Dress Rehearsal, Grad School Article

You've completed the application form, provided transcripts and reference letters, and have submitted your fees. So what's next? Depending on the program you are applying to you may be asked to provide a portfolio or audition to demonstrate your suitability. Traditionally used for performing arts and writing programs, portfolios and auditions are increasingly becoming the norm in many other career fields including technology and teaching. While each school will outline their requirements for a portfolio or audition, the ultimate objective to consider is that a portfolio or audition should provide or illustrate a collection of achievements, contributions and accomplishments that demonstrate your abilities in originality, creativity and imagination. Portfolios Many graduate schools consider a digital or hard copy portfolio to be a representation or supplemental that demonstrates an applicant's creative ability and potential. Admissions committees look for one or more of the following components:

a photo of the applicant;

a resume;

slides, printed material of work;

videos and discs or CD-ROMs of performances;

essays;

websites;

concepts or ideas applicants might want to work on and;

a concise list of creative projects that the applicant was involved in. When putting information together make it look as professional as possible and concise as possible. Printed materials should be on quality paper and have good graphic design. Presentation counts so be sure the portfolio is memorable. Admissions committees go through almost hundreds of portfolios and the key is to ensure that not only does your portfolio stand out but balances between high quality and manageable size. Graduate art and design schools generally request portfolios that demonstrate strengths and achievements, interests and potential. For visual arts students, these examples can include drawings and artwork created during undergraduate courses or artwork created outside of the classroom. If using photos ofartwork ensure that the photographs are high quality and not a Polaroid snapshot. Many schools feel that five to six images are acceptable. Admissions committees use these portfolios to assess and determine if the applicant is a right fit for the school. Trying to determine what information to include can be a bit daunting and while some departments leave the information up to the applicant there are some guidelines that applicants should follow. Portfolios can also be a requirement for teachers, business and marketing students. For instance teaching portfolios can consist of course planning and presentations, lecture notes, evaluations from students and actual teaching presentations. A summary of teaching accomplishments can also give you a sense of strengths and weaknesses are and provide insight into your future. Business and marketing portfolios can include a list of projects in which you played a key role. Include the goal, the strategy and the outcome of each project. Not only will this give the admissions committee a better idea of your abilities it will help you ascertain your accomplishments and career direction as well. Auditioning Performing arts auditions will require applicants to either arrange for an audition or submit a video or cassette/CD or both. For applicants applying to music programs, admissions committees suggest that audition material consist of various contrasting works that provide a complete range of the student's abilities. Most request that submitted material be less than one year old. For students applying to theatre programs, live auditions are scheduled and can include one or two performances as well as a written essay. For some schools, admissions committees want to see the real applicant and encourage students to choose characters for their monologues that are classical and characters that best reflect the applicant's own personality and style. Other schools will require students to select a reading only after they have arrived for the audition. The applicant will select a reading, review it and then asked to read with another person. Each school and graduate program has specific audition requirements. To allow enough time to prepare, carefully check what these requirements are and follow them to the letter. If a school offers applicants the opportunity to select from a list of acceptable material, choose the work that will best demonstrate performance strengths, interpretative and technical abilities and offer the widest range of periods and styles. When preparing for the audition, it is important to perform and practice as many times as possible so try "mock auditions", recitals or even perform for friends and family. E-portfolios In the