<p>If she has good stats, I’d look into smaller private LAC’s. We came across many that were not so good on the need-based aid but offered pretty generous merit aid. My daughter has been accepted into two schools so far with large merit offers independent of major. She was THEN offered opportunities to apply for additional department related merit. Looks for those schools that offer merit and for which your child is above the 75th percentile.</p>
<p>Something to consider when looking into schools is how they handle the film department should she decide to go that route. I believe schools like UCLA don’t let students apply to the program until end of sophomore year. However, there are some schools that fill those departments freshman year and don’t offer much to non-majors. If she wants to keep film, theatre, music… any of those majors as options choose schools that keep them open.</p>
<p>As for creative fields and careers, it really depends. It’s a hard road for performers… no question. However, if you are a behind the scenes person, it’s not so hard to keep regularly employed (not necessarily going to make a ton of money unless you hook-up with a national tour but most we know happily keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.) There is a lot of “business” in “the business” as well. The world needs agents, company managers, stage managers, entertainment lawyers and the likes. Someone has to organize the creative people. Arts administration is a real profession and there are schools that offer that major. It’s tough to become a film director but movies aren’t going away and you’ve seen on the credits how many people they hire. You could get a teaching credential and become a studio teacher… that’s a fun sort of job for those that like kids, the arts and steady employment. It really depends on your flexibility. I worry about the kids out to become actors but we know tons of kids who were able to turn their love of theatre into successful careers in lighting design, stage management, educational theatre and more. My husband and I both started in more creative fields in entertainment and shifted to the business side when we started a family. Still get the community and environment with better paychecks lol.</p>