Directing MFA 2017 - Who's with me?!

[Boseph16]

1 hour ago, Directorial said:

Hi all. I got the interview nod from Iowa yesterday.  Interviewing in a couple of weeks. (I applied directly not through URTA). Congrats on the Yale interviews! 

Congrats @directorial! Alan is lovely. When is your interview? Sorta gauging when to expect decisions since URTA guidelines say that schools can start sending out offers February 13th... 

[GunningForGrad]

Congrats on the interview @Directorial! I hope it goes exceedingly well. I didn't go the URTA route this year, as I wasn't impressed with the list of schools offering directing this year. It just seems to be getting shorter and shorter as schools seem to be choosing to go their own way when it comes to directing programs.

Right now I'm preparing for my Yale (February 4 in Chicago) and Brown (February 13 in New Haven) first round interviews. Waiting to hear from DePaul (gauging from past years, should hear from them before the 20th unless it'a a rejection which will be closer to the end of the month) and UCSD (which will be awhile with their deadline extension).

What is everyone else waiting on?

[Directorial]

Still waiting to hear back from UCLA and UCSD. Also Arizona State but their application deadline hasn't even hit yet.

[GunningForGrad]

Good to know! I wonder when we should expect to hear from UCSD. It seems strange that they pushed their deadline back so much- I feel that that would totally throw off their timeline. I did speak to someone that said to anticipate them starting off with Skype interviews and then inviting finalists for a campus visit.

[Directorial]

Just heard from UCLA! Pleasantly surprised, and I have an interview next weekend in New York. I'm in DC and am more than happy at the excuse to miss Inaguration Day. Wish I could make the LA campus ones Feb 1st but my day job has me claimed that day. Being an adult sucks. Maybe I should give grad school a try.  

[GunningForGrad]

Congrats @Directorial!! You are on fire! Hope your interview go swimmingly and you get interviews from the schools you're still waiting on!

[Directorial]

Thanks @GunningForGrad! Yeah, it's been a wild couple of days. Does anybody here have insights into the UCLA interview process? 

[GunningForGrad]

@Directorial I'm afraid I don't have any. I applied a few years ago but I didn't get an interview from them at the time. You may go through threads from previous years to see if you can find something!

[Boseph16]

Still waiting on UCSD and UT Austin. I did get a website view from Austin this week though, so they're at least reviewing applications! 

[steffybolt]

Hi guys -

I got a call from Yale and DePaul last week.

still waiting on UT, UCSD, and Northwestern. Anyone hear anything? 

Northwestern will be feb at least I think. 

 

Go team! X

[steffybolt]

1 hour ago, Boseph16 said:

Still waiting on UCSD and UT Austin. I did get a website view from Austin this week though, so they're at least reviewing applications! 

I got an email from a professor asking about my portfolio so yes they are definitely reviewing this week. 

[GunningForGrad]

UCSD just closed their applications this week so I think it's going to be awhile. Congrats on the calls from Yale and DePaul! Guess I should put my DePaul curiosity to rest. Although a friend of mine reached out to DePaul today and they said they were still reviewing applications and making calls. Probably just their standard answer before sending out rejects, but it's also enough to keep me on the hook for a few more days. 

How early did you get your app turned in @steffybolt? And when/where are you interviewing? Maybe I can convince myself they just haven't gotten to mine. ?

[steffybolt]

10 hours ago, GunningForGrad said:

UCSD just closed their applications this week so I think it's going to be awhile. Congrats on the calls from Yale and DePaul! Guess I should put my DePaul curiosity to rest. Although a friend of mine reached out to DePaul today and they said they were still reviewing applications and making calls. Probably just their standard answer before sending out rejects, but it's also enough to keep me on the hook for a few more days. 

How early did you get your app turned in @steffybolt? And when/where are you interviewing? Maybe I can convince myself they just haven't gotten to mine. ?

Hi @GunningForGrad keeping my fingers crossed!! I got a call on Jan 4 for the finalist round in mid feb onsite. Not sure when I got my app in... definitely week of (5 essays?? For real??) 

[GunningForGrad]

@steffybolt, right? Five essays is too much! Definitely a stressor when I was in the middle of opening a show and closing another! I'm going to go ahead and count myself out for the DePaul callback weekend, which I'm ok with. I was mostly interested in getting that hardcore feedback I heard about. I would have to find a few sugar daddies to be able to afford the program!

[KillerWingfield]

Hey everyone! It's crazy to see stuff happening! I'm so pumped and nervous for all of you!

I'm gearing up for URTAs this coming weekend. Those of you who have done this before, what sort of questions should we be preparing for for these interviews? Is there anything else we should be expecting that we might not anticipate?

I am working my way through the threads from the last couple of years to try and get a feel for it.

Obviously our theatre experience over the last however many years is ultimately the best preparation for these interviews. But I will take any sage advice from the more experienced among us on what you wish you would have known before going into the process.

[Boseph16]

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. 

Edited January 16, 2017 by Boseph16

[KillerWingfield]

That is solid advice, and oddly comforting. Thank you!

[Tintintheegg]

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. 

[sarahcandace432]

Hello!!! Like many of you, I will be attending URTA's this year! I was curious if anyone had any ideas on questions they might be asking in the interviews. I want to be prepared, but I have no idea what to expect really. I am super excited for the interviews, but also mega nervous. Ahhh Grad School!

[GunningForGrad]

There was a good list of possible questions posted in last year's thread I think...I remember coming across something. Let me look in my prep file and see what I can find!

[GunningForGrad]

@steffybolt well it seems miracles do happen! I got my DePaul finalist interview invitation today!! 

[Loose.tap.screws]

Congratulations on the interviews everyone! I swear I wrote a post last week that didn't show up. Oh well. 

 

That number was indeed a scam student loan company— oh man that was disappointing! So, no Yale interview for me! 

 

I, too, found out today that I've been selected for DePaul's finalists round on February 18! So now my interviews are DePaul, PSU, Columbia, and of course Carnegie Mellon.  No flat out rejections yet, but I can assume my one so far is Yale! 

 

It's great we've all seemed to secure interviews and made it past the initial rounds for some schools! Let's keep it coming! 

[GunningForGrad]

I'll be at the interviews on February 18 too! I'll be in the morning session. Hope we'll run into each other!

So that puts me with interviews set up for Yale, DePaul, and of course the first round at Brown. All I'm waiting on currently is UCSD.

Edited January 19, 2017 by GunningForGrad

[Boseph16]

Congrats on all the Depaul Love! A friend of mine is in his second year right now and LOVES it! But lord I couldn't undertake that much debt in this industry. 

 

Waiting on UCSD and Austin... I'm now thinking that UT Austin said that the interviews would be mid-february, not that we would hear in mid-february... but who knows. I emailed them to get a timeline and the administrator didn't know, but they hadn't even started up classes until this Tuesday the 17th! Perhaps I'll go back into last year's thread to see when they heard...

[Loose.tap.screws]

@Boseph16 I'm completely with you about taking on that much debt.  I initially applied to DePaul because of its cheap application fee and the chance for the finalists interview. The feedback and portfolio dissection is something I'm very interested in! 

I don't know if I'd be able to justify going into so much debt again (especially after paying off my undergrad loans this year!), but I figure I would worry about that if I'm accepted without other offers.  I originally wasn't going to apply to any expensive programs and ended up applying to DePaul, Columbia, and CalArts. DePaul is definitely the cheapest of the three, both tuition wise and cost of living. 

@GunningForGrad yes! Hopefully we will run in to each other the 18th. How did you find out what group you were in? I didn't receive that info... I almost asked but didn't assuming times haven't been assigned yet, and they just wanted to send out invites and get an idea of who accepts and can or cannot make that date.  I'll shoot Tracee an email and ask.