How many college audition prep students do you work with per year?
On average, we work with 20-25 college audition prep students per year and cap the number of students we work with. Because the BFA, BA, and BM artistic college admissions process is so competitive, we believe that it is important that we only work with a handful of students. We work closely with each student and monitor and guide them throughout the entire college audition process, so we make sure to select students who we feel are not competing with each other for the same spots at the same schools. It is also important to us that our students never feel like they are competing with each other in this process.

 

We put together our college audition prep class in a similar way that BFA programs select their classes: filled with a diverse range of personalities, backgrounds, geographic locations, strengths, voice types, casting range, etc. Some of our students are on a BFA, BM, or BA Musical Theatre track. Some are on a BFA or BA Acting track. Others are on a BFA, BM, or BA Vocal Performance track. A few students every year pursue a hybrid of Musical Theatre and Vocal Performance or Musical Theatre and Acting tracks. Some feel extremely confident in their singing or acting abilities, but do not have as much dance training. Others are in their dance studios 5-7 days per week and are looking to apply to dance heavy Musical Theatre programs. Some come from an extremely academic background and want a balance of artistic and academic opportunities in the programs that they are applying to; others want to focus solely on conservatory training and do not want academics to be a part of their college experience. Sometimes we’ll even have students who want to double major in Musical Theatre and a STEM-related major! We love working with a diverse range of students and it is always exciting to see all of the incredible paths that they pursue during the college audition process and beyond. 

Do you offer classes?
Although we call each cohort our PYP College Audition Prep Class, every student works 1-on-1 in every session with our college audition coaches. Because our college audition prep students are pursuing such a diverse range of college tracks and auditioning at a large range of programs that cater to their unique needs, we feel that it is important that all of our students receive individualized attention and do not experience a “one-size-fits-all” approach to college audition prep. BFA, BM, and BA tracks for Musical Theatre, Acting, Vocal Performance programs across the country require students to prepare and complete so many different types of requirements that we never want to waste a student’s time learning something that does not apply directly to their individualized track. We know that our students are trying to balance their college audition prep with school, activities, rehearsals, work, etc. and we believe that it is important for students to maximize their time working with us individually in each session as they work towards their individual goals.


What happens in a consultation? How do I become a part of your College Audition Prep Class?
If you are interested in being considered for a spot in our College Audition Prep Class, we ask you to set up a complimentary consultation by filling out the form below or emailing admin@pypnyc.com. This is an opportunity for us to get to know each other and see if we are a good match. The student-mentor relationship is extremely important to us and all of our personal artistic mentors have been key figures in our growth as artists and human beings. We believe it is very important for students to feel like we are a match for them as much as they are a match for our style. In the consultation, we will give you an overview of who we are, what we do, and answer any questions you have about the college process. We will ask you questions to get to know your interests, your background, the types of colleges you are currently looking at. Parents are more than welcome, and encouraged, to join us for the consultation.

 

After the consultation, you may be asked to send along material (i.e. resume, headshot, a performance clip or two) and then we will take both the consultation and submission into consideration as we make a final decision.  

 
Do we have access to the founders of Polish Your Passion throughout the process?
Absolutely! All of your college audition coaches for Arts-based College List and Application Advising, College Audition Monologue Selection & Acting Prep, College Audition Song Selection & Singing Prep, and Dance Pre-screen Choreography and Dance Prep will be the core founders of Polish Your Passion who have worked with every Polish Your Passion College Audition Prep student throughout the years. You will have direct access and constant, individualized guidance throughout your college audition journey. We field frequent questions about academic application and pre-screen or artistic applications via Common Application, GetAcceptd, SlideRoom. You also will have the opportunity to email your college audition coaches at any moment throughout the college audition journey and receive a detailed response to your questions within 24 hours.

Do you offer master classes with college faculty or private college auditions?
Although some of our students throughout the years have participated and attended Musical Theatre, Acting, and Vocal Performance pre-college summer programs hosted on-campus by individual universities like University of Michigan, Penn State University, Oklahoma City University, Boston University, Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern University, etc., we do not coordinate or offer private master classes or private college auditions with college faculty. If students decide to visit universities on college campus tour trips, we encourage them to reach out to the artistic department on their own to arrange a tour or sit in on class, if possible. As a core philosophy though and as firm believers in the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and fairness within the college audition process, we do not believe that it is our place as college auditions coaches to provide special access or ask students to pay for special access to faculty master classes or private college auditions. It is our belief that students should get into college based solely upon the strength of their individual auditions and not because of who they know, who they are coaching with, or any special relationships with faculty. Our students have always received acceptances throughout the years based upon their own talents and preparation and the participation in on-campus, virtual (arranged by the university program), and/or New York City, Chicago, or Los Angeles/Anaheim National Unified Auditions.

Do you work with Gap Year or Transfer students?
Yes! It has become very popular over the past few years for students to decide to take a Gap Year and reach out to us, either because they would like to try the college audition process again or intentionally planned to take a Gap Year. We typically work with 2-3 Gap Year/Transfer students per year. Without having the pressure of high school classes and Senior Year commitments, our Gap Year/Transfer students have had extraordinary success. 100% of these students receive acceptance and commit to BFA Acting and/or BFA Musical Theatre programs after working with us.
 

Is it affordable?
We strive to make our college audition prep packages extremely affordable. We all grew up in middle class income households, so it is important as a core philosophy that we provide the highest level of expert training and college audition prep coaching at the most affordable price. Our packages are customized based on each individual student’s needs, so that the time spent working with us is instrumental and impactful to the overall journey and great progress is made in very session/lesson. We work with a large range of students from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds every year. Based on family circumstances, some of our students have to pay for their packages on their own, so scholarships are available to students with special circumstances. We also provide payment plans and offer payment flexibility as well. We know that applying and auditioning for college is expensive, so it is always our goal to fit into your college audition prep budget in a way that enriches and propels your college audition prep forward without causing extra financial strain.
 

Do your students receive scholarships at their accepted schools?
We are always super excited to see the extraordinary academic merit and talent scholarships that our students consistently receive at their accepted schools. 100% of our students receive both academic and artistic merit scholarships with their acceptances at a large number of schools on their final list. On average, our students often receive scholarship numbers in the ranges of $20-30,000 per year or a number that equates to half tuition per year. For students whose scholarship numbers are critical to making a final college commitment, we are extremely proud to see them receive 50-75% of their tuition covered through scholarships earned through academic merit and talent auditions. Several students every year also end up receiving a full tuition scholarship. If financial appeals need to be filed at schools, we also provide guidance on both how and what to provide in those appeals.

​

How do you help with student & parent mental health in this process?

First and foremost, we advocate for balance. For students who start in their Junior Year or summer before Senior Year, we work in bite-sized ways to chip away at preparation for the college audition process ahead. This helps enormously to alleviate stress levels and the feeling of “racing to the finish line” at pre-screen and application time. Although the college audition and application process will be a large part of a student’s life for 6-12 months, we feel that it is important that students prepare and complete core fundamentals to ensure success without going overboard. The best way to stay sane in this process is to not get sucked into the mentality that you need to obsess over this process and train 24/7 to be “successful.” College programs want students to have balanced interests and experiences and come into the audition rooms as grounded human beings and open artists, not experts at the college audition process. We want our students to be able to go to Homecoming, special Senior Year events, and enjoy their final year in high school as much as possible. We also provide an extraordinary amount of support and frequent check-ins to ensure that our students and parents stay grounded, focused, and not overwhelmed by the sometimes rollercoaster nature of this process. Many of our students and parents take advantage of our Open Email Policy, which allows them to share their feelings and questions (as much or as little as they would like) and receive our direct feedback and insights. You are never alone in this process; we’re always here beside you following you along this journey.