I’m calling each school about a week before the audition to make sure they have all the recs and everything else they need. So far, they’ve been very nice and have double-checked for me.
for dance prescreens, if you consider yourself to be more of a mover, How extensive is the dance prescreen suppose to be?
@artsykidsmom - I believe you didn’t have to have your app complete before scheduling an audition at OCU. They only said you had to have the app complete before your audition date. So, I would call/email them.
@arisamp, Thanks we did hear back from OCU this weekend with a confirmed audition time. Heard from UWSP also so I just needed to be a bit more patient 
@musicalkid98 Don’t try to be super extensive. All that colleges are trying to see is your personality and how you move:) So if that means simplified basic dance moves, that’s totally okay unless the school has specific criteria!
D had first audition yesterday at Muhlenberg. It was a long day because she had stayed over with a student the night before, attended her morning voice lesson, then sat in on an acting class then straight to audition. She felt monologues went well but said song was not her best. She felt partly nerves, partly from not warming up first. Mr.Richter looked over resume and talked with her about it and her goals and she asked several questions and that was it. Initially she was going to do the dance audition but bc she needed a solo for it we cancelled that portion a while ago bc she felt she wouldnt have time to prepare solo. Wish it was just choreography and not solo, the kids have enough to prepare but would have been nice for them to see her dance abilities.
It might be a good idea to start an “audition experience” thread for this year around now. Break a leg to all who are auditioning!
Yes! An audition experience thread was very helpful last year. It was because of THAT thread that my son made sure to have one pop/rock song in his audition book that was NOT called for as a “requirement”…and, yes, at least one school DID ASK at the audition…and he was very glad to have been forewarned and prepared!!
I was supposed to record my prescreens on Wednesday but the power went out 
feeling a lil stressed and pretty behind when I read everyone else’s posts
For the requests for audition experiences: Audition experience at Elon was that it was a very long and drawn-out day because 3 separate groups of students rotate through different sets of monologues, dance, and songs at different times, plus observe an acting class and have individual time with an accompanist (which is great, but it adds to the time)…check-in was at 9:00 am, but day stretched until 6-ish evening…that said, the Elon faculty and students are really lovely, the information session and showcase of male vocalists was terrific, and they do a very nice job of selling Elon throughout the day (students are very impressive), so it is a nice albeit tiring experience. Best advice, based on others who had done so (I didn’t): bring a wheeled suitcase with you, to hold all of the clothes changes, snacks, books to read, phone chargers, etc…!
does anyone know if Emerson is still a cut program?
@musicalkid98 Emerson is no longer a cut program. They evaluate the students periodically, though, like most other schools.
What was the basis of your guys’s letters of intent. A lot of schools want another essay on why you are applying to their university or why you want to major in musical theatre. While I can defiantly answer those questions, I’m curious how long everyone else’s essays were and how detailed you got.
Don’t worry about trying to fill up space with maximum number of words. The essays only need to be a long as it takes you to say what needs to be said. The admissions folks will know within the first paragraph whether, or not, they want to continue reading. Make sure you pull 'em in before they get that far. My S figured if he couldn’t get his point across in a minimal number of paragraphs, he needed to do some editing. Impress them with your clear communication - not the abundant word count.
@ParachuteBoy I found that so frustrating bc all the application essays, supplemental essays and then extra why MT essays…on top of prepping monologues, songs, dance pieces, rehearsals etc. and some of the schools that require why us and why MT essays also do interviews so these are the same questions they are going to ask in the interview so why make the kids write the essay? Theater and MT departments especially know how much these kids have on their plates. OK just venting…lol!
Haha that’s ok that’s what this thread is for. It is definitely insane. I thought I prepared well over the summer but this is way crazier than I expected. I am trying to keep track of what every school wants and needs and in what order while doing school and a job, needless to say I probably won’t be too prepared for my schools winter musical auditions next week.
There are many HS seniors on this forum who manage(ed) to do school musicals/plays AND prepare/audition for college. My S chose to opt out of the school’s musical (fall) since it would have required him to miss too many voice lessons and dance classes - and would have made applying/filming prescreens that much more stressful. Performances/tech week also coincided with two fall auditions he needed to do to make the winter schedule work. I know others are totally at the other end of the spectrum, but he does not regret missing his “senior” musical. (It helped ease the pain that they did Peter Pan, and at 6’2" he KNEW he had no chance at the lead, or Wendy, or the Darling brothers, or a lost boy, or Schmee, or . . . And Hook was most likely “pre-cast” 
) Others on this forum did manage to balance auditions and winter shows. Some thrived. So got sick. The stress doesn’t end when the applications are all in. Give yourself time to breathe.
Our plan was no plays during this audition season…did not work out. My D wound up working spot for two shows and then they begged her to be in ensemble for another, so of course she "had: to do it. Ugh. I think most theater & MT kids are excellent at organizing, prioritizing and multitasking, just another skill set people forget about.
I enjoy multitasking and being crazy busy, it’s a good preview for a BFA lifestyle and post college. I was very excited for our winter musical when it was announced so I’d hate to not be involved.
It’s a really good thing to be in a show in March while you’re waiting for college news…takes your mind off things.