Student Blog: Student Blog: The Hussle of an AP Theatre Kid

Being a theatre kid in high school who is going to college for Musical Theatre, having good grades and taking AP classes isn’t thought to be a requirement. But for me, balancing my grades with my passion is a priority for me. I often get asked how I juggle everything - school musicals, college auditions, volunteering, plus an AP and IB course load. To be honest, I’m still figuring it out. I don’t have the juggling down to a complete science and hope to get better at that in college, but here are some tips that have worked for me throughout high school.

Tip 1: Early Bedtimes

My mom is adamant that I’m in bed by 11PM. At night, I just want to zone out and scroll on my phone, but I know that waking up feeling refreshed makes me much more motivated during the day.  That means that schoolwork MUST be done by 10 so that I can get in the shower and start to wind down.

Tip 2: Make every rehearsal break count

I have rehearsal for my school shows every day of the week, which can get overwhelming when excessive homework and studying are also on my plate. I know that when I come home, I want to have as much time as possible, so I use breaks at rehearsal to do quick-busy work assignments or quizlets on my phone to make sure that I have as much actual studying time as possible. 

Tip 3: Making class time count

To go along with tip #2, I try to make sure that I use my class time wisely to limit the amount of work I have to do at home - whether that means really paying attention to lectures so studying is a review rather than learning, or getting homework done when I have a free moment in class. I find it really helpful to get all of my work done when my brain is most awake.

Tip 4: Make rehearsals count

Just like making the most of my class time for schoolwork, I try to make all of my rehearsals count so that I can be off-book and know my dance routines so that I can concentrate on school work when I get home. In rehearsals, I do my best to ask questions, review lines, and use every moment waiting in the wings to practice dances.

 Sometimes I get overwhelmed thinking I have to schedule every single moment.  But getting good grades and taking AP classes was just as important to me as being a future MT major.  That hard-work paid off and translated into getting into some colleges that I may not have gotten into otherwise. I am still figuring out how to balance everything that I want to do, and some days are more efficient than others.  But at the end of the day, having time to do everything I love makes the grind worth it.