REFLECTION "I wish I would have known "this" when I started the process!"

College Majors Musical Theater Majors
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<p>Going to Syracuse</p>

<p>As far as paying for college. My parents and I are splitting what’s left after “my package” of small federal loans, work study a grant and TAP money. I am taking out some of the money in “alternative loans” (payments due after graduation) and my parents are paying for the remainder. </p>

<p>I just hope I have time to even DO work study?! </p>

<p>PS
I agree…NEVER do your first choice as a first audition…and I don’t think ED in MT is a good idea either. I did both. I auditioned in November for MT ED got deferred to regular decision…re-auditioned again in January and got offered an Acting spot (which I gladly took) but if I had did regular decision and auditioned later I think I would have done better.</p>

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<p>*If you apply to CMU don’t misplace your CMU admission ID number. Once you get it via snail mail, put it in a safe place! You will want to have it to access your account info and your CMU decision information. Many students misplaced this number early on and could not check status via the internet.</p>

<p>This is one of the reasons you want a file box handy with a file for each school you are applying to.</p>

43

<p>In addition to “actual” file folders,make separate files on your computer for every school. Make a new “Favorites” folder and save all the URLs for schools, audition dates, monolgue info, etc.</p>

<p>Also- Don’t forget to plan for the expense of auditions. Flights, car rentals, hotels all add up. You might not need to book a double room if your child ends up spending a night in the dorms with other MT students. Better yet, if you have a friend who lives near the schools you are planning to visit, make sure you give them a heads up on when you are coming to town.</p>

<p>Double and triple check everthing. Make copies. Go over your calender with a magnifying glass. And yes, naggging can be usefull! Colleges and high school administrative offices often drop the ball on that one important piece of info that could be crucial. This past year, one of my D’s teachers forgot to send her rec. letter. For one of the apps, I mistakenly forgot to inclose my check (for processing my D’s audition!!). This is one time where you need to be obsessive.</p>

44

<p>We used a large accordian pocket folder with a tabed pocket for each school, a marble notebook that we broke up with tabs by school for notes (the marble notebook could fit behind the front cover of the accordian) and a hanging calendar just for travel/audition dates. What can I say?.. My mom and I are both organizational freaks!!!</p>

45

<p>There have been a lot of good tips on this thread, but based on my own experience with my son, there are no absolutes, because:
First audition was to a first choice school (happened to be Syracuse). My son thought it went terribly from the reaction of the auditioners (asked to repeat acting part “this time like you actually mean it”!!!) Plus, it was the most expensive to begin with, and I had heard from various sources that the aid would not be great.
Syracuse ended up not only accepting him, but offered the best financial package.
So, bottom line, apply to a number of schools, make no assumptions either about how you feel the audition went or what the expense may be . . . MT truly is unpredicatable in every way.
It will work out one way or another, and may not be at all what you thought. Don’t worry too much about any one aspect of the process, apply anywhere you think you would like to go and without regard to what you hear, and don’t give up!</p>

46

<p>Important pointer!
Keep track of which SAT/ACT/scores are being sent to what colleges when. I’m sure we double (and even triple) sent some scores because colleges were telling us they hadn’t received them.
My son eventually received a letter from college board indicating that certain colleges were NOT sent the requested scores because of a computer glitch. Thankfully, he managed to get accepted to his top pick anyway. What a nightmare!</p>

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<p>“Keep track of which SAT/ACT/scores are being sent to what colleges when. I’m sure we double (and even triple) sent some scores because colleges were telling us they hadn’t received them.”</p>

<p>This happened to my D as well. We didn’t keep track as well as we might have, esp toward the end when everyone was getting TIRED of it.</p>

48

<p>** Don’t audition in September - it’s way too early.</p>

49

<p>I would fill out the FAFSA no matter what you think your elgibilty for aid is. People’s financial situations can change overnight and once you have a FAFSA filed you can apply for aid. If you miss the deadline you are out of the system for a year. I have helped students get aid midyear when they have had changes in circumstances (such as unexpected and uncovered medical bills) but it only works if you are in the system. I have son who is finishing his freshman year (not in MT) my biggest piece of advice is check all deadlines carefully. Individual schools may have their own deadlines for the FAFSA. We learned at 10pm on January 31 that the deadline for the FAFSA for Brown was February 1 . We just made it. It was nervewracking.</p>

50

<p>Josie, great advice. Do you have a child at Brown? I do too! She is finishing up her freshman year and loves it.
Susan</p>

51

<p>my son is finishing his freshman year in classics and ancient languages and he loves it .My daughter is a high school junior and applying in MT I have found all the info on these forums very helpful .</p>

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<p>Oh, Josie, we have lots in common then, LOL. My oldest is same as your son but not same major. I actually just talked to her on the phone and as you know, they are in reading period now. She is seeing Movin Out (her second time) tonight in Providence, in fact. I know a boy at Brown who is a junior who went to theater camp for years with my younger D who is now sixteen and he is majoring in classics and theater and is quite involved in musical theater at Brown and he wrote a musical that involved classics this year and my D saw it and I wonder if your son knows him. I hope your son had a great year. My D has loved every aspect of Brown. She lives in Morris this year and I wonder if our kids have met! </p>

<p>My youngest is same age as your D and is obviously very into musical theater (that’s why I’m HERE!) but she is graduating a year early and thus is heading off to college next year to do a BFA in MT. I hope you will hang around because this forum is an invaluable resource if you have a kid going into MT for college! </p>

<p>Here is a tidbit you might get a kick out of…my girls just love all the a capella groups at Brown and I have had the pleasure of hearing several of them live and then we have many of their CDs. Well, my sixteen year old is infatuated with these singing groups there (wants to be in one at her college next year) and this D had been asked to choregraph a tap dance again this year at our studio for her dance troupe and she chose to choreograph the dance to a song by one of Brown’s a capella groups, The Bear Necessities (and in fact, the boy at Brown who she knows whom I mentioned above, the classics/theater major, is in this group)…the song is Saturday Night’s All Right. She had just taught the dance for the first time two months ago and upon leaving the studio got into a terrible car crash from which she is now recovering and is out of all her dance performances this spring. However, the troupe really wanted to do her dance to this Brown a capella group and so she has lately been choreographing and teaching it and polishing it though she herself cannot stand on two feet (don’t ask). My older one is coming home from Brown right before the dance shows and it will be neat to see this tap dance done to a Brown singing group, all the way here in Vermont ;-). Did you go to parent weekend last October? We did and that is when I heard many of these groups. </p>

<p>Susan</p>

53

<p>My son is just discovering the theater and music options at Brown . He was in the Mikado recently which was the first full length production by the Gilbert and Sullivan Society at Brown It was great. The nice thing at Brown is there are a lot of options for kids like him who want to do music and theater but dont want to major in it.</p>

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<p>Josie, that is exactly right about Brown and I am glad you are pointing it out first hand because there are some folks on this forum and just in general who want to stay immersed in musical theater but not major in it or not enter a BFA program and there are some colleges where this is very possible and Brown is one of them. It is a great choice for someone who wants to keep doing theater but not major in it. One of my younger D’s friends, currently a high school junior in the Boston area who has done a LOT of theater and is talented but does not want to go to a BFA program or major in this, is going to apply to Brown and recently met up with my older D on his visit. </p>

<p>My D who goes to Brown also loves MT and has done quite a bit of it but not as much as her younger sister. She’d have loved to do some of the musicals through the Musical Theater Forum there but the commitment just did not work for her because she is on a varsity sports team there as well. She hopes to perhaps be in their tap dance troupe next year though and maybe play music there though was unable to this year. I wonder if my D saw The Mikado, I will have to ask her because she tends to go see many of the shows there because she is into theater herself. She is considering majoring in architectural studies and may actually take a course next year in theater design as well. By chance her assigned freshman advisor was a professor in theater and her Mikkeljohn (peer advisor) was a theater major. </p>

<p>Good luck to your son in finishing up with finals next week.
Susan</p>

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<p>I just thought of a few more things to keep in mind:</p>

<p>*get your S or D a checking/debit account in their name now so they get used to using it. Try to get one at a bank that has branches throughout the USA.</p>

<p>*It is hard to let go, but the sooner they become independent and being their own problem solver the easier it will be for them to solve problems that arise when they are miles and miles away from home. It is funny, but we get in the habit of doing the simple things for them and then it is the simple things they don’t know how to do when they leave home!</p>

<p>*If you take the school’s health insurance policy make sure you and your child understands the benefits or lack of benefits and how to file a claim. Same goes with theft insurance or the like.</p>

<p>*When looking at colleges check out the types of resources that are available on or very near campus. When the weather gets bad, or it is late at night, it is nice to know that some everyday type items are easy to get without having to travel too far.</p>

<p>*Think about storage issues when your student comes home or goes elsewhere for the summer. Does the college have adequate storage facilities? Is there a moving and storage company that will store stuff for a reasonable fee? Will they pick up and deliver in the fall?</p>

<p>*Just as you kept an organized file during the college search process have your student do the same at college. A file folder is great to keep important papers with them at school. It is less likely to get “lost” in a drawer or closet if they have a place to keep those important papers while at school.</p>

<p>*By the time your kids are old enough they are most likely doing their own laundry and able to cook for themselves. They’ll need these skills when they leave home.</p>

<p>*I started reading the college newspapers and checking the crime reports online at the college websites during the college search.</p>

<p>*It is not too early to find out about Resident Assistant and House Coordinator job opportunities at the campuses that your child is interested in. These opportunities are available to students after their freshman year. Our older son did this and it paid his room and board expenses, (a big savings!). It was also great for his resume! Also check into what type of on campus jobs are available to students.</p>

<p>*Find out how outside scholarships affect financial aid. Make sure you do the research. It is different at every college.</p>

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<p>Bumping this up as I think it is most pertinent now…</p>

57

<p>“Hey Mom I don’t have to get a haircut until I come home! I don’t have to shave - I “have” to look grubby.” These are the first words out of my S’s mouth as he explains he has been cast in “Pirates of Penzances”. We hear his happiness in every phone call; whether it is to tell us how honored he feels being called back for Nathan Detroit in the awed company of three seniors and a grad student; or a few days later in the next phone call sighing with relief that he did not get the part. (He felt he needed more time to settle into college before the intensity of rehearsals).</p>

<p>Since we left S on August 18th we are so confident of his OCU choice for reasons we did not even anticipate. I thought I would share some things that are important to us and a few things I am glad we understood about our S’s learning style. Please remember this is things that we found important for our S’s needs.</p>

<p>Technology -S is very much into his computer and loves to compose both lyrics and music on it. OCU signed a deal with Apple for “bleeding edge technology” and is opening a fabulous new technically advance music wing that will give S opportunities we hadn’t even dreamed about. We never even asked about technology in the programs. We now realize that even in the Arts technology is changing every thing and we feel very blessed that S will have this opportunity.</p>

<p>Class scheduling is very individualized – students have the fabulous Mary Mowery literally individually scheduling students’ needs. There are 350 music majors and this one woman human dynamo seems to know everyone and what they need from the cello player to our MT son. She relentlessly answers innumerable e-mails in record time.</p>

<p>Caring staff like admissions councilor Amanda Wrede go above and beyond the call of duty. Amanda sent the requisite college T-shirt for grad. party night when I realized last spring that we had failed to purchase one. S got 3 bday cards in the mail this summer, one from both Grands and one from Amanda. She answered a multitude of e-mails and made us feel very comfortable with the entire process. Everyone from the Dean on down goes out of their way to make everything run smoothly; the time and energy alone they spent on parents orientation underscores their strong support of the students. The philosophy seems so different than some other MT schools. At orientation they told the students OCU had done their homework in selecting the right students for admission and now they as educators believed it was their responsibility to help them succeed. </p>

<p>S has been extremely lucky having a fabulous vocal coach and director/acting coaches from Minneapolis’ Tony Award winning CTC and Guthrie theaters who personally took great interest in him. He was very sad to leave them and feared being disappointed at college. Imagine how thrilled we are to hear the excitement in his voice as he talks about Dr. Ragsdale, his voice professor helping him get his singing job and taking individual interest in him. Now we have heard about how great every one of his professors is and how encouraged he feels by each one of them. No wonder they call them the OCU Stars, they make each of the students feel like one.</p>

<p>Location – S’s tiny dorm room move-in took about 1 hour from driving up to everything put away. Since were not big into waiting it was great that there were hoards of people to help and no long lines of waiting. There is a large shopping center about 10 minutes away that has everything he needs, another little shopping area within walking distance and a funky artsy area about 10 minutes away. To us there are so many advantages to a small campus, S can be anywhere on campus in 10 minutes. Absence of travel time leaves so much more time for doing what we are paying for – getting an education. Granted Oklahoma City is not a Mecca for entertainment but it is one for education and at this point the education is central. To us it was important that S be educated in an environment that would nurture and challenge him yet not tempt him.</p>

<p>Costs- For us it is essential for S to graduate college without debt. This was his only top choice school that provided that possibility. We were cautioned by a CMU advisor to plan on paying for our student’s health insurance and some expenses for at least two years after graduation. Besides having reasonable tuition, great talent and academic scholarships, OCU has wonderful opportunities for kids to earn money doing what they love to do. S is earning spending money singing at a church within walking distance. Dean Parker told us at the marvelous parent orientation meeting that OCU, which is just down the street from the state capitol, gets about 10 requests a week for students to perform for special events. Some of these are volunteer and some paid, this adds up to more opportunity for performance experience.
It was key for us to be able to attend all of S’s performance. While it is an 11 hour drive, we can pack up the Grand’s and head for OCU for a long weekend at a reasonable cost. A two room suite with kitchenette is $70.00 less than 2 miles from campus.
Cost of living in general is lower, we were amazed what a nice restaurant dinner cost.</p>

<p>Music – Because of the competition of getting into MT programs my S knew he would be honored to be admitted to any of the programs he considered. While he did not have a ton of music background (5 yrs. of sax) he felt a strongly grounded music program was best for him. He has no interest in working tech. and would rather spend time when not in a production increasing his music ability. OCU’s BM program is the perfect fit.</p>

<p>Auditions – At first I was going to just mention the fact that it is only September and S has done three auditions already. However, I must say that some of S’s college admission auditions were frankly confusing and uncomfortable. OCU is beyond doubt a class act with informational programs, refreshments and tours for parents running while students auditioned. I don’t know how much this effected my S’s decision but it made OCU my first choice. OCU believes that since auditioning is a large part of MT students are required to audition for all twenty four OCU shows before graduation, many times I am told, with casting agents and producers.</p>

<p>Many of the items I have mentioned were hardly a blip on our radar when S started auditions last fall, hopefully some of this will be of help to those of you going through the audition process in the future. Here is wishing each of you find as wonderful a fit as my S has found at OCU.</p>

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<p>clueless…
Sooooo happy your S seems so happy at OCU already. A year ago everyone told us to trust in the process and our children would (somehow!) end up where they should. It was so hard to believe that amidst the pile of applications and the audition road that was ahead at that time. But your son’s story shows that the process does work. Thanks for sharing with us this juncture. I, for one, look forward to hearing of his continued successes. From our conversations (on and off this Board), I am sure his road will be exciting. He is quite a talent…and quite a young man. BEST of luck…and ENJOY the process!</p>

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<p>"A year ago everyone told us to trust in the process and our children would (somehow!) end up where they should. It was so hard to believe that amidst the pile of applications and the audition road that was ahead at that time. But your son’s story shows that the process does work. "</p>

<p>OK, but there are lots of others who went through the same process, trusted in that process, and didn’t get in anywhere. </p>

<p>So the process doesn’t always work. </p>

<p>I’m thrilled for the success of your children/students - but I don’t want all the students and parents in here to get a false impression that it always works out.</p>

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<p>i agree with chrism. the “process” doesn’t necessarily get you where you want or even where you’ll be happiest. many times it works out nicely. but, many times it doesn’t. you just have to keep working towards what will work for you. if you’re not happy with your freshman year, try for a change for the next year. but, there’s not a magic formula. there just aren’t enough spaces for the talent available. but, looking at the schools that are adding to the “big list,” hopefully, that will start to change. i think the schools are trying to meet the demand. it’s sad that a kid can’t decide what they want to major in and just pick a school and go do that. you can do that in math or english, but not music. that’s a real shame. but, hopefully, that is changing.</p>