We may not have Sororities and Frats but UNCSA does consists of five distinct schools: Dance, Drama, Film, Music, and Design and Production. This is a school where the student population only barely rivals a small town high school in size. Theatre geeks, orchestra dorks, bun heads, techies and trekies, and film fanatics all fit into distinct "houses".
The School of Film: Gryffindor
Let's face it, film kids have the best schedule (therefore the most time for adventures). While the film program does a lot of hard work just like anyone else at UNCSA, this program does seem to give ample time to "experiencing life". Second semester of freshman year they only take classes Tuesday through Thursday, so that leaves them 4 day weekends (jealous).
And this may sound obvious but film kids have encyclopedic knowledge of films, actors, directors, crew members, ect. Film kids know movies like Hermione Grainger knows the ropes and ladders of witchcraft and wizardry.
"Values bravery, daring, nerve, and chivalry"
The School of Drama: Slytherin
Every school at UNCSA is super selective but Drama is by far the most difficult to be accepted into, being the No. 6 School of Drama in the world *cough cough*. They accept less than 30 new students per year. And once the year starts they can only wear all black to their classes, and they're always -always- together.
Their teachers tear them down, rip them apart, and transform them into beautiful and fantastic actors, so when they all leave they'll have great careers ahead of them.
"Values ambition, cunning and resourcefulness"
The School of Music: Ravenclaw
Musicians spend countless upon countless hours practicing in small, white walled 5x5 rooms all day, every day. Sitting on piano benches or hard chairs playing variations of A B C D E F G over and over again, and don't even get me started about our rehearsal schedules. We're all a bit strung out and our hands probably hurt, and then we go back to our dorms and do music theory and musical styles homework until dawn and repeat.
"Values intelligence, knowledge, and wit"
The School of Design and Production: Hufflepuff
DnP students have to be the most eclectic school in all of UNCSA. It consists of 9 sub concentrations within in DnP : Wig and Makeup, Costumes, Props, Lighting, Scenic tech, Scenic Design, Sound Design, Stage Management, and Scene Painting. DnP students are not only accepted off of talent alone but by how well they get along with others, because these guys are the foundation of the rest of the school. They build pits for the Opera, stages for drama productions, costumes for ballets, and basically anything else you can think of. If you've seen a UNCSA show, you've seen DnP in action.
The program is generally misunderstood by anyone not in it and underappreciated, but they still love what they do. True Hufflepuffs.
"Values hard work, patience, loyalty, and fair play rather than a particular aptitude in its members"
The School of Dance: Beauxbatons
Dancers, Contemporary and Ballet alike, are very close knit and hard to get to know. When they talk about dancing it's almost like their speaking French, or sometimes they quite literally are (i.e. assemblé, balançoire, ballon, chassé). Having a guidebook when going abroad is always a good thing to have, and I would consider dancing a foreign affair, so here are a few pointers that I've learned over the years.
1. Feet that look like bananas are good, biscuits are bad.
2. Stretching is life, if they say they can't hang out because they're stretching, take their word for it.
3. Did I mention feet? Compliment their feet a lot, that's a biggie.
-I hear France is beautiful this time of the year-
"Values kindness, artistic ability, maturity, and idealisticness"
Always remember that the real magic is hard work and determination, which this school has in abundance. So when you get your letter in the years to come, I personally welcome you to the beauty of art school and magic that comes with it.
