From US News & World Report:
Television shows make performing look fun, but the process of applying to colleges as a prospective visual or performing arts major is anything but. For these students, the admission process can be even more nerve wracking and time consuming because of requirements for auditions or portfolios.
To learn more about what's involved in being a prospective visual or performing art major, USNWR talked with Halley Shefler, former dean of admissions at both the Boston Conservatory and the School of Music at Boston University. She is now a college consultant at The Arts Edge, which works with students who want to major in music, theatre, arts, and dance.
Here are six of Shefler's suggestions on how artistic students--and their parents--can navigate the admission process:
[Get more advice from U.S. News's Guide to Admissions.]
1. Don't apply where everybody else is. This is good advice no matter what your major is. Ambitious students who are aiming for the same elite schools that are on everyone's short list will usually be disappointed. These schools are overrun with applications and will reject most students. In musical theater, for instance, applicants tend to flock to the University of Michigan, New York University, Boston Conservatory, Carnegie Mellon University, and the College-Conservatory of Music, which is part of the University of Cincinnati.
