<p>Adding my congrats to Frenchlaw's son. That's a great university and sounds like it would suit your son quite well. Glad he already has a fine option on his plate and good luck with the rest.</p>
<p>Maybe one of the college counselors could comment on if follow up notes are a good idea after auditions?</p>
<p>Anyone doing them?</p>
<p>Good question!</p>
<p>My son went into this thinking that THANK YOU notes were a good idea. However, things got away from him and not too many have gotten done. My S received letters from some before he had a CHANCE to write (they came quickly and he IS in school, he has auditioned for 11 schools, and has a lead in a local show that is running right now--a lot on his plate). He did manage to fire off a couple of e-mail Thank-You type notes and one handwritten note so far. He's trying to find time to write something to the folks he saw at the Chicago Unifieds.</p>
<p>So. . .bottom line, I hope it's not too important. . .but he's trying!</p>
<p>I suspect that waitlist practices vary by program, so I may be wasting your time. Some programs use (from what I have read) a 'priority waitlist', suggesting that this waitlisted person has a good shot. Other programs indicate that they send out letters of acceptance, rejection, and 'waitlist'. Other programs do not have waitlists, but accept, say, 50-100% more than they expect to enroll.
Nevertheless, my question is this: is the number placed on the waitlist high or does an applicant actually have a decent chance, if waitlisted. Again, I recognize that different programs do different things and that my question may not be easily answered.</p>
<p>The Chicago Unifieds were interesting - my point of view. My son was so exhausted on the plane home that the flight attendent and I, together, could not wake him easily to get him to move his seat up for landing.</p>
<p>Brian, I think you answered your own question when you said that different programs employ waitlists in different ways. CMU, for instance, has a priority waitlist which I understand is not very long at all, as most people who are accepted there actually enroll. It's said it is tough to get off the CMU waitlist for that reason, though it apparently happens. Love to hear your Unifieds report if you feel like sharing. (I know what you mean about kids being exhausted after Unifieds.)</p>
<p>Like Brian, my daughter and I were totally exhausted at the end - the emotional drain is great - but at least she is now finished with the process of doing - now it's waiting!</p>
<p>The schools in Chicago were not prepared for the conditions due to hotel construction. They coped well. (Auditions were in actual hotel rooms minus the beds) My daughter did say that one set up was really awkward as they auditors had the mirro to their back making the auditionee view themselves in the mirror the whole time. I felt soory for an MT kids who felt dance was one of their strenghts, as I think only 2 schoools or so had dance auditions (they had conference/ball rooms) due to the conditions.</p>
<p>I really appreciated the schools that had intro sessions in the beginning to talk about their program in detail and their audition process. Better yet, I appreciated the schools that gave specific audition times ahead of time - it made planning so much easier. All the schools could easily do this - they know the schedule (based on time the application was received) so I'm not sure why they hesitate to give out specifics earlier.</p>
<p>I had to laugh a few times as I saw schools pulling kids out of the halls (for those not there - they were constantly packed - claustrophobic even) for walk-ins. One auditor came out and called someone's name - the person was not around yet - and a young man was walking by. He said I'll audition but I've got an appointment in 15 minutes. The auditor said no problem - and literally pulled him in. </p>
<p>Every school - no exceptions - asked some form of the question - where else did you apply. It ranged from a simple - tell me two other schools you are applying to - to a form that said rank your top 4 choices. This appointment was end of the day Wed - when every one was getting slap happy and all the kids and parents in the halls were laughing at it - cause guess what? Everyone put this school as Number 1 !!! Imagine that.</p>
<p>I found parents, kids and especailly auditors very nice. For some reason I was surprised at how much I like the auditors. I did feel like they wanted the kids to do well and make a wise decision about where they would go to school.</p>
<p>I was very surprised at how many kids were there by themselves. Many came with friends. I was also surprised at how many kids were there re-auditioning, either because they didn't like their current program or hadn't gotten in to a BFA last year. This was scarry!!!</p>
<p>Only ran into one "CRAZY" woman. If she reads CC I really don't mind her seeing my criticism. She is an acting teacher and as parents and kids were waiting for the auditor to do a school presentation she bursts in, runs up to the auditor and starts explaining the pluses about her students. Then she makes two or three of them stand up in front of all these people as she introduces them. Everyone - including at least 2 of the students- was disgusted. I'm not sure what the auditor could have done, but it seems like there were a couple moments when he could have walked with her out in the hall or stopped her somehow. (She actually came back again and introduced one more student)</p>
<p>Yikes!!!!</p>
<p>Other surprise for me was that no one taped the auditions. Hope their notes are good.</p>
<p>I can't believe that we still have many weeks of waiting ahead of us. This part makes the auditioning look like a piece of cake.</p>
<p>stlouismom: Nice note. I was struck by how organized everything was, given the crammed space. My S is an acting type, so the space retrictions likely had less impact than it did on the MT types. My son discovered a lot about himself going through the process, given that he is a relative 'newbie' to acting/theatre. I pity those programs that were housed in rooms seemingly off the beaten path, though thrust in the frenzy of the 17th floor (explaiing to my son why you could not get to floor 17 from floor 9 without transiting through floor 8 was itself a lesson on American history). One program that my son loved (the audition - distinctive and creative) seemed to have few walk ins due to its location. I will no longer mention programs by name, but would love to talk in private about some of the less-discussed programs. I chatted with the profs of a program a couple of times - we were both killing time - and I was very imprerssed, as my S was when he auditioned with them.
For those Juniors out there reading these threads, read the threads again next year. We were at an advantage because we read the threads on CC. We are from the hinterlands and we get all of our info from CC. It's free info. and the info. made me feel like I'd been through the proces before. I talked with a number of people who seemed not to know how the game is played. I am not saying that there is any correlation between knowing how the game is played and raw talent/auditioning success, but knowing how the game is played made the Unifieds process understandable, perhaps enjoyable, even amusing at times. My son had a good time.</p>
<p>I second brian's suggestion that any juniors (or parents of juniors) who are reading here take the time to read back through the various threads and discussions, and I would also encourage them to read through the Musical Theater threads on Unifieds and auditioning, too. There is a lot of great info out there for the asking, for free! Having it will mean you or your kid can go into these experiences better prepared.</p>
<p>Let me give you fair warning: I AM NEW TO ALL OF THIS!!! New to this board, new to the whole musical theater scene, just N E W!!!! My D, who is a senior, received a "NO" letter from Wright State's musical theater program!! She was absolutely devastated!!!!! And now it's almost too late to do anything to remedy that devastation!!! Don't get me wrong--this is not a pity party! More of a fishing expedition! We went into this whole MT major thing completely ignorant!! Research??? HA!!!!!! We jumped in with both feet without looking!!! She fell in love with WSU's program and auditioned two weeks ago. Evidently it was an abyssmal disaster because she got a flat-out NO!!!!!!! </p>
<p>What I'm doing here is looking for some guidance. We have no idea what to do now! This was her only audition!!! All of her eggs were in the Wright State basket! We had no idea that it was such a fiercely competive program and that if you are turned down, you are done there FOREVER!!!!!!!! You cannot, CAN-NOT audition again! EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is that typical for "good" MT programs??? You screw up once and you're out for good?????? Seems a bit harsh, but like I said, we are new to this whole experience!</p>
<p>Now, here we are, halfway through February. My D has her heart set on doing a musical theater program. We are looking at Otterbein (which I hear is a tough audition too), Webster, Columbia College Chicago, SCAD, Brandeis, Ball State and University of Dayton. Any suggestions on where to go from here? What to do????? I feel like I am drowning...............</p>
<p>Any help that you can give would be GREATLY appreciated! I am overwhelmed at the knowledge and tremendous support on this board! Wish I'd found it much sooner!!! </p>
<p>Thanks so much!!!!</p>
<p>Disheartened mom to a talented and scrambling senior!</p>
<p>drupack that is truly heartbreaking for you and your daughter. Sometimes ignorance is bliss, but I'm afraid when it comes to auditioning for MT there is little room for it at all. The kids need to be very clued in to what is expected both in preparing for the audition and the audition itself. Please consider typing your question over in the MT forum which I am posting a link for here. There are still some options for your daughter including taking a year off to prepare and trying again next year. Some kids start in other programs and then transfer into BA programs, but the BFAs don't normally allow it unless you start from year one. I think you will get a lot of support over there as others have definitely been in your shoes.
You can start your own thread by clicking below and even copy what you've already written here, and title it whatever you want, & I'm sure you'll get many many replies.
Best wishes!</p>
<p>You are not alone, jumping into all of this without guidance or enough preparation. I do not think most college counselors know much about the application process for BFA programs. When I accompanied my son to auditions, I was surprised to see many bewildered kids and parents--some trying to memorize their monologues right in the waiting area.</p>
<p>The suggestion in the last post is a good one. There are a FEW MT programs that admit on a rolling basis, past the usual February deadline for application, and if you search the MT thread you might find posts that list them. You are going to have to do some fast research in order to find programs to apply to/audition for RIGHT NOW for Fall.</p>
<p>While taking a year off seems "drastic" at first, your daughter would be better prepared to start off the process next Fall. In the meantime, you would be able to research and visit many programs between now and then in order to find ones that would provide the right fit.</p>
<p>There are non-audition BFA programs out there, but I have seen few that heavily emphasize MT. Drake in Iowa is auditioning soon, and they are likely still taking applicants. Look at Marietta College (lots of experimental acting). Look at Baldwin-Wallace in Ohio. If you are willing to go with acting-oriented BFAs that do not require auditions until the 1st or second year, look at West Virginia, Montana, and Wyoming; also SUNY Buffalo. But you are better off ignoring me and rading the MT thread, because there are long threads by those who got rejected from every program that they applied to in 2007.</p>
<p>letsfigureitout: I too was amazed at how clueless (and I consider myself clueless, just less so) some people were at Chicago Unifieds. I felt like hanging a consulting shingle on my chair in the lobby - great place for people watching. As I said above, it is possible to be a country mouse, unfamiliar with any BFA or Drama teacher, etc., and still master the process. Read, re-read, and carefully interpret CC threads. Be a pain, like I was. Read through the websites of various programs, and ask questions of anyone who might know something. Will my S get into a class A BFA program; I'm not sure. I am not sure whether I will fret if not, as there is a LAC that I really like and is an excellent fit for him. </p>
<p>I have learned a lot from people on CC that I will never meet. I suspect that when ourD/S's rejections/acceptances start coming in there will be a bunch of us to help each other help our S/D's make their mind up. I have a lot of questions that still need to be answered, but I will wait till those days arrive.</p>
<p>I am also new to CC and finding it really helpful. I wish I had known about it before but my d had done most of her own research, questions and asking her college freshman acting friends. And help from a great Drama teacher and MT teacher who has studied all over. We were at Chicago unifieds and I was again impressed that the schools tried to make the kids feel comfortable. My d seemed to always be the last one to audition or next to last yet they didn't rush her or make her feel like they were tired. (I am sure they were from just trying to get down the hall on floor 17! I talked to several parents and actually enjoyed myself watching all the kids. We are from the South and she had already auditioned at 2 other colleges (all in the NE except one). She definitely wanted just acting, could have done MT but has really focused on her acting and dance so felt like she can always take voice lessons.
Our high school counselors know nothing about this process and really nothing about the schools she has applied to. It is possible to do on your own but really takes traveling and lots of internet research! I have a s that is a college athlete and that is hard, but this is much harder. After all an athlete knows he will play somewhere, if not Div. 1, then 2 and so forth. These programs that require auditions are all difficult. Her safety schools are great colleges but moderately okay acting programs. She was very selective and picky about where she wanted to go....and that was her decision and she has never wavered on that.
I appreciate all the comments and the helpful tips. I am so new I don't know your positions but some of you seem like college counselors or profs yourself. Really enjoy learning about the process.
regarding changing ones major....the world is opened up to them in college and that is where one often finds some hidden gifts and strengths. 2 s in college and they are realizing they are good at some things that weren't apparent at 17/18.
Keep the good notes coming. I feel like I might have met some of you at Chicago... thanks for being patient with us new parents. I am proud of all of them and they all have guts!!</p>
<p>melsmom--thank you for your help in starting a new thread! Told you--I'm a fish outta water! <gggg> Ever grateful--Dru</gggg></p>
<p>Just to throw in my 2 cents, I would start out by asking the high school counselor which schools she/he knows have late application deadlines; invesigate those for BA/BFA programs. I think you will find some.</p>
<p>At the same time go to the bookstore (you may have to order on line) the Directory of Theatre Training Programs - it has all the schools listed.</p>
<p>Just yesterday my daughter received invites to apply to Western Michigan - a very nice program for your daughter and also University of LaVerne in California. Northern Mich Universiy claims it accepts all applicants to the program. Missouri has Southwest Missouri and Southeast Missouri (both claiming very high acceptance raTES) as well as Stephens. If you tell me what states you're most interested in, I can make a quick look up for you - but I suggest you get the Theatre book ASAP. Even if she starts in a BA program and transfers next year, she'll pick up most of her general degree requirements and can concentrate on BFA courses.</p>
<p>At least your daughter knows the "score" right now - the rest of us are still out in the dark and hoping our kids won't be in the same position (by April it will be very late to make a mid-course adjustment)</p>
<p>Somehow it will work out!!</p>
<p>Am I right? Doesn't Michigan State have a BFA. Few are aware, as it is overshadowed by Michigan. The person auditions after the first year. Also, Ohio U. and Kent State have BFAs, but auditions are done after the first/second year. I thought that Kent State had a good reputation for MT.</p>
<p>I am trying to read all the past archived threads that were posted at the very start of this one, but the links do not seem to work for me. Can anyone help me out?</p>
<p>I typically get 'gibberish' until #6 or so. You are not alone.</p>
<p>I just came back from my audition at UCLA. WHen I got there, I did my two monologues. The guy throughout my pieces, gave these quizzical glances, then wrote notes. When I finished, the guy said why did you chose these monologues? I told him how I found the plays read them and fell in love with them. Then I told him a funny part in there and he laughed. We said bye after!</p>
<p>Bad or good? Im dying to see!</p>
<p>Hey all. I still have a couple years left before I go off to college, but I am alrda thinking about it. Here is a hard question: what is the best college to leave to go into acting in the UK, and what is the best one in the USA? Appreciate it.</p>