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NKU essay... any feedback?
Senior year is upon me, has swallowed me completely, and left me flailing around, gasping for breath and hoping I can hang on for just a bit longer. I never dreamed that my senior year could be so consuming, both in time and energy.
The most stressful part of this year would probably be the endless onslaught of preparations for all of my college auditions. I never thought it possible to spend so many hours pouring over songbooks and plays, desperately searching for appropriate songs and monologues. I have stayed up later than I should on most nights, and it’s starting to show in other areas of my life. Yet, it’s stressful in a surprisingly rewarding way. I have yet to find a parallel to the joy of finding that perfect song or finding that monologue that captures your exact frame of mind. Somehow, my school studies have never seemed quite as thrilling.
I’ve always been drawn to the theatre arts. I’ve been singing for nearly all of my life, and I picked up dance classes in elementary school. After my first musical, “Annie”, I was hooked. I went that summer and auditioned for the community theatre’s summer production.
It wasn’t until this past summer that I started considering it a valid career option, though. For a while, I had been debating whether or not I wanted to go into music education, an option that would play on both my loves: of children and of music. But then, of course, just as I had made up my mind, I happened to meet some of those “life-altering” people who inspired and encouraged me in ways I had yet to experience. One of my instructors from Governor’s School for the Arts, Katie Blackerby, made a comment that stuck with me, word for word, all these months. “If you can see yourself doing something else, then maybe this isn’t for you. But if you just can’t imagine yourself doing anything else, then go for it.” And there it was. When I sat down and thought long and hard about it (and I did, for the next two weeks, every night as I lay in bed in my dorm room), I couldn’t see myself being happy doing anything else. Teaching involved a desk, a dress code, a routine, and horribly insufficient budgets, not to mention having to contend with the overwhelming apathy that many educators have for the arts. I came to realize that I needed to be on stage.
This is what I want to do with my life. I want to wake up in the morning and go to rehearsal. I want to stay up late at night rehearsing lines, learning melodies, and conditioning my body. I just can’t imagine doing anything else. And so I vow to pursue my passion with every fiber of my being. I am auditioning for many schools, hoping to get into some good programs. I will not be discouraged by rejection letters, because I can’t afford to waste any of my energy on such things. With a bit of luck and a great deal of hard work, I plan to make my way into a good musical theatre program and earn a BFA in musical theatre. After this, I will work tirelessly to get an agent, and I will move to a large city in search of work. I am prepared to wait tables at a restaurant and live in a dirty apartment, if that is what is required of me.
I have heard many good things about Northern Kentucky’s theatre department. Several students from my hometown have graduated and gone on to study at NKU. While I have heard some negativity concerning the “concrete jungle”, I accept the lack of greenery as a small price to pay for a good education. I trust that Nortern Kentucky will provide me the necessary tools to survive in the theatre community. The fact that it is financially feasible is also highly attractive; many of the conservatories threaten to burn a hole in my wallet. And I’m not yet certain if a conservatory environment is what I desire. A university setting is very appealing to me, where I can study general education courses in addition to classes befitting my major.
I really do not know where I will end up next year. But I do know that NKU seems like an extrememly favorable place to go to school. I look forward to an exciting freshman year, where I will finally get the chance to pursue my passion.
Senior year is upon me, has swallowed me completely, and left me flailing around, gasping for breath and hoping I can hang on for just a bit longer. I never dreamed that my senior year could be so consuming, both in time and energy.
The most stressful part of this year would probably be the endless onslaught of preparations for all of my college auditions. I never thought it possible to spend so many hours pouring over songbooks and plays, desperately searching for appropriate songs and monologues. I have stayed up later than I should on most nights, and it’s starting to show in other areas of my life. Yet, it’s stressful in a surprisingly rewarding way. I have yet to find a parallel to the joy of finding that perfect song or finding that monologue that captures your exact frame of mind. Somehow, my school studies have never seemed quite as thrilling.
I’ve always been drawn to the theatre arts. I’ve been singing for nearly all of my life, and I picked up dance classes in elementary school. After my first musical, “Annie”, I was hooked. I went that summer and auditioned for the community theatre’s summer production.
It wasn’t until this past summer that I started considering it a valid career option, though. For a while, I had been debating whether or not I wanted to go into music education, an option that would play on both my loves: of children and of music. But then, of course, just as I had made up my mind, I happened to meet some of those “life-altering” people who inspired and encouraged me in ways I had yet to experience. One of my instructors from Governor’s School for the Arts, Katie Blackerby, made a comment that stuck with me, word for word, all these months. “If you can see yourself doing something else, then maybe this isn’t for you. But if you just can’t imagine yourself doing anything else, then go for it.” And there it was. When I sat down and thought long and hard about it (and I did, for the next two weeks, every night as I lay in bed in my dorm room), I couldn’t see myself being happy doing anything else. Teaching involved a desk, a dress code, a routine, and horribly insufficient budgets, not to mention having to contend with the overwhelming apathy that many educators have for the arts. I came to realize that I needed to be on stage.
This is what I want to do with my life. I want to wake up in the morning and go to rehearsal. I want to stay up late at night rehearsing lines, learning melodies, and conditioning my body. I just can’t imagine doing anything else. And so I vow to pursue my passion with every fiber of my being. I am auditioning for many schools, hoping to get into some good programs. I will not be discouraged by rejection letters, because I can’t afford to waste any of my energy on such things. With a bit of luck and a great deal of hard work, I plan to make my way into a good musical theatre program and earn a BFA in musical theatre. After this, I will work tirelessly to get an agent, and I will move to a large city in search of work. I am prepared to wait tables at a restaurant and live in a dirty apartment, if that is what is required of me.
I have heard many good things about Northern Kentucky’s theatre department. Several students from my hometown have graduated and gone on to study at NKU. While I have heard some negativity concerning the “concrete jungle”, I accept the lack of greenery as a small price to pay for a good education. I trust that Nortern Kentucky will provide me the necessary tools to survive in the theatre community. The fact that it is financially feasible is also highly attractive; many of the conservatories threaten to burn a hole in my wallet. And I’m not yet certain if a conservatory environment is what I desire. A university setting is very appealing to me, where I can study general education courses in addition to classes befitting my major.
I really do not know where I will end up next year. But I do know that NKU seems like an extrememly favorable place to go to school. I look forward to an exciting freshman year, where I will finally get the chance to pursue my passion.