<p>Your kid when there are no acceptances (we still have 2 auditions), even the local school that doesn't have a set number rejected her. She feels like this means she shouldn't pursue this career, but doesn't know what else to do. This is so heartbreaking! </p>
<p>Does she have any non audition schools that she likes?</p>
<p>She was thinking, before today, that Temple would be her back up. She auditioned for their MT & acting & found out yesterday she was rejected for MT (no word on acting). After today’s rejection she is feeling like she shouldn’t be pursuing this degree. </p>
<p>Tell her things happen for a reason, her path will unfold. Maybe she will end up in an academic program with an opportunity to perform and she will fall in love with the school and discover other interests…stage management, film, communications. Or she will attend a safety, not love it, but work her butt off to prepare to audition next spring and end up with many MT options. This does not need to make or break her. What she does in the face of adversity is up to her. </p>
<p>How many schools did she audition for? Did she get help with prep work thru coaches or other professionals? I know it is heartbreaking, but there have been many discussions that the “top 20” programs only take about 200 kids. Then the next 20 take about 200-300 kids. None of us can figure out how many kids are auditioning for these spots, but suffice it to say there just aren’t enough spots to go around. It is easy to get discouraged. While it could have to do about where her skills are at this point in time, it could also have to do with type (looks and vocal type), song or monologue selection, etc. There are many ways to define success, and many paths to get there.</p>
<p>It is SO hard!!! But don’t lose faith, you only need one yes! Or an interim plan to get to the next auditions. Good luck and keep us posted.</p>
<p>So she has no non audition schools? </p>
<p>She could probably still apply for Columbia College Chicago if she really wants MT. (Non-audition, pretty close to open admissions…) Though Temple is a really good school academically, and maybe she’d be better off there. </p>
<p>prekibt, first, that is heartbreaking. It’s just so hard when our children suffer.
But now for some questions. First, how prepared was she? This is a very competitive process; many kids have years of voice lessons plus intensive coaching. Did she have this? If not, that could easily be a reason she hasn’t had acceptances this year so far. If she has, was it a coach who had familiarity with the system who could gave her feedback on which schools she was a good type for, which songs flattered her, etc.?</p>
<p>Here’s what I’d say-- Does she still feel passionate about acting and singing? If she wants to be an actor, she will have to be very persistent, so you can view this as a good test. </p>
<p>If she wants to pursue this field, she has a few options.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Take a gap year and reapply next year. Work, live at home (if ok with you), take lessons if possible, and <em>find a coach</em> who can help prepare her for next year. If you live in a remote area, there are top coaches who Skype. If your budget is tight, any coaching is better than none, and if she works, she can pay or help pay for the coaching. It is an investment. My children have taken gap years and it has made them that much more mature when they go to college; in their cases it has been a good decision.</p></li>
<li><p>Go to a regular BA college, take classes including theatre/voice classes, and either pursue theatre while at the college, or transfer later on and reapply. If she goes to a regular college, she can major in whatever and take voice lessons, dance lessons, acting lessons, and apply for summer programs, internships and so on. This would also give her the sense of whether she is really suited for this career, which I think is her real question. Once at the BA program, she can always audition for a BFA program and transfer. This may be a more expensive route however, as many BFA programs have a mandated 4 year track (but others don’t). </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Good luck. It’s very scary and disappointing, but I have known many people who don’t get in anywhere, and then the next year get into a top BFA program. </p>
<p>Yes, she has non audition schools, 2, but after we went to Temple, she said that would be her safety. We will see.</p>
<p>She has had voice lessons for a few years & we had a coach briefly, it turned out to be a nightmare (this girl really didn’t know what she was doing), so basically we did this w/out coaching. Worked w/a different voice teacher after that who helped her w/her songs,etc & gave her some general advice. So yea we are pretty raw when it comes to that, which was a concern of mine, but still felt she should try.</p>
<p>We have done 8 schools, we have U of Arts & Suny Fredonia left, but I’m not feeling too optimistic after the results so far. </p>
<p>Thanks for being there. I appreciate the advice, hopefully she will be able to hear it after she has some time to come to terms w/today’s results. And she has her HS show this weekend! </p>
<p>@preklbt these ladies have given some great advice!! The GAP year isn’t a bad option and many more students all the time are taking this option. Two of our six “Seniors” in our conservatory this year were actually GAP year students. They have both had a great better success this year over last year. They were both kids who had not had years of technical training and were very raw. Last year we had one GAP year student who had previously auditioned and only got into two programs and he didn’t like either. He took a year and did nothing but train and the next year he made it into CCM. </p>
<p>Finding coaches can be a really hard thing because this is such a unique audition situation many are not experienced enough to understand. A mom having gone through this process has more experience than most coaches out there and definitely more than most High School teachers/advisors. There are some great teachers/coaches from around the country that do SKYPE and those lessons are just as good as those in person. </p>
<p>I am so glad you reached out!! This has been a great place for people to connect and help one another through the process!! </p>
<p>Preklbt, where are you located? Wondering if you could get to my D’s acting teacher. </p>
<p>Thanks again everyone, we appreciate all of the great advice. When my daughter is ready we will share this with her.</p>
<p>For those that asked, we live in upstate NY, near Rochester, NY</p>
<p>Well, she may still get in, right? What about Temple straight acting (as opposed to MT)? Isn’t that without an audition? She would still get the training and she can take voice lessons. </p>
<p>Hopefully she’ll get into her other places. Keep us posted—I think her real question is, “Do I have what it takes?” And to that question, I’d say she can’t know based on her rejections. If she didn’t get any coaching she’s competing with kids who have; she could easily be more talented than some kids who got in, you just don’t know. Skype is a great way of hiring coaches for people who are more remote. Does Rochester have any theatre? (Sorry if that’s an ignorant question!)</p>
<p>There’s a great coach in Rochester, NY. She has students currently placed at CMU, CCM, etc. and on Broadway w/ a leading role right now. She has 3 kids applying to colleges now and all have offers. If you PM me, I can give you her name if you don’t already know of her. </p>
<p>prklbt please do not give up hope. All it takes is one acceptance. Things happen for a reason. I know you and I have emailed privately so I will be seeing you at Fredonia. I was told there are still spots there so all you can do is keep her positive. Things do happen for a reason and I truly believe they are going to end up where they are meant to be. We were devistated Wednesday when the no came in from Michigan. It has been his dream school for years. It just wasnt meant to be. He has the one acceptance and is on the wait list for another plus waiting on two so we shall see where he is meant to be. HAng in there. </p>