After You Click Submit: How to Navigate Letting Go of What's Out of Your Control

You've double-, triple-, and quadruple-checked everything. The application is finalized. The prescreen video is uploaded. Your finger is hovering over that little button, and you click.

And then... a confirmation screen and a whole lot of…what’s next? 

I'm writing this in between reviewing prescreen takes, artistic supplements, and which headshot a student should select, so I'm sitting right in the middle of this moment with so many of you. It has me thinking about the two biggest parts of this process.

The first is the prep. That's not just the MONTHS of work spent filming audition videos and building college applications. It's the years of work behind them, from first dance classes to weekly voice lessons to your high school musical. There is so much that goes into this one moment, the one where you finish uploading everything and click submit.

So what happens after?

For many programs that require a prescreen, the next part is completely out of your control. I like to call it part 1 of the waiting game, when all you can do is wait for answers and relinquish control of the process. And that is HARD. As an actor, a performer, and truly as a person, you will have to navigate this feeling again and again in your life. But right now, when each decision feels like it's opening doors to your future, the weight feels even heavier. You have to sit with that unknowing until results arrive. And then, after auditions comes the waiting game, part 2, when you're closer to hearing what will happen, yet still so far from knowing where you'll be next year.

So how do you make it through? How do you let go of what's out of your control?

I wish there were a science, and I am still learning this one on the DAILY! But here are a few things I love to share with Aspire students and families.

1. Trust in your preparation.

The reason you prepared was so you could share your best work, whether in a video, in the audition room, or on the page. That's why you started this process not just weeks ago, but MONTHS ago. After years in this industry working with students, I can say that it shows when you've put in the work. At the end of the day, that is ALL you can do. If you've put in the work and you're proud of it, then whatever the results may be, you can know you did everything you could and (in sports terminology, which you will RARELY find me using) you left it all out on the field.

Trusting your prep is the foundation. The next step is protecting it.

2. Avoid the noise.

It may get loud. From Facebook groups to Reddit threads, the internet is a wonderful resource, and it's so helpful to know what's going on. But it can also send you down a rabbit hole of comparisons and attempts to dissect every result. "So-and-so heard back from X school… I haven't yet… what does that mean?" Once you start down that hole, it can be REALLY, REALLY hard to climb back out. Trust YOUR process, and remember that everyone's journey is different.

Even if you tune out the noise, the results will still come. And it’s possible they won't all be the ones you hoped for.

3. Give yourself grace and time to process.

There may be some nos, some yeses, and some maybes. You have no control over which is which, and there's usually no rhyme or reason you can figure out. I always say it's important to feel the feels. Take that moment. This process, this career, and this life are not always filled with the results you want to hear, and it's ok to not feel ok for a bit.

But from there, please remind yourself of this phrase from a great mentor of mine, one I use all the time:

Acceptances, rejections, and the waitlist are NOT a reflection of your worth or your talent.

LET'S SAY IT TOGETHER. Acceptances, rejections, and the waitlist are NOT a reflection of your worth or your talent. Keep it as a mantra. Pop it in your wallet ;) And remember, you are more than the result of one prescreen video.

And once you've let yourself feel it all, don't forget the other side.

4. Celebrate each win.

In a process that can feel like such a rollercoaster, it's important to celebrate EVERY little win, from submitting your first application and prescreen to finishing the last of your MANY essays. Those are huge feats. And yes, that includes the one we started with: celebrate the win of clicking submit!

Something I pulled from my time in college was the YES moment, that moment in a scene or a song when you achieve your character’s “want”. In this process, your YES moments are all the little wins. Don't forget to take them. 

A little personal reflection from me:

This time of year always holds weight as I watch students and their families navigate every up and down, but this year it holds a little extra for me. I'm about to have a "submit" moment of my own. My husband and I are about to welcome a baby into the world. It isn't exactly a button click, but it is opening up a moment that will change so many things.

We've done all the prep, all the planning, all the research. And now, just like you, we're faced with letting go of what we can't control. It's wild how perfectly it times out with this exact point in your process.

It's truly a metaphor, and a long lesson, for life. From this college application process and beyond, when you can't control how something will unfold, all you can do is focus on what you can prepare and learn beforehand, and then release the rest to the whims of what will be.

And while I'm in my own waiting game, I'm SO excited for each of you. This truly is the first step in revealing the place you'll spend the next four years. Trust your prep, protect your peace, and celebrate your YES moments.

P.S. Don't fret, the blog isn't going anywhere! I've been doing my own prep work and have written ALL of the posts that will go out while I'm on maternity leave. Consider it my version of triple-checking everything before clicking submit. Keep an eye out for new posts right on schedule.