<p>Hi,
I'm a HS Jr., and I'm doing my first "major" visit in October (actually, it is for the school that is my #1 choice). Unfortunately, the "theatre" part of the tour is not available that day, and going back on a different day is not an option. So, I was wondering if any people with more experience could share stories of what they did when they visited a school? Did you make your own theatre tour, so to speak? Who did you meet with? What is the ettiquite in that situation? What sort of questions should you ask? What questions shouldn't you ask?</p>
<p>When my son and I visited Ithaca, ( not for theater, but the Park School,) we wandered around the school , bumped into a professor, who talked shop with my son and invited us to a class of his later that day where student’s films were going to be shown. It was a great coincidence, but we helped create it… Be friendly, call before and see if they will help accommodate your situation. Theater schools seem to have strict rules about outsiders sitting in on classes, understandable. I can’t think of a question to ask or not ask, cept to be natural, inquisitive and see what comes up. The one school my daughter did not get to see the Theater School , she did not end up applying to. It is really important to get a feel. meet students, smell the halls, see the bulletin boards, and how the school treats your specific request. It all adds up to how you experience a place. The more info you gather the easier it is to assess the school realistically. The schools want to know all about you, and you want to know all about them. Then there can be a good fit. Good luck.</p>
<p>After a while, we don’t do the regular tours much any more. My D would rather know the specifics on theater than see dorms and dining halls. We make an individual appointment with the theater dept if there isn’t an info schedule. They usually are very nice if you are coming from a distance.</p>
<p>Several times when visiting colleges there was no “official” theatre tour. However we found that most admissions departments made the effort to show us what was available including touring black box theatres and other facilities. We met students who were able to tell us about their experiences while on these “unofficial” tours. We made appointments to talk with faculty members before making final deciaions. We also found it helpful to attend productions of the schools my daughter was interested in. In all cases, we were given complementary tickets by the theatre department upon request.</p>
<p>Thanks so much, these are all great suggestions.
So, I should try to make an appointment to see the theatre part of the college? I’m just worried that making the college go out of there way just for me is a foux-pas. I know that this is a bit parinoid, but because this is my definate first choice I don’t want to do anything wrong, you know?</p>
<p>You should definitely speak to the theater dept. Just be polite and let them know you’re really interested and ask if it’s possible to speak with them while you’re there-- they won’t give you more time than they have. And some schools won’t have much time, but many will be more than happy to meet someone who really wants to know more.</p>
<p>With most schools, most of the time, it will be a factor in your favor. It is one way they determine your level of interest. Not everybody takes the time to visit. It is a good indication that you are serious about them and they are not going to waste a slot on you. They won’t choose you because of this, but if they like you, they may offer you more financial aid if you demonstrate interest!</p>
<p>We are like Emmybet now too; if we have time for the regular tour and feel we don’t know enough about the school we will try to do it but several times we have just visited the theater department and then made sure we ate at one of the cafeterias for lunch. Haven’t visited dorms, that might be a good idea if you don’t do the tour, if you have time.</p>
<p>We have been warmly received and every staff and faculty member we have seen have been willing to spend as much time as d needed to answer her questions and they have been most helpful. (she is careful to not to drag it out as she knows they are busy) I think it’s essential for theater majors to visit the department, because theater programs vary so much from school to school. Most of them have offered to send us comp tickets to any of their up coming shows, and had they a show open at the moment I’m sure they’d have offered them then. I only wish we had the time to take them up on their offers, because seeing a show at the school is a great idea. Many of the schools do plan their “theatre weekends” during which they have auditions during a show so you can catch one then.</p>
<p>For people who have done this before-what sort of questions do you find most helpful to ask? Are there any questions that you didn’t ask, but wish you had?</p>
<p>My D’s biggest concern that you can’t find out about on the website, is what the “family” is like, how people interrelate, how they work together, what their “human” philosophy is. She asks the staff and the students how they feel about working together and spending time together. She checks out how things feel around the theater office/building/area, if people are talking to each other and friendly, if it’s kind of like a “home.” </p>
<p>She also asks about anything that might be more anecdotal about auditions, and also about students’ life there.</p>
<p>Go over the materials available in print and on the web and you will find questions. Schools want to see that you’ve done your homework and read what they’ve written. </p>
<p>One question we found useful was to ask each school what they thought was outstanding about their program. It was a question that told us a lot about how each program thinks about itself. Surprisingly, the answers were very different.</p>