<p>Remember that these schools are spending a LOT of money sending their staff to Unifieds. Why would they waste that money if they had already filled all their slots? (Or even if they thought they would only see the “best” kids only on campus auditions.) You will be fine.</p>
<p>I definitely agree with Momarmarino regarding summer intensives and coaching. My D is a graduating senior from a BFA MT program (less than 4 weeks to go -yay!). Of course coaching and summer camps/intensives will not hurt anything- especially for those who are in more remote areas and may not have access to many MT opportunities. My D did not use a coach or attend any camps before applying and had great success with her auditions. Few of those in her current class did coaching, although some did do summer theater. Granted we are in a large area with many theater opportunities- she was fortunate to be cast in a number of regional theater productions while in high school. She did not attend a performing arts high school, but did audition for everything in our area that she could. Even if she thought she had no chance at landing a role, she looked at each audition as an opportunity to improve her audition skills. We still know plenty of kids who auditioned this year and got into at least several programs with no coaching or summer intensives. I think each person needs to do what works best for them depending on their circumstances. We have to remember that the majority of students auditioning don’t read CC and may not have great resources going into these auditions, and some still are accepted. I just hate for anyone to read these boards and think that they have no chance for success if they do not have private coaching or access to summer programs.</p>
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<p>takeitallin- good points, but like you say, you have to look at your own circumstances - we don’t all live in an area with that kind of access…</p>
<p>Also, I think things have changed in four years.</p>
<p>^^ That, too!</p>
<p>I was going to say what Tracy said regarding test scores . . . high test scores = BIG MONEY. But if money’s not an object . . . .</p>
<p>glassharmonica . . . agreed and we weren’t trying to game the system . . . but having someone see you when they are fresh if one can schedule it that way, then I say go for it! These kids can use every advantage!</p>
<p>Changed in what way? The audition and application process is what it was four years ago. Even if there are more kids auditioning for the same number of spots, is the true talent level of the entire pool much different? No.</p>
<p>I’d submit that what has changed is the coaching “industry.” Positives and negatives aside, coaching is a business. These aren’t non-profit entities. Some do great work and do not overcharge or exploit the clients. But all of them have to get business for people to get paid. Over the past couple of years, the marketing has been ramped up. It is a soft sell in many cases, but it is sales, make no mistake about it. That is the change I’ve seen.</p>
<p>CollegeSearchDad, I respectfully disagree. Not only are there more kids applying, but there are more prescreens than there were just a few years ago, and I believe the talent pool IS different. I think both the students and their parents are getting more savvy, starting training and/or coaching earlier, and there are more talented kids than ever before. I have heard several schools mention it (even putting it in their acceptance/rejection/waitlist letters), and I have heard coaches mention it. So, when I said things have changed, I meant more applicants, harder to get into the schools, more hoops to jump through, and more talent to compete against. And I think it will only get harder.</p>
<p>It’s definitely harder now. I know people who did this a few years ago and got into a handful of school with no coaching or much real preparation at all. Now you have kids beginning to train for BFA admissions when they are high school freshman. I always thought college was where I would get training. Now you have to be pretty much trained to compete at the top programs. I’m not really sure still where the line is between talent and training though. And I’m not convinced that alot of schools are either. I don’t think students are any more talented now. But I do think they are and have to be much more trained than 5 years ago to be competitive. Especially girls.</p>
<p>Oh it’s changed! The raw talent may be the same but the level of experience, preparedness and polish is vastly different. A chair at one of the very well known schools told me that the changes he has seen in the auditions in the last 2 years is astounding. A friend of mine has two daughters 4 years apart. One graduated from CCM last year and the second just auditioned. She said that what she experienced at unifieds was completely different. The whole process was just a whole lot easier the first time around. Start preparing now and don’t believe otherwise. It’s a tough and very competitive process and it’s only getting worse. It’s doable but bring it ALL!!!</p>
<p>As a parent of 3 kids who have gone through the overall college application process over the last 6 years, including two in the musical theatre major, I can definitely say there has been change in the application process and audition process in the last four years. Some schools which wanted a student to apply to their general admissions prior to auditioning have changed their policies, some schools which did not use a prescreen method now do, some schools which participated in unifieds or make themselves available then
have changed, some schools which didn’t have rolling admissions now do (which can change the overall application/audition process further on), etc. It’s certainly subjective as to if it’s easier or more difficult to succeed. One thing is for sure - the process of applying for these types of programs is more complicated with more steps along the way. I believe the wealth of information and facts on these boards support this position and those of others.</p>
<p>I agree that there is a larger pool for college applicants now than a few years ago- we have a sr. in high school who just finished the application process. Although he is not in MT, the overall process was much more competitive than a few years ago. Our D is graduating from a BFA MT program this year but auditioned 3 years ago (she transferred from another BFA program- yes we have been thru this twice!) I still stand by what I said about coaching not being an absolute for the audition process in MT- we know a number of kids from our area who were admitted to very competitive MT programs THIS year (CMU, Muhlenberg, NYU, UCLA, Texas State) w/o any coaching or summer intensives. Like I said before, coaching could be a real plus- especially for those who do not live in an area where there are a lot of opportunities. I just do not want those who are starting this process to think they have no chance w/o paying for coaching.</p>
<p>Interesting post takeitallin. I don’t think that you have no chance without some coaching/training. I do think coached/trained kids definitely have A BETTER chance unless the non coached kid is a prodigy. Were the kids you know that were admitted to “very competitive” (and to that, which programs are not competitive exactly?) programs kids who went to PA schools or took other classes? Or are you talking about the corn-fed, girl from Iowa with limited opportunities for acting/voice etc. who signs up, walks in and gets accepted? I’d find it very rare to see someone like that get in, despite her talent. I think being prepared for an audition is key. A coach or program can help you do this. I think it might be a disservice to say otherwise. If you can find a way to get some training, or even a bit of audition coaching, you are better off.</p>
<p>These are kids like my D who are from non PA schools in So. Calif. - and that is the point I have made before. We are in an an area that has great access to theater activities so some of these kids have been involved in theater outside of school- mostly community and some regional. Most have taken private voice lessons and some private dance. One boy who had great success has had no training outside of regular high school chorus and 1 mt performance at his high school each year. I would not say he is a prodigy but that he has talent-in-the raw, which I think certain MT programs are still looking for.</p>
<p>We know a girl who got into Juilliard’s acting program with no coaching, no training, and just plain raw talent. She lived in a tiny town in a state far away from everything, and only had a few high school shows on her resume. (I don’t think it hurts that she is drop dead gorgeous.) But it DOES happen. </p>
<p>However, I think that the opposite happens more often…I have seen peers of my D get into zero auditioned schools, or only one auditioned school, and they are extremely talented kids who got no coaching. Can you get into good auditioned programs with no coaching? Absolutely! But I agree with theatermom2013…if you can get it, you may be better off.</p>
<p>Like abparent, I’ve been doing this for a while now too (my oldest entered Tisch back in 2007, and I’m readying for my third time around!). I do think the process has changed as abparent describes – but not as much as people are making out. </p>
<p>What I’ve noticed is the influence of Glee, plus all the reality shows celebrating singing/performing. It has had an enormous influence on popular culture and has made MT much more visible and makes it seem like a viable career. The proliferation of BFA programs bears this out. </p>
<p>But I absolutely categorically do not notice a rise in talent. What I see is a rise in an awareness of ‘talent’ and a sort of hushed reverence for ‘Talent’. To me, this ties back to the popular rise in appreciation for singers/dancers tied to reality shows/Glee.</p>
<p>I also completely agree that coaches are a business, a big business, and that the buyer needs to beware. A reputable coach can certainly increase your odds-- but one should always bear in mind they are a business and it is their direct interest to paint themselves as essential. And I too have seen relatively inexperienced un-coached kids successfully get into top ranked programs. Each program is looking for something different. Although it never hurts to be drop dead gorgeous that’s for sure!</p>
<p>There are probably more kids auditioning for MT now but there are also a lot more programs or slots. Probably balanced out.</p>
<p>Some of the schools we talked to said the number of auditioners had increased 40% in just the last year or two (I believe it was Syracuse who gave out that #). That is a huge increase and its happening in all sizes of programs. we also talked to a relatively new BFA program and they said just a couple of years ago they had to pull people in from the halls to audition for their program at Unifieds, but now they have to turn people away as there is not time to see all the people who want to audition for them. (Coastal Carolina). We are new to the process so we cant speak from personal experience about how things may have changed, but from what the schools are telling us, they’re having a tough time keeping up with the explosive growth in applicants and they’re all still trying to figure out how to deal with it. So many of them are moving to prescreens to try to spend more time with applicants they have a strong interest in. Right now the sheer volume of applicants makes it very hard to weed through everyone to find those 10-20 kids who would be perfect for their particular program. I think the advent of prescreening videos and the need to stand out in the midst of an ever-growing crowd had made it more difficult for the “raw” talent to be discovered. Knowing all this, one piece of advice I have for next years applicants is to apply early and schedule your auditions as early as you can. We had all of ours scheduled by October for the entire year. We did have to make some slight changes later on due to work, but the schools involved were very accommodating. But we know several people who did not get to audition for schools in which they are interested because there were just no audition slots available.</p>
<p>Good advice from vvnstar! Scheduling auditions can be like doing a Rubik’s Cube. We had all of ours scheduled by end of September or early October, except for the schools that had prescreens and had not yet gotten back to us (and for those, we knew when the audition dates were, and held slots open just in case). I, too, know of people who did not get auditions b/c the slots filled up. Also, be aware that some schools release audition dates really early. Last year, Indiana University allowed you to choose your audition date on May 1st (yes…that is TWO WEEKS from now!). And Ithaca allows you to schedule audition dates on August 1st, and they fill up quickly. </p>
<p>I bought a calendar, and penciled in all the audition dates as they became available, and then shuffled them around until they all fit. We were traveling to auditions every weekend between January and March, but we fit them all in. Also be aware that Syracuse and Ithaca have audition dates right next to each other (e.g., Syracuse on a Friday, Ithaca on a Saturday of the same January weekend), which (if you are driving and doing on campus auditions) is very convenient, given that they are only an hour and 15 minutes from each other.</p>
<p>So, schedule auditions EARLY. And, for schools that require prescreens, get those in early too, because then you have more flexibility choosing audition dates.</p>
<p>I would love to hear what kind of organizational systems people used to keep track of everything.</p>