Hi all! So I decided to write this blog for everyone who had been curious or wondering how things go. I know I had a lot of questions, so I'll recap all my experiences in the hope that it can help you for next year.. Or let it be an entertaining blog to read about. This is based on my experience in Jakarta; it might be different from other places!
 

ONLINE AUDITION

So first things first, I had to fill out the online application through the website and record a video for it (which I'm not gonna show XD). I don't know if they actually watch it or not. But my friend Winny told me that in order to get to the in-person audition, you needed to have a confirmation letter. So days passed.. Weeks went by.. And still no news from SM. I started to get lazy and thought there was no hope. Honestly, I was thinking of not going at all. AND THEN, on Tuesday, four days before the audition, they decided to email me a confirmation =_= Just when I had made up my mind to bail out, I decided to go again. LOL. So I only had four days to practice. In the end, I chose the song Wings - Little Mix and learned the Korean version of it. I also polished up my dancing skills.. Within 2 days.. XD
TIP #1 - Don't wait for SM's confirmation, just start practicing right away!


AUDITION D-DAY

I went to audition on Saturday March 22nd at a hotel. When we arrived, there was a handsome oppa standing in front of the line. We had to show our email confirmation before we were allowed to go in. (I read another account that said you can just go in without any confirmation, NOT TRUE for this year. They WILL check it). Once you passed the handsome oppa, a woman behind a small table in charge of registration will give you your number and a form you have to fill out. TIP #2 - Always bring a pen with you! One part of the form asked for the school and grade I'm in... LOL.. I graduated already~~~ XD

Before we could go to the huge waiting room, we were lined up in front of the door until about 10 people or so arrived. Then another staff member directed us inside and we had to sit according to our number. The staff themselves were.. honestly... not too friendly. They looked very pissed and bored with whatever they were doing. Their tones were strict and they didn't smile at all. Maybe they wanted to intimidate us.

Inside, there were a LOT of those fancy hotel dining chairs lined up in rows. It wasn't all too crowded. Maybe cause I came around 3:30 PM. TIP #3 - Befriend the people next to you. Don't be shy. You're gonna wait there for 2 hours or so. Having someone to talk to is nice. Plus, everyone has the same passion and worries as you, so it's really nice to talk to them. TIP #4 - Bring a water bottle! No drinks are provided inside, and you'll probably be dehydrated from all the waiting. 

There were two large screens in front that played the latest music videos from SM, including Tae Min's Danger, Henry's Trap, Zhou Mi's Rewind, and Kyu Hyun's latest song. Me and my new friend soon noticed they didn't play any SNSD songs (perhaps because Jessica was still in it). And when EXO Growl's finally appeared after the longest time, literally everyone started cheering XD

LINE UP

They start calling people in groups of 20 to go sit at the very front stage. There they tell us that singers only have to sing the chorus or of a song, dancers will dance freestyle, models pose, actors/actresses act... That's when i realized, I had memorized the Korean Wings lyrics for nothing. Only their verse and pre-chorus were in Korean, chorus was in English. So basically, we only got 30 seconds. They also reminded the girls with long hair to tie up their hair. TIP #5 - Bring a rubber band for the hair.

After that, we had to move to the back side of the room as a new group got called to sit at the front. From here on out, we got directed to go towards the corridor. This is the exact same corridor we passed after registering. Turns out that those big fancy doors I passed were the audition rooms! So there we got dividded into group of tens. One group had to line up in front of the door whereas the other group got to sit down. 

Another oppa told us that once we're inside, there would be a black line on the floor. We have to stand in front of the line when we audition. They also keep emhasizing we should look straight to the camera, and not the judge.

After that, the big door opened, and my group was called inside...
 

THE AUDITION

It was a medium-sized room with the big SM poster as the backdrop. There was one female judge behind a small table at the front. Next to her was the cameraman who was also a translator. 

When we entered, there were still 4 people inside who were singing. And when the first girl started singing Whitney's Houston "The Greatest Love of All"..... WOW!!! My jaws literally dropped because she was THAT good. One of my new friends even said she could match Tae Yeon's voice, and I agreed! Her singing also made me tear up cause it was that beautiful. The judge asked the translator to tell her to try singing the last part again, but higher. So the girl did and managed to pull it off flawlessly. When their group was done, the judge asked that girl to stay behind!!!!! We're all like !!!!!!!!! that must mean something good right? Way to bring our mental down before it even started XD But it's okay, she was seriously super good!

Anyway, my group got called to the front. We did as we were told and stood in front of the black line. Apparently this pissed off the cameraman who even "tch" at us as he told us to stay behind the black line. Maybe he's just hungry and tired... So basically, those who wanted to sing got to sing first whereas the dancers would go later. TIP #6 - Start singing immediately without introducing yourself or anything. The first person started singing, and was really good. Then it was my friend's turn, and she was also really good. One thing I noticed was how nervous they were and kept their hands folded to each other. Next was my turn...

Now, at least I can act a little~ LOL.. So no matter how badly I was shaking inside, I tried to appear confidently on the outside. When I started singing I added some hand movements and kept smiling towards the camera. (No, I did not throw a heart, unfortunately). And this is literally what happened:

Me: Mama told me not to waste my life
She said spread your wings my little butterfly
Don't let what they say keep you up at night
And they can't detain you
Cause wings were made to flyyy~yyy~yy~y
And we don't let nobody bring us dooo~oo~oown
No matter what you say it wo---

Judge: Ne, kamsa hamnida...

Me: Oh? ... Thank you~

LOL.. Out of habit, I just thanked the judge for cutting me of! XD Cause I thanked everyone~ Maybe she's heard enough.. Maybe I was THAT bad.. But whatever it was, she cut me off. Turns out that everyone else after me were also cut off midway. Even my other friends who did reaaaally great. But the cameras were still rolling, so whatever, I just kept showing good reactions when others were singing~ Hahahahaa..

Then the judge thanked us, and the guy translated that the results would be out in a month. When I walked out I thanked the judge and cameraman. I also gave my thumbs up to the first girl who was told to sit there, because she was THAT good and I wanted to show my support (and when she debuts and becomes famous she will hopefully remember me). Outside I saw the other staff members, and I also thanked them. Told you it was a habit. Besides, a smile can brighten someone's day right? Kekekeke~

Then I realized... THERE WAS NO RHYTHM TEST! I practiced all the dancing for nothing!!!! OTL 

THE END

So yeaaah... That's basically what happened. Some things were very different from the other accounts I've read before. Hope this was useful/entertaining for anyone to read XD If you have any questions, feel free to ask cause I probably forgot to mention some things. It was my first and probably last experience, cause next year I'll probably be too old to audition as singer.. Sooooooooo maybe I'll audition as a composer instead! HAHAHA.. Whatever happened, happened.. It was all a fun experience. #YOLO

And here is a weird selfie because it is still a memorable day.. LOL.. I don't know why I decided to post it. Oh right! Tip #7 - Don't wear any make-up! They wanna see you in a natural state. Tip #8 Don't wear revealing clothes. They want you to dress your age appropriately!