KillerWingfield

Feeling the frustration with you all. 7 first interviews, 1 second interview, 1 wait list. I've just assumed that since I didn't get a second interview with the other 6 that I'm out of the running too. I suppose there's still a chance to hear from UNCG, but I'm not holding my breath.
I got wait listed for East 15, which is alright. I wasn't super sure I'd be able to go out there or that it would be a great fit for me, but I was very grateful for the follow up interview and the quick wait list notification regardless.
I agree that it would be nice to not be kept in the dark and just be told "Thanks, but no thanks at this time," much earlier in the process.
If it helps anyone any: I've read and heard from multiple sources that grad schools often like to see candidates apply multiple times. Sometimes it takes 3 - 5 rounds of applications and interviews before you get the spot, and many people receiving the spots you got rejected for this time around have applied and interviewed multiple times in the past. If you really want it go for it again! You can do it! I believe in you!
Congrats to everyone who received offers!
❤️

Feeling the frustration with you all. 7 first interviews, 1 second interview, 1 wait list. I've just assumed that since I didn't get a second interview with the other 6 that I'm out of the running too. I suppose there's still a chance to hear from UNCG, but I'm not holding my breath.
I got wait listed for East 15, which is alright. I wasn't super sure I'd be able to go out there or that it would be a great fit for me, but I was very grateful for the follow up interview and the quick wait list notification regardless.
I agree that it would be nice to not be kept in the dark and just be told "Thanks, but no thanks at this time," much earlier in the process.
If it helps anyone any: I've read and heard from multiple sources that grad schools often like to see candidates apply multiple times. Sometimes it takes 3 - 5 rounds of applications and interviews before you get the spot, and many people receiving the spots you got rejected for this time around have applied and interviewed multiple times in the past. If you really want it go for it again! You can do it! I believe in you!
Congrats to everyone who received offers!
❤️

Feeling the frustration with you all. 7 first interviews, 1 second interview, 1 wait list. I've just assumed that since I didn't get a second interview with the other 6 that I'm out of the running too. I suppose there's still a chance to hear from UNCG, but I'm not holding my breath.
I got wait listed for East 15, which is alright. I wasn't super sure I'd be able to go out there or that it would be a great fit for me, but I was very grateful for the follow up interview and the quick wait list notification regardless.
I agree that it would be nice to not be kept in the dark and just be told "Thanks, but no thanks at this time," much earlier in the process.
If it helps anyone any: I've read and heard from multiple sources that grad schools often like to see candidates apply multiple times. Sometimes it takes 3 - 5 rounds of applications and interviews before you get the spot, and many people receiving the spots you got rejected for this time around have applied and interviewed multiple times in the past. If you really want it go for it again! You can do it! I believe in you!
Congrats to everyone who received offers!
❤️

I had a phone interview with UNCG on Thursday. He said that they do most of their decision making in March, but that he is super willing to answer questions if you email him.
For what it's worth the phone interview was set up through URTA's, so if you didn't apply through URTAs my guess is that they haven't yet moved to that point yet. That's just a guess. Email him!
 

Hey @Soongil_Lee! Welcome aboard. Good luck in South Korea! That's very exciting.

Welcome to the group @patrickjnorris! Glad to hear of your scheduled interviews! The only CA school I've applied to is Irvine and UCSD. I applied to Irvine through URTA and did not get invited to interview, and, like many on here, I am waiting to hear from UCSD. Not sure if anyone knows when they usually send out interview invitations.
Have you looked back through the threads from previous years? I feel like there were posts in the 2016 thread where people shared interview questions they've received. I've had one interview so far. Below are some of he questions they asked - I've paraphrased quite a bit:
1. Why are you here today? Why now and why this program? (Probably everyone will ask some form of this. Although it was all a blur, I think I regurgitated some semblance of my initial letter of interest. I made a note for myself to try to include answers that maybe were cut from my initial letter, or at least provide additional insight into who I am).
2. I don't say this to scare you, but three years is a long time, and much of it may feel redundant or 'back to the basics.' How are you prepared to handle this lengthy commitment? 
3. What type of work appeals to you and why?
4. How do you define the role of the director and their relationship and responsibility to collaborators and audience alike? (This one was very fuzzy to me. In all honesty, I struggled to understand what was being asked and should have requested the question to be repeated. Alas, my nerves got the best of me. So this is the question I answered, but not sure it is what was being asked. I've included it in the list to share my terror and remind everyone it's okay to ask for a question to be repeated.)
5. What are your thoughts on diverse or colorblind casting? 
6. How important is it to make considerations  of how an older story resonates with an audience.
 
I hope this info is helpful, and encourage others to share your experiences. We're all in this together!!

Hi guys. Update from me. Finished Boston U and Northwestern Application earlier this week. I will be submitting Brown today.
I want to apply to USCD. Undecided about Yale. I've applied there twice in three years and been interviewed both times. The second time the interview went great, going over time 20minutes but they said they just didn't have a place for me there. I just don't know what I'd say differently this time. And if I interview with some of the other schools I'm applying for adding the $100 application fee, $300 flight, $100 hotel fee, food, etc and taking time off work might be too steep a cost.
I'm also looking around at some Canadian schools. 
@Star+Strength The few people I've talked to have really liked Boston University. I sent a message to a couple of people there last year. it seems to be focused on traditional theatre and new works, which is what I am more interested in as opposed to devised work, and they talk about how they receive a lot of personal attention. I'm also drawn to it because it's in Boston, so my wife, who is an actor, can get work. And they have a Certificate in Artistic Direction. Since I want to be an Artistic Director and they are the only MFA Directing program that I've seen offering that, I'm really drawn to them.
@ctbck I struggle with the personal statement too. Last time around I wrote a long one (2-3 pages depending on the school) and realized I was trying to write a statement that made me "look good" or said what I thought they wanted to hear. This time around I kept it to one page, short and sweet, tried to be honest and personal without being off-putting (I can overshare sometimes) and I also kept the emphasis on what I wanted to get out of grad school and what I wanted to do afterward. This time around I realized it's important to me that THEY want ME. I'm being myself, telling them why I am a good candidate and why they want me at their school, and if they can't satisfy my artistic needs then we probably aren't a good fit. I realized I don't want to go to grad school just to go to grad school. I want to go to grad school to help me accomplish my theatrical goals.  
 
I have entered this weird funk though. I finished most of my applications at the end of October. Then I just kept revising. I finally forced myself to submit them. I'm nervous because this will probably be my last shot at grad school. I applied three years ago, got close, but didn't get into any programs that made sense financially. I then watched my wife have a great time in grad school for three years while I thought about how I wanted to go. Now I am applying again, but I'm in my early 30's and I don't want to keep moving to a different city every 3-5 years. So if it doesn't work this time I think it's time to move on. But that means I'm putting a ton of pressure on myself to submit the "perfect" application. When i just need to do it.
Oh well. About to enter the worst part of his process. The two or three months of waiting to hear anything. Then, if I get interviews, the three months of waiting to hear about being accepted. 
Good luck all!

Hi all, 
I am happy to report that I have just officially accepted a spot at UMass Amherst, which was my top program. Thanks for being such a lovely support system during this process. Best wishes to all of you. 

Hey, gang! My application journey has finally reached the end--I've just accepted a spot at Boston University! 
I'm still technically waiting for responses from two other schools where I had finalist interviews, but after visiting all three I knew in my gut that Boston was the best fit for me, so it was incredibly thrilling to get to say "yes" to their offer. It doesn't quite feel real, but it definitely feels good. 
I'm so eternally grateful to have had this group as a sounding board and venting-place through this crazy adventure...not knowing anyone "in real life" who could fully empathize has made you all a real gift  
Now I'm just going to sit here with fingers crossed, sending every good vibe I have for all of you to get your own exciting news soon!! 

@Squidpunk that is an incredible story!
I can actually relate and confirm. I applied for the first time last year and didn't get anywhere past a couple of interviews with some really cool schools, but i learned so much about myself and my art through that process. I've directed four productions since my last interview and each one has gotten so much better than the one before it, as opposed to before I applied where each production kind of felt like I had plateaued in my progression as an artist. 
I chose not to apply this year, and I feel pretty good about that choice, but I've been lurking around here a lot and I gotta say I am jealous of you all and I am inspired by you all, and, even though we've never met or even had a real conversation, I am sure proud of you all as well. 
Keep up the good work everyone!
<3

@Squidpunk that is an incredible story!
I can actually relate and confirm. I applied for the first time last year and didn't get anywhere past a couple of interviews with some really cool schools, but i learned so much about myself and my art through that process. I've directed four productions since my last interview and each one has gotten so much better than the one before it, as opposed to before I applied where each production kind of felt like I had plateaued in my progression as an artist. 
I chose not to apply this year, and I feel pretty good about that choice, but I've been lurking around here a lot and I gotta say I am jealous of you all and I am inspired by you all, and, even though we've never met or even had a real conversation, I am sure proud of you all as well. 
Keep up the good work everyone!
<3

@Squidpunk that is an incredible story!
I can actually relate and confirm. I applied for the first time last year and didn't get anywhere past a couple of interviews with some really cool schools, but i learned so much about myself and my art through that process. I've directed four productions since my last interview and each one has gotten so much better than the one before it, as opposed to before I applied where each production kind of felt like I had plateaued in my progression as an artist. 
I chose not to apply this year, and I feel pretty good about that choice, but I've been lurking around here a lot and I gotta say I am jealous of you all and I am inspired by you all, and, even though we've never met or even had a real conversation, I am sure proud of you all as well. 
Keep up the good work everyone!
<3

I actually have an update! Yay! 
U-Mass Amherst is flying me out to interview Feb 21st. 
Still waiting on word from UCSD and Northwestern (assuming it's a no from Northwestern). 
 
 

Hey!
Sorry to hear that you're school isn't what you thought it would be. Now as someone who has not been to an MFA program (yet!) but who has been a working freelancer for some time now, I am not sure how much weight my 2 cents have...
To me, the pros (free school, good school, and new playwrights -- major bonus there!) out weight the current woes. I believe that graduate school is meant to do two things: stretch your artistry and at the same time focus your voice. So it seems good that the classes - so far - are built around a different school of thought than your current one. And with that, who is to say that those foundation courses in a year 1 aren't going to help you when you produce the type of work you want to create. And if you want to teach at university, having a wide range of experiences will make you more marketable and will allow you to help your students achieve what they want, be it the more "traditional theater" you are learning now or the more experimental style you prefer (and everything in between!) I would say don't think of it as "creatively frustrated" but "creatively widened" - we all have to learn things we don't want to but who knows if those other ideas sneak into one's process at some point. When it comes the classes outside of director's lab, do you just take electives in a sense from the other disciplines? Maybe find classes taught by faculty members who follow your dogma, or at least support you in your efforts. Sometimes you have to go beyond the class syllabus to get the most out of a class.
Have you talked to any alumni who are more aligned to your artistic ideas? How are they? Do they have insight? And with that, are there a lot of working alumni from your program? That reputation can of course help you after graduation as you start to direct your own work. And to circle back to previous paragraph, knowing different styles make you more marketable as a freelancer, which means your bills are paid. I've directed fluffy American classics because I have to pay rent, and from those gigs, I end getting the opportunities to do the work I personally prefer. You may not want that career path, but it is a bonus of having a wide range of skills/coming from a reputable school (especially how to develop new work!)
Have you looked at the alumni from schools/programs that focus on more experimental work? How are their alumni? What are they doing right now? Do they carry the same weight? That said, are there maybe summer programs/intensives that you could do to help supplement the education you feel is lacking thus far? SITI or Pig Iron's summer intensive are great examples (and yes, there are many more.) A lot of universities even offer grants and funding for students to do just that.
It seems like they aren't telling what kind of director you should be if you can do your thesis in the way you want, which to me means you're in a pretty great program. And maybe meet up with with your other MFA students (if there are MFA actors in the program or even talk to the playwright students) and start creating on your own art for summer Fringe festivals or even for after graduation.
My vote is so stick with the program, learn as much as you can, and then enter the working world with as many tools in your tool belt. No program is perfect, but yours seems to be pretty awesome by my standards.
Cheers! And with everything aside, hope you're school year is going well!

@carabrokes96 I'm in my first year of applying to grad school, so I'm certainly no expert here, but I do feel your pain about the challenge of these damn letters! I find writing about myself to be very challenging, especially when I'm trying to express my passion for directing without sounding like a total cliche. The best advice I've been given is to focus on two major questions: Why you? and Why now? In other words, what do you bring to the table to no one else can? And why do you think grad school is the right move for you at this point in your life/career? If you can answer those questions for yourself, even really informally, then you have the starting point to edit that into a great letter. And as far as your dad's connection to one of the schools, try to look at that as an asset rather than something scary... does having that added knowledge about the school give you more specific reasons for why you think it's a good fit for you? Most of all, just write something to start with. It can be total garbage--you can edit it later! Just start really pinning down why you want to do this, at this time, at these schools, and go from there. Good luck!

Here we go again! Wooooooooo!
I got tantalizingly, frustratingly, maddeningly close to a couple programs last year (wait lists are fun!) so I'm taking one more shot. I'm going the URTAS rout for the first time to simplify things. Think I'll do the Chicago days. 
My list: University of Washington, Carnegie Mellon, Arizona State, DePaul, Indiana, CalArts, UCLA, UT Austin.  I've had previous interviews at several of them the past two years.  Might throw in Yale because I haven't yet and YOLO!
My background: Raised in the Northwest, educated in the South, professionally based in DC. Got started late, didn't study in undergrad beyond the occasional elective. My first professional gig was sweeping the floors for a Diane Paulus show. My training and professional background are in journalism and public relations.  I've got about ten years of new play development experience. Working directly with playwrights is my passion. I do a lot of interactive works. Founded my own production company, which has done 6 world premieres and a few 2nd productions. My most recent gigs were directing a one-man show at the local Fringe festival over the summer and a workshop at the Kennedy Center a couple of weeks ago. Been an arts fellow for the District of Columbia the past two years. Spent last year a guest editor for an arts magazine. A couple of my commissions have spread through the regional circuit. I'm a founding member of the 2020 Jubilee National Committee.
Would love to hear more about y'all's work!

Just heard from Iowa. 3 of the 4 spots are filled. They are waiting on Lucky Number 4 to make his or her decision.
I just kind of have to laugh at this point.

I think the hardest part about the waiting is reflecting back on my interviews, picking them apart, and overthinking every little thing I could have done better.

Hey everyone. Sorry for the radio silence. Been incredibly busy with my own work. I had my URTA interviews with Iowa and East 15 in NYC on the 21st. I, like @Boseph , absolutely loved my Iowa interview with Alan MacVey. He was very personable and complimentary of my work and understanding of the challenges that I am facing coming from an education background. I am trying not to let my hopes get up too high. I know that he has and will be interviewing lots of really strong candidates. I'm honored that I got to be one of them! Definitely the top pick for me as well! 
East 15 was a very strange interview. First of all URTA gave me the wrong room number, so I waited outside the wrong room for 30 minutes. I heard voices on the other side of the door so I let it go for another 5 minutes or so before finally knocking and finding out it was not the right room. So I went down to the URTA table to find out which room I was supposed to be interviewing in (now 15 minutes late for my interview, mind you). No one was there. I hung around for a few minutes with no URTA rep showing up. Finally I went down to the front desk of the hotel and had them call his room so he could tell me where to go. By the time I got up there I was already 25 minutes into my 40 minute window, so we just sat down while he rapid fired interview questions at me. Very impersonal, very weird feeling. Mostly it confirmed the feelings I already had going into it that East 15 maybe wasn't the right fit for me.
All my other applications have fallen flat, except one which I am still waiting to hear from - University of Massachusetts Amherst. Their applications were due on Jan 15 and the website says it will take at least 6 weeks to process, so, I guess I'll hear about that one in a month or so.
Anyway, that's my update. Hope everyone else is having a successful time! Great work everyone!

Does anyone else feel like they spend all of their time refreshing their email? Even long after office hours have come and gone and there's no reason to think you'll hear anything that day?

in addition to that great list, a piece of advice i learned from a person who's been on the other side of interviews is to make it clear why you are a great fit for the program and it is for you. 

Here's some advice I just received from a Yale MFA Directing alum whom I've worked with and is currently on the YSD directing faculty: 
I would say be yourself. Don't try "to be what Yale wants." That won't really work. But be prepared to say passionate, smart things about:
-The things you're working on
-The things you've done
-Why grad school
-Something going on in the world
-Artists you admire
-Anything that makes you YOU 
I think this is pretty solid advice which can apply to any grad school interview. 
 
From my initial meeting with Iowa, they were very interested in what excited me as an artist, why that specific program, what sort of collaborations I would like to pursue during training and what I was looking to achieve. 

Congrats on the MFA idea!
And to piggy back off the previous post, there are many MFA programs that are more academic-minded.
University of South Dakota
Catholic University of America (they have an MA as well in Theatre Ed during the summer months, I believe)
Virginia Commonwealth’s MFA specializes in Performance Pedagogy
Minnesota State University: Mankato
Purdue University (I believe someone just graduated from there who worked mostly in high school theatre…)
Baylor University
Western Illinois University
Yale/Brown/Columbia/BU/DePaul/UCSD/etc.. usually require a strong background in theatre and mindset to work in the future as a professional.
Hope this helps!
 

Get your talking points and attire together. Pack a show bible along with resume, etc.

Once you know the details of your interviews map out the hotels. If I recall correctly the SM folks go from hotel to hotel for appointments.

Reach out to any program you might be interested in. You might get added to their list just by introducing yourself.

You're what , Chicago? It's going to be cold. Be ready with professional attire and layers. Inside it's ghastly hot once you've been outside.

Look at schools not attending URTA too. URTA is not the be all end all - only a small group gets their position via URTA.

My experience: designer who showed at URTA and was selected for interviews all day, to the point of having to "group" interview schools because I ran out of time slots.