I have never been president of anything before in my life. I was so scared to run and a little more scared once I got elected, but I had nothing to worry about.
As a returning college student, my first year was a lot of trial and error as I learned what did and didn’t work for me. Now, I am hopeful that I can improve my quality of life by implementing some new habits and goals.
College is such an exciting and monumental time and often people who love you most want to know all about it! In an effort to thank them for asking, I try to offer a holistic view of the year so far. Here are some things I have implemented so I can try and remember as much of college as possible.
Would you keep talking to someone who is having a conversation with another group? Stop searching for approval in a room that doesn’t want to listen or watch.
When talking about academic integrity for a performing arts major, the topic becomes a little tricky to discuss. Especially when most of your assignments include performing monologues, scenes, and having personal reflections, there doesn’t seem like much room for you to disrupt the expectation of academic integrity.
For the past couple of years, I have had friends tell me I should start an Instagram focused on Broadway. I have always loved keeping up with the latest news, so, it was suggested I find an outlet for it. I never actually considered it, though, because I thought it might warrant judgment or embarrassment. Eventually, I grew tired of this fear.
Theatre is the cornerstone of literally every other art form. While every other art form transports viewers to another world through sight or sound, theatre suspends one’s disbelief by literally creating a whole world right before the viewer’s eyes, unseparated by space, time, or a screen.
A few weeks of the semester have passed, so it’s finally time to discuss how the new term has been going. Personally, I’m having nothing short of a great time as a sophomore at the University of Connecticut. I’m making new friends and I’m continuing to get more involved with extracurriculars. Here’s a brief recap of my semester so far!
When I started going to school and developing my craft, I ended up dropping most of the ideas that these acting technique books taught me, but I found myself seeking out something else entirely. A big aspect of the acting technique that I studied in school dealt with breathing and mindset. Because of this, I sought out books that helped the mindset of a storyteller.
So far, getting to work on this show has been really cool. I love DND and I think it is oh so awesome, so getting to dive into that through She Kills Monsters has made me oh so happy.
In high school, academic integrity was at the forefront of my school's philosophy. At JMU and the School of Theatre and Dance, the expectations are the same. Here's how Megan keeps her academic integrity strong during times of stress.
I can recall certain instances where actors have bent over backward trying to make themselves available, whether that means calling out of work several times a week so they could attend callbacks or planning their vacations based on when auditions are slow.
The most obvious difference was a lyric change in “Do-Re-Mi.” Instead of using solfege, they sang “C-D-E,” and each pneumonic was changed to reflect the note name (for example “D like the fast D-Tram”). My original shock grew when they sang 'H' after 'A.' This led me down a road of discovery, dating back to the time of Gregorian Chant.
You will never quite be in this place with these people doing the things you are doing ever again, so enjoy all of it. It isn’t going to be easy by any means, but do what you can to enjoy what you can.
Each new audition season at Yale, I feel that I learn something new to bring with me into the next. I hope that by the end of my senior year, I have accumulated the most effective set of strategies to bring with me into a potential career.
The tech weeks were approaching for both shows and academic work was not letting up. When I would get back to my dorm after late nights, I had no motivation to do homework but I had no choice as it would be due the next day. I was definitely feeling burnt out.
The age old question that manifests as every college senior's sleep paralysis demon. The despicable conversation starter students dodge from family members during the holidays, afraid they’ll get hit in the face with a proverbial cinder block of truth. The uninvited elephant in the classroom cosplaying as a new student on your first day of senior year, reminding you the time to raise your hand is running out. The saying that haunts every human being at the brink of change…It’s funny how just two little words hold the weight of the world and could determine a lifetime, if you let them: what's next?
With Marymount I fell I have the best of both worlds: Student life on Campus and life outside.One of the things I love the most about going to school in New York is the sheer amount of opportunities outside and within my school.
Try singing every genre, even the ones that you think are out of your wheelhouse, and get an understanding of what you sound best doing. This isn’t to say that you should never try to sing anything outside of what comes naturally to you, but having an understanding of your strengths and weaknesses will help you as you continue training as a vocalist.
What do you do when you get to senior year and realize this will be your last call for places or last 5 minute warning? Here's how I, Student Writer Destiny, will be handling my senior year.
My biggest piece of advice to anyone starting the college process would easily be to stay as organized as possible: communicate with your teachers and people who have gone through it before, Google Sheets is your friend, and remember your “Why.” Keep your passion at the forefront and you’ll have and endless supply of all the motivation you could ever need.