<p>Jealous of you moms whose kids sing in the house. Mine doesn’t sing in the house unless she’s the only one in it. I get compliments from my neighbors about her beautiful voice, though. <sigh></sigh></p>
<p>Like others have said, my D is LOVING where she landed. No hint of homesickness even though she is 2000+ miles from home and hasn’t seen anyone from home in over 3 months. She says she has a “dude-like” relationship with her roommate, who is a dance major. They get along very well but have nothing in common, completely different schedules and do not really have a relationship outside being roommates. So she say it’s perfect - no drama whatsoever. She has a fantastic group of friends - they even did a “friends-giving” on Sunday, made in the one of their dorm rooms which has a full kitchen. She has made many friends outside her acting studio - from music majors to directing majors. She made the Improv team, was cast as the lead in a student film, the lead in a senior one act play, and was just called back for two spring mainstage productions so it has been a very good semester for her. I am so so grateful that she is happy and thriving. I cannot imagine the anguish and stress if she was unhappy and so far away. </p>
<p>GSOMTMom - He’ll sing, but not in front of me 
And usually it is only snippets of songs. The only time I hear an entire song is when I’m in the audience.</p>
<p>Our “D” is thrilled with Otterbein. During auditions, it seemed as if she was initially drawn to the “bigger city” schools; so when Otterbein offered her a spot, she visited overnight, attended classes and came home totally committed to attending Otterbein over the bigger school options. The attention she receives in her classes is amazing: she knows every instructor (all of whom have amazing credentials) by name, meets frequently with her advisor and is challenged in every course. When we do speak with her, she is often breathless as she rattles off all that she is doing, talks of how much she is learning and how much she loves it…oh, and she says “thank you” a lot! On the roommate front, she is very pleased that she opted to room with another MT student. Not only have they become good friends, but who else would understand the insane schedule: up at 7:00 a.m.daily for dance and flopping into bed exhausted at night from rehearsal or homework, only to repeat the whole thing again the next day? As far as opportunity, she was a featured dancer in the recent Dance Concert and received a callback for 3 roles in “Into the Woods”. (Fingers crossed.) It’s fair to say that her only wish is that the healthy food options were more plentiful…especially on the weekends. But, she can’t (and we can’t either) imagine her anywhere else. </p>
<p>I want to reach out to say that there are many students who do not instantly fall in love with their school/program. Understandably, the parents who feel most comfortable posting on this thread are those of kids who are super happy. I will not go into details as there are parents of kids in my daughter’s program who are also on this board, but I will share that my daughter was not happy most of Freshman year. But she is very happy where she is now. Very. It was devastating for her and for me last year, but I did not want to “out” her on this board. She was far away and very unsure if she would stick it out. It took hearing of a peer’s suicide for my daughter to admit to herself how unhappy she was, and to let us know. It was a few very difficult months, but she made the choice to stay, and is so happy she did. Please remember to talk with your children before they go to school, and while they are going through their first year, and let them know that instant attachment is not the case for many students. We hope it is, but it is perfectly normal for there to be an adjustment period. Students need to know it is not a failure if they are unhappy. And it is not a failure if their school is not the right fit - they can still make a change. They should tell you, and they can seek out counselors if they need to. </p>
<p>^So true shaun0203. I wondered if my son felt pressure to say he was happy because of the intensity of the journey to get there. We visited in early November and he talked about the other top contender school, and wondered what it would have been like, and his dad and I probably looked panicked, because he quickly said, don’t worry, I’m happy, but I can share these thoughts with you. I doubt a student can truly know if the school fits until they are there and living it, and even then it will take time and there will be hills and valleys.</p>
<p>I’m so glad you posted, @shaun0203. Many many many freshmen in college suffer from depression and I have been alarmed to hear of suicides quite regularly (one on the first day of my daughter’s first year, the most recent one yesterday, and plenty in between at all levels of school from year one to M.D.) It’s good to have reasonable expectations, which means not framing it all as sunshine and roses. These years can be very difficult and the transition from childhood to independence is often quite rough.</p>
<p>I also really appreciate @shaun0203’s post. Certainly D’s first year or two were not all sweetness and light. </p>
<p>Also, for those who are interested, here are a few past threads on this subject which might give some insight into the freshman experience at some other programs over the years.</p>
<p><a href=“The Freshman Experience - Musical Theater Major - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1067706-the-freshman-experience.html</a>
<a href=“MT Freshman Experience November 2013 - Musical Theater Major - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1581915-mt-freshman-experience-november-2013.html</a>
<a href=“Fall 2013 Freshman Experience - Musical Theater Major - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1536769-fall-2013-freshman-experience.html</a></p>
<p>D loves her school- but is ready to come home for break. It’s a lot of change for a young person to take in. And of course I am ready to have her home! >:D< </p>
<p>@shaun0203, I really want to applaud the honesty in your post. It was a very generous thing to offer up your story here. I myself remember feeling terribly unnerved 3 years ago by the amount of (and I’ve used this terminology recently badly in another thread but I think it’s what I said then so) “ponies and rainbows” people were offering up about their kids’ experiences. Meanwhile my own kid was sort of in survival mode. She was sure about her school or at least still saying I’d have to drag her out of there while she clawed to the walls. But she had not yet found her people and was navigating going from 9 years of private schools that were not that big to life the big bad city. All of which was followed by an unexpected (by her… duh… HS romances end) romantic break up, hurricane Sandy, catching mono, (frogs, lice, locusts, boils)… ok the last 4 things I made up. </p>
<p>Anyway, I’m so happy to hear that some new freshman just know they are where they need to be and can fire on all cylinders first semester and never look back. But cautionary tales like shaun0203 offered up are important to hear too. Don’t freak out if you don’t get your ponies and rainbows right off the bat. They might still be coming along. Or… you can be like my daughter who to this day would still say I’d have to drag her out of her school clawing to the walls because of the training she is getting and her commitment to the program. But no, there is no grazing space for ponies in NYC so there aren’t any ponies and the rainbows are hard to see from street level when you are surrounded by a bunch of really tall buildings and zillions of incredibly talented people. And I have no regrets that she is where she is but if had been prettier, it would have made for a more pleasant story to read. But this is her story.</p>
<p>My S too, is thrilled with his program, the learning, the faculty, the opportunities - but he hasn’t found his “peeps” yet. He gets along fine with his classmates and roommate, but he’s still looking for that wonderful, rare “melding of the minds” that you get with folks who “get” you and have similar ideas about humor, creativity, thinking outside the box, collaborative effort and working hard. Those two HS buds went to “big name” schools in the big cities on the East Coast (one at halflokum’s daughter’s stomping grounds). He’s not sure he’ll find their replacements at his school in the Midwest. That was the “pre-assumed” known risk when he made his final choice in schools. On the other hand, with his “atypical” freshman socializing, he has time to practice, write music, listen to music, practice, and practice. And given his constrained financial considerations, that was what he decided his priorities would be. He even had the “foresight” (if you want to call it that) last summer to tell girlfriend they would go separate ways when school started. He already knew going in that ponies and rainbows would be of no benefit. After 3 1/2 months of school, so far, so good.</p>
<p>Fall semester classes/exams/recitals for MT/Acting majors were over two days ago. To his mother’s chagrin, he is quite happy to stay over the weekend and requested we not pick him up for two more days so he can meet with faculty - and probably also to have unlimited practice time in empty studios. Our home practice setup cannot hold a candle to the “digs” he’s now used to at school. I wouldn’t be surprised if he asks us to take him back in January as soon as they unlock the dorms. We knew his choice of majors and career goals would ultimately take him far from home, most likely forever. My H and I are very proud of him, and happy he’s flapping his wings. But WE are the ones who are not ready for him to fly so soon. Perhaps we did something right in the years leading up to this, but an unsolicited phone call home now and again would be nice. 
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<p>I think that “survival” is a big part of the 1st semester in college. D has been challenged, excited, thrilled and fulfilled- but she is not a “ponies and rainbows” kind of girl, and neither is her school. We have been fortunate to avoid natural disasters (thus far- still a week to go) and the hometown breakup (through the simple fact that there was no HS romance to end). But my VERY sheltered only child has faced an entirely new set of circumstances in a huge city- and there have been tough moments. When she chose NYU I was concerned for those very reasons, I pushed for all kind of options, smaller school, smaller theater program (with all those nice things like big/little, weekly meetings etc- that sounded GREAT to me, still does) smaller city, closer to home… no dice- she was NYC or bust, and a major argument was “Mom, I am going to have to learn to live in the city sometime, wouldn’t you rather me figure it out with the support of a dorm, and a meal plan, and security people in the lobby?” </p>
<p>When she was home for thanksgiving we sat down to do a big talk (and it was one of the reasons I had bumped this thread in the 1st place) “are you at the right place”. She has at several friends from her HS class last year who are trying to change programs- from one BFA to another, from BA to BFA, and one leaving theater and their school entirely (from a “top tier” school no less). I wanted to see how she felt - does she feel like her program is right, and what does the future look like. I was all prepared to be deep and serious- but when I introduced the topic I got an eye roll and a “Are you kidding mom?” I would definitely be dragging if I tried to get her to go. She is challenged, and happy to be so. Moral of the story- I think it’s me who wants the lollipop (and I am nothing but jealous of the people that have them already- I love the stories of the kids who are deliriously happy at school)- the kid is doing fine</p>
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<p>My daughter did the same thing when she left for college. She had a wonderful high school boyfriend who also did theater. But she graduated HS after junior year and left rural VT for NYC and her HS boyfriend was going to be doing his senior year in HS back home in VT. She wanted to be able to enjoy college and knew she would rarely be in Vermont. They had a great relationship and so this was hard for the young man, but I think my D was mature to realize that she needed to enjoy the college experience to the fullest and made this decision prior to starting college. </p>
<p>I totally get that I am extremely lucky to have my D so incredibly happy and well-adjusted at her school and her program. She was a sheltered kid living in a bit of a suburban “bubble.” So her new life in a big city, on a very urban campus, has been eye opening for her. One of her best friends from HS, whose parents are devout LDS, was forced to attend a certain school and was not allowed to pursue her acting dreams. She was bullied, could not make friends, was away from home at a school & program she hated. Long story short, she threatened to harm herself and thank goodness my D and another HS BFF contacted her parents and got them to pull her out of there. My heart broke for this sweet girl. It really put everything into perspective for me and made me thank my lucky stars that my D landed in the right place. She is totally sick of me asking her if she has any regrets about not choosing another program. LOL.</p>
trying to search within the “freshman year” thread without much success
My daughter has found that even in a BA program she is spending huge amounts of time in the studio…first semester in a lead role in the main stage show which had her in rehearsals every night and on the weekends. This semester she was chosen to run lights for the spring shows (all kids are required to do a tech job) and rehearsed even longer than when she was acting in the show. Along with this she had her honors coursework and her Gen Eds to study for. GPA requirements to hold her scholarships in addition to just being a kid and enjoying living so near NYC has all proved to be quite time consuming but wonderful all at the same time. Instead of putting on the freshman 15 she has lost weight, feels great about her body, her spirit and her intellect. Couldn’t ask for a better experience…
My S is still very happy with his program/school and has yet to find a faculty member he does not like, but since the winter break it seems that he is mostly tired. He was lucky enough to be cast in the spring musical that opens this week. In January, a well-known choreographer was brought in to choreograph the show and as a dancer my S got to experience first hand how intense the early rehearsals can be when the choreographer is on hand for only a limited time. If we are lucky enough to get a phone call from him, it is usually very late at night or on the weekend and he mostly just says things are “fine, can I go to bed now?”. He is really getting a sense of what it means to juggle the demands of being in a show and still keeping up with school work. He chose to do his two academic classes on-line this semester to free up time for extra dance - which translates into doing ALL the reading/writing work on Sundays - in between loads of laundry, I guess). He is also involved in a student produced work and the freshmen are getting their showcase together (no faculty involvement). His social life (weekends only for a while now) consists mostly of attending student produced shows and other local theater. It’s hard to believe there are only about 7 weeks of school left in this first year. A year ago at this time, he was in the thick of waiting for acceptances and now a year later he can’t imagine being anywhere else.
My D is having a wonderful time at CCU. They had auditions after Labor Day that would place them in shows for the rest of the school year. They allowed a local professional theatre company to attend those auditions. She was placed as Elizabeth in Jekyll & Hyde (local professional theatre) and in the main stage show for Spring. She has been able to develop a nice life on campus. ALL the teachers are wonderful, she had three acting classes the first semester and has two this second semester. Every time I visit her on campus, I am more impressed with the education she is getting!
Thanks for sharing @NAtlantaStudio, @bisouu and @mom4bwayboy!
Anyone else? This sort of info is invaluable for those who are currently deciding between programs!! 
If possible, could people mention the school their kids are attending? (If they’re willing to, of course!) These in-depth posts are great, but a number of them simply say things like “My son is thriving at his program. Here is his typical schedule…” without mentioning what school it is. And thanks to the ones who HAVE named the school – it is SO helpful to know how the programs vary from school to school!