BWW Blog: Back to School - Congrats, You're In!

It's been a long year. Senior year means applications, graduation, final shows, and possibly the most stressful of all - college auditions! Finally, after all the waiting you've found yourself in your new home and are getting into the swing of things. First, stop and take a breath. Getting ready for and moving into college is pretty crazy, but now that you have a moment think about how you got here. I've been there, and I was just as crazed and excited and nervous as you are, so hopefully I can help you out a bit. Here's some advice from one theatre major to another.

Make Friends

Making friends is so much easier than you think, and it is one of the most unnecessary causes of stress for new students! There are so many ways to make friends, but the best way in my opinion is just to get involved! You've most likely been in contact with your future theatre classmates, which is awesome, but there are so many opportunities for students on campus that you should take advantage of. Look into various clubs, such as intramural sports, special interest clubs, and Greek life.

I've found the easiest way to make friends is finding something you're interested in and seeking it out; you'll meet others with the same interests, who will most likely have completely different majors and other interests. Theatre students are lucky because we tend to spend our time in undergrad taking classes with the same few people, but one of the best things for me was having friends inside and outside of the department. I love my BFA classmates, but I can get burned out on theatre, and when I do I always have my friends I met in my dorm, through rushing a fraternity, or going out and being social after classes are done!

Trust Yourself

This is a hard one, something that I am still struggling to get a grasp on, and will continue to work on forever; but freshman year is a great place to start. This entails more than you may think. You need to learn to trust yourself inside and outside of the classroom. In your performance classes you're going to be making choices, creating moments, and working with others. All of this is hard enough without that voice in the back of your mind telling you that what you're doing isn't right. Learn to trust your choices, your actions, and your ideas. Even if they aren't perfect, they're yours, which for the time being is great.

Outside of the training you'll get inside of the classroom, college is tough. Especially when you first start. I know you've heard it a million times, just like I did, but the best advice I can give you is the be yourself. Cheesy, I know, but believe me when I say that being you and trusting yourself is the most liberating thing that happened to me during college. And it took me until my fourth semester to trust myself enough to do it. Instead of being fearful and hiding behind what you may think pleases others, just let go and be who you are. I promise you'll like it much better than the alternative.

Work Hard

As a theatre student, you're expected to keep up with rigorous training which includes a lot of classes, a lot of growth, but most importantly a lot of work. The workload changes depending on your specific major, but the advice is still relevant whether you're getting your BFA in Acting or minoring in stage management. I came into my freshman year with no acting training, very little dance experience, and a good fundamental vocal coaching. I dove headfirst into a Musical Theatre track that pushed me more than I thought possible physically, mentally, and emotionally. And I loved every second of it, as I still do. But if I could go back and tell freshman Miles one thing, it would be to work even harder. Being an extraordinary performer is not about learning the techniques in class and doing just what is required of you; it is about going above and beyond for the sake of art, and the sake of you! You'll find that if you try to cut corners or do the minimum in your work, not only will your product suffer, but you'll have cheated yourself out of the opportunity for growth and learning. Think about how hard you expect your training to be, and then double it. That's a good start.

Learn to Love Failure

"Fail Big, Fail Better." This is a quote from a professor of mine that has had the most incredible impact on me. My freshman year was so much of me being afraid of failing, that I struggled to allow any growth. The incredible thing about what we as performers do, is that often there is no concrete right and wrong. Which can also be frustrating. In your time as a performer you will hear "no" way more than you will hear "yes", and that is just as relevant to your college training. It takes time, patience, and effort to grow and understand the things you'll be learning; the easiest thing you can do for yourself is accept your failures in class and performances, because you often learn more from your mistakes than from your successes. I am halfway through undergrad and am just really starting to learn to be okay with not doing okay, and it feels incredible. The moment I decided to stop being afraid of failing and dive into the work, I practically felt my shoulders fall back into place, my knees got less tight, and I could breathe normally for what seemed like the first time.

Hopefully these have been some useful ideas to think about, and that my experience so far as a theatre major has given you a little insight into what you might expect in the coming time. I'm excited to give more information about the in's and out's of life as a theatre major. I have so much to share.