Now that we’re into Phase Four (following Applications, Auditions and Decisions), which I would inartfully title the “due diligence” phase, I wanted to see if we could share feedback on the schools we’re visiting with our kids during this most important of the phases. Specifically, I would love to hear what people have to say about visits to Tisch, Hartt or Emerson. And if anyone knows someone with a kid at any of these schools, I’d appreciate getting contact info!!
Accepted students day at Tisch is 4/16 so we can report back after that!
While visiting schools is a great way to see how the “vibe” seems to fit you once you are accepted and I highly recommend it, I hope all future families remember that a weekend visit doesn’t make anyone an expert on any school. We visited schools and formed opinions, but I would never pretend to speak authoritatively about any school unless I (or my kids) actually attended it. 
A simple illustration from my own family is that our D sat in on what she thought was an MT class at the school she ultimately attended and was underwhelmed, but once at the school she realized that neither the professor nor the students she had observed were in any way affiliated with the school’s MT program. Ooops.
Go visit. At the least, if the people rub you the wrong way, it’s a warning sign. After all, you are accepted and alread predisposed to liking the place. If you feel off, stay another day, see more people.
In the end, it’s kind of like marriage. You think you love it but you actually have to be in the program to find out if it’s the right place. Hopefully your instincts were right!
I also think it’s great to share impressions from these visits, as it may help others plan future visits! I’d just encourage families from future years to take these impressions with a grain of salt, since they’re based on a very limited experience (e.g. you hate your tour guide but might love the other kids in a program), various schools put varying levels of effort into “wooing” students, and different families attend with predispositions (for example another school may have offered better financial aid so a family goes into the visit wanting to dislike the more costly program or… ).
I was just going to post the same thing @MomCares. We speak so much of fit on this forum. It is all about a personal gut feeling IMO.
In a similar vein to @MomCares D’s experience, my D visited her school on a day when, for various reasons, it wasn’t a great time to observe a dance class or acting studio even though she sat in on those. Also, the head of the department was dealing with a personal emergency or something and so didn’t talk to my D for long. She was underwhelmed. However, she was blown away by a performance we saw there that night and by all communications with the department head and other faculty before and after her visit, she loved the location, and she still was drawn to the curriculum, environment, philosophies, etc. Instead of scrapping it based on a few hours, she dug deeper, including asking many more questions of everyone and contacting more students, and she fell more and more in love with it. If you’ve read any of my posts, you know that D adores her school (faculty–who all, including the head, pay a ton of personal attention to each student, classes, location, students, opportunities–everything), and that it was a fantastic decision.
Although my D was super impressed with the performance there, some people go to shows on visits and are not thrilled. People may not want to base a decision to attend a program or not (or even apply) on one performance. There are a few reasons a show might not be as strong as one might expect.
…just to clarify if it’s needed: I meant that people can see shows at any program and walk away unimpressed; I wasn’t speaking specifically about UArts… The 4 shows I’ve seen there have been fantastic, but I bet people have sometimes seen a show there and have been underwhelmed, as I’m sure has happened everywhere.
@Lawfang our recent trip to the final four choices was more like March Madness than Due Dilligence. We visited four cities in four days (two cities were actually hosting the basketball tournament and made hotel prices higher). Other than confirming my daughter loves being in the heart of a city most of her observations were about the vibe/fit. Hoping for a decision soon.
I highly, highly, highly recommend visits or revisits once accepted or waitlisted. We visited three schools last week and it literally turned our list upside down. Referencing an earlier thread about “woo”, we didn’t encounter any “woo” at any of the three campuses but definitely felt more welcome at some than at others. The first was a perfectly nice, well organized visit, with the offer of taking sample voice lessons, a personal tour, lunch, and sitting in on classes. We didn’t get to sit down with faculty, as they warned us ahead of time that they had a big show to prep for that night. However, we’d already met one faculty member and my son felt pretty clear that he understood the school and the program. A successful visit. The second school was wonderful, our first visit to the campus. The schedule was organized and the staff were welcoming. We got to sit down with the head of department who made it very clear, without being pushy, that they would be thrilled to welcome my son to the program. He had lunch with students, sat in on classes and a workshop, and got to see the campus, facilities, and neighborhood–as well as learn a few things about the programming that were not evident from the website. An inspiring and happy visit. The second school was top of my list for my son (and had been in his top three from the outset). Although we arranged the visit two weeks in advance and were provided with an interesting schedule, we arrived to find out that the schedule had been canceled as the students/staff were not available. We had a very short chat with the head of the program, who was anxious to leave to prepare for his day. There was no offer to meet other faculty, and when we asked we were told we could sit in on a rehearsal and wait to see if they could chat for a moment or two. We were offered another class in place of the canceled class, but it was later in the day. We met students, and they were wonderful and very happy with the program. However, we both felt awkward, in the way, and unwelcome, so we decided to leave. (To be fair, when we got home several hours later, there was a message on my home answering machine inviting my son to sit in on a class.) We did not go expecting “woo”, but this fell so very much short of expectations. So, while the third school visit was disappointing, it did make my son focus and decide that this one was out of the picture. My point in this long post is that these final visit will reveal both good and bad regarding fit for each program. I’m grateful for the opportunity to visit the third school, as, having visited, it leaves no doubt in either of our minds that this was a poor fit. So, even if you think a program may be wrong for you, visit anyway and be absolutely sure! That way, you’ll have no regrets when you make your final choice! Good luck, out there!
Oops, I meant that the third school (not the second) had been top of our list (and my personal favorite) and is now out of the picture.
We just returned from a fantastic visit! So much so that it proved beyond any doubt that this is where our student is meant to be. Her current conservatory director gave her this advice going in: “big name schools are great, but at the end of the day, you need to land where faculty member(s) see that spark in you and want to work with YOU because they see your potential and WANT to work with YOU”. We both felt so welcomed and she had an amazing day of sitting in on challenging classes of all levels, talking with students (who are very happy with their experiences), and most importantly, having meaningful & personal conversations with faculty about her path. We were in the area for 2 days and everyone there was so very nice. Students saw me there and immediately asked what kinds of questions I had, as it was obvious I was a visiting parent. I learned a lot from them that gave me great comfort that she would be at home and in a family atmosphere. Will continue…
@Lawfang the atmosphere was all that she wanted. 1. Challenging classes heavy in all 3 mt disciplines but esp in acting 2. Collaborative and supportive, & challenging vibe from students and teachers 3. Opportunities to connect with and work with professional theatre & other connections in the biz 4. Numerous & diverse performance ops. Oh and 5. A minor that will enhance her mt work since she will have AP credits
That being said, this is a school on your list and we could not be more excited! She had a small and focused list from the start and the schools she thought she might like and prob had the best chance of getting in were done that she was not accepted to. And one of her top choices initially sent so many signals that they were NOT what she wanted, so it makes us feel even better about this. Come to find out, it was my first choice because of sure merit aid but she did not like the vibe despite two visits there. So in the end, her teacher was correct. And it is a pretty big name school and was hard to get into. Do your due diligence. We are making this leap of faith and are so excited for her! And we are willing to pay a bit more because we feel like along with all her hard work, she will have an equal and productive partnership that will give her every chance to succeed. And she knows-the rest is up to her! Best of luck to everyone! So exciting to finally be at this point.
It’s terrific that accepted students/parents are getting a chance to visit schools and check out the “vibe” and “fit”. But from here on out, don’t be surprised if the “woo” factor isn’t in evidence. Many of these schools are only a few weeks away from the end of the academic year and are preparing for recitals, juries, exams, and mounting shows. Classes will be cancelled, rearranged, hi-jacked for workshops, etc. Seniors are either prepping for showcases or are in NYC/LA/Chicago with some faculty in tow. During S’s senior year we visited an acceptance school and he was invited to sit in on classes, but there wasn’t much “going on”. They graciously allowed us to sit in on a black box dress rehearsal. We were a teensy bit put off when the director did not take time to talk to us at the end. But we had to realize this was akin to trying to talk to a general the night before the battle was being launched. When you visit, be a little open-minded about what all may be going on. While the program faculty may be thrilled to have your kid next fall, it’s a little like trying to talk to a retail manager two days before Christmas. Enjoy your visits and good luck with the decisions.
Great way to put that @mom4bwayboy ! Yes-this is a busy time of year. Our one really negative experience was before and during auditions so they were just stand-offish. Period. Not sure if it was to everyone. But it does not matter anymore. I do think that if faculty is not even interested in speaking with you briefly, that is a bad sign. They should be there for their students and invest in them if they are putting in all that work.
I completely agree, @mom4bwayboy .
Perhaps the faculty is so strongly invested in their current students that they aren’t able or willing or whatever to take time from that to give “possible” students the woo factor. That’s not a bad sign to me! As I said in an earlier post, my D’s visit to her chosen program did not include lengthy or even semi-lengthy talks with faculty, yet I literally cannot imagine a program with more caring, individual attention from each faculty member–and administration–from the moment she stepped foot on campus in the fall. It also didn’t mean they didn’t want my D; from their other communications and the money they gave her, they certainly did. They just weren’t going to or weren’t able to go for a hard sell at that visit. Hard to take at first, admittedly, but, once past it, we could see the program beyond what just a few hours showed. D and I are so glad she looked beyond!
@mom4bwayboy, I’m not sure if your comments about “woo” were made in response to my experience in #9. If so, we were not upset by lack of “woo”, but by poor planning (schedule set two weeks ahead suddenly disappeared), poor organization (cancelled classes, scheduled faculty meeting cut short), and general disinterest. I get that it’s important to fit in with what is going on at the school during the day of your visit and that the priority is current students. But we were led to assume we were coming on a regular school day (we were given a schedule that included a nice mix of classes), and arrived to find out the spring show was in tech, the schedule was cancelled and the faculty was unavailable. This was not lack of “woo”–this was lack of basic courtesy and organization. I still think it is a great program, but this school did waste a lot of our time, driving many hours in the rain, without even the offer of a glass of water when we arrived. Still, the visit helped us reach a decision and we are certain there will be no regrets!
Be careful when believing that your AP courses will count for more than just units at the school you end up attending. Look very carefully and ask if you can because my daughter’s AP courses did not count toward her GE’s. She ended up having to take them over because the school did not recognize them. Taking a ton of AP’s may not do you any good.
I’ve always realized that any time faculty spends auditioning and wooing potential students is time taken away from current students. And if current students are deployed to woo future students, that’s also time not spent on something else. The students and faculty at D’s school are far too engaged in courses and productions, all year 'round, to devote much time to recruiting.
While that may feel less inviting initially, once our D was immersed in the community that was exactly how we all wanted it, and honestly a less “wooey” environment may provide better preparation for the life our independent contractors will enter.
Just wondering if the woo comments were directed at my post. Make no mistake, we did not feel woo’d at all. Just a warm welcome, and the conversations with faculty (very brief but still valuable) were on their office time and scheduled in advance. Nobody went out of their way it seems. I do not care a bit about woo, but being unfriendly is not acceptable. I am paying for a good education and for my student to grow and collaborate with like-minded students and teaching professionals.