The Waiting Game

You did it! You survived College Audition Season! Woo-Hoo! Awesome! High five!…Now what? 

Now… you wait.

And wait.

And wait some more. 

There is nothing more agonizing and stressful than these next few weeks and months. What the heck do you do with yourself while your future is being decided for you in a conference room somewhere? Well, today I am here to give you some Must Do’s, and Must Don’ts, for while you wait!

DO: RELAX!

I know, I know… this sounds obvious and slightly impossible. But you need to relax. Think about the stress you have just endured over the last 6-12 months. You researched programs, picked material, rehearsed that material, visited schools, wrote five million applications and essays, hassled teachers for letters of recommendation, annoyed your guidance counselor to make sure they had everything ready, filmed pre-screens… and oh yeah traveled to a bunch of schools to audition! It is. A. LOT. Your body and mind have basically just run a marathon on top of the stress of everyday life. You need to relax. So grab that pint of ice cream, fire up Netflix and binge “Parks and Rec” or “The Office” for the tenth time. Your body and mind need some time off. 

DON’T: SLACK OFF!

But… but… but you just said relax? Yeah, I know. It sounds like a contradiction. But it’s not. There is a huge difference between relaxing to take care of your mind and body and slacking off. Slacking off is not doing your schoolwork. It’s not being prepared for your rehearsals. It’s not staying diligent with your dance/voice/acting classes. Slacking off is letting your skills atrophy and your responsibilities crumble. DON’T DO IT. In fact, the more you stay on the ball, the faster time will go, and the sooner you will hear from your schools!

DO: RECHARGE!

I don’t know about you, but after a crazy process like this, the artistic and creative side of my brain feels completely dried up. I feel like I have nothing new to offer. So I have to find a way to fill up that artistic power supply. So what do I do? I look for new inspiration. How? Well, my number one place to be inspired is Walt Disney World. Alas, heading there isn’t always an option :) But I will always look to places outside of what we do for that inspiration. Maybe it’s in a new book, or a new restaurant, or a museum, or even just being around people you look up to. Spend time anywhere or with anything that gets you excited to create!

DON’T: LIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

Ah, the perils of social media. Not to get all “back in my day”… but… “back in my day” the most social media we had to worry about was AIM (ask your parents if you don’t know what that is :). Now there is Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, VSCO, and probably 5 other ones I am not cool enough to know about. 

Do yourself a favor- LIMIT YOUR TIME ON THEM. We already know that social media is generally everyone’s highlight reel. It’s not real life. It is a fully cultivated version of what people want you to believe is their life. 

We all know that while you wait to hear from every school, some people are going to find out first. And others may succeed where you don’t, and vice versa. Don’t waste time comparing your successes and failures to other people. Everyone’s journey is their own. Everyone has the right to hear from their schools directly and not through a friend of a friend’s post. 

DO: REEVALUATE!

Take a minute and think back on where you started. Who were you as an actor, a singer, and/or a dancer when you took your first step on this journey? Where are you now? Because I can guarantee that you aren’t exactly the same. And because of that, there is a strong possibility that your dream schools have changed! Use this time to reevaluate what you want in a school. Did your dream school live up to your expectations when you auditioned there? Did another school surprise you with how much you loved it? We are constantly changing and evolving as we go through this process. So use this “down” time to learn how you and your wants and desires have changed.

Waiting is hard. Especially when something you have been dreaming about for so long is so close! But you are almost there. You have accomplished so much already. So there is really just one last thing to do- KEEP BREATHING! It’s all going to turn out the way it’s meant to be!