Student Blog: Mya's Declassified BFA Survival Guide

Although my diploma will call it a Bachelor of Fine Arts, it might as well be called a ‘Balancing Fatigue Act’  given the mental gymnastics required to complete the degree. I recommend acquiring a variety of tools to set you up for a successful first semester.

We have all heard the following—"Get yourself a backpack that’s comfy enough to haul across campus and large enough to fit two outfit changes, an audition book, dance shoes, acting class props, and your computer. Additionally, an arsenal including a ring-light, athleisure, and a foam roller, can’t hurt!” However, in this article, I have compiled a list of my own tips, must-haves, and hacks to make the B.F.A lifestyle just a bit easier. They may seem ridiculous, and maybe even a bit odd, but I promise, they will help!

GO FOR THE REMOTE JOB.

I made a mistake with my first job in college. I taught weekly religious school classes to first graders and ninth graders. Although I loved the kids (well, most of them anyway) and the pay, I found myself exhausted after an eight-hour rehearsal on Saturday attempting to write a three-hour curriculum for the following morning. Shoutout to my friends who sat in the kitchen with me each time and helped brainstorm fun facts about Judaism to fill each game of bingo I facilitated in the classroom. Additionally, Sunday is not only your only day off from school. It is also the only recovery day allotted to get your raspy voice back from a night out before your voice lesson Monday morning. Let me tell you, fighting the fatigue in your throat to scream at a bunch of noisy first graders…not my favorite activity. Finally, and most importantly, the schedule of a B.F.A is the most unpredictable thing. One minute you have a free week, and the next you’re writing down the dates and times of play auditions and callbacks and then rehearsals which suddenly make up all five-week nights.  Let me tell you who hates unpredictability more than this Type A Diva? My boss. Having to explain to someone outside of our program why you suddenly can’t make work for the next three weeks because of some show is EXHAUSTING. And so, I advise: Find a remote job or a job where you can create your own schedule. I highly recommend tutoring, babysitting, or even Uber Eats. Personally, my choice to tutor remotely has panned out perfectly. Not only can I do it from the comfort of my own home (a place in which I rarely get to enjoy due to long hours on campus), the schedule is my own, and zoom has volume control! No more vocal fatigue from screaming at tiny children…my voice teacher is ecstatic.

SHMOOZE THE MAIL ROOM MAN AND THE SENIORS IN YOUR PROGRAM.

Here are two relationships I advise you create early on in your collegiate journey. Firstly, the guy who works the printer in your college mail room (We’ll call him Ted). I cannot even count the number of times I have had to print a headshot and resume for both professional and educational auditions in the last three years. My relationship with Ted sparked early on, possibly from an unhealthy addiction to Amazon, and way too many trips to the mail room. However, it blossomed when I realized that your school’s printing services are not only performed onsite, but they are also much cheaper than professional photo prints at Walgreens and CVS. Well, they CAN be much cheaper. Listen closely. You begin by entering the mail room at a time when you know other musical theatre majors are not rushing to print for a last-minute audition. Trust me, I’m close with Ted and not only will he be less inclined to help, but he also finds it annoying when he must print on a short deadline for a bunch of overly enthusiastic strangers. However, if you can find a quiet time to ask for headshot and resume prints at the mail center, and you start chatting with the man and lamenting about the fact that “CVS and Walgreens can never print a resume on the back of the headshot as per the industry standard….and I don’t know what technology will allow me to do this blah blah blah”, he might be willing to invite you to the backroom (I promise this is not at all sketchy, the man has a nice wife and kids) where he does all of his printing. And moreover, if you start complimenting all the school posters he has created and asking questions about how he made certain designs, he just may get excited and show you different printing options on your very own headshots. And if you keep asking about his life and line of work, he just may be willing to alter your headshot when the coloration is a bit dull, or your resume is cut off. And if that’s the case, and he just happens to print too many, he just may only make you pay for the three you initially requested. And finally, because you spent about forty minutes with Ted, he just may be a lot friendlier to you next time you need a print, even if you’re up against the herd of MTs flocking to the mail center that afternoon. I promise you; you and your bank account will thank me later.

Secondly, befriend your seniors. Not only is it important to befriend people outside of your grade level to expand your community, feel more connected to your program, and seek mentorship and inspiration from other aspiring artists. It is also important because these friendships help ascertain great opportunities during your four years. And before you say anything, I am not talking about theatre-related opportunities, I’m no toxic Rachel Berry. In my program, houses and furniture are passed down within the program. You’re graduating and your landlord needs new renters? You post in the MT Facebook group. Selling a bed and a new bedside table?  You post in the MT Facebook group. Giving away an old piano? You post in the MT Facebook group. Get it? Your best bets for living an affordable college lifestyle lies right within your program. And the closer you are to these people, the closer you are to these things BEFORE they are posted in the MT Facebook group. Not to mention, it doesn’t hurt to have a couch to sleep on for all those upcoming NYC auditions. You maintain these relationships; you won’t feel as weird for imposing on an old friend when you need a bed before hiking your booty up to Pearl Studios at 6am.

USE THESE REMEDIES TO DODGE THE FRAT FLU.

It’s no secret that the college lifestyle is the breeding ground for all things cold, cough, and congestion. However, when you are in a program that requires you to live, breathe, and sing with the same group of people twelve hours a day, things have a way of spreading a lot faster and incubating a lot longer. One kid gets Covid in class, you best believe half the class and the accompanist are out the following day. Before you know it, the whole program is masked up and plagued with the ‘vid’. Therefore, I cannot tell you how important hydration, remedies, Vitamin C, and sleep are to your diet. It may sound trivial and maybe a bit self-explanatory. However, we MT’s must consume an abnormal amount of water not only to hydrate the voice but to continually flush out the germs coming our way. Because if we aren’t healthy, we can’t perform. If we can’t perform, we can’t participate in class, placing us way behind our peers in all assignments. While my housemates love to consume a nightcap of Emergen-C and water, I prefer a different method and I swear by it. I grind up raw ginger in my mini prep and store it in a container in my fridge for about two weeks. Then, each morning, sometimes before breakfast, I down a spoonful of ginger and raw, unpasteurized honey. It’s disgusting, but it works. Raw ginger contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties which come with many benefits such as fighting off infections. Also, a teaspoon of vitamin C (4,000 mg) each morning can’t hurt you either. Finally, sleep is more important than you can imagine. It goes beyond giving your body the necessary relaxation time to prevent illness. Rather, it’s also about affording yourself time to recover from both the physical exhaustion of dance class and the mental exhaustion required when putting yourself out there and showcasing your talents on a daily basis! Sleep allows you the energy and patience to wake up and do it all again. Find time to nap or give yourself one day a week when you choose to go to bed early. Whatever your choice, I don’t care, just…SLEEP!

BUY A HUMIDIFIER AND A STEAMER PRIOR TO THE START OF SCHOOL.

A steamer and humidifier (with a HEPA filter) were probably some of the best purchases of my college career. Those dorm rooms and ancient houses off campus can feel musty and congested. As if I haven’t stressed it enough, but being sick is your worst enemy throughout the course of the semester because you physically cannot accomplish schoolwork when ill in this degree. Having a humidifier to moisten and purify the air you breathe helps lessen those mornings when you wake up dry and fatigued. Additionally, nothing helps clear out congestion or hydrate the vocal tract more than a steamer (Shoutout Mypurmist!). It can soothe the throat when dry or moisturize your entire mouth and naval cavity when sick. Finally, its portable and one can travel with it in a backpack to auditions, to dressing rooms, and even performances.

While these are just a few tips, if you find yourself incorporating them into your daily BFA routine (and extra points to anyone who tries the ginger and honey concoction, you’re a trooper), you just might turn surviving into thriving. Stay tuned for more of these little nuggets of unspoken, ‘not included in a textbook’ tips and tricks that help us MTs navigate this incredible journey together.

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