Office of Admissions Blog

by Jasmine Batchelor, 2nd-year actor

“When you want something with all your heart, that’s when you are closest to the Soul of the World. It’s always a positive force… All the Universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
-Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

7 AM, Saturday, January 22, 2011: I am walking thirty-two blocks in thirty-seven degree weather to The Juilliard School from the NJ Transit corridor of Penn Station.  Being brand new to the city and its public transportation, coupled with the strange superstition of having to walk off any resident nerves, finds me sweating profusely beneath my winter coat; my backpack filled with my audition survival kit (a few snacks, a change of clothes, my head shots, a journal, wallet, etc.) growing heavier with each block. I’d woken up at five to leave Madison, New Jersey (Where I was working as an actor at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey) and take the first steps on the road to what I considered, and Paulo Coelho calls, my “Personal Legend,” the road to my destiny, success; dream. In the cold and early of the morning, I remember how different my reality is than a mere eight months ago, and how, already, I am much more capable of listening to the Soul of the World than before.

Shortly before graduating college in June of 2010, a family fallout left me homeless and destitute. To the outside eye, I had everything going for me: I graduated magna cum laude and at the top of my acting class, I had been the star of several university productions and was the go-to actress for the school’s film department, I’d just performed professionally and begun my road to Equity, and my professors, peers, and visiting master teachers praised me, destined me for greatness and assured everyone that I was the actress to watch. They praised my work ethic and performance, and gave me confidential assurances that I was going to take the professional world by storm. The cruel truth was utterly contrary to this praise. Because of my family’s rift, I no longer had any financial or emotional support, which left me no room to travel to auditions during my senior year. I could hardly buy groceries. I barely drove because I couldn’t afford to put gas in my car. I missed school functions to work late shifts at Starbucks after class so I could keep a roof over my head. I missed the opportunities that my peers were using to start their careers immediately after college. The star student was becoming the girl who got left behind.

One afternoon at work, a friend came in to see me at work and it dawned on me – is this what I want my life to be? Do I want this to be my work? I made a plan then and there; the musical theatre seniors were taking a class trip to New York for their showcase, if allowed, I would go too. If they were going to meet agents and managers, I would be in the right place at the right time to meet them as well.

I scraped three hundred dollars together, bought a round trip ticket to New York, and ate very little for three weeks in order to join them for their showcase. I stayed with Monica, a generous friend in Brooklyn, who saw how frustrated I’d become with my life, and at the time, my trip. I spent my time in New York as the unofficial assistant to my fellow students – stirring their coffee, refilling their water bottles, safety pinning their gowns – I knew there was more that I was destined to do, but when I attempted to meet and greet agents, I was shot down by people of my own school. They had become competitive and selfish, telling me I’d “better stick to helping out.” I was devastated. One night, I stayed in Brooklyn and avoided the heartbreak of another round of agencies coming and going, and Monica, to my surprise, gave me an invite to a talkback at Juilliard for The Public’s recent production of, “The Neighbors.” After considering it, my depression turned it down. “No thanks,” I sighed. “I don’t feel like moving.” Monica looked at me fiercely, waved her hands in the air and said, “Honey! When you get an invitation to ANYTHING at Juilliard, you GO!” So, I went.

It was at that talkback that I found what’d been missing. Here was a place where art brought people from all walks of life; every ethnicity, every political background, every economic status, every area of performance, every part of the world was represented in one building. It blew my mind. The space itself felt welcoming to all. After the talkback, the woman who’d invited Monica approached me with a question. “Have you ever considered applying to Juilliard?” “No,” I blushed. “That’s kind of impossible,” I laughed. She shook her head. “Come with me,” she said as she led me to the Office of Admissions. She gave me a few pamphlets and a calendar of events. “You’re too late to apply for this upcoming school year, but you should apply for fall of 2011. You sing?” “Yes,” I told her, my voice almost cracking. “Good. We need singers in the Drama Division. Look it over.” I smiled, thanked her, and went back to Monica’s apartment. Something had changed. The next morning I just knew – I was going to Juilliard.

8 AM of January 22, 2011: I am climbing the grand staircase of The Juilliard School. I’m about an hour early, but I am still greeted by two friendly drama students. After signing in with one of them, I am led upstairs to the third floor. There are smiling students everywhere; they wear name tags and welcome me to the place they call home. Somehow, this just feels right. Although somewhere in consciousness there is the recognition of the gravity of this moment – I’m at Juilliard, the number one performing arts college in the country – I am still caught in the tangible support and love given by all of these smiling faces and welcoming words. After being led through a group warm up by voice teacher Kate Wilson, we are given kind words by acting teacher and director, Richard Feldman. Both of these teachers, people, are so kind and openhearted, it’s almost impossible to feel nervous. We are led back to our communal room and given times to audition; until our individual audition we are given free rein to relax, utilize the plentiful practice space on the fourth floor, and talk to the current students made available for questions. This environment makes all the difference – they make it clear that we are welcome, we are valued, and we are here to be seen, not judged.

My audition is in studio 306. I am led by yet another friendly, easy going student to the hallway outside of the studio and introduced to the, now alum, Joaquina Kalukango (recently seen on Broadway in the revival of Godspell and off-Broadway in the Signature Theatre’s premier of Hurt Village) who makes me feel even more at home. We chat and laugh until it comes time to audition – it feels completely normal to be here. By the time I am called in I feel as if I, like her, own this space. These halls are mine, this studio is mine, and these walls are mine. These are to be my friends, my teachers, my dressing rooms; this is my destiny. I walk into 306, an oversized studio with beautiful overhead windows and two entrances, with a sense of ease and calm. The midday sunlight poured through the windows and spilled along the studio floor as if to welcome me. The Soul of the World had never spoken so clearly. “You are here.” I turn from these magnificent windows to see the smiling faces of Richard Feldman and Mina Yakin. “Hello, Jasmine,” smiles Richard. “Good morning!”
I instantly feel at ease. “Do you mind if I take off my shoes?” I ask, already removing one slipper.
Richard laughs. “Of course. This is your time, you do whatever makes you most comfortable.”

It was the best audition I’ve ever had.  I don’t say that to praise my piece selection, or to brag about auditioning in sweatpants instead of dressing up, I don’t say that to give myself a pat on the back at all – I say it because of the love and welcoming I was given. In the following eight hours, I met the entire faculty, including Drama Division Head, James Houghton, who is also the artistic director for The Signature Theatre. I got to know some pretty amazing people (Some of whom are in my group!) and go through an initial callback with them in front of that faculty, and then stayed for an interview with James Houghton and second-year acting teacher, Becky Guy.  Everyone I encountered that day received me with open hearts, open minds, and open ears. I left the building around 9 pm, physically exhausted but spiritually renewed – I’d just taken the first steps toward the rest of my life, and I felt it in every bone of my body. I was finally home.

9:30 PM, Saturday, January 22, 2011
Decided to take the 1 Train back to 34^th Street – it’s safer that way.  =)

by Angelina Impellizzeri, 2nd-year actor

I auditioned for The Juilliard School Drama Division two times. The first time I auditioned for Juilliard (in New York) I was wait-listed and subsequently not offered admission to the 2010-11 school year. So there I was, in upstate New York, at the end of my senior year at Bard College. I had spent almost the entire end of my last semester focused on getting into Juilliard. After I didn’t get in I wasn’t sure what to do next. I didn’t have a back up plan at all. So after graduation I moved back home to St. Louis, Missouri. It was summer. I had a six-week teaching gig that I treasured, but when it was over I was unemployed and my student loan debt was knocking hard at my door. I had to get a job…a couple, actually.

Retail, retail, retail. That quickly became my life. It was a dark, dark miserable hole where my weekly hours were determined by how many people I could sign up for credit cards. I wasn’t acting. I wasn’t even reading plays. I didn’t do anything related to theater for months and one day my body cried FOUL! Walking to my car one evening after some crazy coupon day at work, I stopped outside of my car door because I felt this strange tingly gut instinct come over me. My body was trying to tell me something…Oh boy. I think I need to reapply to Juilliard. But wait, can I really go through that whole process again? January 22nd to May 1st was how long it took me to get rejected the first time…I don’t know if I can muster up the strength to give it another go.

A few weeks later, I found myself at my computer staring at the “Submit” button on the online application. It was the deadline day. The application had to be submitted by midnight. Still just staring. Come on stomach, tell me what to do. Somewhere close to midnight I got up from the computer and started scream-dancing down to my mom’s room shouting, “OKAY! OKAY! I DID IT! IT SENT! IT’S IN! I’M DOING IT AGAIN! OH MY GOD I’M GONNA THROW UP! WHAT THE *BEEP* IS GOING ON! OKAY! I GOTTA FIND SOME MONOLOGUES!”

A few months later I was on a train headed for The Windy City on my way to Juilliard Audition #2. I’ll never forget walking into that Chicago audition and seeing Kathy Hood and Richard Feldman’s warm greetings and smiles welcoming me and everyone else into the waiting room. Something was different though. It was me. I had this realization that if I didn’t get into Juilliard again I COULD STILL TOTALLY BE AN ACTOR AND KEEP GOING AFTER MY DREAMS! You see, I didn’t know this about myself the first time. I had a do or die attitude. Get in or your life as an actor is over. You failed. That attitude didn’t help me, and quite frankly, it wasn’t any fun at all. The best thing that I did for myself was to take that pressure off of my shoulders. I believe that this change of mindset greatly helped my second audition and ultimately led to my admission to the school. If there is anything that anybody can take away from reading my little story I would say…

**PREPARE. BUT CUT YOURSELF SOME SLACK. SMILE. IT’S ACTUALLY GOING TO BE OKAY NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS. HAVE FUN! GO INTO YOUR AUDITION KNOWING THAT TODAY IS JUST ANOTHER DAY THAT YOU GET TO DO WHAT YOU LOVE TO DO…and nothing more.**

by Kathy Hood, Drama Division Administrative Director

Hello and Happy New Year to all of our Drama applicants!

As the Administrative Director of the Drama Division, one of the great joys of my job is to organize and run our annual auditions and to assist each and every one of you throughout this process in a personal and human way. That is one of the most important values that we all endeavor to bring to these auditions and to provide the best environment possible for you to share your work.  I love the opportunity the audition process presents for us to meet such an extraordinary and diverse group of talented actors.   I have spent the last few weeks reading through all of your applications  and I can tell you that I have been very moved by your stories of great courage, determination, passion and dedication.  You have eloquently described your individual journeys and why you love this work.  It has been inspiring to me to know you are the next generation of artists who will be leading the way.  Thank you for sharing with such thoughtfulness and generosity.

When the Admissions Office asked me to write an introductory blog to help kick off the beginning of our audition process, I thought “Fantastic, Great!  I know I can offer some good advice and words of wisdom – this will be EASY to write”.  Cut to a blank computer screen.  I type at keys but somehow no words form – I had entered the zone of writer’s block.  After some contemplation (and breathing!) I came to realize I was too concerned about trying to dispense a magnificent pearl of wisdom or advice;  too worried about whether I would be witty enough or inspire with my words.  I was trying to create the “perfect blog”.  I came into awareness that in my struggle to write this blog there might be a metaphor for the auditions themselves.  Instead of trying to be excellent or impress, I needed to be true to my authentic self and voice.  Spinning my wheels in an effort to perfect something got me nowhere.  So I decided to take a page from all of you and write what is in my heart – to just be and know that is enough.

Here are a few things that are on my mind:

• First of all – how are you doing?  I can imagine that you must be feeling a combination of excitement, nervousness and anticipation as you ready yourself for the audition experience.  One of my students asked me yesterday how I was doing in preparation for the auditions and I  told them that I was likely feeling like the applicants right now- a mixture of all of the above!  The members of the Drama Division are very excited to meet you and we also share a similar nervousness in entering into a new experience with all of you and feel a wonderful anticipation for what lies ahead.  As the famous New York Yankee shortstop Phil Rizzuto once said, “Anybody who isn’t nervous on the first day of anything just  isn’t human”!

• We have been in your shoes.  We have all auditioned before and know first-hand about the amount of courage it takes to walk into a room, share a story and reveal something about yourself and the character.  If you are auditioning in New York, you will meet many of our students who will be working the auditions in support of your experience.  They will answer questions, talk about life at Juilliard, help you feel calm before you go into the audition room, and share their own audition experiences with you.  They are an amazing group and I know you will really enjoy meeting them on your audition day.  If you are auditioning in Chicago or San Francisco, I will be there and look forward to meeting you in person and helping you navigate through the day.

• We have tremendous respect for your time and talent.  We hope the auditions will be a more relaxed experience then perhaps you have envisioned.  I often tell applicants that it can be helpful to come into the room with the mindset that you are wearing your “student hat”.  That  you are coming into the room to work instead of feeling that you have something to prove – that can be very beneficial.

• Select material that you love – a character, a situation, a story.  It will make the process easier if you can hook into something that you care about.  I think it is easy to fall into the trap of preparing material that you think we want to see – but what we really want to see is you and you in transformation.  We care about your choices, instincts and impulses.  There is no correct way of doing a monologue.  You will bring your own unique perspective and point-of-view to the work – we look forward to seeing that!

• Take your time!  Breathe!  There is no rush.  This is your time and your audition.

• Everybody has the same chance at admission.  Yes  – it is true and it something that we take great pride in with our audition process.  The playing field is level.  It doesn’t matter if you are graduating from high school or maybe have been out in the field working for a few years.   All are welcome regardless of prior training.   We embrace an artistic model of training – you come to the work at the school when the timing is right.

• Regardless of the outcome of the audition, I know you have tremendous futures ahead.  You have already shown great power, will and determination to get to this point in time.  I believe you will continue to use your gifts to create your own path – those options are truly endless and exciting.

I believe that we  all part of one community.  Many of you will become our future colleagues not only as actors but as playwrights, directors, producers, designers, etc.  We are humbled and honored that you have selected Juilliard as a possible place as your educational and artistic home.  We welcome you with a full and open heart.

Wishing you all the best,

Kathy Hood

Administrative Director, Drama Division

P.S. – Stay tuned for some upcoming blogs over the next two weeks from our students.  I think you will really enjoy hearing their personal audition stories!

by Tina Gonzalez, Director of Financial Aid

Greetings, Applicants!

Financial Aid season is fast approaching!  Here are a few tips and reminders to keep you organized (and sane) during the coming hectic months.  But, first, did you know that:

• 90% of Juilliard students apply for financial aid, and almost 80% are receiving Juilliard scholarship assistance.

• You should apply for financial aid even if you don’t think you’ll qualify. There are loan and work-study programs available to most U.S. citizens/residents regardless of income.  In addition, Juilliard scholarship eligibility does not have a strict income cutoff.

• You must apply for financial aid to be considered for any Juilliard scholarships.  All scholarship decisions are based on a combination of both financial need and merit.

• The deadline to apply is March 1, but the best time to start is in early February, after you have your income information for 2012.  You will still have plenty of time, and the information you submit will be more accurate.

So, if you shouldn’t start the process until February, what can you do now?

• Peruse our web pages carefully for application procedures, FAQs, and tuition information. “Like” us on Facebook for tips and reminders. Use our Net Price Calculator to get a preliminary idea of how much funding may be available.  Do the same research at each school to which you are applying.

• Maintain a spreadsheet of all of your schools, including tuition, aid procedures and deadlines (and, later, scholarship offers).  Call them if you have questions!  Track the deadlines on a calendar, including a start date well in advance of the due date.

• Arrange to have your taxes completed as early as possible, if you are planning to file a U.S. tax return for 2012. The sooner you file your tax return, the easier it will be to complete the FAFSA.  HERE’S OUR BEST FAFSA TIP:  Filing your taxes electronically makes it easier to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) when filing your FAFSA. If you won’t have your taxes completed by the end of February, use estimates, but keep in mind that your aid eligibility may change if you underestimate your income.

• Talk to your parents about college financing.  Get all expectations out in the open.  How much are they able to pay?  Do they expect you to borrow for your education? Are they willing to take loans on your behalf?  Will you get a work-study job on campus? And don’t forget that schools will be communicating directly with YOU (the student), so be sure to keep your parents in the loop.

• Research federal student aid programs to better understand your award letters from the schools to which you are accepted.  Be sure to find out if your state has any scholarship programs, and keep searching for private scholarships as well.

And, as always – contact us if you have any questions, concerns, or special circumstances.  We are here to help you!

by Lee Cioppa, Associate Dean for Admissions

It’s a new year, and Admissions is ready to start with a bang!  We are going to really re-activate our blog, and I’m excited to share our plan with you.

If you applied to Juilliard for fall 2013, you know that we sent you a survey in December.  We’ve been poring over the responses you sent, and one of the biggest comments was that our applicants would love to hear more from current Juilliard students.  Admissions has found that providing direct contact is a real challenge, as we have over 5,000 applicants and fewer than 800 students (who have crazy busy schedules). So, we thought that while reading a blog is not quite the same as the opportunity to have a direct conversation, it is one way to hear directly from students about their experiences here.

So, starting next week, we plan to be posting on our blog at least once a week (maybe even two or three times a week if our students have a lot to say!).  You’ll hear from actors, dancers and musicians; about life at Juilliard, arts advocacy at Juilliard, and preparation for life beyond Juilliard.

Personally, some of my very favorite blog posts have been by Juilliard students.  I invite you to go back through our archives, and see what our students had to say in previous years.  Here are some of my top picks!

Happy little Juilliard surprises! http://blog.juilliard.edu/?p=221

Freshman Year Findings http://blog.juilliard.edu/?p=225

I thought I knew…but I had no idea. http://blog.juilliard.edu/?p=110

10 more things about Juilliard http://blog.juilliard.edu/?m=200905

Juilliard Rumors: Debunked! http://blog.juilliard.edu/?p=70

by Lee Cioppa, Associate Dean for Admissions

What does it mean to be an artist in the 21st Century? This necessary self-reflection for all members of the Juilliard community, from the administration, to the faculty, to the students, often leads to the response: an artist must also be an entrepreneur.  At the opening of this school year, at Juilliard’s annual Convocation (all-school meeting), the focus of the presentation was on this topic.  Courtney Blackwell, our Director of Career Services, gave such a wonderful speech on this topic that I asked her if I could post it on our blog.

But before you read her speech, you must first visit a brand-new section of our website: Juilliard Entrepreneurship, Shaping the Future.  While there, watch the short film that is featured in the main window on the page (click on the arrow icon in the center of the photo to start the film). The film was the lead-in to Courtney’s speech; so watch first, then read below!

From Courtney Blackwell, Director of Career Services, The Juilliard School

After seeing the great things that these faculty have done and after hearing everything you’ve heard today, you might still be wondering, is entrepreneurship for me?

Good afternoon and welcome back everyone.

The truth of the matter is that these faculty, and many of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs were once in the place that you are today. They exhibited talent, discipline, and were creating a vision for something that mattered to them. Finding what matters to you produces an atmosphere where great ideas are born.

Take the case of a small group of local musicians, with one ringleader, who formed with a mission of advancing instrumental music. (You’ve definitely heard of them). In the first few years, the group took a very hands-on approach, making all decisions – from music to new members – by a group majority vote. They even put together a large scale benefit concert to raise funds for a new building, which was initially unsuccessful. These humble beginnings started by an entrepreneurial collective would later become the New York Philharmonic.

Another example is the professional trumpeter who was so frustrated with ineffective lip balms that he took matters into his own hands. The health of his lips were obviously very important to his playing, so he went into his own kitchen , made his own mixture of herbs and moisturizers and developed a product that he not only uses but is also used by wind players all over the world. That trumpeter is still performing and his product, Chopsaver – a virtual cash cow- is in 1500 retail stores worldwide. I even wear Chopsaver and in case you don’t know I am not a wind player.

Another great example is that of a choreographer who in the early 1980’s felt that there needed to be a space specifically for dance in New York City. He had a business partner with a similar vision and they found an old art film house where the vision could be born. Using everything they had to track down sources for private and public funding, this new home was born and still stands today as The Joyce Theater, which now attracts an annual audience of 140,000 and has welcomed 270 dance companies to its stages. And the choreographer in that case was none other than Eliot Feld.

All of these people began their journey to create something great with by finding what mattered to them.

I remember myself, years ago, as a student at Juilliard. My picture perfect career path involved travelling, going to some of the world’s greatest theaters, and working with some of the best artists I could imagine. But what I thought would get me to that goal was one singular path, my fate held in the hands of one artistic decision maker.

After a career ending injury while dancing in a company, the course of my path changed. I was living in Munich, Germany (where the company was based) and enlisted my entrepreneurial skill set and dance training to create new job opportunities. I quickly learned basic German, became certified in Pilates, and founded my own portable fitness service started by a need that I saw around me. In addition, I began writing for the local English newspaper and sought out business opportunities that helped pave a path towards arts administration, my current career. During this transition I realized that entrepreneurship provides you with the benefit of having many paths to your goal and even enhancing your original goal.

Being an entrepreneur is not just for Silicon Valley start-ups, this concept applies directly to you, performing artists who already create on a daily basis. Entrepreneurship gives you the chance to create your own job, be your own boss and determine how your art and your voice will influence this world instead of letting that just be determined for you.

Entrepreneurship lets you decide what will be most important in your career as an artist, whether that be social good, artistic fulfillment, financial reward, or a balance of these factors.

Like the illustrations you’ve heard about today, entrepreneurship allows you to create incredible opportunities for yourself instead of waiting for the one opportunity that might present itself.

So as you ask, is entrepreneurship for me, remember that if your goal is to innovate and move the industry forward, entrepreneurial thinking is not an option, its essential.

Entrepreneurship at Juilliard is the vehicle that will help you to connect what matters to you with your education as an artist. From entrepreneurial coursework and to programs like – the Center for Innovation in the Arts, Professional Mentoring, Career Services, and the drama division’s student-initiated projects, Juilliard has resources to help you define and explore what entrepreneurship means to you.

Juilliard even provides financial support to build your skill set or to execute your idea through fellowships from the Educational Outreach and grant awards from the Juilliard Summer Grants Program. Juilliard’s programs have even helped students build fully functioning and in some cases money making endeavors before they even graduate.

All of these resources help you develop that idea of something that matters to you which could be the next Chopsaver, NY Phil, Signature Theater, or Facebook.

To kick-off Juilliard’s emphasis on this type of thought and action, we have created a new webpage called Entrepreneurship at Juilliard. It is your go-to source for all things entrepreneurial including the programs and resources mentioned today.

Also kicking off Juilliard’s emphasis on entrepreneurship is a new grant, the Jonathan Madrigano Entrepreneurship Grant which provides financial support to student projects that display innovative ideas, resourceful thinking, and impact to a specific audience. Mr. Madrigano, of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, is a passionate supporter for seeing these projects flourish and is here with us today.

You can read about the five winning grantees on the Entrepreneurship at Juilliard website, but I will give you a quick snapshot of each:

We have granted awards to:

• Jessica Garand: A violist determined to see that every child have the opportunity to experience music

• Toni Marie Marchioni: An oboist who personal obsession with Facebook produced a new media firm geared towards arts organizations

• John Brancy, Tobias Greenhalgh, and Armand Ranjbaran: Two baritones and a composer turned classical music superheroes, taking the future of classical music into their own hands

• Kristin Olson: an oboist whose modern and baroque reed making workshops are built to make everyone sound as good as possible through having the best crafted reed as possible.

Our final grantee is a second year actor. His vision for helping he, his classmates, and other Juilliard students obtain future employment comes in the form of a three tier project, the first of which is called 18 actors: acting. Here to tell you more about his very creative and very entrepreneurial project is second year drama student Max Woertendyke.

(To hear more about Max’s film, visit www.18actors.com.)

by DJ Pimm, Admissions Assistant

Do you know what fall means in the Office of Admissions at Juilliard? It means a brand-new school year, a brand-new application, and the excitement of guiding a brand-new group of applicants through our application and audition process. We understand that the fall can be a daunting time for those preparing to apply to college. So, as you embark on your voyage through the Juilliard admission process, it is our pleasure to keep you informed, organized, and hopefully stress-free (at least in terms of your meeting the correct requirements), with some key information about the process.

First off, you can find highly specific outlines of our application requirements, audition repertoire, and audition processes for all programs at each degree level by visiting the Application and Audition Requirements Web page. If at any point you have a question about your application, please feel free to contact the Office of Admissions – you’ll probably speak with me, and I’m more than happy to assist you!

Friendly tip: Be sure to clarify your concerns long before the application deadline. Excepting Playwriting and Artist Diploma in Opera Studies applicants, we must receive a completed application, pre-screening materials (if required for your major), and an application fee by December 1.

Next, you should be aware of some new procedures at Juilliard – especially if you’ve applied in the past.

1)      Over the summer we made a significant change to our pre-screening submission process. All pre-screening materials must be submitted online in a digital format. In past years we’ve asked for applicants to send us CDs or DVDs in the mail. In an effort to keep the application experience as efficient and painless as possible, pre-screened applicants must now upload each audio or visual file directly to an online account right from the comfort of their own computers. You should note that this procedure is true for all pre-screened applicants in all divisions. To check whether or not your major requires pre-screening materials, visit our Application and Audition Requirements page.

2)      In addition to the pre-screening requirement for BFA/MFA in Acting candidates who reside outside of the United States and Canada, we will now offer a pre-screening option for all Alaska, Hawaii and Canada residents. Actors who pass the pre-screening round must also attend a live first-round audition. You can read more about the Acting audition process on the Drama Division Actor Training Program Application and Audition Requirements page.

3)      International applicants to the BFA in Dance are now required to submit pre-screening recordings. The pre-screening round is optional for applicants who reside in Canada. As is true in Drama, all dancers who pass pre-screening must also attend a live audition at one of our Dance audition sites. You can read more about the Dance audition process on the Dance Division Application and Audition Requirements page.

4)      We’ve made significant changes to the English Language Proficiency requirement for applicants who do not speak English as their native language. If this applies to you, please be sure to carefully review the English Language Proficiency requirement for your intended degree program. It’s highly important that we receive the required proof of your English Language Proficiency by the appropriate deadline for your program.

Finally, enjoy the process. Indulge in a tour of Juilliard, check out the Visiting Juilliard Web page for a list of On Campus Events, or take a look at Juilliard’s Calendar of Events and consider attending a student performance. If you don’t foresee a trip to New York City this fall, we still have you covered – Juilliard offers a virtual tour!

As we bid farewell to yet another beautiful summer in New York City, the Juilliard Admissions staff welcomes fall with open arms as the application for admission to the 2013-14 school year is now open. Best of luck – we look forward to hearing from you!

by Mallory Portnoy, 1st year Actor

Final callback weekend.  For me, it was one of those weekends that is so special it sticks with you for years to come.  Since I now have the incredible opportunity of being part of Group 44, I will always think back on those two days fondly. 

I’m twenty-seven years old.  Received my BFA in Acting from the University of Illinois and had been making my way in New York as an actor ever since.  For many reasons I felt graduate school would be a really positive thing for me, so I started the audition process.  I auditioned a few times for all the top schools and didn’t get in.  I had almost decided to throw in the towel last year, but thought what the hell, I’ll give it one last shot.  Juilliard had never been on my radar, but a professional friend of mine was relentless when encouraging me to give it a shot.  I resisted for a while… Oh it’s four years, I’ll be so old when I get out… Oh I’ll never get in… blah blah blah.  Finally I came around.

The great thing was the fact that I had zero expectations going in.  In fact I had pretty much decided my professional career was picking up and I didn’t really want to go back to school anyways, but after my first day of auditions/callbacks at Juilliard, I was in love.  I remember being so proud of myself for letting go of all hopes and expectations through the initial audition process, which clearly served me well as I was fortunate to be one of forty amazing actors invited to final callbacks.  That’s when my nerves started to creep in… I felt myself becoming more attached to the idea of actually getting in, now that it was becoming a real possibility.  A distant dream was slowly becoming a tangible reality and I felt the pressure was on. 

I had heard what it would be like from friends, and it sounded pretty intense.  I also feared that awful feeling when you walk into an audition room and you see ten people who are exactly like you and you just sort of awkwardly see your competition right in front of you… I was creating all of these little stories and scenarios in my head and once I arrived realized it was nothing like what I had been anticipating.

First of all, if you’ve made it this far, you have experienced first hand that all the rumors about Juilliard are almost entirely false.  I’m mostly referring to the stereotype that Juilliard is incredibly pretentious/elitist.  From the minute you are greeted by the students, Kathy Hood, Jim Houghton, and the rest of the faculty, you feel totally taken care of.  They are so incredibly nice and supportive, but beyond that, they make it very clear how genuinely happy they are to get to know you and your work even better.  They also provide a ton of great free food, and who wouldn’t be jazzed about that, right?

The weekend went a little like this (and please bear in mind this was such a total whirlwind so I am trying to remember the specifics as best I can): We arrived early Saturday morning and were warmly greeted by the students and staff.  This gave us a chance to mingle with the other thirty-nine actors as well.  Then we made our way into the drama theater where Jim Houghton welcomed us and we went around and introduced ourselves.  They had every single person in that theater introduce themselves, which included many family members of young BFA candidates.  My friend joked it was like an AA meeting, but I was so blown away by how invested they were in learning about us.  After that we were divided into groups of ten, two groups went on a little tour of the school and two groups went in one by one to do their monologue and song for the faculty again.  Then we switched.  Classes that weekend consisted of Improvisation with Richard Feldman, Play with Frank Deal, Movement with Moni Yakim, Voice with Kate Wilson, and Singing with Deb Lapidus.  We also took home a short play on Saturday night for a text analysis class the next day and were fortunate enough to go see a fantastic musician play Saturday night, followed by a discussion.

Having the opportunity to learn from the faculty at Juilliard, even for two days, was incredible.  They are truly BRILLIANT.  The best.  Those who weren’t teaching were observing us, but never once did I feel uncomfortable, or judged, or “critiqued”.  On the contrary I felt completely at home and in my element, sharing this experience with this new group of actors and teachers. The best part was that I didn’t feel like I was auditioning, I felt like I had been chosen to be part of this incredibly special weekend workshop, which I really think is a testament to the faculty for making the classroom such an open, free, safe, fun place to let us just work and play and do our thing. 

The other great aspect of callback weekend was how available the current students were to us.  We had several panel discussions with them, one “behind closed doors” so to speak where it was literally just six current students with the forty of us, giving us the opportunity to ask questions we might not have felt comfortable asking in front of faculty etc., but in general they were just around to chat and answer questions and make us feel welcome the entire time.

The weekend is totally intense and busy and you work hard, but you also play hard.  You meet amazing people (the ones I met and loved turned out to be my classmates), and you have the honor of working with some of the best teachers in the world.  I think what sets Juilliard callbacks aside from other programs (at least grad programs) is that they truly take the time to SEE you.  Not just your abilities as an actor, but who you are as a person and who you want to become as a person and an artist.  From the moment you walk into that audition room from day one throughout your time at Juilliard, they take the time and the care to see you and help you grow.  That was very apparent to me at callbacks.  Other programs split the fifty people called back in half so each group only gets one day and doesn’t get to meet all the other actors auditioning.  I just think it’s such a lovely process at Juilliard.  It’s also so refreshing to look around a room of people and see truly unique human beings.  Juilliard isn’t trying to fill some weird acting school class quota with “types”; they are looking for PEOPLE, unique, intriguing, talented people from a wide range of ages and walks of life.

My best advice would be to absorb everything you experience in those two days; be present, live in the moment, be yourself, breathe, have fun, and enjoy what an amazing opportunity it is to be there and don’t lose sight of the fact that you deserve to be there, whatever the final outcome.  You’ll have an amazing time!

by Lee Cioppa, Associate Dean for Admissions

Talent.  Boy, that’s a tough word to explain.  Potential is another one.  How do we assess talent and potential?  What exactly are we looking for?  How do we tell in a short 15 minute audition whether there is the talent and potential to succeed at Juilliard and, eventually, as a professional?

“I know it when I see/hear it….”  A very common response, but doesn’t that seem vague and unsatisfying?  

A few years ago, I read the book “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell.  Here’s how he describes what it’s about: 

It’s a book about rapid cognition, about the kind of thinking that happens in a blink of an eye. When you meet someone for the first time, or walk into a house you are thinking of buying, or read the first few sentences of a book, your mind takes about two seconds to jump to a series of conclusions. Well, “Blink” is a book about those two seconds, because I think those instant conclusions that we reach are really powerful and really important and, occasionally, really good.

You could also say that it’s a book about intuition, except that I don’t like that word. In fact it never appears in “Blink.” Intuition strikes me as a concept we use to describe emotional reactions, gut feelings–thoughts and impressions that don’t seem entirely rational. But I think that what goes on in that first two seconds is perfectly rational. It’s thinking–it’s just thinking that moves a little faster and operates a little more mysteriously than the kind of deliberate, conscious decision-making that we usually associate with “thinking.” In “Blink” I’m trying to understand those two seconds. What is going on inside our heads when we engage in rapid cognition?

In the book, Mr. Gladwell has a chapter on “thin-slicing”:  “There’s a wonderful phrase in psychology—‘the power of thin slicing’–which says that as human beings we are capable of making sense of situations based on the thinnest slice of experience.”

There are two concepts here that fascinate me related to auditions:

1. That faculty actually only need the time frame of an audition to “thin-slice”, or evaluate the talent and potential of an applicant; and
2. That there is a tremendous amount of information about an applicant that is gathered during an audition, but a lot of it is processed by the unconscious and evaluated through rapid cognition.

So back to “I know it when I see/hear it…” An artist with years of experience certainly does. But what are those pieces of information that a faculty member is unconsciously assessing?  Or another way to look at it: other than technique (for example, for a musician: is the applicant playing the right notes in the right rhythms and in the appropriate tempo? Is he in tune? Is her physical set-up on the instrument correct?) what the heck makes a difference?

Well, just as it takes an artist to recognize an artist, it can take an artist in words to articulate clearly the specific characteristics that define a talented individual.  Diane Ackerman is an extraordinary writer, and in her most recent book One Hundred Names for Love she writes about her husband, another writer (Paul West) after he has a stroke.  Paul’s stroke affected the left hemisphere of his brain, and he could no longer process language in any form, a condition called Global Aphasia.  Over a period of many years, he recovered even to the point of being able to write again.  However, Ms. Ackerman writes, “Since Paul was naturally creative, a wild and wooly thinker, it wasn’t really surprising that he balked at conventional speech therapy…Before his stroke, his brain hadn’t worked that way; that’s not where his strengths lay.”

She then proceeds to define creativity. And in reading her words, I came to a psychic full stop – here it was, what I had been searching for!  A laundry list of what it takes, of the characteristics of an artist.

And this is what she wrote:

…risk-taking, perseverance, problem-solving, openness to experience, the need to share one’s inner universe, empathy, detailed mastery of a craft, resourcefulness, disciplined spontaneity, a mind of large general knowledge and strength that can momentarily be drawn to a particular, ample joy when surprised, intense focus, the useful application of obsession, the innocent wonder of a child available to a learned adult, passion, a tenuous (or at least flexible) grasp on reality, mysticism (though not necessarily theology), a reaction against the status quo (and preference for unique creations), and usually the support of at least one person….

(My favorite is “useful application of obsession” – what else would you call the ability to practice your craft for hours and hours every day of your life?)

Can these things really be evaluated in an audition?  Certainly, you won’t see them listed as criteria on any audition form.  But here is where the “blink” comes in…I think that the answer is yes.  It’s not quite the first impression, two seconds that Mr. Gladwell refers to.  But over the few minutes of an audition – that “thin-slice” of all of the time, preparation, passion and determination that brought an applicant to that moment – so much more is learned than just what is seen and heard. It’s not unknown, it’s not mysterious – it’s years and years and years of experience that the unconscious mind is using to process and evaluate these characteristics that Ms. Ackerman has so brilliantly described.

I certainly knew it when I read it!

by Mary Chieffo, 1^st year actor

I spent much of my winter break last year in my garage with a punching bag, four monologues and endless trepidation.

When I returned to school in January, I entered full throttle rehearsals for the Spring Musical and review classes for first semester finals. I was, without a doubt, stressed to the max. I would go home after rehearsal and drill and drill my monologues – instead of counting sheep, I whispered the words of Antigone until my nerves finally gave way to a much needed slumber. I realized this was not a healthy way to function around the time I ripped a hole in the knee of my pajamas out of pure panic. That Friday I approached my drama teacher.

“Mr. Adell, I was wondering…well…I mean…I am really…struggling with…anxiety about…college auditions.”

Tears began to swell in my eyes.

“Sit down, let’s talk”

And we did, and my wonderfully insightful drama teacher reminded me that college does not define the entirety of my life or the overall value of my character. It will encompass much of the next four years, yes, but whether I become a success or failure is more dependent on what I do for myself within those four years wherever I end up physically. I decide what external forces can say about who I am as a person. If a school “rejects” me, that does not mean I am not worthy – it means that I am not the right fit for this particular year and class. So many incredible actors have auditioned for Juilliard Drama multiple times before they entered the program. I don’t think they let their first tries make them feel inferior enough to not try again.

My teacher also reminded me that the application and audition process are not a one-way street: the school is auditioning for you too. Maybe it isn’t the right fit for you right at this moment. Most importantly, my teacher made me realize that my audition was in the simplest way an opportunity to act in front of people who love and understand the profound beauty of theatre. What could be better?

So I decided to come in with the attitude that I indeed was auditioning Juilliard just as much as it was auditioning me. This mentality combined with the excessive amount of butterflies in my stomach morphed into a sort of false self-assuredness that could have been my demise had I not been exposed to the generosity of spirit emanating from Kathy Hood, Richard Feldman and Becky Guy at the beginning of my initial audition in San Francisco. They were everything I could have hoped for: from the moment the audition process began, I felt safe, appreciated, and at peace. Kathy was so gracious – she walked around the room shaking every single person’s hand, looking him or her in the eye, welcoming and acknowledging everyone for putting themselves out there. I fell in love with the program all over again.

It feels dangerous to fall in love with a program that you haven’t been admitted into yet doesn’t it? But there is something so exhilarating about knowing you would truly love to be a part of an institution because it appreciates all artists for their art as well as their humanity. This intrinsic sense of belonging and trust helped me reach a serene mindset I have experienced only once or twice before in my life: I would be satisfied with whatever happened that day because I knew I was going to give it my all and learn something in the process.

Because sure, eighteen people are selected out of thousands, but that still leaves eighteen spots to be filled – why shouldn’t you be one of them?