Directing MFA for 2018 - Let's connect

[E. Karenina]

6 minutes ago, Curio said:

Did everyone else get an email from Yale confirming receipt of the application? Just curious?

I received an email from them when each of my recommendation letters were received and an email waiving my application fee, but no "Your application is complete" email. As long as it says submitted, you should be all set!

[MadamDirector]

Anyone else get an email from UW for the initial Skype interview? This is the first time in quite a while I've had to find and prepare a monologue... yikes. 

[E. Karenina]

Congrats @MadamDirector! Break legs! Side note: Skype interviews are the worst and should be outlawed. 

[MadamDirector]

@E. Karenina you are so right! It definitely beats a plane ticket from the southeast to Seattle, but still...

[per4mance]

Got the email from Brown today! Anyone else interviewing for them in Chicago on Feb 7th? 

[E. Karenina]

@MadamDirector Accurate. But only barely. Regardless, you will kill it. Go get 'em!

[Hamidoo]

Thank you so much @MadamDirector, @Eccyclema, and @per4mance for your help. I hope everything goes perfectly with your interviews. 

[Eccyclema]

@Hamidoo Of course! Same to you!

@MadamDirector Sending you good vibes for your interview today! (Right?) Hope all goes well!

[MadamDirector]

@Eccyclema @Hamidoo @E. Karenina Thank you all for the good vibes! 

Reporting back after my Yale interview: Yuri was super laid back, friendly, and easy to talk to. Asked about my reasons for applying (of course), a really inspiring show I'd written about seeing in my application, and a lot about the show I'm currently working on. Also got a chance to choose and talk about a highlight from my past shows. Overall a really positive experience. 

Best wishes for all of you with interviews coming up soon! 

[E. Karenina]

@MadamDirector I'm so happy to hear that it went well!

Anybody else have updates they would like to share? Any interviews set up or interviews completed? 

[Squidpunk]

Is it weird that I haven't heard from CMU yet? I was under the impression that they scheduled interviews with everyone first round, but I haven't heard anything. I was thinking of reaching out to them, but maybe I just need to practice some patience...

[Squidpunk]

@MadamDirector, so glad you had a great interview! It must be a relief to get through it

[MadamDirector]

@Squidpunk SUCH a relief! Sorry to hear about the lack of communication from CMU... that must be frustrating! I didn't apply there, so I have no helpful information, but I do hope you hear something soon to put your mind at ease.

Now on to find and prepare a monologue for UW... fun times! 

 

Edited January 16, 2018 by MadamDirector

[per4mance]

15 hours ago, Squidpunk said:

Is it weird that I haven't heard from CMU yet? I was under the impression that they scheduled interviews with everyone first round, but I haven't heard anything. I was thinking of reaching out to them, but maybe I just need to practice some patience...

I haven’t heard from them either. Last year they sent out Skype interview requests on January 3rd... hmm... 

[E. Karenina]

Has anybody heard from Northwestern yet?

[MadamDirector]

2 hours ago, E. Karenina said:

Has anybody heard from Northwestern yet?

Nothing here yet... radio silence so far from them and UT Austin. 

Not expecting anything from UMass or BU just yet, since their deadlines just passed, but starting to get antsy about those other two. (Patience has absolutely never been my strong suit.) 

[E. Karenina]

5 hours ago, MadamDirector said:

Nothing here yet... radio silence so far from them and UT Austin. 

Not expecting anything from UMass or BU just yet, since their deadlines just passed, but starting to get antsy about those other two. (Patience has absolutely never been my strong suit.) 

Same! I didn't apply to BU, but UCSD just closed too. (I also applied to UMass Amherst.) Not expecting to hear from them for another month at least, but Northwestern needs to hurry up!  

[Hamidoo]

@E. Karenina My interview with UCLA went well. All the committee members were friendly and we had a good conversation. The questions were general as it was expected. I haven't heard anything from CNU and Northwestern too. It is frustrating.  

[ctbck]

If I remember from lurking and reading past year's threads, I think that Northwestern can take a while and is generally not super communicative. 

[MadamDirector]

@Hamidoo congrats on a good interview!

@ctbck at least it's good to know what to expect-thanks!

[Squidpunk]

Had my Yale interview. That was intense. I felt pretty great about it afterwards, but now I'm picking it apart.

The one topic that keeps coming up is that "I don't seem to need graduate school" since my career is going well -- this feels like a pretty tricky thing to navigate. I don't want other people deciding what's best for my career after only speaking to me for an hour...

[Directorial]

@Squidpunk Oh yeah the "But you don't need grad school"! line drives me nuts too. I know people are trying to be nice but, like, clearly we all WANT grad school. 

[MadamDirector]

@Squidpunk I got the very same thing in mine, which was the only part I didn't feel so great about looking back. "You have a company, you're doing what you love...why quit that?" ...because I know more training could help me do what I love better? Eek. 

Sounds like that may be a question they challenge everyone with. 

[E. Karenina]

@Hamidoo I'm so glad to hear your interview went well! I'm glad to know I'm not in the boat alone waiting on Northwestern (and others). This process is a practice in patience. 

@ctbck Thanks for the info! That's good to know.

@MadamDirector and @Squidpunk Did you both respond "Ummm... ... ... because you're Yale." ?  

[ctbck]

20 hours ago, MadamDirector said:

@Squidpunk I got the very same thing in mine, which was the only part I didn't feel so great about looking back. "You have a company, you're doing what you love...why quit that?" ...because I know more training could help me do what I love better? Eek. 

Sounds like that may be a question they challenge everyone with. 

Thanks so much for sharing this question! I'm applying in a year or two, and what strikes me is that Northwestern (granted, not who asked the question) explicitly states that they're interested in candidates who are running companies. I guess different schools really are looking to shape different directors.