Student Spotlight: Santina DiBenedetto Vocal Music + Entrepreneurship at U Miami

Welcome to From Carpool to College, a show for parents who are trying to get ahead or just keep their sanity while navigating the college planning landscape. Welcome to from Carpool to College. We are so excited today to have our special guests. Tera. We have a guest. I know, it's very exciting. This is so great. We have producer Chris here. We have our special. Guest, Santina D. Benedetto. You're going to need to remember that name, parents and our listeners, because this girl is going places. Santina, Welcome to the show. Hi, thank you for having me. We are so excited, excited. Santina is in her third year. Yes, I'm starting my fourth year. I'm going to be a senior. How did that happen? I don't know. I think I blinked. You blinked. Yeah, your poor parents they blinked to. I know. Santina is at University of Miami and we invited her on today to talk about her whole process soup to nuts. Because parents, we want to impart information to you that every single one of our kids is going to have a different walk, They're gonna have a different pathway, they have different passions, they have different ideas, they have different talents. So we have Santina in today as like our exemplar, our north Star because we're so proud of her and went so we're just gonna talk to her about her experience. Yeah for sure. So one of the things that we definitely want to know is, first of all, you're at you Miami, right, Yeah, so how did you pick that school? So I actually didn't. My mom found something. She was like, you know, I think you should apply to this Frost School of Music and that's the music school at the University of Miami. And I was like, okay, I'll look into it. And that's how it happened. And then I had a top three, which was Berkeley, Belmont and you Miami, and Miami just offered me more money. So I went there and yeah, it was pretty crazy. The acceptance was like, it was insane. I was so overjoyed. That's amazing, amazing. So, Santina, you have when we were talking earlier, you were telling us about your major. I think you had to say it several times. It's a long major. If you asked us, we would be like, oh, something with entrepreneurship. So tell us your major. So it's modern artist development and entrepreneurship, and at Frost we say made Majors, and then I have a double minor in Music industry and Interactive Media. Okay, yeah, so it's all kind of interlaced there too, which is fantastic. One of our last episode we recorded, we were talking about the importance of undergraduate experience incorporating technological skills because that's what's going to get you the jobs. Yeah, it's important. I think it's important for like the made majors because that's the music artist going into you know, just learning how to do it yourself. And that's why, like Miami's pretty good. They automatically offer you the Music in History minor with it to teach you how to represent yourself in the music industry because it can be hard when you don't know anything as an artist. There's a lot of people who try to take advantage of you, so they try to really help bring you up. And then the interactive media is just something where I was like, well, I need to be able to design my own stuff, Like why pay someone else to do it when I could just do it myself? And what are some of the things that you've designed for yourself, Like. It's digital graphics. So I designed my album covers. I come up with like all of the like the visuals for everything. So that's they teach you. Well, there there's a lot of like three hour classes that you take. No, it's good, it's good. Just hopped out of her head. No, but it's good. It's good. They really dive into it with you. So in how many we were talking earlier about what you've produced, we will get to the nitty gritty of your application process because we're dying, because we're we're dying to know. We have lots of burning questions. But because you are such an accomplished performer, can you tell us a little bit about what you've produced so far and where our listeners can find your music because this is like the first plug of many, so so what where can we find you? So you can find it everywhere? It's out on all platforms, like our podcast, like your podcast perfect No, Yeah, it's out everywhere. And basically me and my dad produced it. We have a studio in our basement. I have one since I was little dogs the dogs. I miss my dogs. I'm gonna go home and I'll go them later. Usually we don't hear the dog, but we hear the dog right now. I don't know what's happening, but I will make sure that someone gets a text message up. We want to be a part of it. Yeah, Me and my dad, we produce it together, and he really helps me. It's like I wouldn't be able to do it without him. And I mean he's a sound engineer. I go in the booth and he says, you have to sing that better, and then I do. Yeah. Yeah, And it's really great. So it's definitely a teamwork thing. And I think we've both grown together right through this process and that's really that's really nice to get to do that with my dad. Of course. So yeah, one, so the things the miners that you're you know that you have and the major all of those things, it sounds like there's you're not just pigeonholing yourself into one specific career choice, right. You could take a lot of those skills and even apply them to other design, you know, fields, right and in other ways. So that's really good too. Actually, kind of keep in mind. I do like a lot of ads for I do them for my mom. That's how it sort of got started she I do a lot of ads for her real estate stuff and everything. So that's how that got started. And then I just started doing it for other people who needed them, and yeah, so that's definitely it's like a side hustle. Yeah, and it's a good way to make money. It's so good, and it's so great that you can take your own talent and put a t use for yourself and others versus trying to outsource that. Right. Yeah, so that's great, that's great. So can we ask her about the application problem? Get her face right now, ask her, just jump right into the ahead. Okay. So, so we work with a lot of students who are obviously rising juniors and seniors applying to colleges, and some of them are, you know, fine art majors or whatever, but we don't speak to too many of them. So tell us a little bit about the portfolio, what was involved, how you had to apply, your audition, the audition, all of that. So every college was more or less different. What like what they asked for with your portfolios. I had to do three to four cuts from songs, and a lot of the contemporary schools that I applied to, they want to see what you do, like, not just a cover. So I probably sent in two originals and then two covers just to show like the range of everything, and that took forever. I probably did. It took a month to get everything all together, and that was every weekend because I was in school the whole week. I had musical theater practice after school, so I couldn't really do anything during the week, and it took it took a long time to gather everything. And then once you send that in, you're waiting for do they want me to live audition for them? It's not like you send it in and then oh you're accepted. No, you have that's like your pre screen, and then they call you in. It's like you got to go through it again. Yes, it's exactly yeah. Wow wow. So where how did you record your material? Did you? Oh? My gosh, on my phone. I set it up like you know, like this side molding in the middle of the wall. I prop my phone up there and that's how I would do it, and then I would have to I would set up my speaker to do like the backing tracks and everything, and I'd have to watch it before I sang it all the way through. I'd have to watch it back make sure the levels were all good. So like if something was overpowering something else, it'sok forever, it's forever. Wow. Wow, that's amazing though, the fact that you were able to do this it didn't have to be like a fancy schmancy setup where you had to hire people to kind of hire people. Yeah, that's what I mean. Like, that's great. That's the type of thing that we try to don't hire people. Okay, good, that's okay. God mine was so low budget it was crazy. But see it doesn't You don't need to have it like, you know, all the frills and everything. I know, they just I think music schools especially, they just want to see who you are. They don't. I think a lot of mistakes is that people try to give them what they think they want. Yeah, and that just just. Show them who you are, right, Like they'll see that you're genuine. They'll see that you're not, even if you're trying to show that you're genuine, but you're not. You know what I mean. It's they can see through all, yes, exactly, they can see through it. That's what Tera and I do, and we have our clients for their private practice like terror with the essays, it's like it's not necessarily what does the school want to see, which is very much what a lot of independent college counselors push, like, oh, the ivys. Want to see this. It's like, yeah, they they But the rest of the question is the answer is they want to see who you are. Yeah, that's what they want to say. Because imagine how many things they're seeing every day that are the same carbon copy of each other. Because you have these people saying, well, this is what they want to see, this is what they want to see, Like no, b stand out. Right, be authentic because in the end, if the school is not, if you're not authentic in your application process, you're not gonna have a good time at that school if it's not going to be a good match. So, yeah, that's a great lessons. So I know you want to ask her what the essay? Oh, yeah, I do my essay? Yes, yes, yes, so I actually got we so for okay, I'll back up for my English class my senior year, she had us all write the college essay for her and give it to her, and she gave feedback and everything, and she had she was giving feedback in front of the class, but she had sent me a separate email and said, Santina, this is one of the best things you did all year. This was so and it was literally I just told my story. There was nothing frilly about it or anything. I just told my story and I wrote it like it was someone else or like from someone else's perspective, and it was just you were just following along like in a book. Yeah, and yeah, I was pretty pretty proud of that. I still go I still like think about it sometimes when I doubt myself. It's like, you wrote a pretty good essay girlfriend. Yeah, so yeah, I had a good time, But I just I just told my story. You just underesting. Yeah, yeah, do you remember what you wrote for the Miami supplemental because that was you applied to some heavy hitter colleges. So I'm remembering, like every every college application is going to have a little extra something, something that you have to comment or on. But I think it's been a while though, so I get it. Yeah, and there's probably trauma attached to it, and you really don't want to even whole application process because it's so daunting, But dang it. I wish I remembered the supplementals. It was definitely like tell something unique about yourself, tell a story about how you overcame something. There were a lot of applications like that. Yeah, and I mean one had to be like choose ten songs to represent your life, which I loved that question, like create a playlist and send it to us. Love that. Who did that last year was? I think it was wake Forest does the top ten lists? Like give us your favorite top ten list? It could be anything. It could be like where you get your favorite your favorite tomato sauce or whatever, so. Something like that. Yeah, good stuff. Loved that. So now we get into Miami and they gave you the most money. Yes, I cried. I couldn't even believe it because I had gotten accepted and that was great, and then it was like Miami's expensive, so it's like you got to see what they offer you and everything. So I was just I was over the moon. And how many students are in your incoming class for that particular school ish about. I don't know, but I do know I'm pretty sure that six percent of the students get in that apply, so I know I think that's the just six percent. Yes, Yeah, it's like when you apply to. For the for all school of Music, not just Miami Crosschool. Yeah, when you're applying to those special schools, it's like Ivy League admissions. Like that's how hard it is, with all the layers and layers. I believe it. I believe it. So adjusting to college life. So here you are, Jersey girl. We're going from our Jersey culture, which is like we're like a melting pot. We're pretty you know, we're pretty well. Rounded human beings. Yeah, you know you're going from sweater weather to Miami. Yeah you think can you share some things about adjusting to college life? Because I got to tell you, I do get clients who, after a semester or two, they reach out to me and text me and say. Can I transfer? Before they even tell their parents, they say can you help me with transfer application? And I usually I just say, well, let's let's talk about let's. Sit on it. And I feel like a lot of people reach out to me after a semester saying, you know, just as a backup plan, and I think it just made them feel good that they have options. But what was your adjusting to life in Miami? Well, first of all, I almost didn't go because of the weather. I cannot stand when it's always it's perpetually hot, and then the humidity forget about it. Oh my gosh, it actually like makes me want to rip my hair out of my skull. It's it was rough. But I can't explain what happens. You get used to it so quickly. It took like a month, but like you get used to it, okay, because I think you go, you start school when it's at the hottest in August, and then it just gets a little bit cooler, and then you get used to the heat, and then you get used to the humidity because it constantly rains always. But that, yeah, the weather was almost the one thing that I was like, I can't, I can't do it. Yeah, but yes, But going from the culture of New Jersey to the culture of Miami, girl like like I thought i'd seen it all in the like the like the youth kind of just I don't want to say fake, but like fake huh, yeah, I can't. I I'm probably as real as they come. And watching every cookie cutter version of the same girl, they're trying to be friends with you. They could be sweet as pie, but they're the same version of each other. I feel like I'm having the same conversation. Couldn't tell them apart at a certain point. Yes, I feel so mean to say, but that's how it felt. And yeah, my friends now they definitely stick out and I love that because they're unique and that. So you found your people, Yeah, we did it. Take you. And we talk about it now because it's like, oh, yeah, I found my people, But when when you're in the middle of it, it's like, oh. It's oh, one did I Actually I think I found my people the end of freshman year because the friends that I had starting my freshman year I don't even talk to anymore, except for one girl who is my roommate and I love her to death, but I don't speak to any of them anymore. I think it's that beginning, like connection. You just want to stick with them and don't let go because you don't know if you're going to find anybody else. Kind of like anxiety about that. But it definitely took a while. Yeah, I think it's important for parents to hear this because as parents, we get we worry about our kids and if they're adjusting and we know that they're that they'll eventually make it, but it's something that everyone has their own timeline, yeah, and their own experience with it. Yeah. Sure, Yeah. I actually was talking to my mom about dropping out the first semester I came back because I just did not I wasn't feeling it. I did not want to go back. I felt like a waste of time. I was not having it. And bless my mother, she said, bad, you're going back, Kim. But she yeah, she was like, but sure, yeah, I went back and it was probably the best thing I could. I think. Also, that's very representative of how a lot of parents feel like we know that there's an adjustment, and we know the adjustment takes time. It's so painful for us to know that our kids are suffering. It's horrible. It's horrible to know that our kids are experiencing anything less than good things. So yeah, that's where we parents have to walk the line like, Okay, this too shall pass, we hope when let it pass already? So it did pass for you. Did you engage in any Greek life? Is that big down there? Oh? The Greek life is very very big down there. I am personally, I'm not a sorority girl. That's not my. Thing at all. But I love the frats. It's gross and sweaty and disgusting, but I love them. Right. Do they still do the jungle juice in baby Pools? Yeah? There was actually, Oh my gosh, you just reminded me. There was this house called the You House and it was random. It was this random guy's house that I became really good friends with, and me and a few of my friends at the time. I don't talk them anymore, but we would go help set up, we'd make the jungle juice. It was horrible, horrible, and yeah, oh my gosh, you just like click something in my memory. I'm surprised I remember that from like nineteen two, so go figure. Yeah, but no, we definitely still have the jungle juice. Good to know, Yeah for sure, And how could you not. So Socially, we're talking about going to Miami. My son Joey goes to Charleston. These are big destination cities. Yeah, and we're wondering how the budget is with social life. It's hard. It's hard to keep a budget, especially when you want to go out every weekend and I love going out. I don't like staying home too often. Sometimes obviously you need a long time, but I like to take advantage of the fact that I probably am not going to be back in Miami after I graduate. But it gets it gets a little rough. I have to say, I'm a girl, so I do get in for free. Good job, good job being a girl. But like for my guy friends, I mean it's tough to get them out of the house sometimes, sure, yeah, because just everything, like the cover at one of the clubs is one hundred dollars. Come on, yeah, just to get in. Just to get in. Yeah, And it's not like like one club I went to, it was the cover was I think it was fifty but you got a free drink. Oh whoop do whoop be woe? Really that better be to shelf. Better Yeah, better be the best damn drink I've read in my life. Oh my god, better be the premium stuff in the backshell with. A fancy bottle. Exactly. Dude, do you have friends who go to those kind of bars? Well, yeah, well it's Miami. A lot of the kids there don't have scholarship because they're just really richy rich. So I mean, give them dotty black card and they're good to go. Wow. It's also something terror we talk about when we have our clients, when we talk about creating college lists for people, and it's not just about of course, it's about the programs, it's about the academic programs, and it's about finding your people. But also like we never want to be the poorest kid of our friends. We never want to be the wealthiest kid of our friends. We never want to be the only ex of whatever it is. You know. So, But but I definitely see a pattern with some of these cities, going into Chicago, Miami, New York City schools, it's it's really expensive to maintain a social life. Yeah. Yeah, that's just you just got to find your people. Because I definitely only have friends where we can do anything and no one will like blink about it or that sounds like we're talking about money, but we're not. It's more like we'll just do anything just to spend time with each other. It doesn't matter where we're going or how much money we're spending. And I think that you just have to sort of know, you just have to be confident in yourself, like are you kidding me? I cannot go to some of these clubs, ever, you probably will never even catch me. Even if I had the money, I wouldn't be going. Don't waste? Are you kidding me? You know what I could do with one hundred dollars? Are you kidding me? Who is the detracting? Right? I love thrifting? Oh my gosh, it's right exactly, but thrifting down there? Yes, there is this big, big place right by the by the school. It's amazing thrifting. You you shud guys should just come. I'll tell you. We'll all do it together. Perfect. Off, there you go. So I was thinking about, Oh I lost it, but we were talking, good going, good job. Oh I know I should have wrote it down. Oh well, terror, we'll go. That's my question. So you're almost right now you're going into your senior year, right, So now you're from underclassmen to going into the mentoring stage, right because you're headed into your last year, right. Yeah, So. We want to know like some of your future plans and then also some just overall advice that you would give to doesn't have to be a student of you know, applying to you Miami, but just applying in general. Maybe someone who is applying with a BFA or something like that. With that intended major. So first, future plans, what are you thinking? Yeah, so it's really hard to try to say, oh, this is where I'm going to be after that graduate, just because I'm trying to be a music artist. I'm trying to do what I can to just really push myself and become as successful as I and be. I hope to just keep going up, but you know, we'll see. But I mean, my future plans are I'm going to be bartending. It just got my bartender's license. I'm really really proud about that, really proud. I make a me and Margarita, let me tell you, And and I'm just gonna keep promoting myself and sort of make a living with bartending and sort of side hustles with my digital graphic design work and everything. But after I graduate, it's hard to put like a specific point that that's where I'm going to be. And I wouldn't want to do that anyway, because if I if I sort of set up a goal for myself, it's like, oh, I want to be here, and I don't end up there, it's like a letdown when it shouldn't be. I've worked hard to where I've gotten, and I would never want to put a damper on that because oh it didn't work out how I thought. No, And life, and we talk about this all the time. Life is not linear. Your career path is going to be linear. You know. We're just talking about being present, being ready, being visible, and then it will you know, you hustle and it's going to connect and this one will lead to the next and the next one will lead to this. Like not worried about you. I will plug you again. Www dot Santinade benedetto dot com. That's where you can find Santina's work just outstanding, as well. As the platform to the platform at all. Yes, it's all like just click a button and it'll take you right there and make it very easy for people. The merch, she still have the merch right the T shirt. I got rid of the merch. I it wasn't it's not exactly what I want. It'll come back, but right now it's on hold because I'm trying to make. It exactly perfect. I'm a perfectionist. Everything has to be perfect. That's good, but it's going to go back. I ever did remember what I was going to ask her again? That's okay, I guess. Just some general advice that you might have for people who are you know, rising juniors and seniors. Oh, don't apply to every school I applied to, I mean fifteen twenty schools because I was so nervous about not getting in and because it's so competitive and everything. But honestly, it was overkill. The fees for the applications I can't I can't even get into it. Right. Well, each school is between eighty five and one. Yeah, five ridiculous. I mean anyway, I'm going to start getting angry. But don't apply to every school. I feel like if you have a top five and then have backups, I feel like that should be that that should suffice enough. Yeah, twenty schools is insane. I would not recommend doing that and going into senior year. Wait they start When did they start applying again? It's the summer before their senior year. Right, Okay, okay, okay, So I guess for you know, BA degrees, you should probably get working on your portfolios in the summer. Okay, that way you can catch up. Because I didn't do that. I was doing it during the school year when I had no time to do anything and get it over with during the summer, so that you can focus on putting your time into the application itself, because there's a ton of questions that take forever. And oh one thing I did do, which is my mother. Yeah, I mean, good all Kim. She you know, she had said to me, half of these applications are the same questions. Just save your answers. Yeah, you change the school name. Oh my gosh, don't forget to change the school name. Oh my gosh. We take care of that. Yeah, we definitely, that's one of the top ten rules. Yes, yeah, but like I remember, I applied for a job and I did and I didn't change the job name, and I was like, oh whatever. Needless to say, I did not get that job. But yeah, just save the answers to You could copy and paste in it, you know, and obviously you could change it a little just to fit more of the schools, which a little bit, but. At least keep a file of all that so that you have it and you can use it as a reference. Right, yeah, yeah, yeah, Now. Did you go to Miami before saying yes to them? I did, but I wouldn't have if they didn't call my backfront audition. Okay, Actually there was a process where they said, if you can't fly down, you have to sort of apply for that, like why can't you fly down? Give us proof why you can't. But I had to go back there for the in person audition, right, Okay, yeah, but. If you didn't, do you think you would have felt the need to or wanted to. I definitely wanted to, but at the time, the campus the way it looked, did not matter to me, Right. I think like those kinds of people, they're different, like, oh I care how big campuses or I care how beautiful the camp I mean, Miami's a beautiful campus. I am lucky, but I didn't care. And personally, I'm a city girl, so I kind of wanted to be in Berkeley. I liked walking from building to building. I visited Berkeley. It was my very first school. Oh yeah, and I loved it there. I was like, yep, this is where I want to be. But yeah, Miami, just the people there were great, and yeah, it was beautiful campus. Ok. You know. One of the things that I was thinking of is we had one of our episodes was about hands on, hands off, and it's how much parents. Offer support to their children. And how they should back off a little bit, and you've mentioned your mom a few times and said like, oh, thanks to her, thanks to her. So it sounds like she had a good balance right of like how much she supported you and how much. Yeah, I think she there was just sort of an advantage because she does she works for a school, so she sees these things all the time. So she definitely knew what she was talking about. And I think I just leaned into it because I just trusted her. But she definitely she spoke up when it really really mattered. If I was sort of just complaining about something and you know she had opinions, she'd say her opinion, but it wouldn't be like a harping on me about it because eventually I came to my own decision and be like, oh, mom was right. But when it really really mattered, she really put her foot down and she yeah, she helped me through it. That's great advice. Yeah, it is parents. All parents have a green light. Has green lighted every parent. I definitely used to think like, oh, she's know what she's talking about. It would annoy me. Well that's normal though, because parents, that's the struggle. Because we have the experience, we kind of know what's expected, and we also want you to be independent and we're working with you for how you know, parents want their kids to be independent and be their own individual and do their own thing. But yet now it comes to college planning and it's like, oh, I'll bezz her off. Yeah, you could be independent next year after you get into your school. Like not now that it's tough. Because it's like just it's this push away, pull me kind of situation. But it sounds like it worked out beautifully. Yeah, no, it did. She definitely found a balance. But yeah, well good stuff. Well, thank you so much for thank you guest today. We loved having you. Know, we understand you have a gig tomorrow, but we're not. If we advertise it doesn't matter because by the time this episode airs, you. Will be long gone. But every listener can go to Santina Benedetto's website www. Dot Santina Deep Benedetto dot Calm. Yes, and they could also go to every platform and support click like, follow, and share from carpool to college. And yes, follow carpool to call it. That's right, because we'll get you there. So I am Tracy Amadeo. Tara Harts and thank you for joining us today. Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode. If you enjoyed what you heard, we'd love for you to be a part of our growing community. Please share and follow our show. For those who want to support us further, join our Patreon site here. Support helps us create high quality content and great episodes. Plus, our Patreon members get exclusive perks like bonus episodes, early access, and behind the scenes content that we think you're just going to love. And now for some legal stuff. The content of this podcast is for informational and educational entertainment purposes only, and it's provided as is, with no guarantee of accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or outcomes. I could keep going, but I will spare you, and I will post this entire legal disclaimer on our website www dot Academic Mentoring LC dot com under podcast. Tara and I are so glad you joined us today on from Carpool to College. See you next time. Something like that. Yeah, done's good, Okay, Chris, make that pretty please? Pretty please? Make it pretty please? Yeah? Thank Yay.