[This is what is consuming our household this summer - it might be interesting to some, boring to others, but as the parent of 2 high school seniors - this is where we are in life right now :)]
On Friday, Colin & I visited Chapman University & Dodge College of Film & Media Arts in Orange. This was our third college visit (we've already hit Loyola Marymount University [nice] & San Francisco State [eh]). I had already fallen in love with LMU and didn't want to like Chapman. LMU is much closer to home and 5 minutes from where Scott works. I'm thinking about logistics here. Plus, it's closer to the beach (that would have been a top priority for me back in the day).
We started our tour at Dodge, and I was completely and totally blown away. I now understand what it's like to be a parent and only want the very best for your child. You think you know these things as they are growing up and you are trying to give them the best of everything, but when you start visiting colleges, it really hits. They are finally at the age where they can (hopefully) appreciate the sacrifice, and you want to do the most you possibly can to help them achieve all that they can. It's the most anxiety-producing feeling ever.
Dodge is a nearly brand new, 76,000 square foot, $40 million dollar, state of the art facility. The equipment they have here is jaw dropping.
Production stages...sound stages...mixing studios.
Equipment that would rival any Hollywood production...everything is brand new, and the students have access to it all from the get-go.
After Dodge, we toured the main campus, which is also practically brand new, and gorgeous.
Like LMU, they have a large piece of the Berlin Wall, which is spectacular.
The entire campus is wireless - you can be anywhere and have internet access! All the classrooms have desks with outlets for laptops, I was trying to figure out what they didn't think of.
And even though Loyola might be closer to home, the beach, Scott's work - Chapman is down the street from Old Towne Orange, and while that might not interest Colin, it's a big draw for me! I think this school moved up a few notches in my mind.
Now someone just needs to get himself accepted...and then we would need to figure out how to pay for this because it doesn't come cheap.
Look at this - the parking structure is under the football field! How cool is that?
