Hopeful eighth graders fill the cafeteria as parents attempt to console their children. Students auditioning for Dreyfoos as strings majors tune their violins. Meanwhile, future communications majors recite their speeches in front of a mirror in the bathroom. This seems like any normal audition for incoming students; but a select few have other plans when auditioning.
“I was a communications major at Bak [Middle School of the Arts,]” digital media junior Mia Badone said. “I thought that I would have a better chance of getting into [Dreyfoos] for communications, because I did it for so long; but my plan was always to switch into digital media so I could pursue photography.”
Many students who attended Bak changed majors from when they first auditioned as 10 year olds fresh out of elementary school. Due to the years and dedication put into their middle school major, it is impractical in switching to one they have less-experience in now.
Current communications junior and former Bak vocal major Rebecca Bullock chose to forgo her vocal past and step into the less familiar world of communications.
“I switched majors because I’ve been writing since I was little,” Bullock said. “I liked singing more as a hobby and I got to switch into something I actually enjoyed doing, not something that seemed like a chore.”
Others, although they audition for Dreyfoos in the same art area as they were in at Bak, don’t always plan on pursuing that art throughout their high school careers. Some audition for the art areas they feel like they have a higher chance of getting into, then hope to switch majors once they’re in.
“[It] sounds cheesy, but really follow your gut,” former theatre and now communications junior Lucie “Rhodes” Evans said. “Don’t be afraid to take steps to a happier future even if the road is unmarked. Allowing yourself to grow is the most important thing and if you feel like you can do better somewhere else then go for it.”