Carly Isleta (12) clicked the start timer on her camera and dashed to her spot in front of a purple backdrop. The timer counted down and Isleta began singing her rendition of “When He Sees Me,” from the musical “Waitress”, careful to hit every note and nail the comedic bits. The one thing stuck in the back of her mind? That this video will determine her future.

Unlike most seniors who begin college applications in  fall of their senior year, Isleta started working on hers in April of her junior year. 

Isleta applied for a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) at a variety of public and private universities, such as Pace University, University of Southern California and University of Michigan. She was required to submit eight different videos, called prescreens, of herself singing, acting, and dancing to pre- and post-contemporary pieces, as well as write multiple essays for each college. Both degrees involve intense training in performing arts and academic prowess, though BFAs tend to be more rigid in their musical theater training.

Isleta said the extensive process was exhausting at times.

“I had to fly out to different cities [after prescreens] in this thing called Unifieds, and this is where all the colleges—some even international—come together, and they host their auditions there,” Isleta said. “I [would be] there for a full week, auditioning for different schools. It was very mentally draining and stressful, but at the same time, it was a lot of fun.”

After months of recording prescreens and preparing for auditions, Isleta said she noticed that the process was misconstrued by her peers who didn’t understand the rigor and selectivity of BFA programs.

“A big factor about musical theater in general, and the whole arts process, is that it’s so overlooked,” Isleta said. “People don’t think that it’s a big deal when you’re applying to these arts majors. But in reality, some of these programs are harder to get into than Ivy League schools, because most [BFA] programs only take around 13 to 20 students in a cohort. It’s that competitive for one spot in a singular major or in a singular school. You only have half of a chance, because they want to accept both female-identifying and male-identifying students.”

As the sole Westview student applying for these programs, Isleta noted the school’s culture made her compare herself to her peers who were striving for careers in STEM.

“It felt isolating, because at Westview especially, there’s this comparison culture,” Isleta said. “It’s hard [not] to compare yourself to other people, who are applying for more STEM majors. You’re trying not to compare yourself to other people who are going through different processes.”

Throughout her time working on her college applications, Isleta joined a College Bound program that designated peer groups, designed to help students like her succeed in both BA and BFA applications. Isleta said that her cohort helped her feel less isolated during her application process.

“One of the things that helped [was] this group of people who were also seniors experiencing the same process as I am,” she said. “It was comforting to be able to talk to them, [because they] are going through the same process. At Westview, I couldn’t find that camaraderie or community, so it was nice to have my friends in the cohort who were more performing arts-focused, and then also have my friends who are more academically focused.”

Typically in musical theater, actors must market themselves in order to land jobs in the competitive industry. Isleta said the audition process required her to create an image for herself, despite not fully identifying with it.

“We came up with this branding of the more comedic character,” Isleta said. “I wouldn’t be cast as the ingénue or as a love interest, I would be the funny best friend. It all comes down to branding, really. I had to wear specific audition outfits whenever I went to do these auditions. And [those aren’t] outfits I would usually wear to school or when I’m out and about, but [they] fit the brand and the marketing that I’m trying to present to these colleges. I know this branding that I chose may help me in my future to get cast in specific roles, I just know it’s not representative of who I am as an artist and who I am as an individual.”

Isleta said she succeeds in the comedic typecast compared to the more serious characters due to her natural comedic ability.

“I may not portray it in my everyday life, but comedy in singing or in acting is easier for me,” Isleta said. “It’s harder for me to portray dramatic pieces, because within those dramatic pieces, you have to find that nuance, and that’s something that I’ve yet to really master. I’m still exploring how to find those beats and those pauses and those nuances. As much as I love doing more dramatic pieces, it’s still something that I have to really hone.”

Looking back on her audition process over the past year, Isleta said it required more commitment than a typical college application. 

“If you’re not 100% into [musical theater] then this is definitely not something you want to put yourself through because it is a lot,” Isleta said. “Mentally, it’s draining. You’re doing double the work than everyone else is. My mentality is ‘you’re only given one life,’ and at the end of the day, [musical theater is] something that I am very passionate about and something that I really deeply care about.”

Isleta said she felt doubtful when she first started her audition process.

“When it came to my singing,  I didn’t feel as secure,” she said. “I only started pursuing musical theater in high school, so I didn’t have as much training as others who started musical theater [when] they were [younger]. I was just very scared of how I sounded, [or that] I was going to crack on a few notes or just not sound the way I wanted to sound.”

After practicing and advancing in the audition process, Isleta found herself growing more confident in her abilities and utilizing her mentor’s advice to calm her nerves. 

“I felt way more confident in myself and my singing abilities,” Isleta said. “I could rewatch [newer] recordings and I could tell I [was] way more confident in how I was portraying the character and acting it out as well. One of my mentors for this year told me that an audition is just a chance to perform again. That mindset has really shifted my thinking [to] ‘oh, this is another performance. I shouldn’t be so stressed.’ I see it as another way to showcase my craft with other people.”

After going through the BFA and BA application processes, Isleta said she decided to pursue a BA in musical theatre.

“In my head, I always knew I wanted a BA,” Isleta said. “As much as I love musical theater, and it’s a passion of mine and something that I definitely want to train deeper into and pursue, it’s not going to be my entire life. So with the BA, [I’ll] have more flexibility to explore other interests of mine, something that I’m really looking forward to [in] college. I’m [considering] two BA programs. They’re both in LA, so I’m close to the industry. I could get some good internships from there. One of the programs is specifically musical theater, whereas [the other] program is dramatic arts, where then I will have to attach a musical theater emphasis.”

Despite the overwhelming application process and potential challenges with this career in the future, Isleta said that she will continue to work towards her aspirations of being an actress.

“The industry is really competitive, everyone that you are up against is talented,” she said. “But again, it comes down to the mindset for me. I’m only given one shot at college, and I want to be able to pursue something that I love and that doesn’t feel like work. It’s better to just go for it then spend your whole life thinking about the ‘what if.’”