This topic took up close to 15 minutes at our parent/student meeting at Unifieds! Getting accepted academically is a requirement for BU (and it is all or nothing). BU is, however, a test optional school so if your student is on the bubble with ACT/SAT scores, the acting professors recommend you don’t send them. My D has around a 4.0 - dips up and down but close. She did not set the world on fire with her ACT score - was on the lower end of acceptable for BU - but submitted her score anyway since she was above the cut off. She got in.
What they said they do if they really want your student artistically is go to bat for your student with the university. Sometimes they win, sometimes not. They will often tell you if you are one of those students (hence, you know you had a great audition!). One of D’s friends (current BU student) has a roommate who ended up going elsewhere freshman year, worked hard for grades, and applied as a transfer. I don’t know if he had to start over as a freshman but I do know it is one of the strategies they recommend if the HS grades don’t cut it.
@FourStars, I’m glad you appreciated the detailed explanation about making our list. That was the first of several intimidating steps in the process (followed by documenting all of the Prescreen requirements and then figuring out how to fit in all of the auditions) so I wanted to provide detail to try to help future cc’ers. Because we felt unprepared and uninformed, we procrastinated and were anxious and irritable with each other during the list making process. But in the end, I am happy we started with the list we did.
Hi all, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed following your journeys and congrats to all of you on the many success stories. It has been invaluable to me to read about your journeys, so thank you for sharing. My S is a current junior and we are just beginning the process. I’m posting here since you are all still active - a very simple, straightforward question. When would you recommend getting all applications and prescreens in by? We were going to shoot to have prescreens done in early September, and applications done and in by end of September. I’ve heard many conflicting recommendations, but would love to get your input. Thank you.
@HPDbfa - the earlier you get done, the more choices you will have for audition dates. That said, I wouldn’t recommend rushing, you want to feel good about your materials etc. BAL!
Agree with above. Thats a GREAT time table but make sure you feel very good about what you are sending from essays to pre-screens. If you go into October to get it right and stay sane that is still early. Audition slots do fill as the year moves. Break A Leg- you are in for a wonderful yet exhausting ride with many ups and downs. It’s all worth it!
@HPDbfa By the fall of this past year we had the finalized list of schools (although it evolved), SAT’s done, and prep work for monologue choices - with the help of a coach. Once the Common App went live in August she started working on it. In September I set meetings in our shared calendar where my D met me in my office and she finished the essays. She was completely done by October 1. I cannot tell you how helpful it is to be finished early. Shooting prescreens can be tough and for my D there were some serious meltdowns and the whole prescreen process took three rounds (I was the videographer - lighting is annoying!!). We were all scheduled for auditions by November 1. Totally important to feel good about your materials - don’t rush it. That’s why starting early is so important - and allows you to take advantage of Early Action options.
I can’t believe I am giving advice on this! I survived! Yay! Break legs to your son!! Can’t wait to follow along from the sidelines.
We set a goal of October 15th to be done with everything and I think all but two were in by then. The last two were in by October 30th. We had our choice of dates, so I feel comfortable using 10/15 as a deadline. Frankly, I know people who were a lot later who still did fine. She did finish the Common App essay before school started but she was cranking out supplemental essays during October, that would have been hard if she was doing a show or something, but she was not. We made the decision to skip a Fall Show, since she was away for 5 weeks over the summer. Some folks can do it all, but we did not want that extreme pressure.
Likewise, it is crazy that we are done. It’s great that you are starting early because you have to try to keep it sane and balanced. Best Wishes! You will find great support in this community. I did!
I wish people wouldn’t underestimate the importance and rigor of ensemble actors. My d went through an ‘ensemble’ phase, early in HS, after she branched out of her little acting school in the suburbs, where there were so few kids). It was right around the time that Hamilton was huge (I mean, it still is, but this was in 15-16). We were fortunate enough to win the lottery when we saw it the second time ), and sat in the front row. All I kept thinking was "damn, this ensemble is non-stop’ (no pun intended). They work their asses off. I challenge anyone to to question their worth (or any ensemble member of an award winning show). This year, she was the lead in her school musical, and had a featured role in the show the previous year. She literally had to beg the choreographer to put her in one of the ensemble numbers, because she missed those numbers so much (despite the fact that she doesn’t consider herself a dancer). I have learned so much through my daughter, about what it means to be in an ensemble. While we are very happy with the school she has chosen, her recent roles as leads did not get her into what she considered to be her top choices (UM being one of them). So, you just never know what goes on in the minds of the decision makers!
My D was always in the ensemble. She never had a lead, but she loved being in the plays. She didn’t pursue theater as a career, but S17 did (in tech). They were talking recently and she commented how much being in the ensemble has prepared her for life in the work force, where she is part of a sales team. Someone is the leader (starring role, the boss) but they can’t perform or succeed without the ensemble (team members). She has been promoted (now she’s like a named minor character) but she doesn’t yet have the lead. I thought it was such an interesting way of looking at life. I had spent all of these years feeling slightly sad that D never made it out of the ensemble and that she didn’t pursue theater or at least singing as a career, but she hasn’t felt the same way.
I have loved the articles I have been reading the last few weeks where actors’ equity has been petitioning for a tony award that recognizes the best ensemble every year - I can think of a dozen shows I have seen in the last few years which would have been lost without their extraordinary ensembles
Sometimes my kids have referred to their ensemble roles as “tech-semble” because they had to move so many props on and off. Ensemble is the glue. And every bit valuable. And, I will add that my kids seem to always have the deepest understanding of a show at this capacity. A lead role is demanding, but ensemble is much more threaded into a show and allows the performer be a part of multiple scenes etc! And occasionally, a small ensemlbe “one-liner” steals the whole show!
We set a goal deadline of September 30 for prescreens but it slipped into mid-October. D was not closed out of schools but I really do think going much beyond October 15 could be an issue for some schools. Also, Syracuse (MT) had a really early deadline and D did not feel comfortable with what she had filmed by then so ended up having to pass on a very good school.
We were later than I wanted to be on videos, too! I thought we were later than that, @artskids, but we never were really satisfied with the videos. D kept saying that videos really didn’t have to be that great - they just had to prove that you could sing. I insisted that the sound quality was good and that she was wearing proper attire and looked professional. I made her upset when I told her I wanted her to do it again because the piano was too close to the camera when she filmed and was too loud. She refused, saying she was too stressed to do them over. Amazingly, she ended up being right (or lucky) and she passed her pre-screens. But I agree with you that had we been better prepared - earlier, it would have saved the stress for the final submissions!
@Fergie978. Your story sounds very similar to ours. I had to do a lot of walking on egg shells during the entire process. It is such a stressful time and my strong willed D didn’t want much input from Mom. I had to pick my battles and let some prescreens and essays go that I thought could be better. I tried to remind myself that this is her journey and I needed to trusts her instincts and let her take the lead. We didn’t use a coach but when we butted heads it would have been nice to have someone more experienced to give us advice.
Thanks, @dramamama2022 ! A good reminder that it THEIR decision not ours. In the end, it was great, because she found a school that was the exact fit for her personality, talents, and desires.
@Notmommarose I just took five minutes to check in on this board and ran across your story. As the mom of a rising junior (design) at Rutgers, I am SO happy for your son and your family! His training will be excellent, and the people—LOVE the people! He must have shown tremendous grit that weekend, translating his pain into art. Congrats and welcome to the Mason Gross family!
Hi, I don’t know how to send private messages but I was accepted to Evansville and would love to hear more about your daughter’s perspective and anything I should know for the Acting BFA! Thank you and congrats!
Hi @scottgrayson. Congratulations on Evansville!! How exciting for you. I think you are asking @diamondparent about her D, so I have tagged her in this post. She might not see it otherwise - some of us are one year post audition season and may not look back at CC.
), and sat in the front row. All I kept thinking was "damn, this ensemble is non-stop’ (no pun intended). They work their asses off. I challenge anyone to to question their worth (or any ensemble member of an award winning show). This year, she was the lead in her school musical, and had a featured role in the show the previous year. She literally had to beg the choreographer to put her in one of the ensemble numbers, because she missed those numbers so much (despite the fact that she doesn’t consider herself a dancer). I have learned so much through my daughter, about what it means to be in an ensemble. While we are very happy with the school she has chosen, her recent roles as leads did not get her into what she considered to be her top choices (UM being one of them). So, you just never know what goes on in the minds of the decision makers!