You are not just a performer, you are an artist.  Take a few seconds to look at this painting then read below:

Leonardo da Vinci began working on this painting somewhere around 1503-1504.  Some scholars believe he began the painting in Italy and finished it around 15 years later while living in France, somewhere around 1519.  Others claim that the painting took less time to complete, somewhere between 4 and 7 years (http://www.authenticsociety.com/about/MonaLisa).

Regardless of which scholars are correct, it took Leonardo years to create this work.  He paid close attention to each color he choose, how he mixed the paints to get that color, which brush he chose for each section, how he detailed the mouth, eyes, nose, etc.  However, many people never think about all of those tiny details while looking at a painting.  Even if you didn’t notice all of those details on first look, the artist still had to make very specific choices in order for you to enjoy his/her painting for even a few seconds.

Art is not created immediately; art takes time.  Time for the artist to reflect on what they have to say and to think about how to say it.  During your college career and early professional years, you will often spend many more hours practicing your roles than performing them.  You need to approach your college auditions with the same mindset that you will those roles.  Take the time to research and understand the characters in each one of your songs and monologues.  Read and think about your character’s growth throughout the show.  Be able to talk intelligently about the character and the show.  You may be asked to try a different interpretation during your audition and the panel may ask you about what is happening in the scene/show, who your character is, who you are talking to, etc.  Your preparation before the audition will make a huge difference.  Hopefully if you really commit to doing your homework, the panel will see your singing version of this:

Instead of this:

~Matt