I hope it’s not too soon to get the 2020 thread started so I’ll start the ball rolling. My D is a rising senior. She spends 1/2 days in a PA high school in our town. She is a relative late-bloomer; she was not really bitten by the performance bug until her junior year. Her academic stats are good, not great. She dug herself an enormous hole her first year 1/2 of HS and has been really working her tail off to catch up. The one upside of her struggle is an amazing admissions essay! She is doing the pre-college program in Drama at CMU primarily to test the BFA waters. She’s unsure if a BFA is the right route for her; we are hoping the summer experience will inform her decision but her list will certainly contain BFA and BA schools. I did not discover CC until after my S was through the process (he is MT - Class of 2018). I’m thrilled to be connecting much sooner with my D.
If I learned one thing from surviving the process once is to get organized early and stay organized! We’ll be re-reading “I Got In” over the summer and have already started the master tracking spreadsheet. We are on the fence about hiring a monologue coach; she will have an audition course at her PA HS but I think the coaches discussed on CC have the most up-to-date information on what the various programs are looking for. We hope to have her headshots done, the Common Application done and whatever essays she can get done (at least in draft) before senior year starts so she can focus on preparing for auditions and visiting schools during the school year.
Great to be so on top of things already, Artskids! I would agree that a coach is the way to go these days, if you can afford it.
I also want to add a (sadly) cautionary note about CMU summer program. My daughter went there as well. She had a great time. But, I think she actually good better training at Rutgers pre-college a year prior. Plus, CMU has a way of making every kid there feel like they are going to be admitted to CMU for college, which obviously wasn’t true. My daughter is going to UNCSA, and is very happy about that, so I am not complaining. But, in retrospect, I am not sure the CMU summer program was the way to go.
One great piece of advice I was given investigating pre college programs was if your goal is to spend more time with the people that comprise the audition panel (which seemed valuable to us- they would know you for more than 5 min) make sure that they are a part of the summer program. Some college summer programs include those faculty- some bring in people from outside- or have them involved in a minimalist way (a group presentation etc)
She has no illusions about CMU. She knows it’s a little like playing the lottery to get in. We looked at Rutgers (actually my first choice) but after talking to other kids who went through the CMU pre-college program, that is what she chose. I’m not too thrilled that she won’t get much time, if any, with regular faculty but given the admit rate, didn’t make it a deal killer. For my D, this summer is really about exploring whether she wants to explore the BFA Drama route and not about the opportunity for an extended audition. It took some time for me to come around but ultimately it was her choice.
Son attended two years ago and all but the dance instructors (whom he enjoyed immensely) were faculty members. Gary was his group voice class instructor and son ended up using the ballad Gary suggested for him for his auditions. I fantasized that son would be with “his people”, and he was… he hung out with a group of guys who were there for the Game Design pre-college program, lol. Son got on the MT/Acting BFA train mid-junior year, and I knew we needed to see if he knew what he was in for as well as audition prep. We are in Maine, and I scrambled to get him voice lessons and knew it would be impossible to find a program that could provide a similar experience close to home. He never had a formal acting lesson, no dance since he was four, so it was important to get a handle on his place in the pack. I don’t think son ever thought attending would give him an edge, and the program stresses that point on the website and during the informational presentation. A bonus for me was learning that son could manage on his own, keep to a schedule, and complete homework without a parent. It was a big investment, but I’m glad we were able to make it happen.
Hi! Another mom of a rising senior and future theater major (daughter) here. I’ve been mostly lurking for a while…appreciating the research and experiences so many have shared. We’re working on getting moving/planning/organized in this process. It’s tough (especially for her) with all that is happening here and now and in the next year of high school! Let’s do this!
It’s quiet here on the theater/drama board! Recently visited Northwestern and daughter LOVED it. Working on finding schools with most/much/some of what NU has (great theatre program and academics, size, location, possibility of double major or minor, lots of interesting clubs and such like improv and acapella…) that are a tad easier to get into and final ticket price is cheaper (merit aid, etc). It’s a challenging puzzle!
D is a rising senior and looking at BFA programs, although I would like for her to also be open to looking at some BA’s as well. She, of course, is a “BFA or nothing” type mind set right now. Also, she is not a planner at all…to her credit, when she wings stuff at that last minute she has historically done really well. She is not acknowledging my requests to please start on the things she could be doing this summer before school,starts. What do i know?
@mandy6045 From our experience, very few who “wing” the BFA/BA school selection and audition process end up happy with the results. Perhaps you could encourage her to start somewhere (read “I Got In”) or maybe peruse some of these threads. It may get her thinking; perhaps she’ll add a few BA safeties :)? I’m embarking on this process for the second time (my S is Class of 2018). I feel as though I am starting with my eyes open but still never feel quite prepared enough! It’s tough when we see a train coming at our kids; maybe the start of school will motivate her. Does she have other friends who are interested in pursuing BFAs?
Not sure if this is helpful, since it related specifically to a BFA program, but when D was at MPulse the UMich MT department chair said he thought UMich was the most similar program to Northwestern’s. So maybe UMich is worth a look as well. Good luck in your school search and application process!
@Mandy6045 I was the same way, although I’m a BFA musical theatre major. In some ways, I was overly prepared, but when it came to material selection, one of the most important factors, I gasp chose one of my songs the week before Unified auditions. I did not have months of preparation. And two of my monologues (I used around 5 total, and switched them up depending on the school) were chosen that week as well. I am notorious for constantly changing audition material up last minute. I can be indecisive.
But - and here’s where everyone will really scream - the song I chose that week was a brand new song, that I had never sung (or even HEARD) before. But I learned it, and sang it, and LOVED it.
Now, I wouldn’t recommend that approach. But I still ended up with four acceptances to schools that I adored, including my coveted dream school. (I didn’t end up attending that school, either, despite pining after it all through high school. I found a school I loved even more!)
I spent hours and hours agonizing over choosing schools to audition for, and a lot less time on the actual audition material, and I’ve lived to tell the tale. This isn’t to encourage your D to take the same route (definitely not!), but maybe just to give you a little reassurance that her approach won’t necessarily result in massive devastating failure. Still, gently (or not so gently) nudge her into doing research on schools, etc… My Dad was very helpful in keeping me on track with what had to be done. BAL to you and your D! Keep us posted
My D finished her auditions over this past weekend… I can’t believe this time we’ve talked about, prepped for, scheduled around, is actually over and now we just sit and wait (oh, and fill out more scholarship apps). 12 applications, 8 with auditions. She is 4/5 on acceptances – a lot of the big ones won’t notify until mid-late March. Sigh. Of course, the year will remain busy with everything else going on during senior year!
My D got the big " the answer is YES" envelope from Pace, coupled with a very generous academic scholarship. The admittance is to the college. I remember my S getting the same thing a few years ago - months ahead of the BFA decision but was so hoping they changed the process. So…more waiting :-). My S was wait listed for BFA MT, then accepted. I don’t recall receiving a second big envelope with “THIS TIME IT’S REALLY YES” or something
