Looking forward to meeting @VaTheatreMom2020 and @entertainersmom and he other Otterparents and kids in a few short months!!!
Thanks so much for all of the support. After going with her on all of those tough auditions and getting into some of those audition schools, it was tough to turn them down. Too bad we did not have a crystal ball! I guess the audition experience was educational in itself. However, I am sure that she made the right decision in choosing SLC.
It’s shocking to me that it’s my time to write this about my S’s journey. Here goes.
Schools Applied To: Yes, my S was one of THOSE kids who applied a number of places…all the schools listed below were BFA Acting except where not offered (U of R)….Adelphi, Ball State, Carnegie Mellon, Catawba College, Christopher Newport, DePaul, Fordham, George Mason University, Ithaca College, Juilliard, Muhlenberg, Otterbein, Pace, Point Park, Rider, Royal Conservatorie of Scotland, Rutgers Mason-Gross, Syracuse, The New School, University of Evansville, University of Minnesota – Guthrie, University of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University, Viterbo, Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, Ohio Northern
Prescreens: Pace, Otterbein, New School, Ithaca (passed all)
Artistic Acceptances: Adelphi, Ball State, Catawba College, Christopher Newport, Fordham, George Mason University, Ithaca College, Muhlenberg, Otterbein, Pace, Point Park, Rider, Royal Conservatorie of Scotland, Syracuse, The New School, University of Evansville, Virginia Commonwealth University, Viterbo, Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, Ohio Northern
Rejection: Juilliard, Mason-Gross (got to call-back weekend), Minnesota-Guthrie (got to call-bask weekend)
Waitlisted: DePaul, University of Richmond, Carnegie Mellon (priority wait list)
Audition Coach: Yes, MTCA. Huge shout out to my S’s monologue coach, Charlie, who a huge help throughout the process.
Summer Programs: None
Training:
Dance: Nothing outside of school other than some drop in ballet classes. My S attends a performing arts high school so he had a year of tap, a year of jazz and year of ballet.
Acting: My S has been performing in community theatre and school productions since he was 12.
Voice: Private voice lessons locally for a year. About six months of voice training through MTCA before he decided he wanted to pursue acting instead of MT. He also has taken voice through his school for four years.
Instruments: My S has taught himself guitar and piano.
Background: My S discovered acting when he was 12 and never looked back. We live in central Virginia so there were opportunities in community theatre but certainly not the opportunities that exist in larger cities. He is fortunate to attend a Governor’s school for performing arts which was a huge help. When my S was a freshmen we reached out to MTCA not to start coaching in any real way but to talk about how to chart a course to be on track in his senior year. They offered the advice to train in lieu of summer programs so we didn’t ever invest in any summer programs. We didn’t start coaching in earnest until his Junior year but the advice early on was helpful. Up until the summer of his senior year my S prepared as if he was going the musical theatre route. Honestly it wasn’t until a coaching session over the summer when his voice coach asked him to dissect the meaning of his song that it clicked and he came to us and said, “my passion is acting, not singing, I don’t want to do MT.” Okay! We mourned the change for 24 hours before we embraced how much simpler the entire audition process is for acting! Those voice lessons were not wasted though – my son was asked in a number of auditions for acting to sing including Guthrie, CMU, LIPA, Juilliard, etc. Have a song prepared and understand that there is some blurring of lines between acting/MT and being an actor who can sing is not a bad thing at all.
We did visit a few schools before the audition season – just a few. In hindsight it was not the best use of our money EXCEPT that it did help my S visualize what college is like and get excited about the process. The generic visits gave us little insight into the program and the visits after being accepted are so different (e.g. sit in on class, etc.) I was terrified about the odds so, yes, he auditioned at a lot of schools. Some were walk-ins that led to applications but a lot were on his list from the start. For those of you who look at the list and think “those schools don’t go together” – it’s true. But honestly my S is a pretty laid back kid whose only criteria initially was “I don’t want to go south of North Carolina or more west than Minnesota.” So his list was a combination of financial safeties, general safeties, reach schools and small and large schools. He knew he would figure it out along the way. Honestly there were even times he wrestled with the BFA/BA question. For those of you who don’t relate to the “My S and D had his heart set on X school since she or he was 10”, I get it. He really never had his heart set on anywhere and remained removed from the “falling in love” stage throughout the entire process until the end.
We followed the sage advice of applying early – all of my S’s applications – except those that followed walk-ins – were done in September. My S did a few auditions in the early fall – George Mason, The New School, Adelphi and Muhlenberg. By December he had acceptance at the first three which was mentally helpful going into unifieds. My S did both NY and Chicago unifieds for the rest of his auditions. He got an offer in the room to LIPA and, all in all, enjoyed unifieds. I look back with fondness as a parent on the time spent on the road with my S. Try to enjoy the time for what it is and have fun. It seems easy to say now but don’t take it so seriously that you forget to laugh a bit at the absurdity of the entire process. I mean that respectfully but there were so many times I took the process way too seriously forgetting to maintain some perspective. You S or D will have good and bad auditions, highs and lows, bad weather and perfect moments and everything in between. Love it all because it flies by.
Fast forward past the excruciating waiting period (it was AWFUL) and stalking the mailman and all that – me S went into callback season and then decision time. I don’t think I focused enough on past posts that talked about the period of time after offers. At the beginning of this long process, getting into Pace was the goal. I can’t even tell you why in hindsight – it was one of the first schools my S visited and it seemed natural to go to want to go to school in NYC. Along the way there were several schools he connected with. He loved the audition experiences at The New School, CMU, Ithaca, Ball State and Catawba so those schools moved up on the list. The school he finally selected was not even really on his radar at that point.
When the financial aid offers came in, some schools dropped off the lists but he was still left with some good choices. At that point I printed out the four year curriculum of the schools he was accepted to and removed any identifying information and had him assign a letter grade to every school. It was rather enlightening and an exercise I would highly recommend. I think I imagined the visits would make it clear but the truth was that my S could have been happy at most of the schools – not because he doesn’t know what he wants (although what 18 year REALLY knows what they want) but because every school had something to offer. So the choice came down to some very intangible things. We did a marathon week where he visited five schools in one week over spring break. I knew in my mother’s heart he made a choice on that trip but it took another week of him being “undecided” before we were able to talk about his final decision with us.
Final Choice: Otterbein University! (BFA Acting)
Otterbein wasn’t really on our radar when the process started but got added to the list entirely because of the positive things family members of current students offered on CC. Thank you to the fabulous Ottermoms/dads for spreading the word. So why Otterbein you might ask? My S was very drawn to smaller schools throughout this process so it checked that box. The setting is beautiful. The students and faculty my S met on campus were fabulous, he liked the curriculum and the cost aligned with our family’s budget.
Some final observations for families that have yet to go through this:
- Be open to anything and everything that happens along the way. Don’t get too caught up in the “name” of a school and have a very diverse list because you don’t know what your S or D will want in the end. Where we were last summer, where we were at the end of the audition season and where we ended up are all so different.
- With some exceptions, well documented on CC, it’s true that GPA and SATs didn’t matter that much in terms of admission BUT it can matter a lot when it comes to financial aid. My S was VERY fortunate to get great merit scholarships with an 1850 SAT and 3.8ish GPA from the majority of schools most people apply to. Some of the schools on my S’s list were there specifically because of the scholarships available based on my S’s stats. For many families, cost is a factor. Almost without fail, the larger dollar amounts my S got was academic in nature versus talent.
- Have financial safeties and/or be realistic about what your family can/wants to invest. But don’t be afraid to apply to high dollar schools either if you have done your research and know the school could meet your need.
- Don’t be afraid to have too many schools and don’t be afraid to negotiate when it comes to money. We negotiated with two schools and both schools gave us more money when we shared the offers of other schools. It’s part of the process and don’t be shy although it was one of the harder parts of the process. Also know what schools that don’t negotiate (e.g. NYU).
- If you can afford it, invest in a coach. They kept me sane and let me focus on being a mom in the process versus having to be everything to my S.
- Don’t be afraid to help if your S or D will let you. It’s a beast to keep up with 20+ applications and my S needed me to be his administrative assistant/chief nagger. He shared his email account with me and I made sure he didn’t miss the 5,000 little steps that are super easy to miss. Hats off to kids who can do it on their own, my S was not one of them. Keeping it real!
- If you can convince them, encourage your S or D to skip performing in senior productions. The travel schedule is a beast and the stress is a lot more than you can image.
- Have fun, laugh at yourself along the way and don’t take it too seriously. Do not allow this process to define you – whether you are have many acceptances, just one, or none. It doesn’t.
THANK YOU to everyone who was honest and took the time to share their experiences in the past. It was invaluable to me and hope I can repay that forward.
Congratulations @VaTheatreMom2020!!! What a successful audition process your S had.
My D will be starting at Otterbein this Fall too - in the technical theater BFA. I hope to meet you and the other Otter parents in Westerville.
Thank you @Reckless! I don’t want the summer to pass too quickly but looking forward to meeting everyone.
@VaTheatreMom2020 that is a terrific write-up. I agree 100% with your advice, including many of the points I didn’t mention but that held true with my D.
And congratulations on successfully navigating the process and coming out with a positive result. Best of luck to your Son!
Huge congratulations @VaTheatreMom2020 to your S! And a big thank you for your support during the decision making process here at our house!
You’re post is awesome and all of your advice is on point. I wholeheartedly agree with your comment about avoiding Senior year productions because we learned the hard way, with a show running end of November and one end of February. ~X(
Wishing you and S the very best!
@3boyzmama I am waiting patiently for you to post your S’s story as well. It was so helpful to have someone walking the same path in the end. Thank you! I look forward to all the stories from the class of 2020 as we become the old timers reassuring the next group that everyone finds their place in the end.
USERNAME: artskids, D
BACKGROUND: Until the middle of sophomore year in high school, I would describe my D’s interest in theatre as casual. She participated in her high school’s musicals and plays and participated in local summer theater camps and productions. As much as she enjoyed these endeavors, it seemed she was heading more to the design and technical side of theatre. She was working on an AP Art portfolio and contemplating art school or art education. She also suffers from severe anxiety and ADD. That, coupled with a few other issues caused her to miss a great deal of school her freshman and sophomore years. She was entering the process with quite a few challenges (which did lend itself to an amazing college essay – turn those lemons into lemonade!).
Her brother attended a PA HS ½ days 2 years ahead of her (housed in their HS so it is very convenient); she decided her interest in the theatre was moving beyond a casual interest so decided to join the PA HS ½ days.
Once she was spending each afternoon in the PA HS and performing in the shows, things began to click for her. She decided she wanted to spent the summer between junior and senior year in a pre-college program to determine if a performance BFA was something she could pursue. I was not sure the intensity and “24/7-ness” was going to be the best thing for her. Structure is great but overscheduling and intense pressure can be disastrous. The summer program research (and of course, spreadsheet!) was great practice for college program research.
SUMMER INTENSIVES: Three summers of local theater camps (varying lengths).
Carnegie Mellon 6-week summer drama program: solidified for her she really wanted to pursue a BFA – she was busy most days and evenings but she LOVED it; she really worked audition material and got valuable feedback from the staff from mock auditions.
3-day college audition intensive (Making it on Broadway) – one last chance to work her audition material; more suitable for MTs but she picked up some presentation and interview tips
COACHING/TRAINING: 4 years of jazz, lyrical (as youngster)
Vocal coach - she has worked sporadically with a vocal coach – mostly to prepare her for auditions or roles. She selected and worked the songs she would present for the schools who required singing.
Monologue coaching with the professors at her PA HS.
COLLEGES APPLIED TO/RESULTS: BA (safeties): Kent State, Baldwin Wallace [ACCEPTED]
BFAs:
Otterbein: First audition – on campus. She knows a number of current freshman and sophomores so had quite a bit of insight into the program before the audition. Toured the campus with a current junior then spent some time asking questions of her friends (current students). Felt good about the audition. Says she would have felt better had she not fallen flat on her face on the way in for her interview! [WAITLISTED]
Auditions at Unifieds [Chicago]:
UArts: enjoyed the auditors and the interview. [ACCEPTED but without enough $$ to make it an affordable option for us]
CCPA (Roosevelt): at Unifieds but on the CCPA/Roosevelt campus. Her favorite audition at Unifieds. She felt being at the campus was helpful all around. She wasn’t rushed, there weren’t 100 kids in the hallway, and they spent time with her on her pieces and describing their training. [ACCEPTED]
After her acceptance, she arranged to return for a full tour and a day with students. She was able to sit in on a few classes – one with upperclassmen and one with sophomores. The students were great to her; shared some of their “this is how I did it” stories. We ended up spending about an hour with the program head and left with the feeling she would be very happy and comfortable at CCPA. As an aside, the dorms were the best – views of Lake Michigan – new and roomy. Sigh.
Pace: longest audition because of the call-back situation. She received a callback after her audition and was asked to stay for movement call/interview (I think the block was 4 hours). She stayed but had to ask to be moved up for her interview since her SUNY Purchase call was at another hotel. They auditors were accommodating. However, it was the only time at Unifieds where she felt very uncomfortable since only 10 out of each group got callbacks – she was passing kids who were just cut. Obviously this process will be part of our kids’ lives but it is not easy. [ALTERNATE, then ACCEPTED on 4/28; she had not been permitted to sit in on classes; felt she could not make an informed decision]
SUNY Purchase: did her monologues and song (required of all Acting auditionees ). Once she was finished, the auditors interviewed her, then asked her to wait as they set up video equipment. She then repeated her monologues and her song. Her take – she loved the interview but one auditor liked her and the other was neutral. [PRIORITY ALTERNATE, then ACCEPTED on 4/28].
Once we were notified of her status as an alternate, we scheduled a day for her to sit in on classes. They allowed her to spend an entire afternoon with freshmen and sophomores in their regular class rotations. They also arranged for us to see the Junior class production that evening. The students were warm and gracious and it was an overall excellent experience for my D. The campus is small and very 70s vintage – older buildings/older dorms. This was NOT a negative for my D. To her, it felt intimate and “like college.” I liked the manageable feel of the campus. We tested the “it’s easy to get to the City” talk and took the train from White Plains to Manhattan. Returned on the train late in the evening. It couldn’t have been simpler.
U Minn/Guthrie: her “toughest” audition – you do a stretch piece and a song – but the toughest part of the audition for her was her Shakespeare. She had prepared a dramatic Shakespeare monologue. She finished it and one of the auditors said – that’s great but I’d like to see a comedic Shakespeare – do you have one of those? Deer in the headlights kind of. She had worked a comedic Shakespeare over the summer but had kept it in her rep for auditions. She was able to pull it from memory – mostly – but wanted to kick herself for not keeping it fresh. She received an invitation to callback weekend but, because she was in a production, had to videotape her callback. I thought that would be the kiss of death BUT – [WAITLISTED, then ACCEPTED on 5/1].
Once again, once we were notified of her waitlisted status, she arranged to spend a day with freshman/sophomore acting majors and again, KUDOS to the students and to the program director. They were gracious and so welcoming. The campus is completely different from the vertical urban campus (CCPA) and the small arts college (Purchase). It is a big 10 school with all of the bells and whistles. Sports, Greek life, full university offerings, really cute boys (my D’s observation :-)). My husband took her to this visit and kept emphasizing she could go to Big 10 football games (even though she hasn’t watched a football game in 4 years of HS – we both got a huge kick out of his excitement over Big 10 sports for his theatre gal). But the message was – you can take advantage of being in this type of setting. They took public transportation from the airport to campus and report it was very inexpensive and easy.
(Continued)
Texas State (walk-in): After the interview, she went back to the hotel room, did some program research and completed an application before we left Unifieds. [ACCEPTED BA, never heard re: BFA]. She called and emailed and did not get an answer. Her portal continued to show an acceptance to BA but nothing on the BFA so assumed REJECTED.
LIU Post (walk in): first Unified audition. Really enjoyed the process – the auditor worked her pieces with her and asked her to do some research on the school and, if she remained interested, to come back for an interview. She returned the next day, completed an interview and applied to the school [ACCEPTED].
We went to the school during our weekend in NY (accepted students weekend) but determined the school had too much of a commuter feel for her. She was also concerned that the classes were losing students (sophomore class went from 23 to 9).
FINAL DECISION: SUNY Purchase, BFA Acting
AFTER THOUGHTS: I was concerned her list was too short. We live in Ohio and I wanted her to add CCM and Wright State. She relented and applied to Wright State but could not work in an audition because of her performance commitments. It was VERY difficult to manage stress levels with her plate being as full as it was so I backed off unless I has real concerns(missed deadlines, etc).
I highly recommend visiting or revisiting schools for accepted and waitlisted students. Classes are still in session in April (allowing, where possible, for prospects to observe class) and my D had all the information she needed to make a decision once the time came!
A note on the PA HS – 10 of her classmates were also applying for BFA (most Acting; 1 or 2 MT) so there is competition among friends! The Pace, SUNY and Otterbein waitlists also held kids from her PA HS. They are generally a cooperative bunch – and each one had a different wishlist – but it’s still another source of stress. My issue at Unifieds was them wanting to travel in a pack. I had my D set to start very early Monday morning signing up for walk-ins (if for no other reason to get an audition or two under her belt). Her friends were getting coffee and texting her and, once they realized she was on the floor signing up or doing walk-ins, they joined her. 6 kids approaching a table together? Ugh. Overwhelming. We talked about it that evening but she ended up with only the walk-ins she had done/signed up for early Monday morning.
Her final decision was so very difficult – she was ultimately deciding among CCPA, Purchase and Guthrie. Admittedly, she could not really make a mistake. Her brother and his roommate came home from BW for the evening and we sat with her, talked about each school, make a monster pro/con list and in the end, it really came down to what did she feel in her gut (I even gave “cute guys” a line!). How would she feel on campus and in the program? She was given a few extra days to decide so also talked the decision over with the head of her PA HS program who agreed with her decision. The programs are all outstanding but she felt she would manage best at a small, urban (manageable was her word) campus.
Whew.
Congrats @ artskids! What a hard decision with great choices in the end! Your daughter should feel very proud of herself!
Thank you @bfahopeful . She finally exhaled!
Congratulations on such great choices and making her decision! I loved how detailed your story was: her audition experiences, her visits, and how she made the final decision. All the best to her!
Woohoo artskids! Congratulations to your D and family!! 
Congratulations @artskids, and best of luck to your daughter at an awesome program.
Hurray, @artskids and D! That was a terrific tome! 
I’m excited for your D; I think she landed in a fantastic program for her.
I cracked up about your H talking about how your D could go to games! I can imagine it, lol… And, my H would’ve done the same, and my D at UArts would’ve reacted with the same lack of interest to sports and amusement as your D. (Only 1 of our 4 kids is into sports, even football; you know which, lol!)
Yes @myloves! Thank you. We are still teasing my husband about it. He mentioned they also have an excellent wrestling program - which resulted in uproarious laughter from all my girls. Poor guy just wants to see a sporting event! Luckily for him the youngest still plays basketball. For now
Congratulations @artskids I’m sure your D will love the school and the program. I know my S does.
@Reckless just chiming in to say your story word for word could be mine! My son had his heart set on Emerson. He applied early for stage management. While he had the stats for general admission, no one told us (or maybe they did and we did not listen) that they only take like six kids. He also applied in state for virginia Commonwealth, kind of a safety school, also for stage management, and was deferred.
So it is almost Christmas two years ago, and I am sitting in my mother’s hospice room (she died a few months later) stressing out because now what do we do? He ended up applying to more schools and was accepted at most of them.
He’s now just finished his sophomore year at Pace, where he got lots of scholarship money, loves being in NYC and is a technical direction/set design major (he kind of fell away from stage management anyway).
The moral of the story is I need to to write a book or start a blog to guide other tech parents through the process. Missteps are the name of the game, you are right, and I had no one to ask! (except maybe this board).
Congrats on Otterbein. It all works out in the end.