Same here…I did everything except write the essays and learn the monologues! We hired a coach to help with the monologue choices. I started out with her desire to go to school in CA so I researched schools on the West Coast but I didn’t limit the choices to that. I Googled “best college acting programs” and learned of many programs on the MT and Theater boards on CC. I created a spreadsheet which at one point had 45 schools on it. Once the applications opened I did all the grunt work of filling them out and just printed out the essay requirements and handed them to her. I just know myself and I would have gone crazy waiting for her to do all that work and it would have caused lots of nagging and tension. There’s just so much to be done and something (or many things) would have been missed. To me it was more important for her to keep up with her schoolwork and learn her monologues. Plus she had varsity cheer from August-November and there simply was no time.
@anjalu Yes, a separate email is what we have created. That is something I thought about early on. Having 4-5 different emails that we all had was making this a miserable process. I am hoping as we move forward over the summer things will become more organized.
I served as Nag In Chief both times (same child). Senior year, S had no idea what he really wanted, so he applied to schools where there was an academic component as well as a strong theatre program - schools mainly suggested by the parents for these qualities. Two months after arriving at nationally recognized university, he realized he wasn’t vested in the school or program. The following year, he applied again - this time, half the number of schools (six), all top tier BFAs. The only thing I did was maintain the audition schedule, make hotel reservations and transportation arrangements.
The kids are busy their senior year. Really busy. But it’s also their lives - steer them, don’t do it for them. So much of this is super-frustrating for parents, but the kids need to have ownership.
Hi All,
Son and I reviewed the task list, just so he had a sense of all the steps, was pretty surprised at the number of tasks, and I haven’t even gotten to the stage where we break it out by college. We decided who had each task, and he has 75% of them. @pinkbulldog, son dislikes school’s Naviance program, but we’ve started a binder during list making mode, I can see it moving to a folder system. He’s close to finalizing the list, I suspect a few schools may swap in/out, but its enough to make decisions for senior classes and standardized tests.
I read a really good book by a dean at Stanford called How to Raise an Adult. It talks a lot about college admissions. I found it very helpful.
@Jillc - college admissions is an extremely tiny part of the process of auditioned BFA and BA programs, but thanks for the reading recommendation. (The rare pre-adult manages it on their own, but most need a ton of help.)
Random observation, @luvsLabs has the sweetest avatar.
That little sweetie pie was the first puppy my daughter raised for The Seeing Eye! Her name is Demi and she progressed through the formal training program with flying colors. We are so proud that she was matched with a young female grad student who lives in California and is enjoying her new leash on life (PUN!) with her first guide dog!
Our 2nd puppy is going back for her training on Monday - I can’t even think about it without tearing up. She’s a little yellow lab and I love her so much. She’s smart and works well and I’m sure she’ll make it as a Seeing Eye Dog, too.
Luckily, my son decided to raise a puppy, so we’ll get another little lab when the next litter is ready to be fostered.
BTW, for anyone in the NJ area, this is an excellent extra-curricular activity to consider for your kids. If your student has raised at least 2 puppies, including one in their senior year of high school, they qualify to apply for a scholarship from The Seeing Eye. (Google puppy raiser Seeing Eye if interested!)
Another thread drift, but maybe someone out there will decide it could work for their family, so thanks for the indulgence! <3
PS. Rutgers has a Seeing Eye Puppy Raiser club on their New Brunswick campus, so possibly something to consider for those who were lucky enough to be called back to Mason Gross!
This thread serves as a relief to me. My dd is a junior, in the throes of her school musical (with her play right around the corner in early April). After that is spring break, then I NEED her to take a more active role in this process. But for now, it is difficult. She hasn’t taken an SAT or ACT yet (her first will be during tech week of her play… ugh… not her choice, its the one that is given In-school), so that will get the ball rolling.
Like many other said, for now, she IS doing her part. I will hear and give my (unprofessional, spectator) opinion on monologues and song selections, she is writing her essay in English class, and has met with her college advisor. I’ve been researching programs that go beyond her ‘dream list’ and trying to organize open houses and visits. I’ve gotten a good idea of what she wants.
I feel like no matter how much I do for her, the work is ultimately hers to do, and it’s a lot of friggin work!!
@DramaQueen219 choosing the right monologue is one of the most important things in this whole journey and do not underestimate it! Hiring a coach to help with that is invaluable.