You have several options. You might decide to attend a professional training school or
conservatory that will prepare you for a career in your discipline. If you haven’t decided
that you’d like to pursue a professional career or if you want to explore academic subjects
during college as well, you can consider a university or liberal arts college.
Right now, you are probably asking, “But how do I know which school is right for me?”
This chapter will help guide you through some self-analyzing. It’s for all types of creative
students—actor, artist, dancer, musician or writer—you’ll want to take time to consider
what campus setting you’d thrive in best.
The Artistic Component in the Admission Process
Unlike many of your college-bound peers, as an artist you have a different angle on the
college application process. For many of you, college may be the fi nal step in preparing
for a professional career. Also, the selection of your college is not just a choice for the next
four years because where you attend can have a profound impact on whether or not you
will have a professional career in the arts.
The artistic component of admission to college affects you in another way as well. Not
only do you have to prepare college applications like any other student by obtaining
teacher recommendations, including a writing sample and possibly taking standardized
tests (depending on where you apply), but you also have the artistic component, which
can be an audition or a portfolio. Many independent art schools, conservatories and artistically
competitive liberal arts colleges and universities view your audition or portfolio as
one of the more important—if not the most important—components of your college application.
Because the artistic component of your college search will likely be a critical factor
in your admission result, you can’t be prepared enough for your audition or for creating
your artistic portfolio. But not to worry—these are addressed in detail in the chapters for
specifi c arts disciplines.
Doing Your Research
One of the most important things in making the best college choice is to do your research!
This is especially true for student artists. You have already spent a substantial amount of
time pursuing and mastering your art so you can reach for the fullest potential. Finding
the right college program to advance your training to the next level may be the last step
in the process of becoming the artist you want to be.
Other questions you’ll need to start thinking about include geography. Do you want to
stay close to home? Does it matter? Would you like to live in a particular region of the
country?
Campus size is an important factor because it can have a lot to do with your comfort level.
Do you want to know most everyone on campus or in your department? Then smaller
might be better for you. Do you want to interact with graduate students and never meet
the same person twice? If this is the case, a larger school might be right up your alley.
Consider what you want your college years to be like. If you want the traditional trappings
of college life—like sporting events or Greek life—then maybe a more conventional
atmosphere like a university or college would suit you better than a professional school.
This book can help you, but there are also several other ways to fi nd the information that
you need. (See the appendix for publications and Internet sites that can assist in your college
search.) The National Association for College Admission Counseling hosts Performing
and Visual Arts College Fairs across the country each year. At these events, you can
learn about various schools and programs and ask admission offi cers questions. A trip to
a college fair is a great fi rst step in narrowing down what you want in a school.
The Internet has made it easier than ever before to fi nd out details about specifi c college
programs. Visiting the school or department websites of schools that interest you can give
specifi c details about that school’s offerings and help you determine if you’d enjoy being
a student there.
The Campus Visit
If you decide a school merits serious consideration as one of your college options, you
need to talk to people on campus—students, professors and offi ce personnel can be the
ultimate source of information. Of course you can talk by phone, but talking in person is
even better.
For most creative students, the campus visit can be paired with an audition or a portfolio
review, which is usually part of the admission process for students of the performing arts.
However, if you live a long way from a school you like, you may be able to audition via
videotape or send in your portfolio for review without visiting.
While a campus visit can give the best insight into whether or not you would enjoy being
a student there, the admission offi ce might be willing to arrange a phone interview to
answer any questions. Ask if you can talk to a few students on the phone to learn more
about their experiences. Getting a student’s perspective of campus life can help you determine
if the school would be a good fi t for you.
Standardized Tests
As you probably know, most four-year colleges and universities require test results of
either the SAT or ACT. However, some conservatory arts programs do not require these
tests. Check with the admission offi ce of any institution you are considering to fi nd out if
you are required to take one of these exams.
If you plan to apply to a wide range of artistic programs—including conservatories, liberal
arts colleges and universities—you will need to take at least one of these standardized tests.
Liberal arts colleges and universities almost unilaterally require test scores as one of the
key factors in admission decisions, and your application will not be considered without a
test score. You should plan to take one of the college entrance exams during your junior
year of high school, or at the very latest the fall of your senior year.
Test preparation books and free sample tests are available at www.collegeboard.com for
the SAT and at www.act.org for the ACT. You can get a feel for this type of exam by taking
the practice tests offered. If you are still nervous about taking your college entrance
exam or if you have trouble setting your own study schedule, consider working with a
study group or taking a test preparation course from a reputable company like Kaplan or
The Princeton Review.
Although many schools permit you to submit either SAT or ACT scores, you may want
to take both tests. One test format may be better for you than the other, and as a result,
your score on one of them may be higher.
Even if you plan to apply to conservatory-based college programs or professional training
schools that usually don’t require standardized test scores, you should consider taking
them anyway. If at the last minute you decide a conservatory or professional arts program
is not for you and you want to apply to a liberal arts college or university artistic program
instead, you’ll need standardized test scores to apply. If you don’t have them as a backup,
you may have to defer college for a year so that you can take the test required for admission
to one of these schools. The same logic applies to having an SAT or ACT score on
your transcript in the event of a transfer to another program or school. Having test scores
under your belt affords you many more college options if you discover a program isn’t
right for you and you want to transfer. Just look at college entrance exams as “insurance”
if you change your mind at any point in the admission process or once you have already
enrolled in college.
Financing Your Education
Weighing the cost is no small factor in making your fi nal decision. At fi rst, consider colleges
purely from an educational point of view. Ask yourself, “Does this college offer
what I need?” Narrow your choices to a short list of favorites. Then add in the cost factor
as it can be quite signifi cant in making your fi nal decision. Although many professional
schools, colleges and universities offer substantial fi nancial aid packages—including
grants, scholarships and loans—these are not always enough. Only you and your family
can decide how much is too much.
If your parents are willing to help you pay for your college education, consider yourself
lucky. The cost of higher education is substantial, and their support can make an enormous
difference in your life after college. Parental support can eliminate or reduce debt
that you might otherwise incur due to taking out loans to pay college tuition.
Have a College-Cost Talk With Your Parents
Before you get ahead of yourself and count on your parents to share your college expenses,
fi nd out just how much they are willing or able to contribute. Just because your
parents have said they will pay for college—or help you pay for it—does not mean they
have the resources to pay for 100 percent of it. Realistically, they may not be able to pay
as much as they promise. It’s very important to sit down and have an open, honest discussion
about the fi nancial aspect of college. Find out the following:
■ How much of your college expense do your parents plan to provide?
■ How much do they expect you to contribute?
■ Will there be a need to take out loans?
■ Will they pay for all four years of an undergraduate program?
■ Will they give you additional money for books, clothes and recreation?
■ Are they considering the fact that college costs tend to rise each year with
tuition increases and that the possibility exists for decreased fi nancial aid
since funding varies from year to year?
