My visit to Muhlenberg.
So when choosing a college... do you go to the very best school you can get into that's great for you? Or do you go somewhere you feel at home and just fit into, while also great for you, is not the best school you could get into?
I thought about that while at Muhlenberg College yesterday. I LOVED Muhlenberg. I did. They always stress the community feel of Muhlenberg, the 'second family'-ness, the camaraderie of students, faculty, etc. And it's there. There weren't even more than 30 students on campus today and I felt it. It's a cute little campus (only about 2100 students) with some old buildings juxtaposed with some very new, intricately modern ones.
The theatre program is absolutely top-notch. (ATTENTION: Any theatre kids out there who either don't have the grades for an NYU Tisch, or want a great safety school... here it is.) The facilities are magnificent, the building was finished not very long ago, there are 2 main theatres, a black box, practice rooms, scene shops, costume shops, rehearsal areas, dance spaces, green rooms, etc. all in one awesome building very modern in style. The classes are extensive, and within the major of "Theatre" there are multiple concentrations (Acting, Voice, Dance, Technical Theatre, Theatre Management, the usual) and you may study more than one concentration.
After our generic tour and info session, we had a private appointment with the head of the theatre department who gave us a complete tour of all the theatres and all the backstage stuff and told us everything to know about the theatre department. This man was the nicest man you could ask for, he gave us all the inside info on theatre, the Hillel, and the college in general, and over an hour of his time.
I am very confident in my ability to get into this school. (Their SAT averages are about 1250.) And I loved it. Which led me to think, "Well then why not just go there?" But then the part about me being who I am, and always striving to be the very best that I can be and more, comes into light. If I got into Northwestern, Brandeis (where, incidentally, the head of the theatre dept. told us his daughter was going), Duke... there's no way in hell I could pass that up to go to Muhlenberg College in Allentown. Even though I didn't get quite the same feeling at those other schools. I've always dreamed of going to a 'smart school'... you know, one of those schools that when I'm 30 and I say I went to X University, people think "Wow, she must be extremely intelligent." Hm...
Oh, and we saw Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre's production of Candide at night. The quality of the production was beyond excellent. However, despite the incredible talent of all involved in this particular performance, do not EVER pay money to go see a production of Candide. The show itself has no purpose or point, and has actually no business in being a 'show' at all. It's what we call a gross waste of Leonard Bernstein's talent, and that's a shame. You'll spend half the time going "W - T - F???"
Oh, and to kill time in the late afternoon we went to Lehigh Valley Mall about 3 minutes away from MC, and I bought 3 pairs of pants (unheard of for me, Miss I-Don't-Fit-Into-Pants-Esp.-Jeans-And-Two-of-These-Pants-Are-Jeans, in one short mall trip). And some sunglasses.
I thought about that while at Muhlenberg College yesterday. I LOVED Muhlenberg. I did. They always stress the community feel of Muhlenberg, the 'second family'-ness, the camaraderie of students, faculty, etc. And it's there. There weren't even more than 30 students on campus today and I felt it. It's a cute little campus (only about 2100 students) with some old buildings juxtaposed with some very new, intricately modern ones.
The theatre program is absolutely top-notch. (ATTENTION: Any theatre kids out there who either don't have the grades for an NYU Tisch, or want a great safety school... here it is.) The facilities are magnificent, the building was finished not very long ago, there are 2 main theatres, a black box, practice rooms, scene shops, costume shops, rehearsal areas, dance spaces, green rooms, etc. all in one awesome building very modern in style. The classes are extensive, and within the major of "Theatre" there are multiple concentrations (Acting, Voice, Dance, Technical Theatre, Theatre Management, the usual) and you may study more than one concentration.
After our generic tour and info session, we had a private appointment with the head of the theatre department who gave us a complete tour of all the theatres and all the backstage stuff and told us everything to know about the theatre department. This man was the nicest man you could ask for, he gave us all the inside info on theatre, the Hillel, and the college in general, and over an hour of his time.
I am very confident in my ability to get into this school. (Their SAT averages are about 1250.) And I loved it. Which led me to think, "Well then why not just go there?" But then the part about me being who I am, and always striving to be the very best that I can be and more, comes into light. If I got into Northwestern, Brandeis (where, incidentally, the head of the theatre dept. told us his daughter was going), Duke... there's no way in hell I could pass that up to go to Muhlenberg College in Allentown. Even though I didn't get quite the same feeling at those other schools. I've always dreamed of going to a 'smart school'... you know, one of those schools that when I'm 30 and I say I went to X University, people think "Wow, she must be extremely intelligent." Hm...
Oh, and we saw Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre's production of Candide at night. The quality of the production was beyond excellent. However, despite the incredible talent of all involved in this particular performance, do not EVER pay money to go see a production of Candide. The show itself has no purpose or point, and has actually no business in being a 'show' at all. It's what we call a gross waste of Leonard Bernstein's talent, and that's a shame. You'll spend half the time going "W - T - F???"
Oh, and to kill time in the late afternoon we went to Lehigh Valley Mall about 3 minutes away from MC, and I bought 3 pairs of pants (unheard of for me, Miss I-Don't-Fit-Into-Pants-Esp.-Jeans-And-Two-of-These-Pants-Are-Jeans, in one short mall trip). And some sunglasses.