Office of Admissions Blog

By Lee Cioppa, Associate Dean for Admissions

I am entirely delighted to announce that Juilliard Admission is now on Facebook! “Like” us at
http://www.facebook.com/JuilliardAdmissions.

Now, you might ask, why do we even want to be on Facebook? The answer to that is simple – where are you?

If there is one thing that has changed in college admissions in the past 10 years, it is that print materials have become dinosaurs, and prospective students are finding their information almost exclusively on the Web. As a result, you have a lot more ways to find out about us than we have opportunities to communicate with you – you don’t need a colorful Viewbook or print brochure from a college to find out all you need to know. The downside, of course, is that you aren’t always getting first-hand information. Chat rooms, message boards, personal blogs – these come up in a Google search as much as a school’s individual Web site.

So, back to the title of the blog. Juilliard Admissions is using Facebook to reach our prospective students. Where they are (they’re), in their environment – we want to be there.

From: Monia C. Estima, Associate Director of Admissions
To: Admissions
Subject: Wacky Questions/Comments

Hey Y’alls:

You know how we’re always getting wacky questions at college fairs and stuff? Well, I think that I got the wackiest question to date at a recent college fair. It went something like this:

Bright Young Man: Does Juilliard have an aviation program?

Me, thinking he’s pulling my leg: Sure!

BYM, excited: REALLY???

Me, thinking “Ooops!”: No. (Winning smile.) Sorry!

BYM is momentarily crushed, then rallies with: How about a helipad? Or at least a flat roof so I can paint a big “H” on it?

I have to admit, I LOLed.

So what’s the wackiest thing about Juilliard you’ve heard?

~Mony

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From: Toni Rosenbaum, Admissions Associate/Receptionist
To: Admissions
Subject: RE: Wacky Questions/Comments

The worst ones I get begin with “My friend told me…”

“My friend told me that Juilliard has a program for 7 year old hip hop artist.”

“My friend told me that I can get in without auditioning”

“My friend told me that Juilliard holds auditions once a week”

Who is this friend and why has said friend not visited our Web site to get the correct information? If a friend tells you something, make sure it’s true before you get your hopes up. My friend once told me that my spray tan wouldn’t rub off onto my white sundress. She was very wrong. I probably should have looked it up myself…

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From: Lee Cioppa, Associate Dean for Admissions
To: Admissions
Subject: RE: Wacky Questions/Comments

OK, here are my two:

I heard that Juilliard canceled all their big opera productions. (Really? Did anyone tell the New York Times?)

I heard that the Drama Division travels with some of their acting students and “plants” them with the applicants. Then the students give their opinions back to the faculty about who should be admitted. (Really? Juilliard does covert operations at their auditions?)

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From: Katie Friis, Senior Assistant Director for Dance and Drama Admissions
To: Admissions
Subject: RE: Wacky Questions/Comments

“My client is going to be the next Sharon Stone, and I hear you have a 1-year acting program that will turn her into a star.”

“I hear Juilliard measures the dancers’ arches at the audition.”

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From: Luci Rosa, Assistant Director for Admissions/Office Manager
To: Admissions
Subject: RE: Wacky Questions/Comments

The worst ones I can remember:

Is it true if you are not up to par you get kicked out in your first year of the Drama program and you can’t ever come to visit the school?

Is it true you get weighed and you must go on a diet if you are past the dance weight requirements?

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From: Colby Carson, Assistant Director of Admissions for Recruitment
To: Admissions
Subject: RE: Wacky Questions/Comments

Being the new kid on the block I’ve had to take things “Step By Step”, so I haven’t had as much time to hear many wacky questions. That being said, it does seem that everyone has heard some of the wacky rumors surrounding The Juilliard School, or seen us misrepresented in movies. In my two months here I have attended about three or four public events and have been surprised that at each one at least one person has brought up a movie (Save the Last Dance, August Rush, etc.) as a “real life” example of what Juilliard is like. – No, we won’t be able to accept your marvelously talented 5 year old pianist/choreographer/dramaturge until they have a high school diploma. On a related note we don’t offer admission to random talented people (who haven’t applied or auditioned) that we come across while on our travels.

by Lee Cioppa, Associate Dean for Admissions

It’s September 1, and for all of us in Juilliard Admissions, that means – the Application for Admission for fall 2011 is available!

We pretty much spend our entire summer updating things – the online application, the Web site, and all of those wonderful PDF documents that you can print out with the application and audition requirements. It’s a huge job, especially when we decide that we are going to majorly re-vamp things, as we did this year. We did a survey last December, and the biggest amount of feedback we received was requests to put everything than an applicant needs to know all in one place. So we did! The new materials are up on our Web site now.

So, now that Juilliard has hopefully made things a bit easier and clearer for you, I invite you to review some of the application tips from previous blogs. Check out the blog Archives from last June, July, and August - and if you want a true tale of what Admissions staff do over the summer, check out the brilliant blog by Associate Director Monia Estima!

By Carolyn Smith, 3rd-year Drama student

So summer is drawing to a close, and I’ve finally had the opportunity to proudly reflect on what I’ve done over the last couple of months. Summer at Juilliard is a time when students will often go off to perform/train at some of the best festivals for music, theatre, and dance in the country. For my summer, I chose to embark on something distinctly different. I chose to take the time to offer what I’ve learned over the course of 2 years to young, eager minds in Botswana, Africa.

One thing I love about Juilliard is our heart to give back trough the Arts. I was selected as part of a team of 7 students from The Black Student Union representing Dance and Drama, to lead a series of masterclasses in the capital city of Gabarone, Botswana. During the 3 weeks we were there, we volunteered for a primary school in a small village. There we built a community garden and taught Math and English to young students between the ages of 5 and 14. These students resided in neighboring parts of the village. Of the 1500 inhabitants there in the village, 34% of them were HIV positive. Approximately 1 in 3 children. However, I really learned how to live and love life from these kids! Never for a moment did they allow the disease to take away their joy. During our time in the village, it gave me the opportunity to really appreciate life.

In the afternoons, after volunteering in the village, we were off to the Maru-a-Pula School for our masterclasses. As part of the drama team, we taught one group class, and then divided our large group of about 60 kids into three classes: Scene Study, Poetry in Motion, and Masks. I taught Masks, purely because it’s been an integral part of my artistic development as a drama student here at Juilliard. I had a blast with these kids! We focused on Neutral Mask and I encouraged them to find freedom in movement without language. Their growth over 3 weeks was tremendous, so much so that we developed a theatre production called “Tapestry” in which all students in Dance and Drama performed original works and offered some of their own unique talents. One of the kids was a phenomenal rapper, so he combined his talents with a friend who’s beat-boxing skills were equally unparalleled! Together they had their own portion of the show and the crowd was on their feet! it was so great seeing these kids use their natural talents to give back to the community.

The school’s principal Andrew Taylor was so happy with the production, that we are already planning next year’s ProjectMAP 2011!

Because our 3 weeks there were so jam-packed with press conferences, meetings with the village Chief, as well as rehearsals and performances, we rarely had the opportunity to pause and reflect on all the change that was happening around us. But now that I’ve returned to New York I’ve had the chance to write about the experience, and luckily over coffee discuss with close fiends how much the experience impacted me as an artist.

It made me remember President Polisi’s familiar adage: “The Artist as Citizen”. The concept that it is our duty as artists to give back to the community, no matter what community we are a part of. The belief that the greater good in education, is about continuing the tradition of passing it on to others. It’s what I believe, and what I choose to live by as an artist.

What I didn’t know before coming here…

By Molly Yeh, 3^rd-year percussionist

1. There are secret little candy bowls scattered around the school.

Perhaps the most well known is Barli Nugent’s on the second floor in the chamber music office.  When her office is closed, my day gets a teensy bit sad. But it’s ok because around the corner, Margot has a fabulous hidden chocolate jar that I didn’t even discover until second year. There are also a few pop-up candy bowls that only people who are in the know get to experience before they’re gone (like when Joanna Trebelhorn was given a bag of milky ways by the drama department… one of my friends was all, in his top secret whisper, “Joanna’s got candy hurry up before the whole school finds out.”) I also tried starting a candy bowl via the chamber music assistant’s office. It had gummi bears. But alas, that got way to expensive

2. The teachers and administrators are your friends.

They are not scary grown-ups like in high school. I love bringing my lunch into Joanna Trebelhorn’s office, sharing cookies with the music library, and eating vegan food with a certain orchestra manager. Also, my private lessons recently have seemed to turn into a schmooze session with my teacher about new restaurants that we need to try. A lot of the administrators are recent grads of Juilliard, so there isn’t a huge separation from the students, and they are super awesome hangs.

3. Until now, the most stressful part of my life was… high school!

I know, this is totally weird, but while Juilliard is very stressful at times, it is stressful in such a better way. Let me explain- in high school, I stressed over calculus and physics and (gag me about this one) BIOLOGY! And it was absolutely terrible because I was spending time on things that I did not enjoy and did not think I’d use at all in the future. But at Juilliard, while it is very stressful to have overlapping rehearsals scheduled from 10am to 11pm without a break on some days, it is so nice knowing that all of the things I do here will help me in my career.

4. Collaboration with other divisions is mucho encouraged.

One day during my first year, a dancer approached me with Iannis Xenakis’ Rebonds B and said, “I want you to play this and I’m going to dance to it.” And I said ok. And it was one of the most interesting and rewarding experiences, to create something and have someone create something to the thing you just created. We performed it for all of the first year dancers in their “dancer with musician” workshop. Since then, I’ve gotten to play for dancers and actors on numerous occasions and it is always so interesting to see how other artists work.

5. People here don’t say “freshman,” “sophomore,” or “junior,” they say “first year,” “second year,” and “third year,” etc.

And I still have no idea why.

6. Juilliard is in the BEST location for sweets.

Are you ready for this? In a ten block radius from Lincoln Center: Magnolia Bakery, Crumbs Bake Shop, Buttercup Bake Shop, Levain Bakery, Bouchon Bakery, Bombolini, Haagen Dasz, Coldstone Creamery, Screme Gelato Bar, and on Sundays, the Street Sweets truck is parked on 75^th and Broadway. It is perfect for when you need to buy your friend an “I just got into Pacific Music Festival” cookie, or when the only thing that will make you feel better after a bad lesson is a pistachio macaroon. Or when you want to bribe people to come to your recital by having mini Magnolia cupcakes at the reception.

7. Juilliard students get a super great discount at the 63^rd Street YMCA.

{See number 6}.

8. Masterclasses are open to the public.

BOY did I find out the hard way. It was my first year and I was like, “SWEET! Masterclass! Of course I’ll play!” Thinking, naively, it would just be for the studio. FALSE. When I walked in to play, I saw in the audience, the entire MSM percussion studio, the entire Mannes percussion studio, the principal percussionist in the Phil, the new timpanist in the Phil, the timpanist in the Met, the principal percussionist in the City Opera, all of my teachers, and approximately one zillion freelance percussionists. Room 309 was packed and there was no backing down. So I played the drums… and then immediately learned relaxation techniques for the next masterclass.

9. Dating fellow students is a bad idea.

This school is so small, you WILL see them the day after that deal-breaking awful date.

10. Everybody here is one huge happy family!

I know, it’s super cheesy. But it’s true. I was nervous coming from a high school that was triple the size of Juilliard, but after almost three years with the same hundred kids in my class, I have really grown to love them like they are family. Everybody here is so supportive of one another, not just in performing, but also in dealing with personal issues. It is so nice to have people to talk to who are going through the same things you are, and to know that everybody here truly wants everyone to do well in their art. Aw I’m getting teary… I love Juilliard

By Monia C. Estima, Senior Assistant Director for Music Admissions

Today I blog about my dear colleague Geoffrey Scott, who took up his position as Juilliard Recruitment Dude about the same time I started here as Music Admissions Chick, back in August 2004.  After nearly six years of service to Juilliard, Geoff leaves me — I mean, us — to direct music admissions for The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.

Many of you prospective applicants and current Juilliard students met our Geoffrey at performing arts college fairs, or when you came to visit Juilliard and he arranged for you to observe classes.  I can’t say I remember the very first time I met Geoff, but I do have many, many wonderful memories of working, and goofing, with him over the years.  I remember us wolfing down post-college fair bacon-cheeseburgers and fries.  I remember late nights during auditions when we’d be so giddily over-tired from the 12-hour days that we’d start cracking each other up over nothing in particular.  I remember my son and I meeting up with Geoff and his pug, Bella, after Thanksgiving one year to take a surprisingly freezing walk through Central Park.  I remember how he’d sit across from my desk, proofing my music audition schedules with me and, with a completely straight face, telling me stuff was horribly wrong when it wasn’t (evil, wicked man).  I remember going to see the movie “300” with him (This! Is! ADMISSIONS!).  I remember sharing a classroom-turned-office with Geoff for a year while the Admissions suite was being renovated and throwing the occasional paper airplane over the divider that separated our work-spaces (but only very, very occasionally because we are, after all, professionals).  I remember him picking up the most delicious red velvet cake in creation from Cake Man Raven in Brooklyn for my 38^th birthday party (don’t ask when that was).  And I will always remember all the times that Geoff had my back when I needed help, a quirky quip when I needed a laugh, a bit of chocolate when I was down, or just an open ear when I needed to blow off steam.

And…well.  Now he’s going back to Texas, from whence he sprung, and life at Juilliard will never be the same.  So Geoff–since parting really is a bittersweet sorrow, let us say “Peace out!” till it be morrow.

PS, Geoff: If I get to do any recruiting for The J in Houston, dinner’s on you.  Just sayin’.

by Lee Cioppa, Associate Dean for Admissions

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been watching the Olympics almost every night.  Tuesday night was the Men’s Figure Skating short program (I actually watched Wednesday – DVR is a wonderful thing!).  One of the U.S. skaters, Evan Lysacek, skated an unbelievable program – nailed absolutely everything.  In the last Winder Olympics, he totally bombed his short program – and found out later that he had the stomach flu and was severely dehydrated.  He placed 10th after the short program, then went on to complete 9 triple jumps in his long program, and moved up to 4th overall, just short of a medal.

The commentators had spent a lot of the evening talking about how the achievement is to simply be able to go out and do exactly what they had done in their practice sessions while under the enormous pressure of the Olympics – sound familiar?

Scott Hamilton,  who was the last U.S. male skater to win both the World Championship and an Olympic gold, is one of the commentators for the skating events.  He said that Evan had asked him how he had prepared for the Olympics, and I thought that his response was phenomenal – and was also a great audition tip!

“Eliminate every would’ve, could’ve or should’ve – when you step on the ice at the Olympics [walk into your audition], know that you’ve done everything that you can to prepare for this moment.” – Scott Hamilton

by Sean Thorne, temporary Admissions Assistant

As a temporary staff member in the Admissions office, I am afforded the perspective of being involved without being invested. I am half way through my four month gig here at The J. I’m sure I could fill a bottomless carpet bag with all the I-wish-I-knew-that-when-I-applied-to-school moments of realization. Before the wind changes and I have to pack up shop, I’d like to pass some of those moments on to you!

So, here are the top three:

What’s in a name? Everything! Shakespeare got it wrong when he said that “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Understandably, many applicants have multiple names for any number of reasons. The application process is a daunting task for both the applicant and the admissions office. We are a lich-urally processing thousands of applications, each with variable parts. When applicants put different names on different parts of the same application, that doesn’t smell sweet – it smells confusing. So, all I ask is to pleeeeease be consistent. If you don’t like your name, then just call yourself Rose.

To thine own self be true. Let’s restore some of Shakespeare’s admissions cred – he was right on this account: Know yourself. That’s not an easy observation to fulfill, but, from my position, it gives applications greater specificity. With greater specificity you’ll be able to easily define your artistic and personal goals and, more importantly, why Juilliard is a good fit for you. Plus, college is a place where you will grow academically, artistically, and personally. You will learn much about yourself, your art, and your world. This is a tough city. This is a rigorous school. The real challenge is to still love the environment causing such stress and strain. If you work hard, you’ll create a reality for yourself that you never previously imagined.

That that is is. If you have a live audition coming up: congratulations! You’ve conquered the recording pile and given the wealth of pre-screening that is no small feat. Now is the time to let go of the outcome and have fun with your audition. Think of it not as a race towards an acceptance letter, but as a shopping spree. You’re out there in the world shopping around for a school that is the best fit for your talent and potential. If we’re not a fit, then keep shopping until you find something that does. To echo the point made in Lee’s haiku below, whatever is the result of your audition here you will be provided with new opportunities and surprises that you may never imagined happening. That is, there are no bad conclusions, just different opportunities. So – come prepared. Play hard. Have fun!

by Lee Cioppa, Associate Dean for Admissions

Let your heart drop once
Then know it is not an end
Just another path.

by Tina Gonzalez, Director of Financial Aid

Now that you’ve completed your admissions application, it’s time to start thinking about financial planning as well. Very few students can attend college without some form of financial aid, and our students are no different. Over 90% of our students are receiving some kind of aid through Juilliard, and over 70% are receiving scholarship. Here are some steps you can take now to help finance your college education.

1. Get organized! Make a spreadsheet of each school to which you are applying, and make a note of their costs of attendance, required financial aid materials and deadlines. Later on you can enter the scholarship offers you’ve received and compare them (federal financial aid should be similar at every school, since this money comes directly from the government).

2. Plan ahead! If you’re reading this, you’re already on the right track. Have a candid discussion with your parent or guardian and find out how much financial help you can expect from them. This includes whether they’d be willing to take out loans on your behalf, or cosign a student loan with you.

3. Educate yourself! Do you know the difference between a grant and a loan? In addition to learning about your schools, you’ll need to know about federal student aid as well. This includes grants, loans and work-study funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The best sites to visit are www.studentaid.gov and www.finaid.org. The information there is so helpful, we even refer to them ourselves when we have questions. In addition, you can go on the FAFSA website (www.fafsa.ed.gov) at any time to get a preview of your federal aid eligibility.

4. Do some research! In addition to saving for college, you should also research outside funding sources. There are plenty of free scholarship searches online such as www.fastweb.com. You can also write letters to local philanthropic organizations, especially ones with whom you have a religious, ethnic or professional affiliation. Or you can even throw yourself a benefit performance to raise money!

So, to get you started, here’s what you’ll need to apply for financial aid and scholarship assistance at Juilliard:

Juilliard’s scholarship decisions are based on financial need AND merit. The merit component is based on the strength of your entrance audition. The need portion is largely determined by the information on the following required items:

• The Juilliard Financial Aid application, which will be available online in January.
• The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), if you’re a US Citizen or resident. This is available at starting January 1, 2010.
• A complete, signed copy of your and your parents’ 2009 federal tax form, or (for international students) official documentation of your parents’ salaries.

Detailed instructions will be available in the Financial Aid application. Our deadline is March 1, 2010. It’s extremely important to apply on time, as we are unable to award aid until all forms have been received.

I hope you find this information useful. We understand that everyone’s situation is unique, and encourage you to stay in contact with us throughout the process. If you have any questions or concerns along the way – even if you just want to make sure we’ve received your information – we’re here to help you. Good luck!