<p>I used a Google spreadsheet and calendar to organize everything. Listed all audition dates in the spreadsheet and then looked for possible weekends where we could do 2 on campus auditions with minimal driving. We started scheduling as early as possible so we would have the most flexibility. My son wanted to do as many as possible on campus, especially the ones he felt most strongly about. I also highly recommend finding a school or two that do November or December auditions that also have rolling admissions. Ideally, they should be schools that are not the most competitive schools on your list. Besides getting your feet wet early in the audition room, you may also be able to pick up an early acceptance which can really take the pressure off the rest of the entire process.</p>
<p>I had a notebook with a page for each school where I wrote down general info (size, sports teams they had, location, study abroad, senior showcase) various specific requirements (application info and dates) and names of all the contact people as well as dates we sent everything in and eventually dates/times of auditions, academic acceptances etc.
I had a long list of schools on another sheet with catagories to check off (SAT scores, recommendation letters, transcripts) as we sent them (AND the schools received them!) as well as application passwords (so you can check on things for your busy kid!)
I had a page for Unified info and a page for getacceptd.com.
THEN I had a calender with all the trips, which schools and flight times. This got changed around many times as conflicts arose. I made my D husband’s Southwest Airlines Companion so he could take her on trips when we ran out of SW miles.
I had a folder in my email with flight, car, train, hotel reservation emails just for auditions trips. And one for all the emails from the schools (I had D forward me a copy of the important ones so we’d both have them.)
Finally, I had a page with all the audition requirements for each school (every single school just a little bit different from the others). And D of course had a copy of this herself.
And we loved hearing early from a rolling admission school! PelkyAgain is SO right, took a lot of the pressure off! DO NOT have your child’s “dream school” be his first audition!</p>
<p>I’m on the other side of the spectrum. I didn’t do anything much. I’m a single mom and work full time. My daughter and I looked over the possible dates together, she checked her schedule and figured out what would work, I jotted it on my calendar, and she was responsible for everything else - including making sure she had everything she needed for the big day - except for hotel reservations if they were necessary. We are fortunate in that we live within driving distance of NYC.</p>
<p>I want to debunk one myth which is that going last on an audition day hurts you. I know that Unifieds are likely more time challenged and stressful for the colleges than a campus audition, and our S did not go to Unifieds. However, his audition for Texas State and Carnegie Mellon was the last in the day at the campus audition. Seemed to work out fine. (Which is to say he was accepted at both ultimately.)</p>
<p>I think the challenge would be more for the auditionee to remain “up” during the long wait to audition and stay focused. At Texas State, he went back to hotel and napped between dance and his singing/acting.</p>
<p>As to scheduling campus auditions, we could not schedule one callback because one of their dates fell on a school conflict and the other fell on another (more preferred) campus audition. I just used my outlook calendar. Mary Anna provides a calendar on her musical theatre online system but as the chief travel agent and audition valet/chaperone, I needed to integrate the audition schedule with my work schedule. We created physical regular manila file folders for all of the mailings, loose leaf pamphlets and documents picked up at auditions and notes we took along the way. In four years we will likely be doing this again, so these files may come in handy. Way too big for us to carry in a notebook. Made our reservations for each audition 4 or 5 weeks out. We ended up cancelling a few school auditions along the way when S’s interest in them waned including the final school audition after securing Penn State and Carnegie.</p>
<p>Are there more kids auditioning? Yes. Has the talent level of the overall pool changed? Not realistically and not statistically. There are more kids auditioning, but those kids are sprinkled along the entire pool, from the really talented down to the ones who have no realistic shot of acceptance. So, it does not drastically change a student’s statistical chances at acceptance very much. I will say that there are more coached kids in the pool (therefore, more coached kids will gain acceptance*), but I stand by my contention that more coached kids has more to do with marketing and parents thinking their child will get left behind than actual necessity. </p>
<p>To say that a kid with no audition coaching or training has to be a “prodigy” to gain acceptance to a competitive program is an overstatement to say the least (audition coaching and training are two very diffferent things). Every year, there are kids gaining acceptance to these programs who have no audition coaching, no “outside” training and no summer program, even if they do not attend a performing arts HS. That will continue. The professors running these auditions are good at what they do. They are not perfect, and they do not get it 100% right every time, but they mostly get it right considering their task. I do not think raw talent is being left behind and replaced with slightly lesser or equal talent that has been coached.</p>
<p>A word about coaching. Its not just about monologue or song selection. Not just about preparing or coaching the actual audition. I have said this before. Its about learning the lay of the land - college audition land. Having an expert in the field to talk to was invaluable. Still is, as we approach the decision being made - likely this week. The knowledge gained lowered our stress level. Lower stress = higher achievement and focus on what is important. My S would likely have gotten into some good programs without a coach (maybe not all but some). But I likely would have lost of lot of my “gray hair” in the process. I knew more and we managed the process better. That was just as much a tangible benefit as the actual monologue coaching.</p>
<p>grayhairedman, I’m always for less stress and I’ve said in other threads that I am not anti-coaching and I believe people should navigate these waters as they see fit. However, I see more and more posts that infer that kids can’t do this without coaching, or need to be a “prodigy” to get accepted into a top program without coaching and my son is proof that it is not the case. </p>
<p>My son researched the lay of the land, talked to as many people as possible, found out info on over-done audition pieces, etc. I did my own fair amount of homework, but my wife and I were completely uninvolved in the audition side of it. We still couldn’t tell you what pieces he did in auditions. We were totally hands off in this regard, but did the travel arrangements, some scheduling, etc. We were, as we have been with our non-theater kids, completely involved in the tours, financial aid, etc. It was an honestly low stress process for us as well.</p>
<p>Also, I feel, two years later, that my son feels he is better equipped and has done better in auditions for school productions and outide productions for having done it himself. That to us was a tangible benefit.</p>
<p>The auditions are considerably more crowded than before - therefore it is more likely “raw” talent will have a more difficult time making themselves known among the professional head shots and resumes, well selected monologue and song choices and polished in person presentations to well matched schools. Not to say it can’t be done but it is getting more and more difficult with the large numbers of well prepared auditioners these colleges are seeing. Like grayhairedman, I am a fan of coaching. I think there is a misperception as to what it is and how much it costs. knowing nothing about MT schools, programs and coming from a relatively small city, we appreciated talking to someone who could explain the process to us. I feel the few sessions we had with a coach saved us so much money in the long run in having a good list of schools and feasible audition schedule for our D with audition material she loved and that was well received during auditions. It took a lot of stress out of the process. The support continues thru the decision making process including support from other kids using the same coach. our daughter has made so many new friends through her coaches’ facebook group – there was not an audition we attended where she didnt know at least a few other auditioners which made auditions more fun and less scary – and she even met her soon to be college roommate thru her coach even though we live in completely different parts of the country. So coaching can have many positives besides just working on your actual audition material. It’s not absolutely necessary but can be helpful to people like us who had no knowledge of this process.<br>
Having said that: another helpful hint: write your user names, student I.d. S, and passwords for each school somewhere they are easy to locate. Some schools provide these for you. Some you create yourself. But trust me, when you hear that decisions have been posted in the online portal, the last thing you want to do is scrounge around trying to remember your login info for each school so you can find out whether or not you’ve been accepted!</p>
<p>I used many of the same organizational tools as the rest. An excel spreadsheet, a physical folder, email folders, etc… </p>
<p>One thing I did put in our Unifieds notebook was a list of why my D was interested in the school. I had her write it in that way right before auditions she could go in and refresh her memory as to why she chose that school to audition at or what interested her about that particular school or if she had a specific questions to ask them. Also we created an email account for my D that we only started using once the applications went out. All her apps, common app and getacceptd forms had this email on it. It was her name that way it would be easy to identify as her even at the schools. It made it easier because the other email was still getting those emails to come check out there school-that way we didn’t risk losing any information.</p>
<p>The boy/girl thing is huge Collegesearchdad. I also know boys who had no parental involvement at all beyond a credit card number from time to time and did just fine. Girls, not so much. Targeting schools is huge. For people just wanting to get into a BFA program I still think it’s entirely doable if you start closer to the bottom of the list than the top. But lots of very talented girls with awards and leads and all of that only ended up with a few non-top choices. There may be more programs now but there are not more top programs and that’s obviously what most are going to target. Lots of people decide to just try for a few to see if they have what it takes and if not do something else. I don’t think people are any more talented than they were 4 years ago but I definitely think the same talent level as back then will have less of a chance at the sought after schools. I auditioned for 6 and have 4 acceptances including 1 non-audition. But I was very picky.</p>
<p>It’s also often not about talent at all. Otherwise, people would not get into one amazing program and be rejected from much lower ranked schools.</p>
<p>actor 12 makes a very good point about the big difference between boys and girls in this process. Not that it’s exactly easy for boys either, but if you look at the statistics, well, there’s obviously a difference. My D did not use a coach because we didn’t know. But she did do a summer program and I think that is why she ended up getting accepted at two of her 10 auditioned schools. I think her list might have been different if we had used a coach, and she may have chosen different material. But she also did not audition for ANY school that she wouldn’t have been absolutely happy with an acceptance. She had no ‘safety’ schools on her list, and if it hadn’t worked out, she would have taken a gap year and done it all again. She learned so much through the process and by trial and error with auditions. Made some mistakes that now seem very obvious. And unfortunately didn’t get to show some of the schools her best work because of it. That’s where the investment of a coach would have definitely paid off. At least at some level. No one is saying you can’t get in without one, but boy, you have a much better shot with one.</p>
<p>Definitely agree that it is a different ballgame for girls.</p>
<p>vvnstar, I’m not confusing “raw talent” with being unprepared or less prepared than the people who have had audition coaching. There’s no excuse for going into this whole ride unprepared. You need a professional headshot, resume, good song/monologue selections, etc. I am saying there are different ways to garner that information. Obviously, knowledge is power. And putting that knowledge into practice with maturity and confidence is key.</p>
<p>@CollegeSearchDad, Well I think you should be commended then for raising your son. If he was that organized and managed the process that well, good for him and you. I don’t doubt the experience was valuable for him. </p>
<p>I see that he is not part of this year’s class. When does he graduate? Where did he go to school? What does he plan on doing or going after school?</p>
<p>grayhairedman, thank you, but I’d say his ability to manage the process came from my better half, not me! And, I don’t think he is the exception. I think most kids who get involved in this field are on the ball, and in some ways, at least where their passion is concerned, are more mature/organized than the average high school kid, and that goes for those who are coached and not coached! </p>
<p>He is almost half way thru at Point Park. Not sure what his plans are post-grad yet. If I had to guess, I’d imagine how things go over the next year or so in school and with outside opportunities will determine that.</p>
<p>^^^Interesting point CollegeSearchDad- I do think these kids tend to be more mature than the average. I know in my daughter’s case she had to figure out at a young age how to manage her time well in order to fit in school work and rehearsals that went until at least 11. It is a definite benefit when going thru the audition process and when juggling everything in college. Mine will have her final showcase in NY in a couple of weeks and then we will see what happens. Her organizational skills (or maybe it is just her ability to get by on little sleep) have really paid off the last few months while she has been finishing up with her classes, preparing for their Showcase, and traveling extensively auditioning. Your son is not too far off from this same milestone (it goes so quickly!!) - it is a pretty exciting time for them and, I’m sure, very stressful!</p>
<p>My son would not have had the time honestly. Full load, his senior year. Three AP classes. 5 shows this year. Leads in most. Full theatre and choir committment, contests, etc. in addition to the auditions which caused him to miss school each time. </p>
<p>It was his maturity that allowed him to travel, miss school, keep up homework by doing it in hotels, learn lines on the plane, etc.</p>
<p>We would sit down over a laptop to discuss who he wanted to audition for, the merits of each, etc. I have friends who teach theatre and MT in college and they gave me a lot of info. But we also needed a third party, outside of those friends to advise. And that’s where Mary Anna came in.</p>
<p>I have been off CC for a while but came back today and am enjoying this thread. Here’s what I would add. First, agree with grayhairedman that timing of audition doesn’t matter. My D had her best auditions with two schools that were the “last day” of their on campus auditions. I think her confidence grew as time went by. In fact, her final choice she auditioned for at about 5:45pm on a Sunday of the last day. So there you go.</p>
<p>Additionally, I would say that another lesson learned for us is to figure out how to still have senior year moments (not senior moments…) despite this massive scheduling and energy drain. I feel like she didn’t really have much of a “senior year” - she is in a blur right now. Her friends are all really relishing every “last” event, while we have been rushing from this to that. We finally sat still after she made her college choice and WHAM we are in the throes of the last 4 weeks of school? How did this happen? So I am warning other parents that the senior year for an aspiring MT student looks a little different. </p>
<p>However, we would not trade it for the world. Just grateful the Junior Year was so “full” of high school memories. And we are still excited for the next few weeks…</p>
<p>Ok this thread has been silent for a few weeks, but I want to debunk a myth or something else I was told by a couple of different sources.</p>
<p>MYTH - if a school accepts your child (or you) into their program, they will do EVERYTHING they can to matriculate them until decision time. Actually, I was told this was especially true of the “top” schools.</p>
<p>Well, we did not find this to be true. I imagined that come late March, with my son’s choices, we would be getting multiple phone calls and emails from chairs of departments. There would be negotiating talent scholarships like NCAA schools recruiting a star athlete. Part of this was based on what I was told by reliable sources. I won’t elaborate further. Part of this MUST have been my imagination spurred on by my hopes and dreams.</p>
<p>Yes, many of the acceptance calls are made by chairs or key department faculty. There was some indication that small adjustments could be made to talent scholarships. But we saw a wide range of recruitment techniques employed from non-existent to extensive email correspondence. </p>
<p>There were also schools who do a good job recruiting while the student is at the actual auditions and one top school that is terrible at it.</p>
<p>In any event, it was not quite the hard sell we expected. One school had a neighbor of a current student call. Nice touch. Of course another school uses an extensive postcard from current students campaign. But most schools are not very good at it. I think they would be surprised how far a personal touch goes with a lot of people. And certainly, the money did not come pouring in. One chair that I liked very much said yes, we could possibly find a little more money if it made a difference but I am not going to buy your son, (actually made it sound like a negative and I am thinking - go ahead and buy him, I don’t have an objection lol.)</p>
<p>I will name one school in this thread and that’s Texas State, where my son is attending. They do a great job of recruiting at the audition and at decision time. And after decision, well it’s celebration time and very exciting.</p>
<p>I do know there are excellent schools out there, top schools, that are mediocre recruiters and do not negotiate or bend on talent scholarship. I think that’s ok. That is not what we need them to be good at but I do think it’s important for the next wave of parents or CC students to know that in advance. Don’t take it personally.</p>
<p>Grayhaired man, I’m glad you posted this. 2 years ago, my daughter was accepted into 4 of the selective MT programs she had applied to. Only one of the programs sent anything to her at all; an email from a current student in the program who told her that they were excited there might be the possibility she would come there, and that was actually received BEFORE she received the acceptance! It was a little confusing . . . however, she never heard from anyone else. I believe from what I’ve heard that there is not a lot of ‘recruiting’ that goes on, unless a student has narrowed it down to 2 schools and is actively contacting those schools again and again while trying to decide, as happened with a friend of ours. Perhaps this is because there are so many students currently auditioning, that the schools know that they will ultimately fill their quotas, and unlike the sports world, there is no special fame or fortune aligned with compiling a ‘winning team’.</p>
<p>I think it really depends on the schools! My D was accepted to 5 programs, and not one of them let her know of her acceptance by phone call (kind of a let down, after all we heard/read about waiting by the phone for “the call.” All of them contacted her by email, letter, or on the school’s website). But, of these 5 schools, 4 of them actively recruited her with phone calls, personal emails, etc. after she was accepted. They called our home phone, her cell phone, sent her emails, sent me emails…it was very difficult for her to say no to some of them b/c they had been so kind. One of them asked her what her hesitation was in saying yes to them, and she responded cost was a big factor. They responded 2 days later with a $15,000/year talent scholarship. Ouch …it hurt saying no to them.</p>
<p>Ironically, the school she chose was the one that did not recruit her after acceptance …but, I have to say they were extremely responsive when we contacted them. And, when she called/visited, they were so warm and kind…we didn’t care that they weren’t actively recruiting her prior to her decision.</p>
<p>Bottom line: all the schools do it differently. I don’t think anyone should go into this process expecting anything but the unexpected.</p>