Hey everyone! I am finishing my junior year of HS right now and I’m sort of in this panic of starting this year long journey by myself. My theatre experience ranges school shows to community theatre. I don’t have a voice teacher and I have never done any theatre camps due to the “costs”, so I don’t really have any training. My parents are not so enthusiastic about my choice to go into MT (I also have a twin sis who wants to do the same). But besides that point they don’t want to educate themselves on the process and what the next year will look like. (Lots of travel and $$$$) They have never been too involved in my theatre life except showing up for performances. Just a month ago I informed my mom that I had a list of 14 schools and she couldn’t understand why I needed that many. It’s very frustrating because all they see is “What are you going to do after college?” instead of, “How can we get you into a program?” I might have a potential job this summer paying $18 an hour which is great (despite cleaning public bathrooms and taking out garbage) A girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do! I plan on using that money for app fees, hotels, voice lessons, dance attire/classes etc…(Not sure how far that money will last) I know their are a few kids on CC who have done this process themselves and I was wondering what I should expect and how to keep my life organized. How do I go about this on my own?
Others will be sure to chime in, but reading Maryanna Dennard’s book “l Got in” is a terrific place to start. There are other courageous students who have done this on their own - @Parachuteboy rocked it this year and can probably share his insights. As can others, I’m sure. Do you have voice or drama teacher at school who is supportive? The first things you will need to do are find appropriate monologues and solos. You will also need to develop a range of schools that are a good fit for you and your family’s circumstances and find out which ones need prescreens. Talk to you HS counselor now and if he/she is unfamiliar with getting students into performing arts BFA/BA programs let him/her know that your application process will not be like the “regular” seniors. Talk to the people who will be writing your letters of rec now and let them know you will need your recommendations in September. If there is any way you can swing hiring one of the well-regarded national coaches for a few skype sessions, that might be money very well spent.
Hi WhiteRaven1 – I’ll jump in because I have twins who went through the process four years ago. If you search by my screenname you can read all about our journey. I’m already feeling for you because the process is overwhelming for each person, but perhaps exponentially so for siblings who are competing not just with everyone else out there, but also against each other. THEN, add on twins who don’t have a lot of parental support and quite honestly it feels overwhelming. Here’s my initial advice. You need your parents’ support on some basic levels – you need to know how much they will be willing to pay for your college (and if they cannot pay for everything, you will need their help to fill out the FAFSA when the time comes). That information will help you revise your list of schools to include some that are “financial fits”. You don’t want to spend all your time and hard-earned summer earnings trying to get in and then not be able to afford any of your choices because you didn’t have those conversations about money with your folks. I would also recommend you get a copy of Mary Anna Dennard’s book “I GOT IN” which gives a great overview of the college audition process. Beyond that, you might want to approach some of the coaches (Mary Anna Dennard’s College Audition Coach or Ellen Lettrich’s MTCA or Chelsea Diehl’s My College Audition or others – use Google) to see if they might give you a full or partial scholarship (you would need to make the case for this with them individually) for the coaching season. Having a coach on your side to help you through the process would be advantageous for you and your sister because there are many things that can slip through the cracks. Coaching groups also offer a lot of support as students and families get to know each other. If you try this route, you might have your parents sit in on your first Skype consultation with the coach(es) so they can hear more about the realities of the process. Lastly, consider reaching out to the parents of other friends or students you know who have gone through the college audition process as they can probably offer helpful advice. (This board is good too – but always confirm information you receive here with individual schools.) I’m not sure what area of the country you’re in, but this is more challenging if you live far from the majority of schools – i.e. in the West. Perhaps look for some “hidden gem” schools close to you that might offer lower travel costs. I don’t want to discourage you. I think particularly self-directed, organized, motivated students are able to negotiate this process successfully every year. Best wishes.
Hey @WhiteRaven1
I just completed this process by myself. Feel free to message me if you have any questions!
A first, easy step may be to find out if there is a counselor in your school who has experience with performing arts applications. If there isn’t, you could arrange a meeting with your counselor to discuss the process and share your understanding of it. I know that our high school has funds available to pay application fees for students who can’t afford them–if you can get your counselor on your side early on, he or she may be able to approve allocation of funds to pay some of those fees. There are some wonderful, knowledgeable people on this forum who will be happy to help you–just ask whatever questions come to mind. Good luck!
We aren’t there yet but I do recall people mentioning that some coaches have scholarships… hopefully someone more knowledgeable than I will share that information.
Just wanted to say check out the coaches mentioned in this forum you might find a great resource.
Also ask for help… here and local directors or actors who might have been through the process… and BAL…
@MTTwinsinCA Thank you so much for this! Right now my parents expect for my sis and I to fill out every scholarship under the sun this summer. And the FASFA form is something they told us we’d be filling out later. I live in VA so I’m not too far away from some pretty great schools. I’ve been lucky to find some really great in-state programs that at the most are 2 hours away from home, which are great options price wise. As for the coaching info I will definitely look into it. I didn’t know scholarships were available. I will try my hardest to get one!
@WhiteRaven1 - See, you are already not alone!!! Look at all of the support you can get here. Rooting for you and happy to answer any questions that I can
I also agree to check out some of the ‘hidden gem’ schools out there. The price tag on a lot of the top schools can be shocking, even after scholarships. Once you get into a program, the financial journey begins, with scholarships, loans, ect. Some of the lesser known programs offer enticing packages to get kids there (the University of Memphis has a few “full ride” scholarships). Also, don’t discount the value of grades/test scores. Stacking scholarships (academic + artistic) will make some of the higher priced schools actually feasible.
In addition to I Got In by Mary Anna Dennard (you can order it cheaply from Amazon), here are some resources that may help you:
- Matthew Edwards from Shenandoah has a great website called The College Audition Blog. Under the "Musical Theater" menu heading you will find some great articles on materials, repertoire, do's and don'ts, "Secrets to Acing Your Audition," and much more.
- The Getaccptd blog has some great tips on the audition process.
- Take a look at the "Preparing to Apply" thread, which is posted at the top of this forum :http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/477658-preparing-to-apply-information-for-h-s-juniors-and-seniors.html#latest
- If you can, sit down with your parents and go through some of these websites with them to show them what you are about to go through.
NOTE FROM MODERATOR: Thank you for trying to be helpful. However, as you noted in your post, CC does not permit links to BLOGS. Using a “spell around” is against the rules. These have to be deleted. Please do not use “spell arounds.” Further, links to sites that also promote services, such as coaching, as was originally posted in item #1, are not allowed. People can google if they wish based on information left after editing. Thank you for your cooperation along with the helpfulness.
I know you want a BFA, but another “safety” possibility is to do a BA at a school that offers good scholarship money and also has a BFA conservatory type program and allows BA students to take most of the same classes as the BFA students.
Mary Anna Dennard also has a collection of great short videos on her web page, “College Audition Coach.” Look under “VLOG” on the main menu and you will find about 40 short videos on just about every aspect of auditioning. Viewing these videos is a great way to get an overview on the process and they may help you communicate with your parents about the rigorous requirements of the admission and audition process faced by MT applicants.
I definitely want to echo the idea of using all the free resources availble. Mary Ann Denard’s Vlogs were very helpful, along with VoiceTeachers website, as are these forms. Just don’t spend to much time on CC because it can get crazy at times. I would suggest joining next years Facebook group that will replace The Troupe. It’s all just students helping each other out. A final suggestion is to go on YouTube. Jonathan Flom (also from Shenandoah, although he’s leaving) has some college audition advice. Tyce Green who is popular on Twitter and YouTube has done a lot of help for younger people wanting to major in Musical Theatre.
My only other advice is to keep your gpa and act as high as possible and to not overthink things and let this process consume you.
Such great advice given to you here!
One thing that I would suggest is to get an honest assessment regarding your talent level from someone who is objective and really knowledgeable regarding college MT auditioning. I think that both Mary Anna Dennard and Ellen Lettrich (@MTTwinsinCA mentioned above) have assessment sessions available.
I’m not suggesting this to deter you, but it would be helpful for you to know how competitive you would be and how much of an uphill battle you’d have. The competition is fierce . . . but if you had a positive assessment (via Skype) then that would be helpful in trying to convince your parents to support you.
Hello everyone! I thought I would give a little update 8 months later! So it is the end of December and right now things are in full swing. I finished all of my applications and setting up audition by the 1st or 2nd week of October. I originally applied to 13 schools, with 2 of them needing prescreens. I sent my prescreens in for Otterbein and Shenandoah MT. Rejected for both of them. I crossed Otterbein off my list and put Shenandoah back on for their BFA in Acting. I auditioned for JMU on Nov 12, won’t hear anything back til January. On Nov 19+20 I auditioned for Baldwin Wallace for MT and Acting. Also rejected from both of these programs. I was admitted into the school so as of right now I am changing that intended major to BA in Theatre: Acting and Directing. Dec 9 I auditioned for VCU and I found out today that I am waitlisted. I never expected this process to be easy but damn… this has taken a toll me. All I want is one yes from somewhere…anywhere… 8-|
@WhiteRaven1 thank you for an update, and your honesty. My hope for you is that you get that ONE perfect match yes-same as I’m hoping for my D. Break Legs, in any and all auditions, interviews etc-we are rooting for you!!
Congratulations @WhiteRaven1 on getting everything in and having auditions well underway. Hope the good news comes soon. Keep your chin up. It ain’t over till that lady sings.
Remember it only takes one!! BAL in the rest of your auditions!