<p>Any other parents of juniors currently auditioning at the Int'l Thespian Conference this week? Any impressions yet from your kiddos? So far my D's experience has been positive. She says her auditions went well, and had the opportunity/callbacks to visit with most of the schools she was hoping to pursue further. If anything, it has been a nice way to break in some new monologues and see how they feel in front of an audience. </p>
<p>Any parents of students who have done it in the past? What was your (or your child's) experience like? Do you think it impacted the "full" audition they do for schools later? I've heard it is not typical for students to be offered acceptances after their auditions at nationals, but I have also seen exceptions to that, also. I don't think they are allowed to offer on the spot acceptances or scholarships, but I know of a few students who received letters of acceptance over the summer into some programs. </p>
<p>Anyone else have good juicy bits about Nationals? </p>
<p>My daughter is also at Nebraska right now. She had a wonderful time with the college audition process and got call backs for the programs she was most interested in. Only one program offered her an immediate acceptance, and she thought the program seemed a bit like a scam. But, she had very positive conversations with 3 schools that she loves, which, at the very least, has built up her confidence. I am hoping that the contacts that she make there will help her with formal auditions next year. I believe she is getting contact info from lots of colleges. Is this similar to your daughter’s experiences?</p>
<p>Newbie here! My Junior (rising senior) son is also there now. Haven’t spoken to him yet today to see how things went, but as of yesterday, he was quite pleased with his audition and the callbacks he had received. I told him if he didn’t have time, he should prioritize his favorites, but not to rule out anyone, as you never know where you might fit best. He also had a good interaction with one of the school’s auditors following the audition…not any specific feedback or criticism, just a few minutes of friendly banter. Hope your kiddos are enjoying themselves, as well!</p>
<p>welcome @imnocleaver - hope you S does well :)</p>
<p>I did the auditions last year and they were a pretty good experience. I will say not to fret if you didn’t get a callback to a school you are interested in, and not to hold much expectation in the schools that did call you back (unless they accept you on the spot). Last year I was called back for UMin/Guthrie, SMU, Atlantic, AADA, UofNebraska, Rowan College, and Columbia of Chicago. I met with all of the schools, for some I did a second audition and others it was just a conversation. I was accepted at the callback to AADA, so that served as one of my “safety” schools for this year in case I didn’t get into a BFA program. I did a second/third audition this past school year at UMin/Guthrie, SMU, and Atlantic. I was accepted to the latter two and didn’t make the callback weekend for the first. </p>
<p>On the other side of things, at ITF, I didn’t get a callback for CCM and Hartt, both of which I got into this audition year. I also got rejected from a bunch of programs that I also I didn’t get a callback at at ITF. The college process is crazy, so I wouldn’t read into these callbacks as anything more than a chance to meet and mingle with some program heads, a chance to practice your material/audition skills, and (in some cases) practice an audition interview. I hope they all had fun with it all, it will be an exciting time for them next year!</p>
<p>YardleySisa–yes. That is very similar to my D’s experience. Her one “on the spot” acceptance seemed a little scammy, also. At least she was able to identify easily that it wasn’t for her and moved on. </p>
<p>Our overall takeaway from the experience was that it was very positive and a good confidence booster before the “real” auditions happen. D seems pretty grounded and knows that while ITF can be an indicator of future success, she’s seen exactly what Josh has described. Some schools that didn’t notice her at ITF will probably accept her, and schools she felt she had a strong connection with at ITF might not make an offer in the spring. </p>
<p>Either way, she’s happy with the experience which makes MOM happy with the experience. </p>
<p>Overall, I would encourage anyone in the future to take the opportunity to audition at ITF, just for the experience and the feedback you get. D feels like she really has a pulse for handling the audition season because of it. </p>
<p>Glad to hear the experience has seemed generally positive for most. The kids really need it, right now especially!</p>
<p>Not to be a Debbie Downer, but to share my son’s experience. Son attended his first Thespian event a year ago last December as a Junior. It was for the Northeast and he ended up being named Best in Fest, with an invitation to perform at the ITF that summer. Yay! Except, he could not attend because his school did not have a Thespian group. I contacted the Rep. for our state, and worked with that person to have son become a member of another school’s group (which the information on the ITF site said was allowed if a student’s school did not have a group of their own). No dice. The national office wanted his school to start a group, which the kids would have liked, but there was little time to do so, and no resources, human or $$ at that time. Son ended up going to CMU pre-college instead. I have read things here and there that imply a student could attend without being a member, and audition too, but that was not my son’s experience.</p>
<p>On the upside, his life took a new direction because of his being picked as Best of Fest. The kid who was going to major in jazz studies, percussion, was now going to major in MT. We both had a crash course in applications, auditions, etc. The story has a happy ending, and he will be a freshman BFA Acting major at Otterbein this fall 
</p>
<p>It turns out that my daughter received a letter from CCM at Internationals. When she followed up on that letter, the auditioner told her that she was accepted into CCM on the spot. We are thrilled! My understanding is that CCM drama is not nearly as prestigious as CCM musical theater. But still, I think it is supposed to be a very good program. And it is nice to be approaching the nerve-racking senior auditions with a good safety in the pocket. </p>
<p>I am headed to CCM in the fall for Drama. If she has any questions about the program during the year, don’t hesitate to contact me and I can answer them! It seems that most of my class got on the spot acceptances. If she decides to come visit and sit in on classes (which she should if possible wherever she gets accepted), I would be happy to show her around and get lunch! </p>
<p>Thank you, Josh 703! It is kind of you to offer to speak to my daughter. She is currently away at CMU for the summer program, and won’t be home until August. But, i will definitely tell her that she can contact you with questions. Thanks again, and good luck to you!</p>