"I Wrote My Way Out" : The truth about grades vs talent in the college audition process
(Photo: CS Music)
Jordyn Cooper
You’ve had straight A’s for as long as you can remember, you regularly fall asleep with your face in a textbook, and you spend weekends doing AP homework. You envision that your years of perfection and all those sleepless nights will be worth it when you have a stack of acceptance letters and bragging rights.
Then you decide you want to go to school for theatre. The academic resume you’ve been building for years is nice and all, but what really matters now are your 32 bars, contrasting monologues, and a 30-second interview.
Now what?
THE CURRENT SITUATION
There has been a trend lately to tell incoming college theatre students that they must be well-rounded with both their academics and talent. While there are times where this is helpful, I would like to dispel the myth that they are in any way equal.
When you apply to schools for theatre - the academics are negotiable, talent is not. I’d also like to acknowledge that grades and intelligence do not necessarily speak for one another, but for the purpose of examining them in the context of auditions, I may refer to them interchangeably throughout this article.
Many schools make separate artistic and academic decisions about you. If you get two yeses, you’re in. Two nos, and you're out. The problem is when you get one yes and one no. Despite the supposed rigor of the larger, more academically-oriented universities, many of them actually lower their GPA requirements for incoming arts students of all disciplines. That is, if the theatre department likes you but the academic committee doesn’t, theatre departments typically have the power to overrule the college and take you anyway.
Now I’d like to be clear here: I have nothing wrong with a little wiggle room for academics, but I wish the same philosophy applied for students on the edge of artistic success too. There are a lot of us out there–– performers who aren’t quite triple threats yet but have an immaculate transcript.
Again, I don't think applicants who aren’t qualified to handle the artistic rigor of these programs should be let in simply because they are smart, but by that same logic, I don’t believe uber-talented kids should be accepted if they are obviously far from being able to handle the academics.
BFA and BA programs alike are becoming increasingly competitive talent-wise. Applicants with Broadway and tour credits, triple threats, and those who have had access to extensive training are the ones that are usually sought after by some of the more elite schools. These students are marketable to colleges because they have already proven to have success in this field and will likely continue that success after they graduate.
Several problems with this: first off, if perfection (or near perfection) is required to get in, what is there left to learn? You wouldn't reject a business major from a school because they haven’t already conquered Wall Street. Many famous actors out there did not even begin their journey until college, and so I find the notion that anyone can be “behind” at age 17 to be infuriating.
Secondly, if we evaluate only polished talent and not potential, we wind up gatekeeping even more than other college majors already do. BIPOC, low-income students, and other marginalized groups are disproportionately affected by this, and that is an article––perhaps even a book––of its own.
MY EXPERIENCE
So why am I writing this? I’m happily settled into a BFA program that saw me for both my brain and my talents, but I definitely still carry around a lot of resentment from the college process.
When I was auditioning, I found myself wondering why I hadn’t homeschooled or spent all my money on dance classes. Or why I had lived my whole high school career aiming for the perfect transcript instead of getting Broadway-ready. I had overworked myself for the perfect resume and none of it seemed to matter anymore.
There I was senior year––grades and test scores galore––and yet I was somehow behind, with no clue as to how I had let that happen. Unlike many other auditionees, I had not been a ballerina since the age of two, and my resume was decent, but nowhere near that of a seasoned equity actor. I was fairly experienced as an actor-singer, but dance was new to me.
Still, the fact at that moment was that I had more brains than talent to offer. Every school I wanted felt out of reach, and every school I didn’t want seemed to be calling my name. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore; I was in the running for valedictorian, but I was still convinced I wouldn’t get into college. The anger I felt at the world was so trivial, but all-consuming.
Though they weren’t what actually got me accepted, I’d like to say for anyone in my position that my grades and test scores did not go to waste. Theatre faculty wanted almost nothing to do with them, but they have been instrumental in other ways. I was able to use my transcript as a negotiation power when I was choosing between schools, and the only reason I am able to afford the conservatory I currently attend is from a hefty academic scholarship.
Perhaps all that extra homework was worth the thousands of dollars I won’t have to take out in loan. Lastly, my AP credits have cleared enough room in my schedule for me not only to declare a minor, but to take some extra electives too!
When I was auditioning, people always told me that the right schools would see through any imperfections and into my potential. At the time, I was convinced this was code for “you’ll end up somewhere bad,” but I can say for certain that it is not. During my junior and senior years, I couldn’t understand how all those hours hunched over an SAT prep book weren't enough, but I understand now that it was a metaphor for how this field works: looking good on paper is rehearsal, but life as an actor is a constant performance.
If you resonate with my experience and are in the midst of applying now, I urge you to take a step back and rearrange your priorities, hard as that may seem. Keep doing well in school, but stop pulling all-nighters; at this point in the process, vocal rest is far more important than that essay you procrastinated. I was always willing to neglect my mental and physical health for a grade, but I soon discovered that if I did not take care of myself, there would be nothing left of me to put into the audition room.
NEXT STEPS
I’ll stop being preachy for a moment now and tackle something more practical: instead of just trying to bury your hard, academic work in last-minute audition prep, there are actually strategic ways to highlight your brains when applying to schools.
In many auditions, even for the most conservatory-based and least academic schools, you will likely be interviewed. You’ll typically be asked about your hobbies outside of theatre, or what subjects you like in school. This is your time to shine. Believe me when I tell you there are schools that value the fact that you were in the Knitting Club in high school. Though some programs let talent silence other factors, there are schools out there that simply use the audition to make sure you’re qualified, and then use other methods (grades, interviews, etc) to choose between capable candidates.
The other tangible thing you have control over is where you apply. Obviously, don't be afraid to go for the competitive conservatories, but be mindful of how you fill in your list. For your non-audition schools (I hesitate to call them safeties because there is nothing safe about being a theatre major), check out schools that have strong programs but will predominantly look at your academics.
A lot of these schools actually need talent because they are often overlooked by serious performers despite their reputable programs. When applying to schools like this, you will stick out because you will likely be more talented than the average student, but equally smart. This will put you in the running for fellowships, scholarships, and grants!
Another type of school to be on the lookout for are schools that are in the midst of becoming BFA programs. I was really lucky to have three schools like this my year. Diamond-in-the-rough schools rock because you will be applying at a time when their quality is at its highest point considering that the competition is fairly low.
Definitely do some research about which schools might be headed in this direction; there are more and more these days as theatre and musical theatre become more popular college majors.
AFTERWARD
Believe it or not, this hellish process eventually comes to an end, and you will be the one with the power to make a decision. Whether you choose to attend school, take a gap year, or maybe a little of both, you will finally be in control. Though I found making a decision to be the easiest part of this whole thing, I felt a lot of pressure to decide on a school that would “sound impressive” to fellow theatre students and Muggles alike.
Even though I was thrilled with my options and proud of what I had accomplished, it never felt like enough to get back at all the bullies who told me that what I was choosing wasn’t a real major or that I wouldn’t make it.
All my life, I had envisioned a dramatic moment where I could tell everyone who doubted me that I was attending some impressive, name-brand school, and they would be forced to look upon my success. I wanted this “revenge” so badly that I almost attended a school I didn't even want to go to just because it was more selective!
The truth is, I still wonder sometimes what that glorious moment would have been like, but it is more important than I am actually happy with where I landed. Besides, six months after high school, none of the cattiness matters anymore.
As I’ve said, I am still undoing the damage of that unhealthy pressure to succeed. During high school, I found that academic snobbery was my only means of self-preservation with the tricky situation I was in. I can say with confidence now that the path of holding yourself to an unreasonable standard is not any nobler than someone with a healthier work-life balance. I study alongside the most incredible people who didn’t sacrifice themselves for school and are still wildly successful. I used to resent these people, but now I am jealous of how full their lives are.
I was asked recently if I would do it all again. Of course, I don’t wish that I had worked less hard. What I wish I had done was get a clearer picture of what I was up against so that I could “work smarter, not harder.” In hindsight, the good grades were lovely, but I could have scaled back by taking fewer honors classes and fewer leadership positions.
Playing catch up talent-wise was already a part-time job of its own, and being overzealous with my course load only did more harm than good. I was always under the impression that I needed to be competitive with students whose actual goals were Ivy leagues AND arts students with absurd talent. This simply wasn’t true, and I didn’t realize that until I had almost destroyed myself trying to do both.
If you are feeling like a hopeless nerd right now, I beg you to continue embracing those brains (even though it might not seem helpful at the moment)! It has served me well as an actor, usually because I have an easy time researching for a scene, studying music theory, or learning accents.
My point in writing this article is to let you know that you can have it all without sacrificing yourself and that there is so much value in where you’ve come from. Find creative ways to take your foot off the gas, but keep moving forward because you deserve to be at a school that values the whole you, and you also deserve to get there in one piece.