What are some pre-college options for the summer before senior year?
Also, do you know how applicants are accepted for CMU? Is it first come first serve or based on portfolio?
The two that I know of are:
Northwestern Cherubs
Interlochen
Rose Hulman - Operation Catapult
My D did the CMU summer program for tech in 2015 and it was amazing. It is first-come first-served for the applications. She mailed hers around the beginning of February and found out mid-April. Feel free to PM or ask any questions.
She figured out exactly what area she wanted to specialize in after that summer.
So, they aren’t making decisions based on the transcripts and test scores they ask for?
CMU would probably be my son’s first choice, but I was assuming it was pretty selective, and that we’d need backups.
Is Cherubs also first come first serve? I didn’t realize they had design/tech.
On this page (under “How many students are in the drama program”) you can see that 249 applied and 210 were admitted. So the odds are definitely in his favor.
http://admission.enrollment.cmu.edu/pages/pre-college-drama-faq
Their current website does clearly say that admission is on a rolling basis, so if this is your son’s first choice, then apply as soon as possible. I seem to recall applications opened in late December. They say that they start notifying in early February.
http://admission.enrollment.cmu.edu/pages/applying-to-pre-college
The program is condensed semester of a challenging BFA design/tech program. The majority of the teachers are actual CMU faculty. They live like college students in the dorms. It’s a really fantastic experience all around.
Also, if he really wants to go to CMU for undergrad, he should treat the summer as an extended interview and really put 110% into all of his classes & take full advantage of all of the learning opportunities and access to the faculty. Each of his instructors will write up an evaluation at the end of the summer and I think that has a pretty big impact on whether he’s admitted.
Craspedia, That’s what I was hoping to hear. If he’s still interested, we’ll apply early and go from there.
@CuriousJane Best wishes to him! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions at all.
I forgot to mention that the students also create their application portfolio over the summer with invaluable advice from faculty. And at the end of the summer, they have a practice interview (with feedback). So he will get that huge project done over the summer, and then he can just tweak it as necessary before he goes on his “real” interviews.
Stanford Institutes were fun - son did engineering last year.
Is there a recent posts forum or something, and people are seeing this without realizing the forum it’s posted in? Or have people found Rose Hulman and Stanford Institutes good fits for their theater tech kids? I hadn’t thought about a more broad based design or engineering class, but there’s certainly overlap in skills.
I think people see “tech” and assume it’s the technology industry.
BUSTI. Cherubs. CMU. Emerson. Tisch. Interlochen-all definitely do. UArts, Cornish, and Purchase may- can’t remember.
Here is Interlochen
http://camp.interlochen.org/program/theatre/hs/design-production
Did your D get accepted to that school for college?
My D was accepted to her top 2 (UNCSA and CCM). After spending the summer there, CMU was 3rd on her list. She was waitlisted at CMU and chose not to be placed on priority waitlist, because she already knew she wanted to go to UNCSA. She just started at UNCSA this week. I’m so excited for her.
I really do recommend the CMU program. Your child will know whether a BFA is for them, and will have a much better idea of what concentration they want to focus on. Plus getting the portfolio done, having practice interview with feedback and also learning about all of the other schools that offer D&P. It’s worth every penny.
How do they make the portfolio at CMU? Do students bring the things they already have, and the school helps them decide what to use, and what to add, or do they make a portfolio entirely out of things they do at CMU?
@CuriousJane They should bring a blank portfolio with them or plan to buy one in Pittsburgh (the campus store doesn’t have a great selection, so they would need to find another local art store). They can just bring a flash drive with all of their digital images as well as any hardcopy pieces of art or anything else they are even thinking of including. (there are color printers there) Then they will also have pieces that they create at CMU like lighting plots, scenic designs, drafting, etc that they can include. The professors will help them prioritize what to put in, and the students can meet with them 1:1 for guidance as well.
My D used an Itoya art display/portfolio book which opens up flat. They come in a variety of sizes. She got her’s at Michaels because she wanted to see it first, but they are easy to order from Amazon, etc. She made two copies of Her portfolio which was helpful for reviews, especially for schools in which you present in front of a panel of people.