<p>At New York sun you are doing the right thing by having your son make his own decision. My D was also confused. What we did was we sat down and made listd with the pros and cons for each school and have her look at them. We also brought her back to the schools she was really interested in so that she could spend the day in each program. But ultimately the decision has to be the child’s and bottom line is if they make the wrong decision they can always transfer next year (you don’t have to tell him that part, but it made my daughter less stressed). Keep the faith!!</p>
<p>@NewYorkSon & @bwaybabie, I feel your pain. My son is so conflicted that he actually this morning wrote a 300 word essay for one of his schools to waitlist for their honors program figuring if he gets in, it’s a sign. (Feel free to queue the Avenue Q music.) For a kid to write an essay when he is essentially done with school completely (they are in senior project mode, real school is over) and already accepted to college, that speaks volumes. </p>
<p>It’s like “The Candidate” – these kids drive and push and kill themselves to get into these programs, and then when they get in, they don’t know what to do, how to choose, or even if it’s what they really want. It’s the thrill of the chase, maybe. The crazy audition system they have to contend with, and the relative confines of a BFA MT, create this new layer of stress and anxiety. It’s not right – these are talented kids, but they’re only kids!</p>
<p>@NewYorkSon: A friend of mine that lived in NYC for several years gave some excellent advice to my D,. All other things being equal, small town or great big city? For her, it was the big city lights… </p>
<p>LOL @halfokum. My son has sat down and wrote a pros and cons list. I think he knows where he will end up. I actually feel ok now because he has calmed down. I told him it has to be a fit for you. It doesnt matter who goes to what school if the program isnt what you feel you need you have to go with what does. Been a crazy ride. WE should be ready to post very soon!!</p>
<p>@EastchesterMom I’m giving you 10 bonus points just for “The Candidate” reference.</p>
<p>Thanks…I’ll take it!</p>
<p>You know how I feel:)</p>
<p>OK, I gotta brag on my D for a minute, but not about anything MT related. She and I were at Ohare Airport Sunday night waiting for our flight to Lincoln NE to visit Nebraska Wesleyan University. Monday was really the only day that we could work out a campus visit, so it was very important that we get there. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, after a couple of hours of weather related delays our flight was ultimately canceled because the flight crew timed out. D didn’t panic or get upset, she just asked me how we could work this out. I said maybe we can get to Omaha, sleep there, and drive one hour to Lincoln in the morning. She took the idea and ran with it from there - I let her do the talking with United customer service, and she got us #1 and #2 standby slots on the next flight to Omaha. </p>
<p>Unfortunately that flight was also delayed by several hours. When we finally did arrive in Omaha her bag was nowhere to be found. She didn’t panic, and she filed the claim with the United baggage people without my help. Off we went to find the nearest Walmart to buy clean clothes, replace makeup and toiletries, etc. By the time we got to lay our heads down at a hotel near the Omaha airport it was 4:00 AM. We were dead tired, but she never once lost her composure, got impatient, or got down about the situation. She accepted the situation as it was and dealt with it like an adult. She was polite with the gate agents and customer service people and made smart decisions. Other than for renting the car she didn’t really need me there. I was very proud of her.</p>
<p>It made for an adventure that we shared together, dead tired, eating McChicken sandwiches with extra pickles, watching the twinkling lights of downtown Omaha at 3:30 am.</p>
<p>In the end the campus visit revealed that NWU was an absolutely perfect fit for our D, and she proudly rang the new student bell in admissions just before we headed back to the airport.</p>
<p>@cheeseheadmike ~ it sure it MT related. That is what happens in this crazy process… they are able to deal with what ever is thrown at them!</p>
<p>Sounds like she’s ready.</p>
<p>Awesome story Cheesehead! Congrats on raising a great kid!</p>
<p>@CheeseheadMike – You have much to be proud of…congrats!</p>
<p>Cheese! Great story and a lasting memory. Absolutely awesome. Congratulations on so many levels!</p>
<p>CheeseheadMike, that is a truly inspirational story for any parent! It must feel great to know how ready she is to tackle whatever life (and this crazy theatre world) may throw at her! Great job raising an impressive young woman!</p>
<p>Were are official it is Ithaca. I am so proud of him he really struggled with it but he wrote a pros and cons list as many suggested and this is just a perfect fit for him. Thank you all so much for all your input and support. We already ordered our Ithaca T’shirts and he posted himself on twitter and facebook sporting his new shirt!!!</p>
<p>@newyorkson way to go! Your S will thrive at Ithaca. A good friend of our D’s transferred there two years ago and has never regretted it.</p>
<p>So happy for you NewYorkSon!!! Yeah that your decisions are (finally) over…Wish I could say the same as we have just begun with the whole pros and cons chart that I didn’t even realize was going to face us…My D was so excited about Ball State. And she LOVED them when we visited. I thought it would be a done deal. Now, due to it being 9 hours from home (and also my own thoughts about the general cold temperature - though we incidentally visited when the temp dropped down to 25 degrees two days ago…a skew,) she is on the fence, thinking about the “city” alternative, Univ of the Arts - only 3 hours away from us in PA. And now also, we’re going to go visit Ohio Northern as well. And we’ve got what - 13 days to decide this? Oh yes, the other difficulty - money offers are flying into her face… Instead of making the decisions easier - we all feel like it’s getting even harder. Wish we could be you and all done. Hopefully soon - but I have a bad feeling and now I understand why so few (in addition to my D) have come to a decision yet… arghhh. What a fatiguing year. I just want to celebrate…My husband said well “it’s a good problem to have…” Yes, I am grateful about that. Good luck to all</p>
<p>@NewYorkSon – congrats! Your S had amazing options…bet you’re glad this roller-coaster ride is DONE!</p>
<p>@goinplacesmomsD … I feel like I could have written your post. And to complicate matters, she had a voicemail after rehearsal that we think is a WL call… But not the one she’s been praying for… But one that could change the game. 13 days. I hadn’t counted. Ugh. </p>