@ParachuteBoy, you’d be very lucky to fall asleep at 8:30! But yes, for the right kind of person, there is nothing else like it, I guess.
Haha yes, my parents loved it. But, it was the summer most people would want to be with friends in the night time. I had no problem falling asleep right when I get home and then waking up early just to repeat the day. Definitely not for everyone but it was excellent to sample the lifestyle over the summer without having to pay a lot of money.
@claire74, I always think those college summer programs are a double edged sword when applying to that school for a BFA. The faculty gets to know you, which is great if you have a perfect run at the camp. Not so perfect if there’s an issue - any kind of issue - being cranky, being off, not getting along with someone else, etc. When schools see a kid for 3 - 30 minutes in an audition, they don’t always get the full package. At these summer programs, they get to see the good and the bad. And a tiny little bad may work against them.
One thing that people haven’t talked about much this year is NICENESS. You have to be nice. And humble. And for some of the schools, if they get a whiff of diva-ness, they don’t want you, no matter how talented you are. If you don’t play well with others, you’re going to have a problem. If you think you’re better than others, you’re going to have a problem. There was a girl who came out of an audition at a school (I’m not going to tell you which school…but we knew one of the audition-panel members, and she told us about this) and said to her mother, “I NAILED it.” The monitor, a student already in the program, told the audition panel, and they moved her HS/R from the acceptance pile to the circular bin.
So, when your child is at auditions, in the bathroom, at Unifieds, on the plane, at the hotel…anywhere others can hear you…BE NICE. Sondheim is right: nice is different than good. So, I’m not saying this was what happened with your son’s friend, but we’ll never know what happened at that summer program which might have affected her failure to pass the pre-screen. Always, always be nice.
My D recently saw two schools (not for auditions) . One we wanted her to like a lot and she did not. She actually hoped she would really like it but couldn’t connect. One she liked and we disliked.
What to do? I think her outlook will change now that her 1st and 2nd choices are gone. Or she may continue to say she doesn’t feel it worthwhile to settle and begin again in the summer with better planning. She may do a summer program at another school, or do some master classes to get a feel for what she wants from a program. Then she could take another go in the early fall with a more practiced and knowledgeable eye. In the meantime, she can take more dance, acting and vocal coaching without the hindrance of being a high schooler. This game is for pros.
Already I am seeing that if she had done her whole junior year ( beginning he summer after sophomore year) of planning, she would have made this audition year much more productive. I feel that although we thought we did our reading and talking with friends/teachers, she is actually not ready for prime time.
@mtmcmt, I think the audition process has become so complex and so exhausting that many parents are not ready for prime-time either. Huge kudos to the students who climb this mountain without parental help or support. It’s clear from regular reading of CC, where the best-informed parents are on their second or even third go-around, that there is a giant gap in knowledge when it comes to the MT process versus apps for other majors. I mentioned on another thread that my son has friends who are applying this year, but neither they nor their parents have really done much groundwork. My son has offered his help, as have I, but neither the girls nor their parents realize just how competitive the whole thing is. It really hasn’t sunk home that the girls, talented as they are, may end up with no offers just because they applied to the wrong schools or not enough schools. The same is true for my son, despite all our careful planning. Two of the schools we visited are now off the table, with two still in play (one of which is a lottery school). I’m glad my son called a halt to the visiting, as he wisely did not want to get too keen on any particular school when the odds are against him.
My D is in the camp of not visiting beforehand. She did visit one place her sophomore year (and ended up not including it on her list, but that was not a result of the visit), and she has been to many shows and took dual enrollment classes at another program. That was it. She was adament that she did not want to fall in love with a program or even favor one over another until after auditions and acceptances. Instead, she thoroughly researched and looked carefully at things like program details and environment of the program.
@monkey13, I’ve heard other similar stories. Being nice is a way of showing professionalism, and it does count in many instances! It’s also professional for parents to act appropriately during auditions, so be prepared to be your child’s Sherpa and emotional support system–but from a literal, respectful distance! Watch how you speak and react to everything while you’re on the audition trail, parents. Keep conversations with your auditioner about programs and auditions to a safe place in which no one else is even close to being around. Chelsea Diehl just wrote a great blog piece about this.
@mtmcmt , I believe you’re probably just spitballing ideas and venting right now (I know you just came off of a highly discouraging weekend, and your frustration, despondence, and panic–if you’re, indeed, feeling those to any extent–are a normal part of this crazy process), but I’d encourage your D to not throw in the towel yet! This audition season is still young! Those schools that were top 2 may not have fit her as much as she thought they would, and, through this process, others may come to surpass those in her mind. Those who have been on this board for a while and/or have observed this process for a couple of years have seen that happen with regularity–so much so that it may be considered the norm. A lot of shuffling goes on in this. It’ll turn out in the end. At the same time, it’s wise to have a back-up plan in the back of your mind in case it doesn’t work out; we have all heard of people who take a gap year and re-audition the following year. I’d still keep it far away in the back of your mind, though, and completely focus on this year if I were you; there is still a long time in this season! Onward and upward!
Visit the schools that are highest on your list. You may have stars in your eyes about the school, and realize it’s not for you once you get on campus.
Definitely if it’s a school you get accepted to and you’re seriously considering it, visit it AND speak to alumni. There are groups on FB, and other recent alumni here on CC. College tours want to convince you to attend, and alumni or current students can give you a more complete picture of what you’re looking for.
It will be interesting to hear if this years’ audition class feels any differently on this subject as schools’ decisions are coming out.
I would also like to emphasize that I would NOT rely on opinions about programs offered by people who only visited, but have not actually attended a program, as you make choices between various offers. In spite of how they may feel, people who have only visited schools, even during admitted student days, are not actually experts on those programs. 
my college “visits” were my college auditions if I auditioned on campus. I only visited maybe 4 other schools that I knew I was auditioning at when I was a junior in high school.