<p>Out of curiosity- how many students usually get accepted into Mpulse TDA? And what is the schedule like? My little sister is wondering whether she should audition or not. Do you think going to Mpulse would help get into some BFA programs in college?</p>
<p>Hello!
I attended MPulse TDA last summer. It was literally the best two weeks of my life. I made amazing friends, took amazing classes, and learned an incredible amount about acting. We had 23 students in our program, some from other countries. The schedule is pretty rigorous, but well worth it if it’s something you’re passionate about. You have to be down to breakfast by 7:30, and TDA’s first class was around 8:30. We started with movement/stage combat (movement week 1, stage combat week 2) which was amazing and really fun, but very active. Those of us who ate four waffles (like myself) that first morning were in for a rude awakening. That was about an hour and a half. After that we had Acting for the Camera, and then lunch. After lunch we walked back to the Walgreen Drama Center (where all of our classes were) for Voice/Play Analysis (voice week one, play analysis week 2). Voice had a lot of movement to it, and was very experimental and cool. I personally loved Play Analysis, but it is in a classroom setting, which can be “boring” to some people. Our last class was Acting, where we did some monologue work and improv and really focused on the scenes we were assigned for the “scene night” at the end of the program. That ended around 5pm, at which point we returned to the dorms for dinner, and then had “Res Life Activities” led by the counselors. Sometimes it was sports, sometimes it was music concerts by other students (very long, not gonna lie), movie nights, or trips to Central Campus to shop or eat out. 10:30 was lights out, and that was strictly enforced, along with all the other rules. I remember all of us TDA folks got a small lecture about lights out, because we all got caught staying up past curfew reading our plays and memorizing things for class. It’s definitely a lot of work, but again, if it’s your passion it doesn’t really feel like work. They technically say that attending the program doesn’t give you an advantage at Michigan, but I personally think it’s very helpful, because you really get to know the professors you’ll be auditioning for in a year or two, and they get to know you. For BFA programs in general, it looks great on your resume. It’s definitely a prestigious program, and it shows initiative and work ethic, not to mention it’s audition-based. I would definitely encourage your sister to go for it! I may even re-apply!</p>
<p>Your feedback is so helpful dreamerC! How would you say this program compares to Carnegie Mellon summer program? I have heard that MPulse is much more competitive. However, Carnegie Mellon’s program is 6 weeks instead of only 2 weeks. I’d love your opinion!</p>