She's talking about a gap year

NotMamaRose
Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:57:21 +0000

classicalbk, you said that “At a Q & A at NYC Unifieds last week, a male parent asked if we should give the kids the summer off before college started, “like in all the movies,” and the director of the program said (with a smile), “No! If the student doesn’t have a performing JOB, the student should be getting some great training.” He particularly noted the need for boys to take summer dance intensives. So that’s yet another opinion.”

Really? I guess that would be the ideal, but for many kids, the need to work at at least a part time job to make money for college is kind of pressing. My D did just that (it was the first summer in years that she didn’t do a summer program) and she was just fine when she entered Tisch that fall.

And in my uninformed and non-expert opinion :), I wouldn’t worry too much about my kid taking a gap year in terms of being a year older at graduating and looking too old to play 16. My concern would be, first and foremost, my own child’s health and well being. As has been stated above, most BFA programs are quite demanding (physically, emotionally and intellectually) and I wouldn’t have wanted my own kid to enter one at less than 100%.