Why I've Grown To Hate The College Audition Process

@connections wrote:

I have to agree with this. In so many capacities, students who are of means have a leg up when it comes to the college admissions process. This is not really any different for MT applicants than for all college applicants.

As an aside, we did not spend more money on our MT kid during her HS activities or her college admissions process than for our non-MT applicant daughter.

Both daughters: were in many extracurriculars…many dance classes, private instrumental lessons on two instruments each, band, many sports, voice lessons, etc. No more for MT D than other D.

Both daughters: went away every summer to six week programs

Both daughters had application fees to 8 colleges.

Both daughters did campus visits to all 8 colleges (and 2nd visits to a couple of them), though MT D did do 3 flights and other D did not (but that didn’t have to be that way).

Non-MT D had some private SAT tutoring. MT D did not.

MT D did not have an audition coach. She worked on her songs with her voice teacher of 5 years (yes, these cost money but so did other D’s ski racing expenses as one example). MT D did get some monologue prep lessons with an acting instructor, but again, non-MT D had many associated expenses with her activities/lessons too.

I’ll be the first to say that this experience is not cheap. But kids who do not do MT also do campus visits and have application and test fees and other lessons in their extracurricular interests and may also attend summer programs and so on. It is not exclusively expensive for theater kids.

I feel for kids who do not have parental support or the funds to do all that our kids get to do. But I also believe that where there is a will, there is a way, generally speaking. It just is far more challenging to accomplish without support to enter the college admissions process.

I gotta say, however, that the the MT College admissions/audition process is not for the faint of heart. It is a doozy for sure.

As far as one’s age and adjusting to rejection…many HS students who are applying to college have to adjust to rejection. Yes, the BFA in MT admissions process is so highly selective that there will most likely be more rejections than acceptances. However, I had another kid (and advise other students) who are applying to highly selective regular colleges and these are super chancy odds too. My D who went into MT, was applying to college around her 16th birthday and went through the audition process at 16. She dealt with it as many others have done. I don’t wish rejection on anyone but it is a maturing experience and one that they will be enduring IN college too (getting cast is harder in college, for example). My kid hit the professional MT audition circuit upon college graduation at age 20. Rejection is part of this game. The earlier a kid can get used to it, the better, I think.

It is unequivocally more difficult without money. As with everything in life, unfortunately.

Well done. I picked it up on a friend’s facebook page, posted it on mine and it is being shared and read. It has lead to some lively discussion and a greater appreciation for what these MT applicants and their parents are put through. If I can make one very small suggestion @MTVT2015 … If it’s recycled elsewhere use a title such as what you used above or just remove the swear word. What you composed was spot-on and well-written but I know some people including educators who would be reluctant to post because of the language. It didn’t stop me, but you’ll get better mileage if you keep it out, at least in the headline. Great work and so overdue!

@mmm333 that’s a very good tip. I will contact my editor and try to change it.

Thanks for all the replies! I’m glad this has started conversation, even though on some level it was stating the obvious. The truth is these are not arts issues, they are systemic issues with our educational and financial systems that happen to hit arts kids particularly hard. At the end of the day it’s all just capitalism.

I’m also a kid who has gotten VERY lucky with aid and scholarship from the school I attend, despite being in that awkward middle class pocket of not being able to afford college or get enough federal financial aid to afford college.

I wrote another article about coping with rejection from MT programs! I’m not sure if I will be allowed to post it here, but it’s called “How To Be Rejected From College Theatre Programs.”