To help you out during the college audition season, here’s a list of some commonly used terms that are often thrown around:
BFA: Bachelor of Fine Arts degree
MFA: Master of Fine Arts degree
BA: Bachelor of Arts degree
BM: Bachelor of Music degree
AA: Associate of Arts certificate
Prescreen: Digital audition submission to determine if you are granted a live audition
Tracks: Recorded playback piano accompaniment
Combo: Brief dance choreography taught to usually 6-4 eight counts of music
Adjustment: When an auditor gives you a re-direction of your monologues or songs in the audition room
Conservatory: A college for the study of the performing arts where nearly all classes focus on practical performance training
Conservatoy-style: A program for the study of the performing arts where practical performance training classes are supplemented by general education classes that usually make up about one-quarter of students' credits
Common App: The undergraduate college admission application available to apply to any of 693 member colleges
Gap Year: When a student decides to take off a year before applying or re-auditioning for college programs
Early Decision (ED): A binding early offer of admission to a college
Early Action (EA): A non-binding early offer of admission to a college
Rolling Admission: Programs that make offers as they audition, rather than waiting until all auditions have been completed
Redirect: When college admission offers you a spot into a major other than the one for which you auditioned
Deferral: When a college program is holding their decision about your audition status until a later date
Waitlist: Students listed who are stand bys after a college program has made first round offers
FAFSA: An acronym for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
CSS: An acronym for College Scholarship Service, a financial aid profile from the College Board
NACAC: An acronym for the National Association Of College Admission Counseling
Reply-By Date: May 1st is the national deadline to put a deposit on a college