Theatre homeschool students

<p>Any other homeschoolers wanting to major in acting, musical theatre, or theatre management? If anyone has and is in school for any of that right now. How did you get your transcripts together and what extra caricculars did you do and etc?</p>

<p>allysoncdiva, my homeschooled daughter is studying theater at Northwestern University. Getting her transcript into shape was a lot of work, but well worth it. A lot depends on the school you are applying to. Find out from the school exactly what they expect from homeschoolers. If it's a competitive college or university, you'll need to focus much more on academics in your curriculum and transcript. If it's more of a conservatory school, they'll probably want auditions and other things. </p>

<p>You don't want to swamp them in minutiae, but give them everything that will help them know who you are. Most colleges would like to see more info from homeschoolers, so let them have it. </p>

<p>As far as ec's go, my daughter included everything she was involved in, not just theater related activities. She submitted a separate theater bio, which included her community theater participation. In addition, she submitted a list of all the shows she had attended. </p>

<p>You'll also need to think about your letters of recommendation. You'll probably want at least one from a theater mentor of some sort, but don't be afraid to include non-theater recommendations if you have good ones.</p>

<p>When and where will you be applying? Feel free to PM me if you'd like.</p>

<p>Thanks so much nan. Your info was very helpful! It is going to be a few years. I took care of my grandparents for the past two years. Still doing highschool work as of now. I plan on really focusing on my academics the next several years. I want to do more theatre stuff at the theatre company and hopefully find a acting teacher in texas somewhere. :) Thanks so much for all the great info!</p>

<p>In our experience, homescholing allows more time for the arts than traditional schooling. My Dd has been very lucky to be get in to NYC to see 4 - 5 Broadway shows a year, plus numerous off-Broadway and regional shows. She studies acting in New York as well, with terrific coaches. She's got a private voice teacher and a private dance coach.</p>

<p>Her acting resume serves as part of a transcript, as it includes all the performances she has participated in and the training she's had. </p>

<p>Her academic reading list always includes plays and film scripts. You can list all the books about acting you have read on your list as well.</p>

<p>You, as a homeschooled student, have lots of freedom in extra-curriculars. Is there a nursing home or preschool nearby? They might like you to come sing a couple songs once a week (extracurricular AND community service). </p>

<p>My daughter has performed with an acting tropue that raises consciousness about animal rights as a community service activity. She is also a founding member of a dance troupe and acts every year in a community theatre which donates all of its proceeds to local charities. Lastly, she assists her acting coach with younger classes.</p>

<p>Academics and musical theatre can coexist very well together. Good luck to you in your scholarly/performing adventures.</p>

<p>Wow, homeskulmom, my daughter would have loved to have been that close to the city. She grew up in an extremely remote area and had to drive 20 miles to participate in a small community theater. In the end, colleges care most about the challenges you've faced, and what you do with the opportunities you have, whether you're close to the action or far removed. </p>

<p>allysoncdiva, I get the impression you might be selling yourself short. If you spent two years taking care of your grandparents, that counts for something too. Did you do any reading during that time? If you can apply to colleges close to the age other students apply it will probably be better. Of course, you have to fulfill certain requirements, but as a homeschooler, you can cover a lot of ground in a hurry if you're motivated. </p>

<p>Just don't put off applying until "someday", because it's easy to lose momentum.</p>

<p>Thanks ladies I really didn't think about putting any of the theatre/plays i've read or actually making a reading list for them. That is a great idea! Singing at a nursing home/etc is another great idea as well. Thanks for all these suggestions. This will really help me in preparing my transcript. </p>

<p>I didn't mean someday. It will be the next few years. I was very much involved with taking care of my grandparents. My mom and I both lived there for a year and half. There every second of the day no vacations not no going out of the house etc etc. I loved them very dearly. They were two out of the three most important people in my life. My mom being first. <em>These were her parents btw</em> They lived like 5 minutes away and would see them just about everday. My grandmom encouraged me with taking piano lessons cause that gave her so much joy as well. My granddad was the most amazing man ever. Sweet/kind. Just the best man in the whold world. He could do anything he set his mind to and had the best sayings.. Yeah i'm going on and on here but definitely they were a tremendous part in my life. I would love to tell them that. </p>

<p>I want to work more the next few years cause I want to improve on writing/math and just not take the easy way out. I really do want to learn and I won't give up on it and put it off either. I feel like i've seen such more to life because of that experience and has instored alot of faith in me and to appreciate my elders as well. </p>

<p>Thanks so much for all this great advice. I really do appreciate it!</p>

<p>I think it's fantastic that you were able and motivated to spend the time you did with your grandparents. You'll never regret it. I'm just concerned that you might regret taking too much time now before getting yourself into college, if that's what you want to do. You haven't said how old you are. If you're sixteen or so, there's plenty of time to spend a few years getting ready before you apply. If you're already eighteen, you might think about taking SAT's soon and applying to your local community college, just to get things rolling. I've seen it happen with homeschoolers that they put off college because they think they haven't proved themselves yet, when really the door was already wide open.</p>

<p>If you have time, and depending on where you will be applying, you might want to take a few graded classes somewhere as part of your homeschool curriculum. They could be courses through a reputable distance school, community college courses, or even a few classes at your local high school. Colleges have growing respect for homeschoolers, but they still like to see a few grades so they can have some idea how you fit in with your peers. Some colleges won't care about this, and will be happy with a standardized test score, but if you're going to aim for a more competitive school (and why not?), a few grades from outside the home can be a big help. If you're older, you could start taking community college courses soon, and apply to a more competitive one a little later. </p>

<p>AP tests can also be a help. Some homeschoolers focus on them, and build much of their curriculum around them. There are many options, and it helps to think about them early on, so you have time to pursue them before it's time to apply.</p>

<p>allysoncdiva: your experience caring for your beloved grandparents sounds like the making of an excellent college admissions essay.</p>

<p>Thanks so much for all the encouragement. How do I take AP classes while being homeschooled? I'm definitely going over my previous textbooks and working on math problems and english rules etc. It's really helping me jog up my memory. I'm planning on starting school as soon as possible. I'm looking into the taking Italian from Rosetta Stone and getting some Saxon books for math as well. Have any of you had any experiences with doing correspondence classes? Texas Tech University has a good correspondence program. A friend of mine has been doing that mainly as her homeschool work. I've been thinking of doing a few of those courses so I can have some grades outside of my homeschool work. Any thoughts on this? </p>

<p>homeskulmom: Thanks for your great advice too. I am definitely going to start doing papers, essays, etc on different plays and playwrights. What a fantastic idea!!</p>

<p>Others here probably have more experience with self studying for AP tests, but you can start at the website: <a href="http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/prep.html"&gt;http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/prep.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>I'd also look at test prep books at your local bookstore, just to get an idea of what is involved. </p>

<p>If you don't want to self study, various distance schools have courses, or you could take one at a local high school. I don't mean to push the idea of AP's too hard, but if you're a good test taker, and they fit in with your learning goals, it can help to have one or more under your belt when it comes time to apply. You can earn college credits after admission at most colleges with AP's, but some limit the number of credits you can earn that way.</p>

<p>Most of my homeschooling has actualy been centered around theatre related subjects.... Reading, Performing, Working Backstage, History of Theatre.... you can get a lot of subjects out of theatre.</p>