congrats @DadOfMTboy
Go Yankees!
Congrats @DadOfMTboy… having known your son from our French Woods days I can truly say he deserves all that he garnered throughout this process. Great kid; great talent. I hope he thrives at BOCO ~ such a perfect fit for him. He will be living his best life in Boston, I know it!
@rbg2019 Ah yes, that illusive and elusive “miracle”. We all hoped for that!
@DadOfMTboy Congratulations!
@DadOfMTboy you are such a pro! I can’t believe the detail you remember! I think I was in a fog most of last year, I could never have written such a complete, rich final decision story. Congratulations to your son, what a wonderful ending - and beginning - for him.
@rbg2019 wishing you all the best in next steps.
@Notmath1 The miracle is not elusive at all, it came true for our family, which will make it possible to actually afford my D’s program without debt. I think your comment is not supportive at all and there is no need for that.
@DadOfMTboy Congratulations!
Congrats @DadOfMTboy Love your prediction envelopes. We did the coin toss trick.
@rbg2019 I’m sorry that the outcome was not in line with what you needed to make this happen for your son. Did you guys file financial appeals to all of the schools? Maybe one of them would come through with additional money and possibly enable you to afford it.
@NYDreammom I apologize. It was not meant that way. We all want and need help was my point. Glad it worked out for you 
Congratulations on being debt free.
@CaMom13 thank you. I was the keeper of the spreadsheet and the travel planner. Lol
What a great story! Congratulations to your son!!! Kudos to you and your wife for demonstrating such wonderful support for him throughout this crazy process. Good luck on his new journey…
My D’s story is unusual when I look at other students here. However, what she chose worked for her and she is happy with the outcome.
We visited 11 schools before she selected who she wanted to audition for and at first it was going to be 8, but she whittled it down to 4. The ones she selected felt right for her.
Auditioned: Wright State, Xavier, NKU, Ball State
Rejected: Wright State - heartbreaker for her in many ways. She had been working with their music director with some coaching sessions and they developed a great relationship and he passed away. Two weeks later she received news she was not accepted.
Redirected: NKU - to BA with request to reaudition
Accepted: Xavier
Waitlisted: Ball State
Background:
She started dancing at age 3. At her first recital, the director told me “she’s destined for the big stage”. She has loved performing ever since. She began working with the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati when she was 9, Cincinnati Conservatory Music’s Musical Theatre intensive at 14. She has been in numerous community shows, competed in choral competitions, danced in the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade.
However, something was always off. Off at school, off with singing harmony, a count behind. She just seemed to have to work harder than she should to get it. Then, when she was 16, we found out that she was deaf functioning as hearing. Had been her whole life. She would fail a hearing screening and they’d do a follow up and it’d be ok. She has fluctuating sensorineural hearing loss. It’s like the nerves in her ears are like an iPhone charger that is frayed. Sometimes they work pretty good. Sometimes, nothing.
She got fitted for hearing aids and her whole world has changed. Her voice, her timing, her grades. It is frustrating that for years that they chalked up her issues to maybe a “touch of ADD”. No one would listen to me or to her. But now it doesn’t even matter. She takes her hearing issues in stride.
When it came time to audition, she waivered about telling the panel she had hearing issues. She didn’t want to be accepted because she was the token kid with disabilities. She shared at 2 auditions and didn’t at 2 others. The schools she selected to audition felt like good fits to her and her personality. We visited some amazing programs but she was firm on what she was looking for in her gut.
She loved the faculty at Xavier - small, newish program but lots of opportunity and growth potential, but she was drawn Ball State. We ended up visiting multiple times. When she received the priority wait list offer, she was so excited. So we had to weigh out the steep price of the sure thing vs. the maybe.
Final decision: Ball State! She got the call April 30th. She immediately said yes! #chirpchirp
Wow, what an amazing story! I’m so glad that she was finally diagnosed and got the aid that changed everything! And a great acceptance and final decision!
That’s fabulous @teacher124 - so happy for her!
@teacher124 Congrats to you and your daughter! How exciting!
@teacher124 I would love to connect with your D, if she’s interested! I have a mobility disability and I’m always looking to connect with other young artists with disabilities who are coming up through the industry. I know that Ball State is a great program and that the faculty are wonderful, but I also know that it can be difficult to get proper accommodations in any academic context. Would love to share what worked for me and what I would have done differently to get the most out of my college education.
(note: I am very aware that many d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing folks do not consider hearing loss a disability, and I totally don’t mean to impose a label on your daughter if she doesn’t want to identify as disabled.)
Congrats @teacher124 ! It’s a fantastic program.