Jump to content

Directing MFA 2017 - Who's with me?!


KillerWingfield

Recommended Posts

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... 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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. ;) 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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. ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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??) 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@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!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 by Boseph16
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 by GunningForGrad
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@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. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use