Interlochen Arts Academy - Review #2

Interlochen offers an experience unlike any other. Teachers care for their students and offer challenging classes, which test students' academic abilities and forceS them to think outside of the box. They truly care for their students and are part of the Interlochen family. It is a place of talent, friendship, and is as unordinary as high schools can get. The campus is incredibly unique, situated between two lakes with acres and acres of beautiful woodland separating it from the surrounding area. The students gather from all over the world to celebrate the arts and perform with the utmost professionalism- setting them up for conservatories, universities, and some even jobs post-graduation. Many famous musicians have attended Interlochen, however students who graduate from Interlochen are also academically prepared for professional jobs. I was a voice major while attending Interlochen, and though I still love to sing, my interests are in the sciences. I am attending Michigan State University planning to graduate with a B.S in Biochemistry and a B.A. in Chemistry in 2005 and am currently preparing for the MCAT medical school entrance exam.

I love Interlochen. It is a place that will always be in the back of my mind. I have since returned to work summers at their camp as well and still keep in touch with many of the teachers that have inspired me.

I would not have done anything differently upon arriving to Interlochen. You do however have to be careful about what your arts-interests are because you cannot do multiple things. Students cannot be in the dance and the theatre department. It is very specialized and you focus on the one arts interest that you came to Interlochen to improve.

Everything that Interlochen is an inspiration. Students enhance the best parts of each other through their training as well as their friendships. I would never want to change the drive for perfection that the students, administrators, staff, and faculty have at Interlochen, it makes us who we are.

Recently the administration has had a lot of shifting as well as the addition of a new President. This new president is very qualified as a president but has never attended the academy and I don't know how that will affect the school.

Make sure not to close yourself off in a practice room. Interlochen is not only its music but a wonderful experiance with the people around you, giving you memories that will last a life-time. I suggest going to Interlochen all four years, because for me the more of Interlochen, the better, but other students are not prepared to live without a parents guide at 14 so choose the years that you attend carefully so that you can get the most out of Interlochen possible. Beg for overrides into classes that you are interested because those classes are not reciprocated at any other place in the country. Get to know your professors as people because they have invested a lot of time into improving students' performance both academically and muscially. Take everything that they say and recognize that years of experience have gone into that knowledge so they probably know what they are talking about. Get to know your counselor!!! Your counselor will be the determinate as to where you will go after highschool so make sure that they know every potential that you have and can express that to anyone they meet. Have a blast and take more pictures than I did. It is an experience that will give you a lifetime of memories.

Interlochen's academics are not easy. They are not classes that students can study only minimally and still do well. They challenge students but aptly prepare them for college, universities, and conservatories, giving them the study skills necessary to do well, as well as the dedication to perfection that many teachers instill in their students.

There are a few number of AP classes offered.

Our dance department is about as close to athletics as Interlochen comes. We have a student vs. teacher annual basket- ball game and a high-ropes course but no competitive sports. Our band would win any competition in the state...if only they could march. It is a performance band.

Not applicable.

The school is an Arts Academy and offers one of the best arts programs in the country, which prepares students for the best conservatories in and out of the country. Students leaving Interlochen have headed to The Julliard School, the American University in Paris, Emerson, New York University, Harvard, Cornell, and many other prestigious universities. It offers private lessons, guest teachers, and requires auditions to ensure a high quality of musician-ship.

There is nothing that is lacking about Interlochen's Arts Program.

Students have a variety of activities that they can participate in after their classes but some majors demand a lot more time than the general 9-4 school day that many high schools offer. Theater and dance majors have class until six on a regular basis. Music majors often have early and late rehearsals the week leading up to a performance. Many non-school related activities can consume one's post-school time. There are coffeehouses, dances, readings, movie nights, trips to the mall or restaurants, ski nights, and a lot of friendship building.

Our prom is a blast, however since students live in the dorms and do not have cars, students are bussed to prom.

Dorm life is great at Interlochen, and becoming an RA at Michigan State has reinforced this belief. Rooms have fully bathrooms, which were renovated in some of the dorms only a few years ago. The rooms are equipped for two people and everyone has a roommate. The dorms are constantly undergoing renovations such as the addition of Ethernet and new furniture. The RAs at Interlochen have a very few number of students to be responsible for as opposed to college, and can therefore give them the attention that they need.

Living with a roommate in high school is sometimes difficult for some students to adjust to. Students do however have the opportunity to change rooms if roommate disagreements are not resolved through discussions.

During the academic year students dine in Stone Cafeteria. It is really quite nice for a cafeteria and takes the suggestions of students very seriously. It offers special Sunday brunches, holiday dinner, senior dinner, post-prom brunch, and many other specialized nights. During the fall and spring, students often choose to eat outside on park benches or down by the beach.

It is still a cafeteria.

Interlochen offers a very nondiscriminating environment. Students live and interact with each other on a daily basis. Students accept what visitors might think of as unordinary dress, hair color, sexual orientation, language barriers, racial background, or any idiosyncrasies students might seem to have because they all have come to Interlochen with common interests to perfect their skills as a performer.

The level of diversity is incredibly high. Students come from a variety of backgrounds and come from states across the country as well as countries around the world. You live in an environment with students with your same interests who are from Korea, Macedonia, or a number of other places, and you develop the appreciation for their different culture.

Weekends, ah, the wonders of weekends at Interlochen. Well, to start, Interlochen's academic week is Tuesday through Saturday, which may seem strange at first but this allows students to have rehearsals in class that day for their Saturday night performances. It also allows students to come into Traverse City on Monday afternoon without the hassles of the weekend rush at the mall or long lines at the theatres. In the winter, a nearby ski resort offers incredibly discounted rates for students wanting to get off campus to hit the slopes. Interlochen has many activities on campus on the weekends such as movie nights, dances, coffeehouses, readings, dinners out with staff members, block parties, casino night, as well as the never-ending list of concerts and performances going on.

Interlochen, the town, is tiny. It has a grocery store, gas station, elementary school, pizza places, mom-and-pop restaurants, and a few other amenities. Traverse City is only 13 miles from the Academy and offers any shopping, movies, restaurants, or anything that a high school student might feel necessary.