Class of 2022 (sharing, discussing, application and audition season)

@actingdreams -we were told by Pace that there is ‘some’ talent money, but not much. That the main scholarships come from merit money offered with academic admission. My D got in there and got a large merit award(s) but we never got word about any talent money. May be that she declined the spot before they sent that info out or it could be she wasn’t given any talent money. Not sure.

At the parent overview for Pace that I attended, Wayne said the talent scholarships were “not large” but that every little bit helps. At least that is my recollection. Pace has become a really popular program so perhaps they do not need to provide as much aid as when the program was in its early stages. (This is just speculation on my part.)

Thanks @coronado and @bfahopeful. Great information. Even with a sizable merit scholarship, i think we would need more to even consider Pace. It seems that their program may be excellent for your children. My S has 2 classmates that entered Pace this year. They seem to either really love the program or just excited to be attending school in NYC

@actingdreams yes pace gave one of the biggest awards to my D two years ago. Yet it would have still been one of the most expensive of her options. She doesn’t go there but it does seem like a great program.

Do you know if Pace will negotiate the scholarship? S got a large merit award but did not attend. I wondered if anyone had success negotiating them up a little.

@artskids I don’t know. Great question.

@artskids We negotiated a small artistic award at Pace (2 years ago, mt). The bulk of the money came from the honors program. Other than our state school (safety), Pace had the best offer. For the money (if honors) and the experience of living in NYC, you can’t beat it. My D has been very happy there.

That’s good to know @stmama. S would have been in the honors program. D2 is also looking at Pace!

@artskids We are on kid 2, S auditioned at Pace during NY Unifieds and would be happy to have another Pace kid! With the scholarship money it is very affordable, even being in an apartment this year it is comparable to our state university. D has had amazing opportunities and experiences and loves being in the city. PM me with any questions! We will also be at Chicago Unifieds!

Off Topic a bit…But if you are in Chicago and looking for a show to see, check out Hinter at Steep Theater. Sounds interesting. The director is a Northwestern grad. My s worked with him at a summer program and had the opportunity to skype the playwright and talk about process, etc. BAL to everyone! Also, snow predicted, bundle up!

Hi everyone! If you’re coming to Chicago. Welcome! If I can help answer any questions about Chicago (not so much Unifeds), please let me know.
The Hyatt on Wacker is very big and very commercial-like (its not my favorite) auditions may be in the east or west building. Unfortunately, many schools failed to tell you which building they are in so get there a few minutes early just in case you have to walk a bit of a distance to the other building. If you have to go to the Palmer House and the Hyatt, you will need to Uber or Taxi. It will be a very long and cold walk

Thanks, @actingdreams . I have been looking into “restaurant week” in Chicago and they lay it out based on the area of Chicago you are in. We are staying at the Hampton Majestic (across from Palmer House), do you know what “area or district” of Chicago that is?

Those of you headed to Chicago, BAL! New York was definitely an interesting experience, and as my husband said, there are lots of hopes and dreams walking those halls. I look forward to reading your stories over the next week. Hang in there and try to keep a level head!

Hi @ginaf1102 you’re still downtown but heading into the “loop” you can walk to restaurants there and if you share an uber, may cost you $5 or less.
You should Not attempt to walk to the Hyatt from there. You can but my son and I took the train and got off at the nearest point and found ourselves walking 7 “longer” blocks to the Hyatt for the Juilliard Audition. He wanted the fresh air but I made sure to uber home

Wanted to point out that I enjoyed being around kids who were auditioning for their masters Wed. They were talking about the no callbacks or didnt get into a school and they literrally just said “whatever. it wasnt the fit” oand said keep it moving. (One guy laughed off doing extra monologues for Yale and they never called him back) They weren’t sad or disappointed and many received degrees from lesser known schools.
If none of our schools work out, I will remind my son to take the same approach and move on. This is the field he has chosen and there will be many rejections ahead
BAL at Unifeds

To everyone in Chicago, BAL! Try to enjoy a nice dinner or show at some point, and the quality time with your kid. We are not coming to Chicago, but my D has both Pace programs on-campus Saturday and USC in NYC on Sunday. Has anyone done USC audition or seen any thread for it? I have not heard much about it. Take Care!

@FourStars BAL! Hope you are about to add to your acceptance list.

Anyone else experiencing tension and “not like themselves” behavior from kid? Normal reaction from stress of it all? Maybe I’m over reacting…

Yes. My D then asked to take today off from school to write a big AP History paper which is due Sunday and she has 2 auditions Saturday and 1 Sunday. I said Yes. These kids are under so much pressure.

My S auditioned for USC two weeks ago on campus. There was the usual information meeting that primarily discussed the BA/BFA options and financial aid. The Dean said they would be taking 18-22 for a the BFA program and 70 for the BA. They also gave the course work overview as a comparison of both programs. The BFA is a “prescribed” path with no flexibility while the BA has a lot of different options etc. Kids were divided into 2 groups by alphabetical order. Sadly, my S was second to last in group two. Anyway, group one left to do monologues while group two stayed in the info room for the interviews. Kids spend a few minutes being interviewed by the Dean of performing arts admission. He is a very nice guy. Parents can stay, but most of us left. The interview takes place right there in the room with all the kids, so it was not private. And, once group one is done with monologues the groups switch. It was a long wait. As for monologues, USC is pretty professional. Kids go in and slate, perform, and then can ask a couple of questions. My son said no one was passed around or anything like that. There was no group warm up period either. As a parent, I noted that some kids came out looking shocked while others came out smiling. All in all, my son thought it was a positive experience and that the auditors while a bit intimidating were friendly. He had actually worked with one of the auditors over the summer, so he recognized her right away. They also had one BFA student and one BA student on hand to answer any questions and support the kids while they waited! Not sure how different it will be at a regional location, but this is how it was done on campus.