Looking for colleges with fantastic contemporary dance vibe, USCSA alpine skiing, and high med school acceptance rate

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More about U Utah. They give great merit money for those with very high GPA’s, (up to 10K/yr and continue to offer it every semester, based upon one’s previous semester’s grades). And they let you become in-state after one year’s residence, if she plans ahead and establishes domicile there (she’d have to file taxes independently, not be claimed by you). And I’m pretty sure that all summer classes are at in-state rates. So theoretically, she could start taking classes in the summer term (having gone out there to get a driver’s license and a place to stay and registered to vote, the minute she can get done with high school), and take summer classes, and she’ll be in-state tuition rate for her last 3 years. It shouldn’t hurt her med school applications to be applying as a Utah resident.

If what she wants is dance, skiing, and medical school, honestly, I don’t think that there is a place that holds a candle to U of Utah. It’s not all Mormon anymore. SLC is liberal, <50% Mormon, and the U is a reflection of that. Sure, there’s still a very strong Mormon presence there, but it’s easy to have a vibrant college social life outside of Mormon circles.

The campus is very nice, with a sweeping view over the entire Salt Lake Valley (when there’s not an inversion going on). Seriously, you really must go out there to take a look. One needs to apply before Dec 1st for consideration for fin aid - she really has nothing to lose, putting in an application. Then, if the weather gods cooperate, and there’s good snow, I’d seriously consider making a trip out there with your senior to look at the campus and check out the ski areas. The only warning is don’t go during an inversion - it will negatively color your opinion of the school, even though most of the time there is not an inversion going on. And of course, the ski areas are all above where the inversion takes place. I see that Utah trains at the Olympic venue in Park City area - that’s seriously only a half hour drive from the campus! Plus there are 7 major ski areas all within 45 minutes of campus.

And they have a very highly rated dance program, including modern dance.

Unless one is going to a school which has its own ski hill, like Middlebury or Dartmouth, there is just no other school that has such proximity to skiing at all, let alone 7 world-class areas with usually fantastic conditions. Then add in the massive world-class medical center that feels like a small medical city right adjacent to campus, plus the very strong dance program, and no school can come close to what Utah offers for her. Cost should wind up relatively reasonable, too. The only drawback is distance, but at least Delta, United, American, and Southwest all fly from SLC to Portland, albeit with one stop.

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I can attest to how lovely SLC is. I went there for a conference last year and was very impressed with how beautiful it is and how friendly everyone was.

I also had a friend whose kid went there and established Utah residency — it seems quite easy and will be a real cost savings.

I agree that it’s worth an application and a visit.

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I want to remind all premeds that the responsibility is on them, and not the school. The student does the work, contacts profs to meet, initiates activities, volunteering, etc. Almost every school in the country has the classes required for medical school.

My colleague’s child attended an Ivy League school, has a family of doctors, and has not yet received any interviews. My colleague told me she (colleague) is getting very stressed. She told me she had no idea how difficult this process has become.

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@Mainedad24 This article gives advice for freshman “premeds” and might be beneficial to keep in mind as your D explores undergrad options. She sounds great and can’t wait to follow her journey!

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This is unfortunately very common now. High GPA, high MCAT, every other box well-checked, but no interviews. Years ago, I recall reading a news report in which a med school adcomm member had the courage (or stupidity) to tell a reporter the truth - that they were specifically not interested in doctors’ children (well, it depended upon who their parents were, and where they came from) - they were looking for FGLI from disadvantaged backgrounds whom they assumed would be better able to relate to, connect with, patients from that background (or so they said).

My kid, from an Ivy, with all of those boxes checked, but the child of a doctor, only got two last minute interviews, and one last minute acceptance just before the final reply date. Some of their equally well-qualified classmates got no interviews at all. Of course my child took that one acceptance, even though it was from the least prestigious MD school they’d applied to. Expensive, too, and no scholarship. And now, no surprise - they’re probably number 1 in their class, are establishing an impressive reputation there, while meanwhile, the school is finding that they’ve got to raise the bar for passing class exams, and mandate remedial instruction, because it seems that the preferred accepted applicants, the ones they are seeking, are having trouble passing Part 1 of the Boards - which has about a 92% pass rate, overall.

If the applicant is definitely set on medicine, and hasn’t gotten any interviews, they should consider throwing in a few DO applications. DO schools seem to still like students with high GPAs, high MCATs, and all the other boxes checked, even if the applicant is the child of a doctor and not FGLI or whatever else the adcomm is seeking. Tell your colleague that her child should add DO applications, unless they’re prepared to take a 2 year gap while they do whatever they can to further improve their application - and even that might not be enough to yield MD interviews.

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Yep, pre-meds are expected to have it all–and not just in box-checky way.

Mission fit is critical for getting an acceptance.

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Re: Univ of Utah. D & husband live & work in SLC: spouse works for UU. Both D and spouse did professional training there. Although SLC itself is liberal, get just a few miles outside the city limits of SLC itself and Utah is very red. Red areas include all the major SLC “suburbs”–like Orem, Provo, Ogden, Sandy, West Jordan, etc. D has a colleague who is a hijab-wearing Muslim woman (and a physician!) who literally was stopped by a local sheriff as she was entering a town and told he was stopping her because : “You look like you don’t belong here.” She was on her way to a clinical placement at one UU’s satellite hospitals. (There’s more to the story–and her treatment there got much worse.) So, SLC proper is fine, lovely and very friendly, but get outside of town and beware…

Also there was no snow this winter. Skiing was simply terrible. Lots of bad fires, including one that burned to the very eastern edge of the UU campus. (The fires drove the local rattlesnakes onto campus and at least one hospital worker was bitten while sitting on the patio having lunch outside the staff cafeteria. SIL knows the guy personally. Not an apocryphal story. It was also reported in the local news.)

Air quality in the city is often very poor, ranking among the worst in the world. Blowing minerals from the dying Great Salt Lake can make the air quality hazardous to health at times if you live on the west side of town.

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Any thoughts on Elon as a safety?
Not great for getting to skiing Virginia(Winterwood) I think, but good with dance/premed/ UG teaching. Pretty isolated.
Does the Greek system dominate social life because of its location?

I also know a lot about St. Olaf but am unsure if I can convince D to apply.

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It’s a safety. That’s my thought. But if dance has an audition, then is it a safety?

But I would think app state would fit the needs better.

There’s many safeties where a student can ski.

So why Elon ? If that’s the case, why not any # of non selective southern schools, Elon included.

If skiing is out, then sure.

What will the major be ? Dance with pre med intention ? If that’s the case, academics are only part of the challenge. Does she have a teacher who has seen kids get into programs ? If so, what do they recommend school wise ? Let’s say she gets into a desired school but not for dance - then what ?

I’d think U Hartford would be better but maybe more competitive dance wise. Or Muhlenberg. Certainly UVM would and now they’re giving discounts !!

If skiing is out and you don’t want Elon isolation, look at College of Charleston. They have dance. They are a few blocks from a major medical school. And if sure Ivy material, she might get invited to join the Fellows program for extra enrichment. We looked at Elon. I loved it. But like Miami Ohio, daughter didn’t love the isolation. But loved the urbanness of her school. There’s other non selective safeties nearer to snow hills etc. I’d hate to think she’s giving up on something already. But it sounds like skiing is hard - so what if she didn’t make the team?

If skiing is in, then no to Elon - or C of C. You mentioned Western schools b4. Odd she able to go West ? Lots of safeties.

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I know one girl who attended Elon as a safety and did very well for herself. She didn’t like it at first - I think the social scene was not for her but she finally found her people.

Personally, I would choose my state school over Elon. Nothing personal against Elon.

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@Mainedad24

Given your daughter is now a senior and is working on apps (or will be soon), has she given any thought to the schools mentioned here?

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Absolutely. The primary focus is on the ED and EA schools/scholarship essays/ SAT prep and finishing the dance supplements. Then we work on the rest of the apps.

For anyone who has had a dancer that watches a lot of Tik-Tok/YouTube Dance Awards/performances, have you had to deal with “Imposter Syndrome” in your kid?

She loves, loves dance but doesn’t think she’s good enough, despite the awards. Subjective judging/politics, playing favorites and inconsistency do not help these young ladies’ self esteem.
And as parents, the kids say “Of course, you’re going to say I did great” and turn around and become their worst critic.

Long ago, I stopped saying “You were fantastic”. I just say that “I’m proud of her, love her, and ask what she thought of her performance.” At a recent competition, the judging wasn’t very good(multiple opinions confirming the same), but D27 and I bonded over WC soccer. It was her favorite part of the trip.

Any other useful tips for combating Imposter Syndrome and building a kid’s confidence?
It seems to be ubiquitous amongst learners in every field today, including my own.

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Does she have a teacher or coach who can help with auditions and give her true guidance?

If it’s her dream, I think it’s wonderful she pursues it - but she may (or may not be) good enough - but perhaps a non audition program can be for the back burner as a safety - because anything else probably isn’t.

But hopefully she has a coach/mentor of some sort that can really steer her to the right places for her.

I think when you look at at Elon, per your example, it’s safe - but safe for Poli Sci and safe for dance (where an audition is required) is likely two different things.

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Does she want to major in dance? I am a little confused.

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I have a dancer though I know nothing about competitive dance - that wasn’t my kid’s thing. The dance world can be tough. Kids need to be able to take constant correction/criticism and use that to improve not get discouraged. In addition, unless they are truly one of the best, they are going to have some very disappointing auditions. Unless they are able to keep going in the face of disappointment serious dance may not be for them. Again, I can’t speak to competitive dance which may exacerbate this kind of imposter syndrome. But to dance seriously you have to know you’re good enough to be there and have that confidence (while still acknowledging that others might be better).

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One of my kids is a professional musician. He says…folks in the performing arts need to understand they will have periods of rejection, and that is just the way it is for performers.

He fully understood what it meant to not get asked to play in an ensemble, or get the part he wanted to play if he did. It was sort of part of his training even when he was young.

There will be people who are better dancers than your daughter. There are also dancers who will get parts that she would be more than able to do…but doesn’t get the part. I think she needs to understand that this is the way it is. And do her dancing for the love of doing her dancing. Anything above that is icing on the cake.

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That’s where the Imposter Syndrome and multiple competing interests come in and the ultimate reason for the post. She is conflicted. If she does dance, it most likely would be as a choreographer. My guess right now if she were to be accepted at say UMich or USC is that she would tryout/audition during her sophomore year. Her senior ski season is too important to do auditions in December & January. Maybe dance BA, perhaps student run dance groups(several NESCAC schools, Dartmouth).

But medicine is also her focus and one of the reasons she has now started looking at Tufts. She’s realistic, but we also want her to chase her passion. She already opined her FOMO with soccer. She had to make a choice between soccer and dance in high school and occasionally regrets that. We don’t want her having any regrets. I know several physicians who had another career before pivoting to medicine. Why not pursue dance on some level first?

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So back to - what major?

I thought dance major - but now you are talking abut dance clubs, etc.

For that, it’s more an unknown - especially when you talk about sophomore year.

Who is guiding her/mentoring her in dance now? Does she/has she taken lessons on technique, etc.?

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We know a couple of folks who were professional dancers, and when they left dance, that is when they applied to and attended medical school. Neither one was a “premed” major in undergrad. Neither majored in dance either… but did continue to take dance lessons (both were ballet). After undergrad, they auditioned for dance companies and were fortunate to be selected. Danced for about 10 years. Started med school in their 30’s.

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