Consider Emerson College in Boston. Strong for dance, film and other creative pursuits. I know a junior there. She loves it.
In looking at your list, I’d say it looks very reach-heavy.
One thing that I often tell families when thinking about how to craft their application lists is to think about the mental makeup of the applicant. Some people can handle tons of rejection well and will use that to fire themselves up to be amazing wherever they land and show what a big mistake the rejector made in not accepting them. For people like that, a reach-heavy list can be a reasonable decision. Most people, however, tend to receive a mental and emotional blow from rejections. And if they receive a lot of rejections, they can start to doubt their own self-worth and the quality of any acceptances they have received. I find that the majority of people do better with more acceptances than rejections, but it really is based on the individual. Nobody on this forum knows your D, but I would give this topic some serious thought in your family when deciding how to balance her college list.
Additionally, I also tell parents to dedicate significant amounts of time on schools that are likely or extremely likely to accept an applicant. That’s time researching, talking about, and visiting those campuses. If a family only spends time focusing on low admit schools, then kids are likely to interpret that behavior to mean that those are the schools that the family values and respects. And if their kid decides to attend a higher admit school (by personal preference or because it’s their only option), kids can take a hit to their self-esteem thinking that they’ve disappointed their family or that their family may not think as highly of them. The vast majority of applicants who are denied at low admit schools are really amazing candidates; it’s just that odds are they’re going to be rejected because there aren’t enough spots at those schools. And there are terrific schools with higher admit rates, so any time spent thinking/visiting them is unlikely to be wasted, because they’re likelier to offer an admission.
With that said, these are some schools that I think your D may want to investigate. I’ve sorted them by their acceptance rate for the fall of 2023, the latest year available in College Navigator, the feds’ website of college data. Please note that some programs may require an audition or portfolio (particularly for BFA programs). If that’s the case, the admission rate for the program is probably quite different from the university’s overall acceptance rate. That said, some schools will offer both BA and BFA programs, with the BA program not requiring that secondary admission step.
Although you indicated that your D likes the idea of NY and MA, I noted there are schools elsewhere (like Oregon). So I’m giving myself a little bit of geographical latitutde here with my suggestions of potential likely schools:
Extremely Likely (80-99+%)
- Montclair State (NJ): About 18k undergrads with an 87% acceptance rate
Likely (60-79%)
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DePaul (IL): About 14k undergrads at this Chicago school with a 74% acceptance rate
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Drew (NJ): About 1600 undergrads at this school with a 69% ACCEPTANCE RATE
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Ithaca (NY): About 4400 undergrads with a 70% acceptance rate. Also, students are able to cross-register at Cornell, which would dramatically increase the foreign language options as well.
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Rutgers – New Brunswick: About 37k undergrads with a 65% acceptance rate (this rate is for entry in fall 2023, and I believe the acceptance rate has dropped significantly over the last year or two)
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SUNY Fredonia: About 2900 undergrads with a 79% acceptance rate
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SUNY Purchase: About 3200 undergrads with a 73% acceptance rate
Toss-Up (40-59%)
Lower Probability (20-39%)
Low Probability (less than 20%)
Also, strongly seconding U. of Arizona for your D.
This is so important for parents to internalize; it should be pinned to Day One tasks for all parents when beginning to think about colleges with their kids.
Thanks! This is very helpful feedback from everyone.
It seems to me that many of us make lists that do not have enough likely and safety schools.
Hampshire comes to mind, used to be very strong in film, though in recent years I’ve heard the course offerings are not what they used to be as the school almost closed and has had to reduce course offerings and staff. I’m a Hampshire alum. As a Californian I do wish there was somewhere like Hampshire here in CA. The combo of designing your own major and thesis and the five college consortium is unique.
Oklahoma City University apparently has very well regarded performing arts programs, particularly in dance I believe.