Question for those currently in training

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Grace03
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Question for those currently in training

Post by Grace03 »

Hi everyone.
In the absence of open days, summer schools and in person auditions, applicants this year are having to apply to colleges / universities that they have never been able to see properly. It’s completely understandable that auditions have had to move online but it’s very hard to make an opinion and get a feel for a place.
Interested in hearing opinions about things other than just the standard of training. Is it friendly, professional, formal / informal, supportive etc. I appreciate everyone’s experience will be different but what would you / your child tell new applicants about the college?
Thanks for any help / replies x
amo185
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Re: Question for those currently in training

Post by amo185 »

Given the past year's events I think it's quite difficult to know what's "normal" and everything is very subjective. But DD is very happy at EDA with both the teaching and pastoral support. I certainly agree that auditioning online for a college and then accepting a place to study for three years when you've never even been inside is less than ideal!
MygirlsloveMT
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Re: Question for those currently in training

Post by MygirlsloveMT »

Unfortunately this is it literally impossible to say. One college will have been bottom for their child before auditions but then moved to favourite whereas for someone else it will have been their favourite but then after auditions it moved to bottom, it’s such a personal thing and this happened to my daughter at auditions, 2yrs running, which is why I really feel for this year’s students.
DD went into year 1 of auditions wanting to go to 1) Urdang, 2) Bird and 3) Performers. After auditions that totally flipped and after being offered pre-voc at Performers and Bird she chose Performers. Year 2 her order was 1) Performers, 2) Wilkes (as they now offer degree), 3) Urdang/Bird equal, after auditions 1 and 2 flipped and she didn’t like 3 at all, said Bird was so different to the year before for her. Someone else reading this will have had the complete opposite opinion which is why everyone doesn’t always want to go to the 1 same college, one person will praise a college whereas another will slate it. I really don’t know where dd would’ve ended up if she hadn’t visited the colleges, I just wish this year’s students all the luck in the world because there is no right or wrong decision here, maybe hope and pray they only get one offer!!
Grace03
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Re: Question for those currently in training

Post by Grace03 »

Yes I’m definitely asking a difficult and subjective question.
But we are very interested to know what do people love about their colleges and what they may have found difficult. Different places suit different people / personalities and at the moment we can only go on reputation.
The big names might not always be the best suited.
Thanks for the replies x
MygirlsloveMT
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Re: Question for those currently in training

Post by MygirlsloveMT »

Grace03 wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 7:45 pm Yes I’m definitely asking a difficult and subjective question.
But we are very interested to know what do people love about their colleges and what they may have found difficult. Different places suit different people / personalities and at the moment we can only go on reputation.
The big names might not always be the best suited.
Thanks for the replies x
Well from experience, she loved pre-voc at Performers and was offered degree but absolutely fell in love with Wilkes so chose there instead. She said Wilkes seems a lot more funky, friendly and ‘with it’ (her words), probably because it’s a lot newer, Performers is amazing but a bit more traditional in things they do (still friendly) probably because it’s the way they’ve always done it, not that it’s a bad thing but just daughter’s opinion.
Grace03
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Re: Question for those currently in training

Post by Grace03 »

That’s really helpful thank you.
My daughter loves the sound of Wilkes and currently it’s one of her first choices - but they haven’t sent any details about their audition process out yet so she is waiting for some information.
MygirlsloveMT
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Re: Question for those currently in training

Post by MygirlsloveMT »

Grace03 wrote: Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:28 am That’s really helpful thank you.
My daughter loves the sound of Wilkes and currently it’s one of her first choices - but they haven’t sent any details about their audition process out yet so she is waiting for some information.
They do seem to have good contacts, Stephen Mulhern came in at the start of term to wish them all luck, they were practising with I’m a Celeb scripts for the TV presenting and usually get a visit from Ant & Dec, they also come and watch the end of year show (when it happens!). You know how it’s more a case of who you know than what you know! And from the emails home to parents they definitely do seem to care really personally about each student, during the November lockdown Nicky Wilkes was offering to deliver food to any students self isolating in Swindon!
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icantdance
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Re: Question for those currently in training

Post by icantdance »

We are very fortunate in that DS auditioned when he was 15 to Bird, Laine and Performers, had been to Urdang several times and we went to the Christmas Mountview show. At the last minute he decided to wait until he was 18 and stay for A levels but he has at least been to these colleges, which helps. He really wants to go to Laine I think, but a lot of it will depend on what offers he gets and what the colleges do now. Bird is having 'open day' events on Thursday mornings for that week's auditionees which are a talk about Bird, some videos, Q&A and a workshop. No idea what the others are doing, if anything, as DS has only just submitted his 2nd audition at the weekend. I think the offers may dictate some of this, but Bird was the one he was going to go to last time so it's still high on his list. He also did the Urdang summer school (remotely) and really enjoyed that. Personally I liked Performers - the facilities and the open day from 2018, and the Principal was lovely but I don't think that would be his choice. I really feel for them having to choose a college (if they get multiple offers of course) with little or no information. Probably not helpful but I think you just have to follow your gut instinct!
islandofsodor
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Re: Question for those currently in training

Post by islandofsodor »

For my daughter it was a fairly easy choice. As she was only 16 she knew that she didn;t really want to go down to one of the London colleges yet, despite having done a summer school at Bird and really enjoyed it. She also felt that Bird was too big a college for her size wise. She did a summer school at another school and really didn't like it there. She had been at Hammond since Year 7 and was happy there. It was also one of the very few places where she could do A Levels as well as her L6 diploma. She had a Btec L3 as back up and also auditioned for a college in Leeds but pretty much knew she wanted to stay where she was.
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