BFA program. I don’t necessarily recommend that approach, but that was what was right for her and it worked. But it can be nerve wracking with the odds. I agree with someone else that it is nice to also have an early acceptance in hand. My D did not have an artistic acceptance (Ithaca) in hand until February of her year. The rest she found out in March and on April 1. But frankly, my other D who applied to regular colleges didn’t know her outcomes until close to April 1 in her year too (and same with grad school admissions) and once apps and auditions were over, we put it all aside (though in my MT D’s case, right after the final audition, she landed in the hospital for a long while in very bad shape and got her several acceptances while there and so we moved from one stressful process to another)! All I can say is that the process does end and the following fall your kids (or you if you are a student) will be in college some place having a great experience! There is light at the end! </p>
<p>We had three prescrens to do-Pace, Texas State, and Michigan. Each of them required different things and Pace and Tx State used Accepted to upload and Michigan used Decision Desk! Hated Decision Desk–major pain! Accepted has a help line and they were super! I’m extremely low tech–we used iPad to film–did buy a tripod and mount to hold iPad. Found it was easier to film on iPad and upload to sites all on same device. We did not use Mary Anna Dennard as a coach but did go to one of her master classes and because we had, we were able to have link to her prescreen advice which was helpful–same advice in her book “I Got In”. Passed Tx State and Michigan’s prescreens, but not Pace. If I can do it, I’m sure you can too! Stressful but saved some money for other things like travel and auditions! Son hated them because it’s not the medium they are use to performing in front of and you feel like it’s a lot of pressure to be perfect! </p>
<p>I am reporting this as I posted it under the wrong thread initially by mistake:</p>
<p>Hi all! I can’t believe I am looking at colleges for my D. She is my eldest so I have no experience with the process. She is a junior, brunette, and short. She took piano for years, plays viola (played with youth symphony for years) and eukelele and is trying to teach herself guitar. Voice is definitely her strength. She would be very active in my belly while I was pregnant if I attended a concert or she heard her daddy playing the guitar and singing. She hummed nursery rhymes before she could talk and sang with her church choir from K-4th grade. She joined choir again in middle school and discovered, and fell in love with MT soon after. She can sing legit or belt with equal facility & can sing in any style (from opera to country, pop, belt, rock, soul, etc…) Starting her freshman year of HS she has taken private voice, acting, and beginning dance classes. We were pleasantly surprised with her growth in acting in a few short years, and in dance, wish she were more flexible as she is very coordinated. She picks up choreography fairly quickly & can handle dancing with ensembles but will never be a featured dancer. She has been in numerous children’s musicals, one professional opera and one professional musical and several community theatre productions. Music is her life. It is like oxygen to her, without it she would perish. She considers artists of every walk are her family. She has attended three summer intensives since 8th grade and will attend another this summer. She has been working with a college audition coach since January and I can’t say enough good things about that. It has really helped us get organized and going early on in the game. My stress level has gone down significantly since then. We wish all of u a fruitful journey in this crazy process. BAL everyone- “we’re all in this together…” </p>
<p>Thanks so much for starting this thread @evilqueen! It seems crazy that we are all gearing up for this journey while our kids are still juniors in high school. Most of the other mom´s can´t commiserate or understand this process, so I am happy to have this forum for the support and sharing.</p>
<p>We are from North Carolina (if you didn´t already gather that from my oh so crypic name!) My D is a brunette and all of 5´ tall on a good day! She became involved in theatre arts by chance. She had a friend who attended a local children´s musical theatre program and the mom had asked if she might be interested in doing a summer program too. Becoming bored with cheerleading, she decided to give it a try. Well, that was all it took! She was hooked from the get go! The theatre is really small, but the director has the biggest heart and was an amazing influence on my daughter. She did many shows with them and then participated in an audition group that the theatre takes to the Music Theatre Festival in Atlanta every year. She did that for 3 years and gained invaluable experience and confidence. She transferred to the local public high school her sophomore year from a much smaller charter school she had attended since the 3rd grade. They just didn´t have a very developed program with only one show per year. I was worried about how different the school would be, but like most theatre kids I know, she jumped into the new situation head first and, being her bubbly self, quickly bonded with the program. She is a legit soprano and is working on her belt. She has been taking voice lessons for about 3 years and just started with dance classes a little over a year ago. I would say acting and singing tie for first place with her with dancing coming in last. Luckily, all those years of cheerleading have helped her with movement and coordination. As for summer programs, she attended a workshop and a summer intensive and this year will do a college prep program and another summer intensive. We have begun our spreadsheet extravaganza and bought a file box! Guess it is time to bring it all on! So happy to have found this site! I look forward to connecting with everyone and for the crazy ride ahead!</p>
<p>It’s never to early to start on this process- a few months from now you will be VERY pleased you did-- and still half crazed from all there is to do! It was absolutely one of the most stressful things I have ever done as a parent… and now that D and I are on the other side, it was worth every moment. Enjoy the journey…</p>
<p>Here we go! As others, my eldest is a junior and I haven’t gone thru regular college apps let alone this crazy MT apps/prescreen/audition stuff. Unlike what I have read above, my S has always been a jock. Football from age 7 and lacrosse. I actually thought he would play lacrosse in college then came MT. In January my son auditioned for our HS musical, never a voice lesson, never played an instrument, never danced before and he got the lead. LOVED it. Quit lacrosse and started taking vocal, dance and acting classes. So, yea. I am hoping how many shows you have been in isn’t a big deal and the bulk of the judgement is on the audition. Here’s to our 2019 class! Thanks for starting it. They will be auditioning b4 we know it!!!</p>
<p>^ As a fellow parent-of-former-jock, @tmygirl, I can tell you that the athletic background can be a real asset to a theater kid. They learn so much about following directions, taking direction, responding to feedback, working as a team…working hard, period–and my son found it was often the first thing on his resume to be brought up at audition interviews. Good luck to you both as the Big Crazy Year starts! :)</p>
<p>ThanksTimes3!!! He is driven, his sports definitely helped him early in life with earning your spot, survival of the fittest type situations. Was great to read your comment! Is your son a junior too?</p>
<p>Hey, MTRaleighmom! Looks like we live in the same area. :)</p>
<p>Haha, @tmygirl, my son’s finishing his freshman year in a BFA acting program (one that requires daily dance class for actors as well as MTs, so his O-line footwork training is paying off!). One thing he knew going into this process: no director, auditor, or professor could ever be more scathing than a p.o.'d football coach. 
Thanks to that experience, critiques just make him work harder, and he’s pretty much immune to perceived verbal abuse!</p>
<p>@MTVT2015, my D is a VT girl, too! A small but mighty state! :)<br>
Good grief, I feel like a grandmother to you all since my D is 2 grades ahead of your kids.
Which makes @Soozievt a great great great… oh, jeez she came over on the Mayflower!! ;)</p>