Office of Admissions Blog

by Lee Cioppa, Associate Dean for Admissions

Have courage, be brave -
You can’t win if you don’t play.
Apply anywhere.

By Lee Cioppa, Associate Dean for Admissions

As part of your search for the right school, you may be considering attending a “College Fair” – an event with dozens (sometimes well over 100) colleges/universities/conservatories in attendance. At a college fair, admissions representatives have materials available on their school, and answer any questions you may have. I like to call them “one-stop-shopping” – you’ll speak to representatives from schools you may already know, but may also discover many other schools that you had no idea about. There are so many fantastic schools around the country, and often you may only be aware of those with the biggest names, or perhaps only those that your teacher/counselor have told you about – the right school for you may be on the opposite side of the country, and outside of your sphere of awareness.

Juilliard will be at many Performing Arts College fairs around the country this fall – visit our Web site page “Admissions Events and College Fairs: Off Campus” for more information.

There’s a great presentation available on the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)’s web site titled: Making the Most Out of Attending a Performing and Visual Arts College Fair. This webinar was offered just a couple of days ago, and is available for viewing simply by creating a login. While the entire presentation is about an hour long, it’s great practical advice for you (and your parents if they are taking you to the college fair!) on how to really get the best information you can on the right schools for you.

So, get some popcorn, curl up on your couch with your laptop, and enjoy!

By Toni Rosenbaum, Admissions Receptionist

Juilliard Web site -
Everything you need to know
Just a click away.

By Katie Friis, Assistant Director for Dance and Drama Admissions

Applications start
When do work-study return?
Help help help help help!

By Toni Rosenbaum, Admissions Receptionist

Call us with questions.
Most answers are on the ‘net.
Check the web site first!

by Luci Rosa, Assistant Director of Admissions

Senior year is here.
Submit those applications,
Avoid the drama.

by Katie Friis, Assistant Director for Dance and Drama Admissions

September first comes
Summer dance apps submitted
They are so eager!

by Toni Rosenbaum, Admissions Receptionist

Application’s up
Don’t freak out you’ll be ok
We are here to help.

By Lee Cioppa, Associate Dean for Admissions

We’re taking a break from Application Tips blogs, because this week, I received this email:

Date: August 31, 2009
From: Monia Estima
To: Admissions Staff
Subject: Idea for Blog

Genius doesn’t come when it’s called, it just stops by on its way back from Starbucks.

How about we each write a haiku about the start of the 2010 application season? A haiku is a form of Japanese poetry, consisting of 17 syllables in three metrical phrases of 5, 7, and 5 syllables each.

Here’s an example:

Summer yields to cool (5 syllables)
Application’s up online (7 syllables)
It begins again. (5 syllables)

Here’s another:

Start application
Phone rings, forget to click “Save,”
Blackout! Bitter tears.

And one more:

Pre-screen recording
Microphone’s too sensitive
Feedback deafens me.

I think you get the picture. OK, I challenge each of y’all to write one for September’s blogs! Do it, do it, do it!!! (Assuming Boss Lady likes the idea, of course.)

Monia

(P.S. Clearly Boss Lady liked the idea! All of the staff did write haikus, so check back! – Lee)

by Lee Cioppa, Associate Dean for Admissions

My last post was about finding similarities in audition requirements, so that you are preparing and really focusing on the smallest amount of repertoire possible.

This one is about doing the same with application requirements. Important note: the title of this blog does NOT mean I am advocating copying and pasting your college essay into multiple applications!

By “copy and paste,” I mean go to every school’s website and get their application requirements, and put them all in one place – such as a spreadsheet or document. I like spreadsheets, because you can do a row for each school, then fill in columns for things like:

Application deadline
Application fee
Pre-screening required?
Pre-screening deadline
SAT’s required? Due?
Essay required? Due?
Transcripts required? Due?
Letter(s) of recommendation required? Due?
Repertoire list/resume required? Due?

Line’em all up. Then go down the line. When are applications due? When is the earliest one due? Try to get them all done by the earliest deadline!

Same thing with pre-screening (for certain music majors) – you may only actually record once (recording all of the repertoire that is required for all of the schools – see my previous blog!), and then burn numerous CDs or DVDs. Send them all early, and send them at the same time. (And don’t forget to label them clearly, and send them by a method that can be tracked!)

Transcripts? Letters of recommendation? Sit down on a weekend and fill out all of the requests at once, even if some schools (such as Juilliard) don’t want them until January or February. Just get all that paperwork out of the way! Remember, if you are asking recommenders to do online letters through an online application, you can also usually check to see if they’ve submitted them (at least, you can on Juilliard’s online application!).

There are a few things, however, that you will literally “copy and paste” (or at least photocopy multiple times!) – your repertoire list, and your resume (usually a performance resume). Take a look at the application requirements for some schools you are considering – if these are required for one or more, now is a good time to start working on them. Knock them out early – so they can be the least of your worries!

Now, about that essay – do look very soon at the topics asked for each school – and yes, most schools require an essay. Again, I think you’ll find some similarities – questions about artistic influences, about why you are interested in pursuing a career the arts… But please, don’t just write one and send it to all the schools – I say this because the essays can be very important, even for a conservatory! But maybe, if you start seeing all the similarities in the topics, once you’ve written one for one school, the others will come easier.