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?

@mr.taco -- I know how much you like your luxury hotels, but "Getaway Hostel Chicago" is totally decent for one night... and it's $23.00, and it's a five minute walk from the DePaul campus. @mwatt -- I missed the deadline for Boston. My fault for getting bogged down in everything. It's tricky too because their timing is so difficult with the timing of everyone else -- if I were to get in anywhere else, I'd have to make a decision before I even interviewed with Boston. The program sounds amazing, though -- I'll probably regret not giving it a shot.

Today is probably our collective last chance for the Yale call... @voldy24601, thanks for letting me know about Northwestern! I guess if I don't hear from them today, that's probably a nail in the coffin there as well. I don't remember any further specifics about Northwestern's financials -- that's not a bad package for a first rate school, though. I'm hoping for a surprise birthday present today in the form of a phone call!!!

Sorry to hear that, @Directorial! @voldy24601 and @directMontana, Robert Quinlan (ISU) said that he'd make decisions and notify by the end of February -- no final callback or campus visit, apparently. Weird! The Indiana team should be doing Skype/Phone interviews as their follow-up from the URTAs -- I believe that's going to be on February 23rd (Dale emailed me yesterday because they wanted another letter of rec). Been nervously waiting for the Yale decision, along with everyone else here...

Yo, @aprilcleveland and I are tearing it up in Chicago right now. Northwestern campus is AMAZING.

Thanks for taking one for the team, voldy!

Got both my interviews: Indiana + Illinois State. Looking forward to this weekend! Also excited to meet you guys.

I can't believe we haven't gotten our schedule emails for the URTAs yet. It's getting ridiculous.

Intimate Apparel is an incredible play if you want to prepare a contemporary piece as well.

Let's be honest, guys, Long Island looks like a bust -- they're asking for $30k a year in tuition for a 2 year program, and specify that only up to 3 hours a semester might be reimbursed through work study. You'd be responsible for full living expenses in New York. So financial package is not very good, and the school has absolutely no name recognition. If you're rich enough to afford this, why don't you just go to Columbia or DePaul? @voldy24601 You're required to be prepared to discuss one of those four plays. The interviewers will usually ask you which one you'd like to discuss. There will be interviews where the reading list isn't mentioned at all, especially if you've got a lot of other interesting stuff to talk about. That being said, I found it helpful to be familiar and prepared for all four plays, and you should especially know King Lear and Tempest, as interviewers will assume you do (it's not exactly kosher to tell an interviewer "actually, I haven't read King Lear"). It's also impressive if you're prepared enough to tell an interviewer that you're willing to discuss any of the four plays. That being said, do not spend your preparation time in this last week cramming on these plays as though it's a college exam. The much more important preparation is to be ready to make a strong case for yourself as to why you're ready for grad school and what you'd bring to a program.

Hmm - just got an email from Long Island University Post inviting me to an interview at the URTAs... I didn't even know that program existed.