<p>Well, I read the first 6 or so pages and the last 3, with interest, but am skipping ahead to post before reading all the rest. I have to do laundry SOMEtime. lol.</p>
<p>Some people say not to visit schools until after being admitted: I personally am really really glad we have visited at least some schools because there is so much we learned about schools in general, from our visits.</p>
<p>D’s list is going to be really light on the big names but for those of us down here in possum country (Tejas) it might be of some enlightenment. :-)</p>
<p>We did actually visit Dartmouth last summer. D adored it. Sadly, we don’t think there is really any point in applying. Had she made rather enormous gains her junior year, she might have had a shot if the drama department liked her well enough to swing them. But…oh well. </p>
<p>She loved it, though. She loved everything about New England (as did I and my brother who went with us. She wants a change from Texas, bless her heart. Though my brother warned her she might not think it was so great after 4 months of winter. She brushes that off. She loves snow, or so she thinks after the entire 4 times she’s seen it in her life. ha.)</p>
<p>Don’t recall what the squirrels were like.</p>
<p>St. Edwards in Austin - loved it. Beautiful little campus, the prettiest dorms you ever saw - really cool tour guide who had hair in little blond pointy wave things and “looked like a goat.” In a cute way. Plus his girlfriend joined us and she was in theater too. All the fun of Austin without the bs of UT.</p>
<p>**Texas State in San Marcos **- she liked it pretty well; it was hot and it’s hilly. It has a lot of really great helpful programs, little things like free printing; those things could add up. Unfortunately, we asked the tour guide about theater and while she was really pretty informative and interesting, she sort of said, “oh yeah we totally have a theater program I think! it’s like over there somewhere!”. lol. Little did we know we were at one of the up and coming Texas theater program stars. We didn’t even see the theater. Now we have to go back. But the school itself, I think d could see herself there. Nice kids. </p>
<p>Typical Texas squirrels, yelling at you all the time.</p>
<p>University of North Texas in Denton - you know I toured that place with son too and it was okay, but I personally have had the worst time, every time, that I have attempted to wrest any information from those folks over the phone. It’s like talking to Lassie. “When are your tours?” “ARF!” “uh, do you mean nine o clock?” “ARF ARF!” not nine? Do you mean ten then?" “ARF ARF!” “not ten either?” “uh…nine thirty?” “ARF!” </p>
<p>Visited with D and she wondered (as did I) how it gets such a great reputation for performing arts. There was some specific stuff we saw that really concerned us. The professor from the department that we met with was really nice; I dunno, it might be worth a second look (except I get the impression they are reducing, not expanding, theater) but D felt like she needed a shower afterwards. Denton is crowded and grubby and the area around campus is not charming and quaint in the slightest. On d’s list, is lots of cool consignment stores and places to get bubble tea on the drag across from campus. Probably because she grew up thinking UT is the archetype of all schools. For the time being it is off the list. We will reconsider if the list ends up needing some reinforcement.</p>
<p>Squirrels seemed sort of depressed.</p>
<p>Stephen F Austin University in Nacogdoches. D said she “could see herself there.” Still wants to see what all her options are but I felt like a million pounds were off my shoulders because if everything else went sour, she and I both think she could be happy there. It was a safety all around (academic and cost and theater program) but JUST NOW changed their theater program to audition. So, not a true safety anymore. However, I really think her odds are very good. I get the impression they are just trying to weed out the kids who actually have no interest and are just going to school to keep mom and dad off their back and are taking theater cause they figure it’s easy, and frankly, that’s okay to weed those kids out. I really think any kid with some talent and a burning desire to grow in a theatre program would not be turned away, so hopefully it’s an almost safety in that department. I hope.</p>
<p>Beautiful town that has been unanimously and widely proclaimed to be wonderful and full of friendly and not overly conservative people. (for us few liberal types out here in Texas it can be wearying when even the colleges are extremely conservative…good grief) Daughter was pleased that color is purple. Totally can see herself in purple as opposed to orange. </p>
<p>Very happy squirrels and no wonder as they are the Lumberjacks, and of course d was singing the Lumberjack song and wondering how often she could sing that without getting thrown in the dumpster.</p>
<p>Oklahoma City University. The program is obviously tippy top for MT; our info session person was very helpful, the tour guide was good, but our admissions counselor (who had been enthusiastically described as being someone important for us to meet as he would be the one “advocating for us!!” for admissions and scholarships - happened to NOT BE THERE even though we had an appointment and our name was up on the marquis at the visitor center. Which was cool and seemed to indicate that our visit was important to them but they said he had an appointment with the bank…I understand sometimes someone just has to leave work, but I kind of feel when you have out of state kids visiting, you could maybe ask the bank to schedule you an hour later. Nor did they offer letting us see someone else. Daughter was rather bemused at this also. </p>
<p>Financial aid department was at first all hard line “loans schmoans! can’t place value on education! Will get a job! Everyone has loans! yada yada” but I kept at them until I got a little bit more info. </p>
<p>She would probably consider it IF she got in and IF she could afford it but it’s probably a reach. I’d say it was a mixed bag for us that day. Overall she seems to be discovering that she prefers a medium to larger sized school, unless it has a really metropolitan sophisticated vibe to the area like St Ed’s. But…one thing she is, is open minded, and she won’t refuse to at least consider most places. So far.</p>
<p>Dorm had the most unique and really thoughtful layout but the lobby…smelled like a nursing home…ick…</p>
<p>Didn’t notice the squirrels as there was a stray doggie following us.</p>
<p>OU - daughter loved it. (I did too) Wonderful school. Loved the people we met in the departments of MT and theater. Perfect mix of large and small for what she wants. The president’s wife rearranges the garden statues like they are her personal patio furniture, and he himself is highly involved and accessible considering the size of the school.</p>
<p>Really big squirrels.</p>
<p>We were utterly charmed. GAH I don’t want to go on too much because then EVERYONE will want to go there and she won’t get in. HAHA! Seriously, of all the flagship state schools within a 6 hour drive of us (which, freakily, is over half a dozen, in 4 different states) - we liked it best of all of them so far. Sadly, while it’s a nice match, a very attainable match for her academically and not out of reach financially, the program she wants to get into is harder to get into than an Ivy. Admittance rates of all who originally audition end up around one percent. But hey! If she wakes up one day and miraculously has decided she wants to be a business or education major she’s got it made.</p>
<p>I’ll update as we visit more…our philosophy is that we aren’t going to go broke visiting EVERY school on the list as we have more than most kids usually do, as she is going for theater and you have to apply to so many to up your chances at the auditions. But if we have a friend or a relative in the town, we’ve been visiting over this and last summer in leiu of vacation. The schools with on site auditions that are farther away, we will probably hold off visiting until audition day. We aren’t going to go flying around the country visiting every school she is slightly interested in, for sure.</p>