<p>I don’t want to jump on you AD - sorry if you’re feeling on the spot now. I do feel kind of strongly about the issue you raised, and I see so many kids here who start with lists like you presented, who end up unhappy at the end, for lots of reasons, and I hoped I could explain to you, and others who read these threads, how possibly to avoid that.</p>
<p>To tell you the truth, though, even though what you say makes a certain sense, I still don’t entirely agree. The problem with starting with a list of all “big names” is that kids naturally start seeing themselves at these schools, and molding their impressions sometimes too quickly - and sometimes destructively. If all of us in helping kids find colleges started with “reputation,” there would be many thousands of students who aren’t accepted anywhere, or who are beating themselves up because they’re not happy at that “great” school “everyone” thinks it is. I myself got caught in that game when I was applying to college, and I am grateful to the people who helped me think outside the box and find a school that truly was a great fit for me.</p>
<p>It is really important to look far and wide, know what characteristics are important to you/your kid. You are right that starting with “top” (prestigious, greatly reputed, however you define it) or at least well-known schools as a template will help, although as has been said here, the “top” schools don’t resemble each other very much on a close look.</p>
<p>Look at the websites, and visit where you can. See if your D can come up with 4-5 really important characteristics that she is aiming for; you’ve mentioned small, conservatory-style training, and a couple of others, and there are lots more details for her to consider. She may find certain types of campuses do appeal to her - she’s a human being, and she does have to live at school for 4 years, so the general atmosphere is important. She may find some specific factors that you haven’t thought about yet - some kids realize they want more/less opportunities in tech and design, or directing, or writing, others realize they want the school to have a film department, or a minor in something they realize they love. Many kids here made final decisions based on study abroad, or how/whether the school has a showcase senior year, and lots of things that we don’t always examine closely at the beginning of the process. </p>
<p>She’ll get good at seeing which schools feel like “her,” and which don’t. Because great arts programs are so often located within less prestigious colleges, it does take searching, and asking in places like this forum. We also used regular college websites and searched under “BFA Theatre/Drama/Acting” to uncover schools we hadn’t heard of. </p>
<p>I’m actually not from Wisconsin originally - I have split my life pretty evenly between the Northeast and the Midwest. I think because of that my idea of “quality” is very broad and a little different from others’. My first D went to “regular” college, and her search process was hugely different from my theatre D. It was a huge education learning about this particular pathway, and I’m grateful I found CC fairly early in the game.</p>
<p>My absolute one piece of advice is that she should apply anywhere she thinks she might want to go in the end - within reason, of course, but a list of 12-15 schools is very normal for this group of applicants. The one thing she pretty much can’t do in the spring is apply somewhere she suddenly realizes she wishes she had included. It feels like a waste of money in some ways, but the alternative is a year wasted if she ends up without the options in hand at the end of the season.</p>