<p>Are any college kids spending this summer -- or have they spent past summers -- on their campus? </p>
<p>If so, what have they done, and do/did they consider it time well spent versus doing summerstock elsewhere? </p>
<p>Would they/ did they do it for more than one summer? Why or why not?</p>
<p>My D is in an apartment near campus this summer. She’s got a great job waitressing and making lots of $$ in anticipation of her study abroad semester in Prague. Starting in July, she starts rehearsals for a professional/university collaboration. It’s physical theatre so she also spends a ton of time working out. We only let her do this with the condition that she would support herself, and so far, she’s doing well. She’s a rising junior, so its good to see that she can support herself after graduation. (Last year, she did tech at a summerstock, which was good experience, but in a small town so kinda “boring.” She prefers staying in the big city.)</p>
<p>Yes, my kid did this. It wasn’t so much about spending the summer on campus as spending the summer in NYC, though in her case, her work did involve her college (NYU). </p>
<p>The summer after freshman year, she did summer stock at a small Equity theater in another state. She chose to never audition for summer stock after that one year. She really wanted to stay and work in NYC. The summers after sophomore, junior, and senior years, she did get a job in her field at NYU/Tisch as both a musical director and as a performer/writer in what is called NYU Reality Show and so worked all summer creating the show and doing the musical direction and the show was put on during orientation at the end of summer. </p>
<p>The summer after soph year, in addition to that, she was in a musical at night in NYC. One of those summers, she also was in a workshop of a new musical for the Grad Musical Theater Writing program. She also was in various singer/songwriter gigs while in the city. So, she was both involved in her college, while working in her field and wanting to stay in NYC all summer, which a LOT of her classmates did. </p>
<p>The summer after soph year, she did come home for two weeks to direct and teach a youth musical theater program here in our community in Vermont, that she had co-created the summer after HS graduation and it had been successful and so she came back that one other time during college to run it again and earn money. </p>
<p>Her summer job at NYU with the Reality Show was well paying and we do not support our kids in the summers during college if they live away from home and my kids lived away from home every single summer and so she was able to earn enough to stay in the city. She was also given free housing. </p>
<p>Basically, other than the one summer after freshman year (when she was still 17) with summer stock, my kid has NEVER left NYC other than visits elsewhere! And she has worked for and been involved in various capacities with Tisch ever since too. </p>
<p>I know summer stock is popular for many college MTers to do, and some NYU kids do it for sure, but LOTS stay in the city in the summer and do other theater things. And that is what my D preferred, and the MT jobs through NYU were great experiences. One of the summers ended with her putting the Reality Show on in Abu Dhabi too.</p>
<p>Once my daughter started college, she never moved home again and spent each year after her freshman year living year round in an apartment in center city Philadelphia. The summer after her freshman year, she worked, did a run of Pippin at a local theatre and took classes in auditioning and acting for the camera. The summer after her sophomore year, she worked at her regular employment and also as a paid T.A at her school’s summer MT program for high school students at which, among other things, she directed and choreographed works performed by the students. Ditto for for the summer after her junior year.</p>
<p>Relieved to hear that we’re not alone, so maybe it’s really not that our D doesn’t miss us! ;-D</p>
<p>One thing that’s nice for the kids that stay on campus at schools where there is still theatre happening is they really get to know classmates and professors with fewer students around. And D has also found that she can barter babysitting for extra lessons, etc.</p>
<p>I was really surprised to see how many kids (not just theatre) stay on campus at D’s school over the summer. We recently took our younger son to a presentation for new applicants, and EVERY alum at the session (6 total) said they had stayed on campus every summer except for freshman year.</p>
<p>Guess this is a downside (for mom) of loving your school!</p>
<p>MomCares, even if my kids did not stay on campus, neither of them ever came home in the summers once they started college. Neither has lived here since high school, not even one summer ever, no matter where they worked (they always worked in their fields).</p>
<p>@soozievt - Okay, so I guess I should be grateful that we get her home for at least a month this summer… and maybe it’s best that I didn’t anticipate missing her during summers, too. Thanks for the perspective!</p>
<p>Yeah, you are lucky to have her for a month! I never had my kids more than a week during the year. Actually, while my youngest D (the MT one) is no longer in college, she has not been home since last August! Obviously I have seen her but I see her where she is.</p>
<p>That’s the advantage of living in NY! My kid is commuting between NY and Chicago this summer so I see her when she’s in NY. But when she’s “home” she’s not really “home” - we rarely see her which makes my husband very uncomfortable, he’d rather not know where she is and what her schedule is like (late nights on subways) which is how it works when she’s in Chicago/Evanston.</p>
<p>Sorry MomCares, for most kids once college starts they’re gone! (Although we did bribe her with amazing family travel right after her Freshman year, I knew it would be the last time that could happen for a while.)</p>
<p>Actually, my S who is a rising theatre major junior at a school in the Chicago area ;), has been living at home in NY the past two summers and working as a T.A. in a summer pre-college acting program at a local University known for their BFA in acting. He absolutely loves what he does.</p>
<p>I consider myself lucky to have him home for these two summers because I know that this will come to pass. He’s already talking about going out to LA next summer to become involved in the film industry.</p>
<p>I am a rising senior at Roosevelt/CCPA, and after spending a summer at home in Ohio, and a summer doing summer stock in Texas, I am finally spending a summer in Chicago. I’m working at a day camp 35 hours a week, babysitting, auditioning, taking voice lessons, and trying to squeeze in dance. It’s definitely a nice taste of what life post graduation may be like. It’s also giving me a chance to work a lot and save a lot of money for senior year expenses such as head shots and traveling for auditions. Thus far, this summer hasn’t been the easiest for me, but I’m definitely learning a lot and am grateful that I have this summer in Chicago before entering the “real world” next may. I feel like for me, it’s a necessary step in the growing up process.</p>
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<p>A friend just reminded me of this most excellent strategy earlier today. Wish I’d thought of it sooner, and ALSO wish we had extra travel money after paying all that darned tuition and going back and forth to see her shows. ;-D</p>
<p>@amtc and @momof3sons - I am insanely jealous that you get to have kids home during the summer. Guess we live on the wrong coast for having an MT kid!</p>
<p>@music<em>is</em>life – I love your attitude about what you’re doing and learning this summer. I hope our D also uses her summers both to earn money AND to learn/practice the other skills she’ll need for life post-college. </p>
<p>And I guess mom will just have to suck it up and let her learn to be all growed-up-and-independent. ;-D</p>