<p>This is such a deeply personal decision and I’m sure the first hand reports you’ve gotten have been very helpful. Let me also add that many (if not most) of our kids who are already in college theatre programs did not attend schools like Interlochen and Walnut Hill, so it is obviously possible to get into great schools without doing so. If you are banking on talent scholarships as part of the return on investment of attending a private program, I would think again. In my experience, the predominance of the dollars offered are, as KatMT pointed out, for financial aid. After that, academic merit scholarships receive the next highest amount, with talent receiving the least in terms of individual awards and the total pot available.</p>
<p>Many of our kids very successfully balanced challenging academic course loads with rehearsals, lessons, community service, extracurricular activities, etc. Depending on the type of program and school your daughter is looking for, that’s another route to go. Beefing up her resume at this point with time-consuming community theater roles is not necessarily the only ticket should she decide to stay at home. Concentrating on school and lessons is certainly a viable option, especially if you supplement it with audition coaching as college gets closer. </p>
<p>I’m not trying to dissuade you from pursuing either of the wonderful private school opportunities you mentioned, just pointing out that there is another road that has worked for many of our families.</p>