<p>My daughter attended Les Mis last night…she said she was so moved, she cried through most of the production (that’s a good thing)! In fact, I am heading to Westerville next week so my daughter and I can head out together to attend the wedding of her college roomie in Canton, and she asked if I could come down early so we can go to the Thursday show together. Even though we’ve both seen multiple professional productions of Les Mis (and many, many Otterbein shows), she said, “This is a must-see.” Kudos to the cast and crew! (She also sat next to a new Otterbein prof who was talking to her about the adjustment of moving from the east coast to the midwest; she suggested he think about getting season tickets for Otterbein productions if he wants quality theatre. After seeing the show, he was so blown away, he told her he might just do that…)</p>
<p>My S and I just got home. We had a wonderful weekend in Westerville! We did the ‘official’ visitation day and had great presentations from the admissions office… really good info about scholarships/financial aid/etc. We had a campus tour (in the rain) and we loved the size of the campus and the fact that although the school has been around since 1847, most of the buildings we saw were fresh and new-feeling inside (with the traditional college charm outside). We finished the ‘official’ tour with an academic interest session held in the theatre and conducted by Dr. John Stefano. The session was supposed to be a 30 minute overview of the program/department. It was over an hour and quite comprehensive, which we appreciated. There were about 9(?) prospective theatre students in attendance. Their interests ranged from BA Theatre to Stage Management, to Film, to BFA MT. Dr. Stefano addressed each interest area and gave lots of information.</p>
<p>Following the session, we met abparent’s son (a MT sophomore) who chatted with us about his experience and answered my S’s questions. He was a wonderful resource and clearly very enthused about the program. </p>
<p>We checked into our hotel, then went to dinner at the Old Bag of Nails in downtown Westerville. Great fish and chips! kksmom5 met us there and shared yet another perspective on the program and her daughter’s experience in it. I must say, everyone we met was so wonderful and generous with their time! I feel we got insight that other prospective MT students haven’t. S kept looking at me and saying, “This is SO great!”</p>
<p>We finished our evening by attending the 8:00p performance of Les Miserables. Having seen the original production twice, I had no idea what to expect from a college production. We were absolutely blown away! What an incredible show! The voice talent was so good… especially the student who played Jean Valjean. He was 19, but had a voice and a maturity beyond his years. When the show ended, my S turned to me and said, “I have to go here!” I have to admit, like mezzomom’s daughter, I cried at several points. Amazing! abparent and kksmom met up with us after and shared more advice and insights. S got to chat with abparent’s son and kksmom’s daughter (both cast members) and they, again, were wonderful ambassadors for their program. They all exchanged facebook and text info and both said if S has any questions moving forward, they’d be more than happy to help. How great is that???</p>
<p>This was our first ‘official’ college visit. I am sure there will be other schools that will impress as well… but this was one heck of a way to start the journey! </p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>^This is one of those moments when I wish CC had a “like” button. 
So glad to hear your visit went well! I’m literally counting the days till Saturday when I go to Westerville to see Les Mis (and my freshman son). Thanks for the wonderful report!</p>
<p>Mtmom2015, I’m glad you had an enjoyable and informative visit. At the risk of sounding like an Otterbein cheerleader, I want to reiterate that the “culture of nice” that you experienced is the real deal; it’s not just an act they put on for visitation weekends, and it very much extends from the students to the highest levels of the administration (and all points in between). I had to laugh about your comment about the rain…when my daughter was visiting colleges, it rained EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND that we made a visit to a school. I hope you have better luck with the weather on your other college visits!</p>
<p>Thanks. We are still on a weekend high. Nice to hear that the niceness is the norm! </p>
<p>Now we’re trying to decide where to visit next. As we are in MI, we are concentrating on Midwest schools (mostly). Ball State and Wright State are both performing musicals on a November weekend when my S has a day off. Eenie, meanie, miney, mo. It may come down to what we want to see more… 42nd Street or Oklahoma! LOL!</p>
<p>Great to meet you MTmom2015! Your son is very charming and articulate! I’m sure he’ll end up in his “just right” place . . . it all seems to work out just the way it’s supposed to. He’ll probably fall in love with different schools many times before this journey is over . . . but it’s pretty hard to beat Otterbein. I’m so happy that you all enjoyed your visit. I think you all are smart to travel around and check things out . . . how fortunate that you live in such a central location so you can do so. Best wishes and keep in touch!</p>
<p>Echoing kksmom5 - So glad you enjoyed your weekend! Your son certainly seems quite mature for his age and ready to tackle the process next year! It’s nice to enjoy this year and soak it all in. You have lots of great options just in the midwest. Feel free to contact us with any further questions down the road!</p>