She's talking about a gap year

onstage
Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:45:23 +0000

Completely agree. Don’t think for one minute that the atmosphere in a BFA program is going to be relaxing. Sure, the kids are doing what they love – but the competition is high, the work is difficult, and the professors will expect a great deal. My daughter’s days in a BFA MT program typically began at 8:30 am and didn’t end until after midnight – 7 days a week. And I have to tell you, it involved much more “book-related prep” than I ever expected.

The OP’s daughter may well feel better and less pressured in a few weeks – but if not, my advice would be let her take the gap year if she needs it. A BFA program is a high-pressure situation, and she needs to go into it feeling mentally ready.