Update from SoozieVT

Parents Forum
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<p>Send those cyber cleaners my way. My house looks like a cyclone hit it. I thought I was getting house cleaners today but my husband who had made the call did not tell them I wanted them for sure (not sure what he was thinking) and when I called this AM, they are now booked and so I have to wait until Wed. So, people are coming and going and climbing over stuff but oh well. </p>

<p>This is the first time I have sat down all day and I gotta eat something and I am still in yesterday's clothes, LOL. I am sleeping on the couch in the living room where her hospital bed is cause there are times she needs help moving and I can't hear her from my room. But just now a bunch of friends in her cast just walked in and so I finally got a reprieve. </p>

<p>Mixed in with this ordeal is all the love and support of people near and far. One cute gift box today from some kids in her West Side Story cast last summer, had a toy Jet and a toy Shark in it, lol. So much love has poured in and it really helps. This is a kid you can't keep down and she will be "up" again. </p>

<p>Also, luckily, there has been some happy college news filtering in during this bad time and that helps as good medicine. While she learned a few days ago that she will be accepted to NYU/Tisch via an invitation sent to her for "Saturday in the Square", an event for selected students they plan to admit....she got an added bonus today when she got a letter from NYU/Tisch informing her she was selected as one of about 15 University Scholars that includes certain perks and is an Honors College type thing. She feels honored and so that was nice to open while a nurse was here doing things to her! And this visiting nurse had a daughter who in college had had the same fractured pelvis my D has and told about her full recovery. Then it turned out her other D went to the same performing arts camp in NY that my older D used to go to for many years and she was a nurse there, funny coincidence. </p>

<p>Dancersmom...you are overly thoughtful with that offer regarding the BFA programs. I am not sure yet what we are going to do about that whole deal. One favorable thing is that we have recently seen all 8 of her schools because we went to each one to audition. Some we did more at than others but we have been there at least. BEFORE the accident happened, we talked tentatively about whether she would go to any accepted student days or revisit her favorites of those she got into during her April vacation from school. We did not even know if she would have a choice of schools, given the very difficult odds of admission. Had she not been this injured, I would be into going back to a narrowed list of two or so if she needed to explore more or just to do the accepted student events. The costs have been enormous this year going to all those auditions. I do think that she could ask questions, if needed, by phone too. First, she has to see where she gets in and compare them and what she wants. Perhaps she will know where she wants to go or perhaps it will come down to two faves, I have no idea at this point. She is in 4 1/2 places and still must hear from three. I surely can't go back to them all as we were just there. </p>

<p>However, some things, like NYU/Tisch's event of Saturday in the Square, meant for selected students they will be admitting, do sound like something she would like and now that she got the University Scholar thing there, THAT also has some special gatherings as well. I don't know if we can do it now though. She JUST asked me that when she opened this additional honor thing today. She will have only been off bed rest one week and will be on crutches and I am not sure how easily she can get around or what will be to make such a trip. It is on the weekend of her school musical, though of course she is no longer in it now but so many of her friends are and it is her cast and the last one of her middle/high school career. Basically, I am taking it one day at a time at this point. Maybe we can go back some place but if we can't, I know she has been on campus and has talked to many kids and can continue to do so via phone. At some places, she has visited classes and so forth. First, I have to see how the whole college decisions play out and where she narrows it down to. Then as far as her mobility and the dangers and logistics, we'll see. Right now, she surely could not go anywhere. She is at least looking better than a week ago though! She is so thankful that her college auditions were just completed before this accident and also that there is the six month window of time that was needed for full recovery and use of her hip in time to dance her way into college in September so it is all perspective. It is going to all work out. Thankfully, some positive college news came at just the right time. If she got no more letters of good stuff, she would be a grateful happy camper. She still, however, is quite interested in the schools yet to send their decisions. I have no idea where she will end up but she is lucky to have a choice. She may be in "setback" mode, but her future is bright. </p>

<p>Susan</p>

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<p>Susan, I am glad to read that things are progressing. So now I am wondering why Tisch is no longer a slam dunk choice? On your daughter's travels, did she see schools she may actually like better? Or has this accident put everything on the back burner?</p>

<p>Do you have personal preferences, or is it too early?</p>

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<p>Susan, So glad for the continued good news. Sleeping on the couch doesn't sound that great but it sure beats sleeping at the hospital!</p>

<p>I also want to join the queue for the cyber cleaners. And I could use some cyber gardeners too. We had spring-like weather for weeks, and then rain, so the weeds are taking over here in the Pacific NW.</p>

<p>Can't offer any advice on MT schools but it sounds like you've got it under controlt with cyber friends ready to step up and help as needed.</p>

<p>Terrific!</p>

<p>Jamimom, how's that eye? Do post and let us know you are doing well too!</p>

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<p>Susan,</p>

<p>So glad you are home. They don't call it home for nothing. I was thinking about your D this morning (I'm in China right now so it is morning:)) and I wanted to share something. When I got out of college, due to a host of too-long-to-explain factors, I worked in London for six months. My boss was Cameron Mackintosh - now Sir Cameron Mackintosh, he of Les Miserables and Phantom etc. fame. At that point, in 1979, he was a young impresario, working out of a little bitty office ontop a theater near Covent Garden. There were all of five of us total.</p>

<p>So although I was really just hired as the office girl, making tea, answering phones, I got to watch auditions. At that time, he had not yet hooked up with Lloyd Weber (although the first letters did get exchanged while I was there). So he was putting on revivals of My Fair Lady, Side by Side by Sondheim, and Oliver. I went to see the Oliver auditions.</p>

<p>The point of all this history is just to remind you and your D of something I am sure you know. To make it in musical theater clearly you have to have the pipes. You have to be able to act. And dancing can be a plus especially for the days when you are starting out. But there are a lot of people who can make that bar. </p>

<p>The ones you hire for the key roles - it was Artful Dodger when I was auditioning these boys - they always have that charisma. They communicate a sense of knowing something that you in the audience wish you knew. A sense of understanding that life is not easy, and pain is the flip side of a beautiful note. Everything you say about your daughter indicates this experience will be in the back of her mind as she goes forward and will be something to draw on.</p>

<p>Theater people are like that. Everything for their craft. I just have a hunch this will have helped her in the long run.</p>

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<p>Susan - glad to hear you are all home. Great news about NYU/Tisch!!</p>

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<p>"Someone was watching over my D and gave her a second chance. I know she will be giving back and making a difference in the future. Despite this setback, she will keep reaching for the stars."</p>

<p>Soozie, this just brought tears to my eyes. You are such a great mom!</p>

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<p>DStark, I honestly do not know which school my daughter will pick. She still has to hear from two more, plus a third one that she is in but waiting to hear on the BFA part. I know you are wondering why isn't NYU/Tisch a "slam dunk"? I guess if you looked at my posts last spring and summer, I can see why you would ask that! My daughter has come a LONG way in her college process and I am honestly glad she has. BEFORE she truly began the college process about 13 months ago, she would have said she only wanted to go to NYU/Tisch. For many years, she wanted to go there, long before she ever truly even researched colleges. I think this stemmed from influences throughout her youth at her summer theater program, where she was always very good friends with older kids and many went onto Tisch. Some have gone onto the other top programs in the country in this field but she knows more at Tisch than any other program. So, she looked up to them and wanted to get where they got some day. She also was always infatuated with NYC and so that likely was a part of that feeling too. Then when she asked us last winter to graduate a year early and this whole college process went into full swing as it was on the late side compared to what I would prefer (I prefer to start early in junior year and doing all the visits that year), and we also were immersed in my older daughter's process as we were waiting to hear from all of her colleges at that time (hard to handle two processes at once!). But my daughter promised to look fully at each of the other schools on her list. I told her if she THEN decided NYU was the one and IF (big IF) she got in, at least it would have been after much research. So, she looked openly at each one though still NYU was first choice in her mind. She was strongly considering applying ED (one of her only schools that offered that option actually). She has many friends who did go the ED to Tisch this year. We talked alot about before making such a committment, one must be sure and she had only visited NYU at that point and none of the others so she should at least visit one other favorite. So, she agreed and went to see UMichigan's program in September and loved it very much. She liked it as much, if not more, than NYU and thought long and hard and decided to not apply ED to NYU, even though that lessened her chances at NYU. When several friends got in ED to NYU in Dec., she had a five minute twinge of regret about why she had not done that so that maybe she could be all done the process and maybe she hurt her chances there by applying RD. But then she said, no, that is not how she truly felt. She was glad she was openly looking at all her programs and would see what happened come April. Another thing is that she knew how very very difficult the odds were of getting into any of her 8 schools as each admits about 5 % of applicants to these BFA programs and so she decided to not put all her eggs in one basket and not to fall in love with any one particular school and just see what happens. Lo and behold, as she auditioned at each college, she really really liked several of them and I was so glad that her mind and vision opened up and she saw many positive things at many of the programs which made it a win-win situation if she got into any of them. Then she was rejected at UMich and so at one point, it seemed like her big wish was to get into Tisch as it was sorta tied for first in her mind at the time. But as winter wore on, she no longer was saying it had to be Tisch because she really truly loved many of the other programs. So, she honestly doesn't know what she would pick and wanted to see what, if any, choices she would get. We were not sure she would even be lucky enough to have a choice. When she got into Ithaca, she was open to going there. Then she got Penn State and she thought about which she would pick if that was all she got. When she got Syracuse, she was flying high and then the scholarships and the Honors College stuff added to her excitement. If it had all stopped there, she would be pleased. I felt thankful because she no longer was a NYU do or die kind of person. Now, she has NYU, plus this University Scholar thing. What she knows, just like my other kid and her schools, is that each school has its pros and they each differ. She could like any of these but has to compare and contrast and think about which is the right one for her. But she had tried to get herself so psyched over Syracuse and Penn State, for instance, not counting on anything else, that she is not ready to let go of any option just yet. She also LOVED Emerson at one point and loves Boston. But she came away from Carnegie Mellon dying to go there. I have no idea if she got that what she would pick. She even likes Boston Conservatory a lot now. But in a way, this is what I would hope for. She is not tied to ONE school for happiness. She sees positive aspects of each one. So, she waits to see her options and then thanks her lucky stars she HAS great options, and then will figure out which one really fits what she wants the most. So, NYU is certainly in the running in her mind, but depending on her final options, she may or may not choose it. She likes some others a lot now too. She hopes to hear from Carnegie Mellon any day but the odds there are really long ones. They take ten kids into MT and 18 into Acting out of 1200 auditionees. She had a great audition there and loved it but she knows it will take luck to get it. And if she doesn't, she has great options already. She can't lose. She feels blessed. So, no one school is slam dunk in her mind but she likes some better than others, I guess is the way it goes. She sees the plusses in each one of them though! I have to say she cried tears of joy when she got into Tisch so believe me, it meant a lot. I just don't know where she will choose to go yet. The process worked...she truly explored each school with an open mind. Neither of my kids ended up with a "it better be X school!" mentality in spring of senior year and I'm glad. You kinda can't "lose" then, can ya? </p>

<p>Alumother, your post is wonderful and I printed it out to show my daughter in her bed and she really liked it. Ya know, when she was lying in the Intensive Care room and I stayed in her room all night, she was talking to me about all sorts of stuff and you would never know she had just been in a very serious accident and was lying there very injured and traumatized and bleeding and flat out on her back in a brace and in traction and all that...and one thing she said was "I certainly will have lots to draw upon in my acting!" meaning plenty of emotions to work with as an actor. So that is one part of your post as well.....this experience will affect her on stage in the future and in life. She talks about never taking anything for granted again. She has another chance at life. </p>

<p>In fact, she likely won't like my posting this but her current director of Oklahoma! in which she was rehearsing as Ado Annie called me at the hospital and said he wants her bio in the program (only seniors get a bio) and she spent a long time late at night two nights after surgery writing out long hand what she wanted to say and then having me type it in an email. It was NOT her usual bio that gets into her "credits", etc. But her bio kind of says it all and relates to YOUR post and so here is what she wrote:</p>

<p>"This last 'name of school' musical is a bittersweet one for 'her name'. You won't see her on stage tonight because life took her for a ride last month. When you do see her on stage again, things will be a little different. She'll know for the first time that every song, each dance is a gift that will fulfill her by itself her whole life, and that happiness is not getting what you want but wanting what you've got. She thanks M. (best friend who is her understudy & will play her role of Ado Annie) for her saving grace on stage and off, M. (boyfriend who was playing opposite her in this musical) for defining love, and fate for her unlucky events, which have shown her that what she has is precious and fleeting, and for giving her the chance to spend the rest of her life embracing it. She will pursue a BFA in Musical Theater in the fall. She wishes the cast heart and music."</p>

<p>PS...she wrote that loaded with morphine :).</p>

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<p>Susan, When we visited NYU, my daughter was on crutches. (Just a sprained ankle, no comparison, but crutches nonetheless.) When we got there, I asked one of the admissions officers if they had a wheelchair to lend us, and they did. So, if you do decide that your daughter should visit NYU, I'm sure they'll find a way to make her as comfortable as possible.</p>

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<p>Soozie: I can tell from the length of your last two posts--you're feeling better too! </p>

<p>Brevity is a worrisome thing in a sooze. As it turns out. :)</p>

<p>I loved Alum's insight too. So perceptive....</p>

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<p>SearchingAvalon...thank you very much for that information. I can't say at this point if she could ever make it to NYC in two weeks. I know she'd like to go to the event. She gets off bed rest on April 1, has to return to doctors and has many precautions as well as crutches where she cannot put one leg down for many weeks to come. Thankfully we visited NYU/Tisch twice so far. I realize that differs from the event and the special thing for University Scholars. But we'll see. That also is the weekend of her school musical (though of course she is no longer in it but her closest friends are and she was rehearsing it for a long time). I have to take it one day at a time at this point. She is on heavy duty painkillers and is in danger should she fall or be bumped into and that is the main reason for bed rest, given her internal injuries....plus she is still healing from a hematoba that was under the skin all along her lower back that is not fully healed and we pray all that ends well. How she'll be in two weeks remains to be seen...though I imagine a lot better than now as already she is so much better than a week ago! I'll keep your suggestion in mind if we ever can consider going. We are not discussing stuff like this too much at the moment. We have not even made school arrangements yet with high school work. One step at a time. First it was survival and now it is recovery and then it will be onto the good stuff!</p>

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<p>Susan, your daughter has a great attitude. I've been reading about her for a long time and I look forward to reading about her progress. Someday, I look forward to seeing her perform in San Francisco.</p>

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<p>Dstark, thanks for the positive thoughts. I hope someday she does perform in your neck of the woods. She did perform once in San Jose and that was really fun.</p>

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<p>What a beautiful bio! She is a class act!</p>

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<p>soozie,</p>

<p>You D's bio is perfect. What a great kid. What a beautiful thing to say. ::stands up, whistles:: Brava! Brava!</p>

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<p>Yes! a real class act.... that was absolutely inspiring. She certainly has her mothers writing talents. I am a visual artist/designer who is in awe of those who are able to put words to my visions. And let me say I am in awe of your d, her mom and alumother. The next time I illustrate a book I hope one of you
will write the story.
Susan, I am so glad she had the opportunity to visit all the schools she choose to adution at. My d1 choose NYU, d2 thought in the beginning she wanted NYU, and after auditioning, visiting, and really focusing on her needs realized that was not the school for her, BUT was the best school for her sister. I am so blessed because my children couldn't be happier with their choices.
I wish your family the very best of everything.... and maybe our paths will cross in the future.</p>

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<p>Thinking of your daughter and all of you; sending the very best get well wishes...you're in my prayers also.
Tabbyzmom</p>

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<p>I am so glad your d is doing better; what a beautiful bio!! You probably don't know this, but my d is best friends with an aquaintance of your d's good friend (LG) (Did that make ANY sense at all??) So we've heard all kinds of things about your d. I feel like I know her! And congrats on her many acceptances; from what I've heard, it doesn't surprise me in the least! As far as decisions go, you might be thinking like me; my d is going to NYU, but it's WAY expensive, even with merit $. I told my d that unless she is CRAZY about the school, she might very well be transferring after her 1st year. My thinking is that if she already got into a good MT program, she will probably be accepted into another. It's not like you're locked in forever; there are options! I look forward to hearing what your d's decision is. Good luck on CM! And may your d be up and about soon! :)</p>

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<p>RossJi...Hey, I heard from L's mom that you guys connected and also that your D is close with someone L performed with. My daughter is best friends with L after spending the past seven summers together. L. is also having a lot of success in the outcome of her college auditions, which does not surprise me because she is a very talented girl. She also got the invite for Saturday in the Square at Tisch. The thing is, as exciting as it is to know my D got in there and got the University Scholar as well, we don't know as of yet if she got into Cap21 or a different studio and she really wants Cap21. I hope that is what she got because I can't see her choosing NYU if it is another studio, though she specified a second and third choice. She did the advanced dance audition so maybe that helps. I have no clue if she will get merit money or what her financial aid package will be. I am aware of NYU being mucho mucho expensive. I let my kids pick where they wanted to go but if she chose there, she will be kissing goodbye significant money offers elsewhere. By the way, my D has a good friend here in VT who got in ED to Cap and who will be with your D, plus a couple male friends from her camp who will be in Cap21 and some at Stella Adler. Perhaps my D's path will cross with yours, I just don't know yet. It would be funny if she ends up at NYU/Tisch and if L. decides to go there (have no clue yet what she will decide either) because both girls have explored other options fully but back when my D was 13, I remember walking in the city with L. and her mom (we were in the city for an audition and they met us there) and we walked by NYU and both girls said "some day, we will be roommates here". If that becomes the case, it was a nice prediction, lol. Right now, both girls are seriously exploring all programs. I just learned that we won't hear from Carnegie Mellon now for at least ten more days.</p>

<p>Studio 7, maybe our girls will also meet, ya never know. My D has not made any decisions. Also, in the case of NYU, she doesn't even know if she got into Cap. Let me just respond to your kind words but to clarify, I am not a good writer, but my 16 year old is truly an accomplished writer, way better than me. If she was not going into theater, I could see her pursuing something with writing. By the same token, she does like writing shows and so who knows where her career will lead. She did not get her writing or performance talents from me, THAT is for sure. Is your other D in a BFA program? I am glad each of your girls picked the program that was the best fit for her, which is how it should be. While this is not nearly the same, both my girls, years ago, picked different performing arts summer programs and each one fit that child's needs perfectly and people always asked us why we let them go to different camps when it made our lives crazier (particularly on parent performance weekends when we shuttled between two programs all weekend long) but we let each pick the one that met her needs and in the end, each program really was right for each particular child. </p>

<p>Susan</p>

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<p>Soozie:</p>

<p>I always knew your D was special. Her bio reinforces this. It brought tears to my eyes.</p>

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<p>Soozie--hey, nice to see you back with your lengthy, chatty posts--a VERY good sign that things are settling down some. Your daughter is amazing. I love what she wrote. I too would love to see her perform someday! (along with my girls--MT fans all!)</p>