How to narrow down the initial list

binx
Mon, 28 Feb 2011 09:59:41 +0000

For my D we did something similar. We kept a Word document in which we listed on the first page all the schools that had been recommended to us, or that we’d heard of and had an interest in. There were many schools.

Then I started going through them one by one (yes, me, not my D - long story, but it just worked better in our situation) and created a page or two for each school. On it, I listed some basic facts such as size, tuition, SATs, scholarship ops, etc. If the SATs were out of range, or the price was too high without scholarship ops, or whatever, I made a note on the first page, and didn’t go further. (eg. “No, no scholarships”) If I felt it fit what we were looking for, I then explored the website to see what sorts of things I thought might catch my D’s interest. I copied and pasted snippets, both positive and negative. I also explored other sites that offered reviews (such as CC’s college visits page).

At that point, if it seemed like a possibility, I emailed my results and the school website to my D, and she began her own exploration of it.

Some of the things my D looked for were availability of other courses of interest (languages, for example) and extra-curriculars she liked. Not everything made a great deal of sense to me! She got excited by things like ping-pong tables, recycling, windmills, bicycles, and discouraged by things like Pepsi-only campuses. :/

We started off with something like 60 or 70 schools. I think I send her links to about 20, and she brought that list down to 10 or 12. Then we began visits (which, for us, took place early senior year, because we lived out of the country prior to then). She further eliminated a few schools because she didn’t click with the teachers, or like the atmosphere, or whatever.

Although my D wasn’t looking for what you are looking for, I think the process might be the same. Although I believe voice students usually end up with a longer list.

Some of the things you might add to your evaluation are what your teacher things of each school, what happens to the graduates, and what opportunities exist for undergrads. Some of the voice folks on here can give you a better idea of what voice majors might look for.