My favorite is 'you can’t move forward if you are always looking to the side". Good advice for everyone!
^^^Agree @KTVoice and @singoutlouise! My D is feeling very intimidated by the process at the moment. Part of the reason is the “comparison factor” but in another way - “no way I’m as good as that person” type stuff. It’s the opposite side of the same coin! We keep encouraging her to work hard and to be herself. There will always be someone in the room who is better than she in some areas - and that is a really GOOD thing. How else will she learn and grow? Tough not to be intimidated by the enormous talent going through this process!
Here’s another fly to throw into the ointment - these KIDS, and yes, they are KIDS are 18 and 19 years old and don’t necessarily KNOW what they want. Some kids get hyper focused on the super hard to get into schools that are on the top of everyone’s list and convince themselves that they have to get into one of those schools to be happy. I know plenty of kids who went off to programs they were ambivalent about at first, only to fall in love with them to the point where they can’t imagine having gone anywhere else. I firmly believe that every kid winds up where they are supposed to be eventually. And if they don’t the first go-round, there’s always transferring. No decision is permanent.
I may be speaking out of turn here, but I don’t think anyone meant that their child was comparing themselves to another or had to be sure the others were “more talented” per se. I think it is more of the idea of being in a challenging setting.
Saying “she wants to be the least talented in the room” in my mind means she wants to be really challenged on a daily basis and surrounded by those she can learn from.
My D was similar and wanted to feel challenged by the faculty and other students in a very rigorous program. In no way did she think she was “better” than anyone else. I am certain all of our children feel similarly - they are looking for that right place to learn and grow. That is part of what makes a school a good fit. A good example is with dance - most kids would be bored if they are advanced but were in with a group of beginners. Everyone’s background is different and different programs deal with that in different ways.
My interpretation of comments posted earlier are more about finding the right fit than comparing to others. I think due to wording it was misinterpreted.
All programs are different and there are some that won’t be a good fit for your child. One reason may be that it is not as rigorous as they had hoped for. We know many, many kids who pursue this and definitely hear that feedback after a semester or two from some kids/programs. Several end up transferring due to it. Yet others in the same program LOVE it. All about fit and the personal challenge, what you are looking for, what you put into it, etc.
Luckily there are so many great options that I think most find what they desire.
to add to the above - rigor can be found in BFA or BA program. Every school is totally different and just because it is a BFA doesn’t mean it will be the right fit.
Again - “rigor” may be different for each person. Therefore, what is rigorous, challenging and thrilling to one student may be awful or boring for another student. (just wanted to clarify that I wasn’t implying that only “top” BFA schools offer rigor — I actually think some of the “top” may be totally over-rated! There are amazing options all around).
How many have submitted Prescreens? Just curious!
@anotherBwaymom I am curious about that too! We have filmed a dance prescrenn video but are not quite ready to film the vocals and monologue yet- I am hoping we still have a bit of time and that slots don’t fill up for the schools she is really hoping to audition for!!!
I think we are a bit early but are waiting now to hear!! Very exciting but weird Bc it’s just step one!
@savedrama4momma You still have time, especially if you are not planning any early auditions. My daughter was definitely running late last year with her prescreens due to taking on a local professional theatre show in the Fall of last year. Probably not the best idea, but such a great role and opportunity she couldn’t pass. So she ended up filming and submitting her prescreens in November, right on the cusp of the deadlines for several schools and she still managed to get audition slots at all of them.
The only ones she did miss out on were CCM and Baldwin Wallace (no prescreen required last year) which were both completely full by the time she got her applications submitted. So I’m not encouraging being late to the ball if you can get it done earlier, but just offering some reassurance that at this stage you are still within a reasonable time frame to get things done.
Knowing what I know now, however, I would make sure we had everything done and submitted by no later than mid-October at the latest. That way you can enjoy Halloween and Thanksgiving!
Couldn’t help but chime in here on the school thing. Safety, BA, BFA etc.
my D is a freshman in an MT BFA program having just started this Aug.
Please note the following that may indeed be your future next spring…
1)Your child may not get into ANY program. It’s possible, it happens and you must prepare for it. Prepare for it emotionally and prepare your child for it as much as you can. No matter your list … unless there is at least one non audition school.
2) your child may get an acceptance or several… but they may not be schools that are “well known” or highly competitive. They may not be NYU or CMU or BW, Ithaca, Elon…etc. your child may not want to attend the acceptances for fear those schools aren’t “good enough”. They will want the well known schools. They all mostly do. That’s ok but just know there is a large chance it may not happen especially for a female.
3) no matter HOW prepared you think you are & no matter how talented you think your child is… there are kids who can smoke your kid out of the audition room. That is the reality. Stop thinking about all the leads she or he has had. It literally makes NO difference. No one cares. All the other kids were Ariel , Millie & Prince Eric too. You may get a chance to hear some of the kids sing in practice rooms at auditions & you literally will want to run away.
4) there is truly NO rhyme or reason to the college MT process. None of it makes sense really. The stories are all here about the kid who only into one school & it was Elon. What?! How can that be when she got denied at other schools less prestigious… who knows. Only the auditors . STOP TRYING TO PREDICT IT. You can’t.
5) you may second guess yourself when it’s all over . I have. Woulda shoulda coulda. It would be great if you could “trial run” the audition circuit. I thought I was prepared. I researched MT colleges for two yrs . I would’ve done things differently in some ways but I’m just praying my D thrives in her program & is happy.
Try to find ways to not ruin your child’s senior year over this. The applications and time output is wacko & you will be stressed out to the max. Spring is really bad. So take it in baby steps as you only get one senior year.
And best of luck to all you crazy folks on this ride. If you’re a religious person prayer will be your solace! And if not you may become religious quick!
:))
@sopranomtmom That made me feel a lot better. We did get confirmation that she has audition slots for CCM and Baldwin Wallce all set so we are doing well with the applications, just need to turn our focus to completing the prescreening for the schools that require those!
@theaterwork If I could love your post I would! You summed it up so well. Just reading it brought back so many “feels” for me. Sharing here is like survivor’s therapy!! :))
PREACH @theaterwork :-)! There is really no rhyme or reason! We have a family friend who got one acceptance - CMU! Followed up by a nice start on B-way. I guess if you only get one acceptance, CMU 's not a bad one to get…
LOVE @theaterwork’s post.
Me too. Perfectly said, @theaterwork !
And to edit my previous very long post …I forgot 6) the always welcomed but dreaded WAITLIST.
The waitlist can be likened to the house guest who you welcome into your home when they first arrive but start to notice they linger in your home w/ no set departure date…
The waitlist keeps your child from accepting and committing to their firm acceptance because they cling to the waitlist in hopes of an offer…which can come very late (which in turn puts you in a pickle with housing/dorm room choices) or not at all.
You , being the involved, super organized parent ( let’s face it you wouldn’t be on CC if you weren’t!) will map out the waitlist odds …using probability & statistical skills you haven’t utilized since college…". how many spots in a class of 15 are already taken divided by how many Caucasian brown haired sopranos they already took taking into consideration the class may be smaller this year since they overtook last year blah blah"
This past season almost everyone we knew who auditioned had a waitlist spot at a school.
Ok I think that’s all I can think of to add to my post
Thanks @theaterwork for all your help. The waitlist phase seems so far down the road. Waiting on audition acceptance and organizing calendars for when they come in is hard enough. How long until the BFA top heavy schools start to send out acceptance emails to audition? My S has submitted a few CM, Elon, Otterbien, Texas State, etc.
I have a question - I also posted on the Theatre page, but there are usually more people here, and this is where I’m used to “hanging out!” Has anyone used the Monologue Concierge on Mary Anna Dennard’s website? I’m on round 2 (D1 MT/BFA just graduated & D2 decided very recently that she wants to major in Acting, instead of just doing it on the side. We have a great local acting coach, and D1 is a huge help, but she needs more options for contemporary monologues. If anyone’s used the Monologue Concierge, I’d love to hear!
I just wanted to share a potentially useful tip to those who are booking hotels for upcoming auditions. I had a great experience booking affordable hotels through Priceline.com Express Deals. We booked 4 hotels this summer while visiting colleges and I booked 2 more today after getting confirmations for auditions. In my experience the Express Deals are much cheaper than the rates you can get if you mention the campus visits. You have to be open to staying in the hotel that Priceline ‘chooses’ for you but you can enter the specific area you want to stay in and also the ‘star rating’ of the hotel. You generally know which hotels are in the pool they will choose from if you look and see which hotels for that star rating are in that area. They tell you the price upfront, the only gamble is you don’t know EXACTLY which hotel it will be. For example, I chose the area closest to the college and used a 3.5 star rating to research what hotels were available. They had 3 hotels and all looked like great options that ranged in price from $90-150. By then going back and selecting Express Deals with the same criteria, I was able to pay $60 for a hotel they chose. It’s always worked out that the hotel is one from the original search so you’re not totally surprised by the selection and you can save a lot of money! The only thing we learned the hard way from this summer is to make sure you choose the star rating option that allows you to select bed preferences. If you don’t, they usually find you a room with one king bed. Not ideal for a teenage boy and his mom. I made the mistake once but I was able to call the hotel directly and they made sure to change our reservations to two beds (at no additional cost). I also add on the $5 protection fee in case we need to cancel due to an emergency (or wishful thinking… to cancel later auditions due to an early acceptance!) I hope this can be useful to some of you looking 
Consider including the Indiana University BFA MT program to your list. Small class, dynamic program director from NY, and several classes in the renowned Jacobs School of Music. This program is on a great tragectory.