<p>My daughter attended the CMU summer program 2 years ago. She lucked out and was assigned a roommate who had allergies and asthma. She had a doctor's note for an air conditioner. Their room was the most popular on the floor and they were very comfortable. It was incredibly hot and humid that summer as well.</p>
<p>I think that there were 3 shows that the Pittsburgh CLO performed that were offered as field trips into the city. I saw all three. They are chaperoned. Besides that, on the weekends you can go wherever you like as long as the bus will take you there. There is a curfew, but besides that you can basically do anything! Me and my friends definately got to know the city pretty well :) Waiting for the bus was the worst!</p>
<p>I'm just going to chip in and offer my opinion on the food situation. Truthfully, if you're tight on money, the cafeteria food is not going to kill you. It's absolutely tolerable, and you can find ways to mix things, be creative, and make the good taste even better. PLUS, if you're really getting sick of the food, you can use your 10 dollar a week snack allowance to go to the Underground or Skibo Cafe, where the food is really really good. :)</p>
<p>Also, Eva- I SECOND LULU's. Oh my god. Best place to eat in Pittsburgh, without a doubt. Especially with the sketchy noodle pictures on the walls. Haha</p>
<p>does anyone know what the nightlife is like in the city? you know, stuff for someone of my age in the program? haha. what do most people do when they take a trip downtown?</p>
<p>My group of friends mostly went shopping and went out to eat on the weekends. We also went to see a show without the summer program, Forbidden Broadway. Plus, a lot of us went on the different trips they offered (Like going to Kennywood, the waterpark, Cedar Point) Some people I know went to an art museum when it was offered. Plus, there's always work to do on the weekends so a lot of people go to the library, look up songs, or practice for Boal (You'll find out what that is) :)</p>
<p>If parents give permission for students to go on the "field trips," can kids decide whether or not to go on a case by case basis, or does the permission slip mean that they <em>have</em> to go?</p>
<p>"Case by case" - my D only went to the park...they formed friendships, and made their own plans.</p>
<p>Hi NMR-When you arrive you will be asked to sign up and prepay for what trips you want to participate. I do believe many of the trips get booked up fast that they have wait lists for certain trips. We were so excited to be there that we signed up for most of the trips because I thought that d would have something to look forward to on the weekends. However, on most weekends when the trips came up my d opted out without any problems since as Mainstage said she,too, "developed friendships and they made their own plans" or she had work to do for the upcoming week. Keep in mind, You do not get your money back if you cancel out of these trips.
I am not sure if after registration day you can sign up for trips, I got the impression that you could not, but maybe some one else can clue you in on that.
Also, just to let you know students do have free access to the public transit system so they can go anywhere around town during their free time.<br>
CMU is a great experience!!! let me know if you have any other questions.</p>
<p>hi mtsmom-</p>
<p>i thought that there was an included fee for activities that was in the tution already. you're saying that you have to pay even more to go on these trips aside from the tuition money already paid? </p>
<p>and do you recommend getting to the regestration early to be able to have many options?</p>
<p>Hi The performer-I believe the trip to Kennywood, a water park, the cruise ship and some performances were for an extra nominal fee. We arrived on the early side which allow us to sign up and move in quite easily. D'd room mate arrived in early afternoon and was waited listed for events but did get have the opportunity to go on the trips because of cancellations. Hope this helps</p>
<p>Oh yes. thank you mtsmom! </p>
<p>How are the dorm rooms? Are the quite spacious or cramped? Newly built or ancient?</p>
<p>I thought that the dorm rooms were pretty nice. Some of them were bigger than others. I had a medium sized room, and for some reason the other room in our "suite" was closed off, so me and my roomate got to share one bathroom. I know that for many others it was two rooms with two roomates and one bathroom. The dorms had wood floors if I remember correctly, desks, beds, and closet space. They're definately not old, so I would say that they're a bit less than "new." The one drawback I would say is the heat and cockroaches. But you figure out ways to beat the heat.</p>
<p>forevaeva- oh, so there are private bathrooms/showers? you don't share with like people on your floor? that rocks.</p>
<p>coackroches?! that is awful. does the school know about that little issue? haha.</p>
<p>The school does know, and I'm pretty sure they hired an exterminator, but more than a few still found their way into the dorms! If you keep everything pretty clean they won't show up, though. Trust me, I survived and I have the BIGGEST phobia of bugs.</p>
<p>oh thank goodness. i was getting a little worried for a second about the bug dilemma. haha. </p>
<p>are most dorms doubles or even triples?</p>
<p>lol..eva does have the biggest phobia of bugs..i remember that night, she had to sleep in my room, and we dragged beds across and everything!...it was a great night!..lol...and it was like 2am in the morning..lol</p>
<p>you cna have a triplet room..me and my roomate actually did...we had a huge room...really nice, whihc was a double...and then a third room (medium size) which was connected to it by a door...so we were supposed ot have a 3rd roomate, but she didnt want to use the room, because it felt close off from the rest of the dorm...
but ti was a nice room..</p>
<p>gosh, your going to have sucha great summer...you make friendships for life there..eva is one of mine! and the teachers are just amazing and so helpful...im really excited for you!</p>
<p>Kay</p>
<p>Hahah. Goood times, Kayla. LOL.</p>
<p>All rooms are at least doubles, and some of them are "suite" style, so you also share a bathroom with another double room. Do you remember any other triples, Kayla? I don't. Haha..what did you guys put in that random room, anyways?</p>
<p>no i dont remember any other three's..lol..we ended up putting our fridge, microwave and dozens of water bottles in that room..lol..and yes, good times!</p>
<p>Did you guys rent a fridge once you got there, or bring one with you, or what? Inquiring minds want to know .... Inquiring minds also want to know: is it worth it for parents who live quite distant from Pittsburgh to come for family weekend? What goes on then? Do all the MTs perform?</p>
<p>well actually my roomate rented the fridge and was kind of enough to share it with me...shes amazing..
it is not necessarily worth for parents to come..my mom came, because this is the first time she would ever see me doing theatre stuff..it was completly knew to her, and i really wanted her to coem and see what i loved to do...
no all the MT's do not perform , you can chose to perform if you want...i didnt...instead me and 6 friends, including forevereva, went and took our parents to see forbidden broadway at a dinner theatre and it was a great night..</p>
<p>i did perform that weekend though..for Augusto Boal...which is a theatre company that you can auditionf or when you get to CMU...if you hear about it, audition for it, its is amazing, and it completly changed my life cause it opened me to so many things..</p>
<p>that is the only performance my mom saw me do and she said it brought her to tears, cause she too inwatching, was opened up to everythign that she didnt relise was in the world..i cant really expalin it, but you just have to look into Augusto Boal..its great..</p>