2/21 Ithaca Interview

Last weekend my mom, Layla and I headed up to Ithaca for my interview for theatre arts management. We drove the 6 hours there on Friday and stayed with family friends. Wow, there is so much upstate New York! Saturday morning started with a check-in and info session at 8. It was freezing cold. The first thing the woman leading the info session (department chair) said was, "if the only thing stopping you from going here is the price, email me and I'll get you more financial aid." It is a really intimate program, which is cool. There are only 6-8 theatre arts management majors aka TAMs per class, and then acting/MT performance BFAs, BA theatre studies and BFA design and production (nice to be at a school where they understand production is different from producing, haha). About half the people were auditioning for acting and MT, and the other half was mostly theatre studies with 4 potential TAMs and 1 design/production person. Honestly, I thought everyone would be MT, so I was really surprised! The performance people left to warm up and the theatre studies people started interviewing first, so it was just the 5 of us plus families. They brought in a panel of current students who were all great. I was the second TAM to interview. They brought me downstairs to an office where there were 2 women (I had no idea who to look at because one sat across from me and one was next to me) who asked me questions. They were really interesting! They asked me about my experience, what I do in my free time apart from theatre, why theatre arts management, etc. They were both super nice and loved hearing about Africa :). I was kind of nervous about showing my portfolio because I don't have a ton of experience, but I was allowed to explain what each thing was. And um they seemed to think I did have a ton of experience! Which was awesome! And they kind of accepted me on the spot! I can't remember the exact wording used but it was something like "there is no reason why you would not get accepted" and "you seem like a really good fit for this program"...and yeah. Yay! But it also got me thinking about what it would be like to be around actors and not be one and now I'm really confused about what I want. Double yay!!!! My decision is going to actually be kind of a big deal!
After the interview, I got a tour with two of the current TAMs, who were awesome. But I was kind of in shock from having been accepted and in the throes of existential doubt so I maybe didn't take as many mental notes as I could have. Especially because my mom will not be driving me back there for accepted students day. Ah well. It's going to come down to money anyway!
The rest of our time in Ithaca was great. We went to the Moosewood restaurant that night, and the next morning we went to Cornell (where my grandparents met) and saw the chapel where they got married. Cornell is incredible. It's like its own city. I don't regret not applying there, because they don't have a good theatre department, but damn. That might have been worth 2 subject tests and $80.
So that was my Ithaca weekend! I can't believe I only have one more whirlwind trip like this. I'm kind of sad!