A Dancer's Guide: How to Decide on a College Program
Recently, I was contacted by a dance parent whose child was considering majoring in dance at a university. This family was taking a very important step in selecting a college - visiting campuses! Any resource for prospective college students will stress visiting a university before you invest your time and money. Here is a good list of things to consider when choosing a school. Below, I've included some things you may want to think about as you consider a major in dance at a college or university.
The audition process can tell you a lot about what a particular school is looking for in prospective students and what you can expect from the program. Most dance departments require an audition of some sort. Sometimes the audition can be sent via video/dvd, however, most programs will want to see you in person. An audition may determine your entrance into the dance program or it may be a placement audition which helps faculty decide in which technique levels you will begin your study (provided, you meet requirements for general acceptance to the university). Either way, an audition will typically consist of an interview with faculty and participation in a dance class (usually both modern dance and ballet). Some schools will ask to see a performance of choreography either of your own making or set on you by another, but this is more rare. Dance departments who require an audition into their department are usually looking for skillful dancers who will benefit from polishing and perfecting their technique for a professional career in performance or choreography (often these schools offer a B.F.A degree versus a B.A but this is not a hard and fast rule). Those that require a placement audition or no audition at all expect to have varying levels of ability and experience within their classes and provide a less-specialized education for those seeking employment in a more diverse range of dance-related careers.
Other considerations should be the school's location, facilities, and campus life, and how you feel you will fare within these. If you are a small-town kid, the transition to a large, inner-city school can be quite a culture shock, and visa versa. (This can be a positive or negative.) When visiting campuses, make sure that you are able to see the dance facilities (maybe even see some classes in progress or talk with faculty) and get a feel for the campus in general. Talk to other dance students if you can and trust your instincts. While auditioning for college programs, I experienced both ends of the spectrum. I suffered through an audition before faculty and students who received me with an aloof manner and seemed to eye me with cool distance before auditioning at a school in which I was immediately greeted by a dancer within the department and treated with warmth by faculty members. Can you guess which school I attended? Both are excellent schools but School A was not for me. Some thrive in a competitive environment, I needed to be where I felt welcome and supported in order to succeed.
If you are concerned about grades, as was the parent who contacted me, it is important to know that (assuming you've got another year or so to go) you have time to improve. Grades are usually not all a college looks at for entrance, however, poor grades often result in required remedial classes (taken over the summer) - not fun! Right now, you may think that academic work is not as important (or interesting) as the work you do in dance class. However, keep in mind that in the professional world, good dancers are intelligent people that could do anything they want but choose dance. Intelligent dancers are curious and want to learn and grow even in areas outside of dance. High school grades don't always reflect the potential that lies within many students but it won't hurt to, right now, begin to practice the kind of dedication, perseverance, and self-discipline that a major (and career) in dance will require of you, and work to bring up those grades!
This rounds out the college posts for now. I encourage questions or comments so send them my way!
On a side note, I am taking a brief hiatus from blogging while on vacation with my family in Massachusetts. More when I return...!
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