bluebane

Got my official offer from Indiana today and mailed out my acceptance -- can't believe the relief of having this whole thing be over! Congrats, everybody on a hard-fought campaign this year... whether you ended up with a spot or not, we should all be really proud of surviving the ridiculous application process. As things start to wind down, I'll probably stop checking this forum regularly, so if anybody is looking back on this thread next year and wants to drop me a line, please feel free: my email is makeshiftmilitia@gmail.com. I'd be happy to help in any way I can. April, Chris, and everyone else from this thread -- it was such a pleasure to meet you guys, and please keep in touch about everything!

Congrats, @UnrulyMop!!!

Got the Northwestern rejection today... man, it still stings so hard that I didn't even score an interview with them.

@mlev80, welcome! Sounds like you've had a ride this year. For anyone concerned about Boston, I just received an email that I'm a finalist there. I have to decline the visit, as I've already accepted Indiana's offer, but I hadn't notified them since I haven't signed my documents yet.

@mr.taco yay!!!! Go team!!!

Question for the group -- since I've accepted my offer at Indiana, do you think it's necessary or polite to contact Boston and let them know I'm out of the running? @directMontana, I haven't heard anything from ISU, for what that's worth.

So... after two years of applying, five interviews, and a campus visit, I woke up to an offer from Indiana this morning. WHAT. Can't even handle this. Who's next up? I'm not gonna be the only success story from this forum!

@Loose.tap.screws: Thanks for saying hi and letting us know what you're thinking about! If you haven't read it, this article is an interesting read: http://www.theatrebayarea.org/news/news.asp?id=228412 My biggest advice is DO NOT APPLY TO THEM ALL. It's an intense process and you can't possibly follow through on all your options anyway, so do some research and make some hard decisions about what you're looking for. For example -- if you need full funding, cut Columbia and DePaul. What style of program do you want -- conservatory training, like Brown and Yale? Or Make-Your-Own-Degree, like some of the state schools? Do you have any geographic preferences on where you end up? Do you like the shows they've been putting on? Are they trying to push a particular aesthetic? I'd recommend applying to a maximum of 8 schools, and even that is pushing it. Some quick thoughts about your list: Yale - Let's be honest, everybody applies to Yale, but nobody gets in. It's an insanely competitive process. You have to be in the top 3 of 400 directors. That doesn't mean you shouldn't apply, but it's probably healthy to adjust your expectations. CMU - I had a terrible experience interviewing for these guys. They're pompous, posturing, and have an inflated sense of importance, while at the same time being kind of administratively a mess. They made me fly out to Chicago for an interview and didn't even show up -- no call or anything. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone. Columbia - No financial aid and they take 6 directors, which makes them a drastic outlier to the other top tier programs. BU - I'm applying this year for the first time, I'll share more as I know more. Northwestern - As of 2016, the GRE is no longer required. Rejoice! Also, breathtaking campus. FSU - I was massively turned off by them when I interviewed for them. You don't direct their MFA actors (who are all working at Asolo) and you don't get to work at Asolo. Plus they have to fund a large portion of their program through safe, community-focused work. Basically, imagine interning at a community theatre for three years. CalArts - Sure, if they fit your aesthetic. If you apply to the URTAs, they'll make you apply directly to them as well, btw. Washington - Seems like an amazing program. Temple - They seem really cool. Had a great interview with them. They'll be back recruiting in 2018, I believe. Indiana - My favorite! 1 director a year, top-ranked school for designers, lots of collaboration with playwrights and MFA actors, great campus and facilities, warm faculty. DePaul - It's a great option, but their funding is terrible. If you can afford to go $100k in debt for your MFA, I'd keep them high on your list. Gorgeous facilities, on par with Northwestern for reputation. UC-Irvine - Interesting program. My friend got in last year and is loving it. Jane Page seems really lovely. UCLA - Funding is sketchy, and I didn't love the vibe, but could be the right fit for somebody.

Happy Monday, everyone. Anybody else feel like this is the make-or-break week for their grad school campaign?

Second interview with Indiana over the phone today...

@voldy24601, when is your Northwestern interview? So bummed I didn't hear from them.

@voldy24601, I wouldn't assume that yet. I think they only checked in with me because they were missing a piece of info. If you don't hear from them by Friday, I'd send an email to check-in. @QuirkyDirector: Yup, looks like Yale rejections went out. I didn't get an email, just checked the website.

Sorry about Brown, @Adamexcess. At least the waiting is over. I threw together the last few pieces and applied to BU. One more prospect sounds pretty good right about now!

@mwatt Awesome! You just resurrected my application. Thanks!

@mwatt - I'm getting confused: this page says Feb 15, which was yesterday: http://www.bu.edu/cfa/admissions/school-of-theatre/graduate/directing/ But this page says tomorrow: http://www.bu.edu/cfa/admissions/school-of-theatre/graduate/graduate-application-instructions/ So if it's tomorrow, I'll still try to get it done... do you have to mail in anything physical, or can it all be done online?