<p>Called U Mich, no decision yet. All going out in us mail.</p>
<p>Sent from my DROID2 using CC App</p>
<p>Did they say when they will be sent?</p>
<p>unfortunately not.</p>
<p>I know that some of us (& our kids!) are really hoping for our kids to get into U Mich (MPulse) because it sounds great and seems to have a great reputation, as a summer program, and a college program. Has anyone out there had a kid who actually attended MPulse? What was their experience? How did they feel it compared with other summer experiences? Would appreciate any feedback. Thanks!</p>
<p>Thanks fourkidsmom for the update. waitingâŠwaitingâŠ</p>
<p>Soozievt: I tried to send you a PM with a question about the NYC production your daughterâs in, but your message box was full, so it couldnât accept mine. Just wanted to let you know in case you want to make some space to receive messages. Thanks!</p>
<p>Our son attended MPulse in the summer of 2009 before his HS junior year and had a fantastic experience. It was his first time to be totally immersed in an environment with 30 other young theatre students who were every bit as passionate and obsessed with theatre as he was and is. The majority of the students were heading into their senior year, but he and 4-5 others were rising juniors. He still says it was three of the best weeks of his life. He loved the full day of performance study, and even the grueling dance workouts. Every aspect included coaching and visits with current Broadway professionals who were recent Umich alums, and he still is facebook friends with them. We have seen a few of them when they came through our city on national tours and one other backstage on an actual broadway show and they continue to treat him like an old friend, even though they were only associated with him for a short time. He is still extremely close with almost all of his fellow MPulse classmates as well and followed closely their progress as they went through the senior audition experience last year.</p>
<p>The showcase they put on for family and friends at the end of the camp was great fun and extremely impressive. It hit home for us how many amazingly talented young performers there are all over the country. He was actually kind of depressed on the plane ride back home to the âreal worldâ and said he would have started 3 more weeks immediately if we had allowed him to. Iâm sure he wouldnât trade the experience for anything in the world.</p>
<p>Being in MPulse is definitley not an automatic ticket into UMâs MT program, however. I believe only 3 out of the 26 rising senior students were actually accepted as freshman the following year. The way we look at it, MPulse gives you phenomenal exposure, and gives the faculty ample opportunity to decide if they feel you are right for their program. Obviously a large portion of the class wasnât selected, so there is that danger of them knowing you TOO well I guess, but ultimately itâs the opportunity of a lifetime for your student to mix with some of the best and most influential people in the industry. And believe me, it looks great on his resume. He has had auditors comment on being impressed that he was at MPulse numerous times when trying out for both regional theatre and at his college auditions.</p>
<p>We attend a large suburban public high school and our son is used to being the proverbial âbig fish in a small pond,â but it was amazing how much he relished blending in with the crowd more at MPulse and being just one of a wonderfully talented group. He enjoyed not being in the limelight, but still being able to prove his talents to the others at the camp. It was very affirming for him and increased his confidence in performing a great deal.</p>
<p>Our son is now a high school senior and is currently on hold at UM waiting on the last round of UMich auditions before we find out if he got in. He simply loved working with Brent Wagner and hopes that he has the opportunity to work with him more as a collegiate, but he has other acceptances at great schools as well, so we are at peace with whatever is supposed to happen.</p>
<p>papayamom, I prefer emails to PMs and so you can click on my member name and it gives you the option to email me. My email is the same as my member name and at AOL.</p>
<p>Caldad3- Great Post! If some of us have the good fortune of having to make a decision, you gave us some good insight. Thanks for taking the time to tell us about his experience. It is so appreciated!</p>
<p>I just wanted to add some info to CalDad3âs great post! My D attended last summer and there were a few changes from the year before when CalDad3âs son attended - one is that the program has gotten bigger. There were 40 kids this past summer. My older D did the program five years ago and there were 23 kids that summer which seemed like a nice size. 40 kids seemed like a lot to me, but my younger D loved it and enjoyed getting to know so many other kids. Things were structured a bit differently in that they split the kids into two groups of 20 (based on dance ability) that attended classes together. </p>
<p>The other difference this past summer was that Mr. Wagner decided to not have an end of the session showcase/performance last year - or at least not one where our kids all had a chance to perform individually which had been done in past years. When my older D attended MPulse, each student worked on a song that was presented at the final performance, along with several group numbers. The decision to not have a show this past year was rather last minute - and parents had already made travel plans and were looking forward to it - so it was a bit of a disappointment. We did see a mock class taught by Mr. Wagner (including him choosing several students who sang their 16 bar audition cuts)- and saw some other things the kids had worked on - two group numbers and two dance combinations. But it was really not a âshowcaseâ type of performance where everyone performed invidually. I do understand Mr. Wagnerâs reasoning that he doesnât want the whole three weeks to be focused on the final showcase when there is so much else to learn and experience - but it might be good to find out the plans for this summer if a final performance is something important to you or your student.</p>
<p>May I give 2 more cents about summer programs? One of the reasons I sent my daughter to Stagedoor is because at home she had become a big fish in a little pond. I was worried that she was thinking that all she had to do was knock on Broadwayâs door and they would role out the red carpet! At Stagedoor, in spite of no auditions, there is a humongous amount of talent!!! So even if your kid is the best in your town, it is good for them to realize that there are a lot of towns out there!!! It woke her up, and though I thought that would either motivate her or send her in a different direction, it totally motivated her. Also, as Soozievt said, the expectations at Stagedoor are incredibly high. Those kids work their butts off. They are unbelievably exhausted. Even really talented kids sometimes realize that this level of commitment isnât for them. My daughter did 3 shows in 3 weeks, and had to memorize 400 lines for one show. No swimming or play for her! But she canât wait to go back. Better to know this now than after youâve spent 50k on college tuition!</p>
<p>CallieneâŠthat was one of the great benefits of Stagedoor (though likely is true about a myriad of summer MT intensive programs)âŠthe chance to be with so many talented kids. It is like all the big fish from many ponds all converging in one place. And this is pretty much what a BFA in MT program is like. When my D got to SDM the first summer, we could not believe the level of talent of a lot of the kids there (not all, but lots). It was also an eye opener for us as parents (my kid was just nine at the time) to see how she fared among this much more concentrated pool of talent compared to being the one always cast locally. To be honest, seeing her achieve there and cast well and being in the select cabaret troupe and being selected for various master classes, gave us some indication as to her competitiveness for BFA programs eventually when she was older. Stagedoor wasnât the only indicatorâŠthere were others such as winning state or national awardsâŠother things beyond our little local areaâŠthat gave a sense that she was in the ballpark to apply to these college programs. My D was always closest with kids older than herself at Stagedoor and so she saw who went onto these BFA in MT programs and it was a way to self assess among kids who met with success in MT admissions and having an idea if she was at their level at SDM or not. This can be very helpful in ascertaining oneâs competitiveness to be an applicant to MT collegesâŠto be able to be among the kind of talent pool who applies to such college programs and so see where you stand in such a group of talented peers which is not like the local group where there may be just one or two kids at that level. </p>
<p>I also agree that it is a taste of what a BFA program might be like to do these intensive MT summer programs. If you love it, you will love it in college most likely. As you know, the kids do not want to leave on the last day at SDM and count the days all year to return every summer. My kid lived for Stagedoor all year! :)</p>
<p>My daughter has an âappâ that tells her exactly how many days, minutes, and seconds until she goes back to Stagedoor 
But yeah, for those of you trying to decide if these expensive summer programs are âworth itâ when you are trying to save for those looming college costs, there are definitely a lot of things you and your child can learn by throwing your resident big fish into a pool of big fish. If your child can do well and get good feedback and be happy in that situation, it is a good sign that maybe all of this is not a totally delusional endeavor. Face it, NONE of us can be objective when it comes to our own children. :)</p>
<p>Thank you so much to CalDad3 and MTMama for all the detailed info about MPulse. It does sound wonderful and like a great experience for the kids. Weâre still in that stressful zone of waiting to hear from MPulse, with the BTP deposit due soon. But it is helpful to hear the input of parents whose kids attended MPulse. Good luck to CalDad3âs son in his last round of UMich auditions!!</p>
<p>Does anyone know of a summer program where they learn hair/make up/costume work? Can be pre-college, summer camp, individual class (metro NY). Thanks!</p>
<p>do you think it is an advantage or disadvantage to attending a summer program at the MT school that is your top choice?</p>
<p>I am interested in my son attending the Michigan program so he can get some great training from top teachers. He can also get an idea of what the program is like. I can see how it can work for you and against you. I canât think about that. I want it to be a positive experience. I canât control what they think or try to figure out how they think. A good summer program is nothing more than that- a great opportunity to learn. A friend went to OCU summer session last summer, had a great time, had a lead in the show. Thought she was a shoe-in and didnât get in. You never know.</p>
<p>I decided not to do a summer program with my D this year because she had the opportunity for international travel with her choir-well that got cancelled. I am assuming it is too late to get into most good summer programs - if anyone knows of some that it is not too late please let me know.</p>
<p>BTPâs deadline is tomorrow for DVD. I bet if you called them you could still send it in. They seem really nice!</p>
<p>broadway95:</p>
<p>The Boston Conservatory program requires a strong dance audition. Because this is their first year, they may still be some openings. It is for high school, college and proâs. Check out their website. Also check out theartsedge. Both programs are 2 week intensives with top MT people. Good luck.</p>