<p>Does anyone have children who went to Interlochen summer camp? I know the music there is excellent. What I'm interested to know are their motion picture and creative writing camps.</p>
<p>You can also try posting this question on one of the specialty forums, specifically the Musical Theatre forum. Although that might not seem relevant at first glance, they have a whole thread on summer programs and you may find answers about Interlochen there.</p>
<p>also try posting on the Prep School board:
[Prep</a> School Admissions - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/]Prep”>Prep School Admissions - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>I know some will view this as semantics…but the Interlochen program really isn’t a “summer camp”. It is an intensive summer program…we know a number of folks who attended and loved it.</p>
<p>There is an Interlochen thread in the summer programs subforum.<br>
My daughter went one summer as an Intermediate and hated it. The living conditions are not what she expected, so even though she liked half of her classes, she was so miserable about the cabin that she would never consider going to Interlochen again. The cabins are very rustic and in poor condition. Her cabin had one working shower and one working toilet (none for a few days) for fifteen residents.</p>
<p>my son attended as a musical theater major a few years ago - he was in the middle division. He thought the training was amazing. at the time he was too young for the film program but he has looked at it and thinks it looks terrific. It was a wonderful experience and great, very interesting kids attend. the msuic you hear throughout the campus is incredible. I would say that the uniform took a little getting used to, but after the first few days it seemed normal and after camp it was weird for him to see regular clothes the first few days. Also, and this was a few years back, he felt the food was awful. Which was not a reason not to go, but don’t expect much.
He did not attend the film program but did enter their film competition and was so impressed with their communications and the level of attendees and presentations. I would recommend it based on our experience with musical theater. but he did not attend for film. He did attend several different programs for film during the summers in high school so unfortunately cannot compare the two. my son is now a film major in college for what it is worth and I would be happy to share his summer experiences in a PM</p>
<p>My daughter finished her last 2 years of high school at Interlochen (awhile ago now) and worked at the summer program. Yes, the cabins are rustic but generally there are very few complaints. It’s camp living with an intensive arts program. Interlochen is magical.</p>
<p>My son’s cabin was bad, too, siliconvalleymom, but that was 10 years ago. I would have hoped things had changed. They also had a problem with stealing in his cabin, but I guess that can happen at any camp. My son did the theatre program, but he also took other classes, which was nice. He actually got a chance to try various musical instruments. I loved the atmosphere of the camp, but he didn’t enjoy it enough to return.</p>
<p>We’ve known kids who went to summer camp and some that went to the school. The camp is a camp and camps in Michigan tend to be ‘rustic.’ Unfortunately for the OP I don’t know any that did the writing or film program.</p>
<p>Interlochen is a huge subject. There are so many aspects to this institution. It is a place that is traditional yet ever-evolving. I strongly recommend applying to do a program at this institution.
With your specific inquiries, it is helpful to hear about the most current experiences, faculty and so on. Some posts (like on Music Major forum, which I have not been on for some time) date way back and may be helpful generally. Some people know certain niches about Interlochen. However, you might contact Admissions and see if they may refer you to recent parents/students who are alums in the specific programs of particular interest.
Since there is so much to know about Interlochen, it can’t be encapsulated in brief, there is a parent newsgroup on Yahoo that typically was highly active in our time of 4 summers and 4 school years (I am out of date on this now) and addressed tons of topics. You have to be enrolled in order to get on this, however.
Our outstanding experience, with music, with academics (high school Camp and Academy) are semi-recent-past.
I am aware of creative writing students from Camp and Academy who have gone on to successful things: major awards, top universities.</p>