<p>I got off the phone a short while ago with David McDonald, who is the head of voice and runs the auditions at Wagner. He was the professor who called here with my son’s very first acceptance after a somewhat disappointing start to the audition process, and he was calling to follow up on how things were going in making our decision.</p>
<p>Now, truth be told, I’ve been after my son for days (if not longer) to release Wagner and a couple of the other schools that have not made it into his top tier of choices, but he’s been reluctant and I let it slide. Although I couldn’t give David the “official” word, as he has to hear that directly from my son, I did indicate that Wagner was not in our final plans, thanked him profusely for his support and encouragement, and told him how impressed we were with both the school and the program. </p>
<p>As for a little background, when David’s call came, things were pretty low in my house. As I said, he was my son’s first acceptance after a couple of tough rejections and he assured him that based on what he saw at the Wagner audition, there would be more to follow. He was right. And as my son’s options increased, so did his ability to choose his environment (a more intense program, a larger school, somewhere away from what is virtually our backyard, etc.).</p>
<p>David told me he was not surprised to hear how things turned out for my son and wished us the best going forward. He could not have been more gracious, thanking me for the feedback I gave him about the audition and our impressions of the school. </p>
<p>All that said, I wanted to let you know that if David McDonald is any indication, and I believe he is, your child is in very good hands at Wagner College. I firmly believe that this is a program that puts the kids’ best interests first, and one that prepares thoughtful, educated, well rounded professionals, which is just about all anyone can ask for their children. Sorry to go on and on, but this is the kind of information I would LOVE to have if I were sending my child off to a school I didn’t know much more about than the fairly surface impressions that we are able to glean during this journey.</p>
<p>Someone on the waitlist who is my son’s type is about to get a very nice phone call. I hope it comes to your house.</p>