TheClaraBell

Great! That is really great... always good to hear positive feedback from people who have gone though these programs. My coach is also a Yale grad ?

So exciting! Auditions for me start in just a little over 2 weeks! Getting super excited!! I decided to expand my applications and have 7 auditions set up for Juilliard, Yale, NYU, Columbia, Brown, UCSD and CWRU. How's everyone doing?

Absolutely! The coaching is sooooo worth it, I can already tell. My monologues are amazing and I still have 2 moths to work on them =D Yes, it is kind of ridiculously expensive, but I am all in.

Ahhh I see. You might consider Juilliard, Columbia and NYU too in that case, they are all getting more and more progressive and are all three participating in a program called Home Base (that started at Juilliard a couple of years ago) that aims to make the programs more inclusive for diverse actors. The student who founded the program was at the grad panel I went to a few weeks ago and I had no idea about it before then. I am the least diverse person and have no disability but it was definitely a huge plus for those programs because they are doing things that make the playing field more equal (although they still has a long way to go).

You should bring a different aspect of you in all of your pieces and you have to looooove and be excited about your monologues (definitely the most important in my book). If you can, you should try to find a comedic Shakespeare that you love... there are soooo many great options!! According to my coach (who is legit the best, if you are in NYC I would be happy to give you his info) you should give the auditors options (he told me to prepare at least 6 monologues, I have 4 so far) and they should all contrast. I have the opposite problem of you, I could find soooo many comedic monologues I jived with and had trouble finding a dramatic Shakespeare. I finally found one just last week after reading pretty much every Shakespeare monologue. Keep searching, we still have time =D And if you don't find something, stick with the 4 you love already... Where are you applying this year? And why do you feel CPH/CWRU wasn't for you? (It wasn't on my original list but one of the 2018 grads was at a MFA panel I went to last week and I'm considering applying)

I think there is a mixed bag in both regards. My coach does a panel every year with recent grads from the top 10 schools, not all of them had BFAs and according to them accepted students from their programs ranged from like 21-34 years old. I think the audition itself is the most important aspect, not necessarily previous classes or experience, they want to see where you are and if you will be an asset to them and they will be an asset to you. I think it can't hurt to take class or work with a coach of you are planning on auditioning to help with your pieces, especially if you haven't taken any type of class before. I think knowing 100% that this is what you want to do is also important to these programs and you shouldn't apply unless you know that for sure. They are definitely rigorous (In the US some programs are 4 years for the MFA and they require 6 days a week commitment). Hope that was somewhat helpful. This is my first year applying, I am 27, I have a B.A. in International Studies and a B.S. in nursing. I have been acting for like 8 years but more seriously the past 3 years, most of my experience is on film and I have trained in Meisner Technique and Method Acting (at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in NYC). I am doing private audition coaching and voice coaching to prepare for auditions in January =D

Hi!! This is my first time applying, I am a registered nurse and I live in NYC and I am applying to Juilliard, NYU, Brown, and Yale....so far. Still trying to decide if I want to apply to Columbia. And YES to the more "me" aspect! I reached out to another RN who started at Juilliard this year and that was his biggest advice to me! Where are you based?