Wow, @heatremom16…quite a story! So wonderful for your D. Congrats to her! I bet many wish it could have been that short and relatively easy in terms of the admissions season!
@Theatermom16
Oh that is a wonderful audition season. So happy you child ended up where she wanted to be.
What an “easy peasy” audition season. Congrats @Theatremom16!
I LOVE your story, @theatremom16 !
Applied to: Baldwin Wallace, CMU, BoCo, Rider, Hartt, American, Wagner -Applied to Pace and Drexel for Arts Adminstration
Prescreens: NONE
Accepted to: Pace, Drexel (non MT programs) , Wagner, American
Rejected from: BW, CMU, BoCo, Rider, Hartt
Wait-listed at: Wagner
Coach: Private to prep for auditions
Summer Programs: BDF
Final Decision: Wagner
Glad this journey is over. D started out with a small list of schools, wanting to stay in the mid-atlantic/northeast
part of the country. Going into this process I was very up front with expectations especially based on the list
of schools compiled. I also insisted on a backup plan, because the motto here was “go big or go home” - no gap year, live with decisions made when everything shakes out April 1st. In hindsight, my D wishes she would have applied to Temple and UArts (voice coach is a professor there) - but in reality, she was not interested in either program going into the process - maybe just some additional “options” if she was accepted.
We visited every school on the list, including a few she decided not to apply to. Wagner was not on the original list, I actually added that visit when she was looking at schools for Arts Admin programs. After finding out she had to be accepted academically at Wagner first, she decided to audition for the theatre performance program. She fell in love with the campus the minute we got out of the car and Wagner quickly moved to the top 3 of her original list. As we cycled back through for auditions, some schools dropped just based on the feel of audition, a second look at campus etc. She didn’t love the BW experience or the Hartt experience. Her favorite auditions were CMU, Wagner and American.
Hit send by mistake - So she is choosing Wagner because it felt like home to her. Even being on the WL - she feels that she will make a home there for the next 4 years and her path will become clear. She may come off the WL and that would be great for her - but she may not, and she will make the most of her opportunity at Wagner! Definitely not the path she was going to be taking at the start of this journey, but we are both happy it is over! I am thrilled with her decision as Wagner was my favorite campus 
Congrats! Glad the journey is over for you(of course a new one is beginning!) and you can enjoy the rest of her Sr. year.
Awesome so happy for your daughter Wagner is a great place for sure! Everyone lands where they should and every Mom turns a little grayer in the process:)
@LBSMOM Excited to read the conclusion of the story. I’ve been following your D’s track because it’s been similar to my D’s - short list of mid-Atlantic schools - and keeping my fingers crossed for a good result. So wonderful that she fell in love with Wagner (I can understand why!) and is ready to make it work for her. Congrats!
@LBSMOM Congrats to your daughter! We are planing on visiting Wagner (and D just sent in her app for the summer intensive). How quickly did she get off the waitlist? We live in NY, so I’m familiar with the area. Also, do you know how many students they accepted, and… (the big one), did they give her any $$?
This is for me, S. 5’4" small Eastern Asian guy (Vietnamese), baritenor, sidekick/best friend type, with minimal training across all three disciplines. Feel very much like a jack of all trades. Not incredibly talented or stunning at any of the three “threats”, but competent in each. Have done about 3 shows a year since sophomore year, one school musical, two outside ones. Started singing in jazz choir in freshman year, and continued all 4 years, also joined speech team in junior year to practice acting. Go to small private non PA high school, strong academic student.
I came to the theater game sort of late. Did my first show in freshman year. Started doing more and more shows. Still didn’t really think about doing it in college (misconception of getting a “real degree”, didn’t think a career in the arts was really possible). However, I was then encouraged by parents and a local actor whom they were helping buy a condo (mom is a real estate agent), to look into college programs in my sophomore year if this was maybe something I wanted to do! Began considering it then, thinking I would do a BA and try to double major (because that was what “practical people” did), then slowly warmed up to the idea of a BFA that summer, before truly and fully committing to the BFA idea middle of my junior year. Met up with local coaches, on the advice of friends who’d just gone through this, who were in touch with the MT game for college, and then we were off!
Applied to: UArts, Shenandoah, Syracuse, Roosevelt, U Miami, UNC (Northern Colorado), Temple (walk-in), Emerson, Pace, Point Park, Ithaca, Penn State, BW (also applied to UW, Tulane and Northwestern for academics only, in the case that the unspeakable happened)
Prescreens: Syracuse, Shenandoah, Pace, Ithaca, Penn State (passed all)
Accepted to: UArts, U Miami, Roosevelt, Emerson
Rejected from: BW, Penn State, Ithaca, Point Park, Syracuse
Wait-listed at: Pace (alternate), Shenandoah (priority hold=waitlist)
STILL have not heard from: UNC, Temple
Coach: Local acting coach who has coached MANY kids from the area through this process, took voice lessons from a local MT performer who was on Broadway and national tours, who has coached this process many times as well, and took drop in dance classes at local studio (ballet+jazz) when I could. Started all three in August (too late in my opinion)!
Summer Programs: none
Final Decision: Emerson!!!
Started out auditions with a local thespian college audition combine in October… Where I got callbacks but for very small schools and failed to get callbacks from two of my safeties. Enter panic mode. But I resolved to get through prescreens before really stressing out. Let this be a lesson to all those reading: when they say do things early, they MEAN it. It ended up working out for me, being late, but it was very stressful and not recommended. On the one hand, you don’t wanna rush to get everything out the door if you aren’t ready. Some people in my city made that mistake. But even then, my problem is that I started prepping material so late. I COULD’VE been ready by October if I had just picked out stuff earlier. The last minute planning was very difficult and stressful to work out, and I barely got it all together. I started prepping material too late, filmed prescreens right up against deadlines. Had to refilm prescreens 3 times and had a scare when I had to reshuffle entire travel plan for Syracuse due to not having available Unifieds slots, because I was again, late. Added Pace, Point Park and Uarts in the last week of December by suggestion of coach. Barely got slots at ppu and uarts but managed to work it out! So I got my crap together but the problem was that I almost got shut out of auditions for great schools. So remember, EARLY. Still, passed all prescreens and was considerably less stressed after doing so.
Anyway, did Shenandoah and UArts in NYC, then did Syracuse-Chicago Uni-BW a few weeks later! Results have mostly all come in. Still waiting on two programs, but don’t care because after my accepted students “picture yourself” day today, and sitting in on some MT classes yesterday… I’M COMMITTING TO EMERSON!!! After what I thought was my WORST audition of the bunch, with 3-4 voice cracks that had never happened and never happened again in my auditions (though the rest of he audition was good), I got accepted with great scholarships, to a school I liked before hand and LOVE with all of my heart now. Writing this on the plane ride home and I am so ecstatic about the coming year. I only include this because I want this to be a lesson to all that it works out in the end. I think everyone finds the school for them. Going into auditions, I thought Syracuse or BW was where I HAD to be. I was convinced that those were the schools for me, and as you can see, I was rejected by both. But I see now that this is where I belong. I felt at home on campus this weekend. Emerson was the perfect place for me before I even knew it! Bad audition and all, they still looked at me, saw I had something to offer and accepted me! The program fits me like a glove and only now do I feel stupid to not have realized it earlier. And I fell in love enough with the place to pull myself off of Waitlists at two very great programs, arguably more prestigious, yet I have no regrets and couldn’t be any happier! This year has been such an insane, crazy, scary and exciting time. I have learned so much about myself and my craft, and am so excited to continue my study in Boston at Emerson next year!
Best of luck to all those still hearing or all those that are making their way through tough decisions, or maybe even no decisions at all. Remember that life has a funny way of working out and that this whole crazy college thing DOES NOT define you. My good friend reminded me after that first, disastrous combine, that THIS is not what it’s about. We don’t do this for college auditions. We do this because there are stories that need to be told and we want to tell them. Remember that. Much love to everyone on this board for helping over the past two years! I will not miss stalking the forum for info, but I will miss the great advice I saw and used over these past few months!
@DramaQueen219 she has not come off the WL yet. Hoping that will be the end result! Yes, my D received the Deans Merit Scholarship, a very nice chunk of change to make the tuition a bit more manageable! It really is a beautiful campus!
@Monkeiiboy much luck to you! Love to hear the stories from the students on this forum.
@Monkeiiboy my D did Emerson summer intensive we loved Scott and Sabriana Boston is an amazing city too good luck to you ! You are right everyone land where they should!
Congratulations @Monkeiiboy ! Have a great time in college, thanks for sharing your story!
You have me crying @Monkeiiboy. I love that you “fell in love”. Congrats! My S has a very good friend in that program. He loves it and has had some enviable growth/learning opportunities. WTG
I Love these happy stories!!!
Wow, here we are after all this time. Well here we go!
Applied to: Calarts, Chapman, University of Arizona, Drake, Viterbo, Wright State University, Oklahoma City University, Emerson, Boston Conservatory, Point Park, Temple, Penn State, UArts, Rider, Manhattan School of Music, Shenendoah, University of Michigan, Western Michigan, Pace, Elon, Montclair, Ball State, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, UNSCA, Carnegie Mellon, Millikin
Prescreens: Pace, UMich, Shenendoah, Wright State - passed
Temple, Elon, Penn State - did not pass
Accepted to: Viterbo MT, Hartt MT, Uarts Acting, Rider Acting, Wright State Acting, OKCU Acting
Rejected from: Calarts, Emerson, BOCO, Point Park, MSM, Shenendoah, UMich, Pace, UNSCA, Carnegie Mellon
Wait-listed at: Western Michigan, Univ. of Arizona, Chapman, Drake, UWSP
Never auditioned due to allergic reaction: Ball State, Montclair
Cancelled audition for 4/8: Millikin
Coach: MTCA
Summer Programs: Local community and professional theatre
Where to begin - I guess almost four years ago when I found this site and learned what I was in for in a few years. D was a Freshman and had been performing in local youth theatre since the age of 9. She enrolled in a special dual enrollment high school that allowed her to take performing arts classes at the local college and proceeded to perform as leads in all the operas and musicals over the next three years in addition to continuing her vocal, dance and acting training and during the past year doing two community theatre shows and one local professional show. This was a lot to take on during the year she was prepping for auditions but I wouldn’t have changed a thing because each of those shows helped her grow so much as an artist. Thankfully we had her coaches from MTCA keeping her on track and helping her prepare her materials. We were, however, a little late to the application process because she just had so much going on all summer, fall and right into Christmas. But somehow we got all the prescreens done, apps in and -auditions scheduled - probably not as efficiently as we should have, but it got done. She passed most of her prescreens and we were able to get a full week of auditions scheduled between Chicago and Los Angeles. She was very confident with her monologues, but did continue to question her song choices through the process. D is a classically trained soprano with basically no belt. Her ballad showed off her beautiful voice, but in retrospect may have had just a bit to old fashioned feel. Her uptempo was a great mixy song and she hit the high belty notes really well, but we got the impression after the fact that it might have been overused this year. But you know, you could second guess this stuff until you make yourself crazy so I choose not to do that.
So off to Chicago we headed and overall the week went well. She discovered a couple of schools she loved that had the approach and training she felt she was looking for. And how did she know that - because these were schools that actually took time to talk to the students and parents to really give a sense of their program. Then there were others that whisked you through like a human assembly line. Not a lot of warmth for those. By the last day of four days she was exhausted and woke up with her eyes literally swollen shut from an allergic reaction so Montclair and Ball State auditions were cancelled and we chalked it up to the universe telling us those were not the schools for her.
By the time we returned to Los Angeles her eyes were all better and she was refreshed and happy to feel back on her home turf and finished off strong. The next three weekends we traveled to Michigan, Dayton, Virginia and Oklahoma for on campus auditions. To say the month of February was exhausting would be the greatest understatement.The actual on campus auditions were a mixed bag with some being great and others not so much, but it was a good contrast to Unifieds and helped D narrow down even more what she wanted in a school and program.
So then the waiting commences and she starts to question everything. Even being a less proficient dancer than some, did she do enough in dance calls, were her songs the right choices, did she show enough of her true interest in the school… and on and on. And we waited for the first yes, which came from Viterbo - a school she really loved at Unifieds. It was a really happy day - no matter what she had the one yes for a BFA MT program. And more yeses followed, but not necessarily in the way she expected. When this process began, she still was committed to the idea of an MT path, but this past year she had focused much more on her acting skills, doing a straight play in the local community and really honing some of her Shakespeare technique. All of the sudden she was being recognized for her acting ability and being told she should really consider a serious acting program, so in this process she chose both acting and MT options for all of her auditions and some acting only. So all of the sudden she started receiving BFA acting acceptances at Wright State, University of the Arts, OKCU and the BA at Rider. It really threw her into wondering whether she might be better served doing an Acting BFA at a school where she could either minor in MT (Uarts) or take basically the same curriculum with plenty of dance and singing (Wright State) or should she follow through with her original plan to pursue a BFA in MT. At that point she was counting on the “one” to come through that would decide everything for her.
And then she got the acceptance from Hartt and that was a really amazing and happy day because she loved that program. The day we attended the meeting prior to her dance call she was absolutely so impressed by the approach of training actors who were also amazing singers and dancers. She walked away from that audition feeling like that school and program could be the best fit of all.
But even though we had this good news after months of auditions, rejections and waitlists, I think she was still waiting for that magic aha moment when the sky opens and your chosen school emerges and all of that seemed to be hinging for her on Boston Conservatory. And when that no came, it was a crushing blow. Not because she didn’t love the other programs or feel happy about the other acceptances. It’s just that was the one last “prestigious” in her mind option left that would somehow magically trump all others. It knocked her back on her heels for a few days, but after some time to reflect she came back to me with the answer I knew was there all along.
There was one school that from the beginning felt right, it checked all the boxes - providing intense conservatory training but in a college setting, very little GE, very heavy and serious acting focus but with excellent voice and dance training, not an urban setting but close by to a certain city that she loves, with a great reputation, plenty of working alumni, stellar faculty and professional performance opportunities right there in the backyard. The choice was as clear as could be.
Final Decision: The Hartt School of Music,Theatre, Dance at the University of Hartford. (Hallelujah!!)
YAY! Congrats, @sopranomtmom !! I will never forget your check-in on the morning of the swollen eyes in Chicago! You handled that with such grace, and I am thrilled that your D found the right fit!
@theaterwork @CMB625 thank you both so much!! I’ve been floating for the past few days still
@lincoln56 yeah I am so pumped!! I still haven’t met Scott, but I have heard wonderful things haha! Congratulations to your daughter, Ithaca is so lucky to have her!
@mom4bwayboy aww thank you so much! It’s been a roller coaster for sure, but I am so excited about Emerson. Does WTG mean Waitlisted? Because I can say with almost 100% certainty that there are accepted boys who are committing elsewhere. While that’s not a guarantee, I’m just a sayin there could still be a light at the end of the tunnel!