Thanks all for your feedback. We can probably send her to college with no Financial aid as well but obviously Financial aid helps a lot .The focus at this point is more on the best college options given her scores given that she will be majoring in a subject other than dance/drama with or without Financial aid. She is a drama student at IB as well. She is into all kinds of dance including choreography (excluding ballet) / acts with singing skills in many school and non school plays/ plays a good level in Oboe & Piano. She has been engaged in dance since 3rd grade, drama and other instruments since 5th grade. She is in various school orchestras as the only Oboe player. She is school ambassador for new students etc…At this point of time the objective is to get to a short list of potential reaches/safetys & match that matches good academics with the strong extra-curriculars. Weather is not a big issue but wouldn’t mind california…places like Claremont Mckenna. Columbia, Tufts, Barnard, Vassar , Wesleyan, NYU, UC Berkley, Upenn( probably a high reach) are few of the colleges in the short list. Prefers a highly urban environment.I guess we will make a better call after her ACTs.
she needs to add USC [ Southern California] to her list. USC has, in addition to a fantastic school of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the The Glorya Kaufman School of dance, the Thorton School of music, and the USC school of Dramatic Arts. She would be able to continue her love of the arts there while getting a first class education at one of the most popular universities in the US. You cant get more urban than Los Angeles, and the student population at USC is now over 50% non white- comprised of a remarkably diverse group of highly intelligent, accomplished students from all over the US and world.
Add Carnegie Mellon (CMU), with its School of Drama: http://www.drama.cmu.edu/
I think you have to decide whether you will apply for financial aid or not.
Many top schools in the US will guarantee to meet full need for internationals, but if they are need aware, your financial aid application will be a factor in admissions. I believe all of the schools on your daughter’s list are need-aware. That doesn’t mean that she wouldn’t get admitted or wouldn’t get need-based aid (as long as you qualify for it). It just means that the competition which is already fierce for internationals is even more so for internationals who apply for aid.
Merit aid is a different category, but merit aid for internationals is hard to come by. Some possibilities of schools that offer merit aid and have decent music and/or performing arts would be Bard, Mt. Holyoke, Smith, Scripps, Kenyon, Emory.
Among the schools in the Claremont consortium I would suggest Pitzer or Scripps over Claremont McKenna.
I’d keep an open mind on the “highly urban” requirement. Most international students gravitate toward urban centers. She’d have less competition among other internationals at school in rural or small town environments, especially if she’s coming from a crowded demographic like India.
I would look a little further into schools that “value dance/drama/music” even if their location is less than optimal. In this category I would put Bard, Smith, Kenyon, Skidmore, Lawrence, St. Olaf, Muhlenberg.
Williams – also very rural – is highly competitive but has excellent music and theater and beautiful dance facilities, plus ample performance opportunities for non-majors.
Even if she doesn’t intend to major in music, theater or dance, she should submit performance supplements with her application. She the individual college websites for instructions.
You need to be aware of a few things…
- VERY few US colleges are need blind for internationals. The total # is under 25. At schools which are not need blind for internationals, applying for financial aid will hurt your chances of admission.
2, Even if you can afford to pay, it is difficult for internationals to gain acceptance to a US college. It is particularly difficult at the small number of colleges which are need blind for internationals. (So, even if you CAN afford to pay full price, getting into the colleges that are need blind for internationals is extremely difficult because they attract so many international applicants. If you can afford to pay, you may want to put some colleges that are NOT need blind for internationals on your list because the odds your D will be admitted will increase.)
- The colleges that are strongest in dance, music, and drama are usually the hardest for those interested in those areas to gain admission. In other words, when a top college offers a lot of opportunities for dance, music, and drama students to perform , it will attract a lot of applications from students who are strong in those areas. The greater the number of applicants with those strengths, the more stellar an applicant's achievements have to be in order to stand out in the applicant pool. Vassar, Wesleyan, Vassar, Barnard, and Bard are all schools which attract a LOT of students who are strong in these areas. Barnard, for example, has a very strong dance department and therefore attracts a lot of truly talented dancers. http://dance.barnard.edu/ Not many top colleges have as strong a dance department--most don't offer the chance to major in dance like Barnard does. Thus, your daughter will be competing with lots of other dancers vying for admission to Barnard.
- Your D may be better off applying to colleges that are good, but not outstanding in terms of the opportunities to perform if she (and you) really want her to study in the US. Her application will stand out more in the applicant pool. Moreover, if she is admitted, she may have a better chance of being selected for the orchestra, chorus, or dance troupe. If your D is not aiming to make her career in one of these areas, she may be happier going to a school where she will have a chance to perform in the "best" or one of the "best" groups rather than to a school where getting into these groups is extremely competitive, especially as you say she doesn't want to major in these fields.
- As a GENERAL rule--there are LOTS of exceptions--it's easier to participate in these activities at a liberal arts college than at a huge university. For example, here's a link to the University of Michigan Dance Team. http://www.michigandanceteam.com/There are 25 undergrads on it. That means that each year, about 7 freshmen women will be selected for the team. My understanding is that about 10 young women try out for each place on the team and all of them have years of dance experience.It's very difficult to make the team. If you do, you'll have practice 4 or 5 days a week PLUS performances.
- Your D will have to be able to perform with an American accent in order to have much of a chance of being cast in many dramatic roles. It may seem unfair, but no matter how talented she is, she will have difficulty getting roles if she has a "foreign" accent, no matter how excellent an actress she is.
- Colleges have very strict requirements as to how to submit arts supplements. Don't attempt to develop any until you have read the submissions rules.
- http://www.edupass.org/ is a good place to start learning about applying to US colleges.
Just to clarify there are only 6 colleges in the US that are need blind for internationals and that guarantee to meet full demonstrated need: Amherst, Dartmouth, MIT, Harvard, Princeton and Yale. (Others, like Cornell and Georgetown are need blind, but they do not guarantee to meet full need.)
There are however quite a few – several dozen, including many of the most selective – that are need aware BUT still guarantee to meet full need. In other words, if you can get in and you demonstrate need, you will get enough financial aid to attend. This is the conundrum: if you get in you will get need based aid, but if you apply for aid you may not get in.
No question that admissions for internationals is extremely competitive, especially for those from countries with many high achieving students such as China, Singapore, Korea, India. The best approach, as @jonri says, is not to limit yourself from the get go with restrictions on geography or culture. Look at schools that don’t attract many international applicants. And don’t apply for aid unless you need it.
As an aside, favor Scripps or Pitzer among the Claremomts for an artsy kid. McKenna is the opposite of that vibe. Not sure about Penn eirher.
Right now you have dream schools-eeach for everyone schools; assuming that you won’t be applying for financial aid, you need 3-5colleges with admit rates the 40% and 2-3with admit rates above 50% or where she meets criteria for automatic scholarships.
If you apply for financial aid, divide the admit rate in three to have more accurate idea of the odds. Read the threads here, both in college selection/admissions and in International about kids who have very few choices regardless of . Think of the heartache that rejection after rejection after rejection causes, and even if you think that surely your daughter will get in somewhere, encourage to apply also to colleges the names of which aren’t known worldwide.
This can’t be an ego boost process, because when the rejections come it’s ego destroying. The strategy must be rational and focus on fit, not prestigiosity 
In addition, to have a shot at the “less known colleges” , it’s important to show interest early and regularly.
Right now your daughter should be filling out forms on the Muhlenberg, Goucher, st Olaf… Websites so that in a year her application isn’t summarily rejected due to lack of demonstrated “interest” and Tufts syndrome.
Somebody upthread suggested CMU. Be careful there. It is a conservatory style musical theatre program (one of the best) and it will be practically impossible to get on the stage without being a drama major. Since it is instrumental music you might want to consider University of Rochester. Another thought of a little less competitive would be George Washington in DC. Connecticut College in New London would be another thought. Strong dance, not sure about the music an drama.
Although it’s in a rural area, I would also suggest looking at Williams.
Amazing facilities: http://62center.williams.edu/about/ and great kids and professors https://vimeo.com/104947758
Fordham at Lincoln Center is in a great location in NYC - they offer minor and major in theatre. Fordham also houses the Alvin Ailey school of dance. Also, the Juilliard school is next to Fordham and through Fordham’s partnership with Juilliard, advanced music majors may take courses for academic credit at The Juilliard School Evening Division. Also there is a brand new high rise dorm for Freshmen.
Brown University in Providence Rhode Island also has a very vibrant Theatre and Performing Arts (TAPS) Department that welcomes and encourages non TAPs majors to participate. It’s a great place for artists with broad academic interests
Best of luck with your daughter’s search! She sounds a lot like my daughter.
Both of my kids were very good ballet dancers, the youngest started dancing at age 3. They had great intention of continuing with their dance in college, but due to academic demands they really didn’t have as much time as they thought. My kids danced close to 20 hours a week at their peak, but it’s not possible for them to devote that much time while in college. This is the case for many athletes too. They want to go to a school which offers the sports they play, but then they find they don’t have enough time to devote to it.
Many top tier schools have music, drama, dance majors, but unless your kid wants to major or minor, I am not sure if I would worry so much to have it as a top criteria. As far as urban vs rural, I would encourage your D to consider going to one of those out of big city, beautiful American college campus schools. She will not have an opportunity to have that experience again, and she will always be able to live in a big city all her life. BTW - as a parent, I think you would feel safer at Williams than at NYU (I live in NYC, and my kids went to Cornell in Ithaca).
Re: Carnegie Mellon…unless you are an auditioned student in their School of Drama, you will not be in or involved in those productions. However, the school does have other drama opportunities for non-majors.
This parent needs to read carefully. As noted above, some of the schools have great dance, drama, music programs for their auditioned majors. However, if the school has a strong auditioned program, non-majors will not be able to participate in the programs for those who have auditioned.
The OP seemed fairly explicit about her daughter’s preference for a liberal arts college where she can continue to dance, rather than a conservatory BFA Dance program. I echo Barnard, Tufts, Williams, Connecticut College, Oberlin, Northwestern, Scripps, Pomona, Sarah Lawrence, Skidmore, Goucher, Vassar, Bennington, Bard, and Kenyon. Fordham-Lincoln Center’s BFA program would not be appropriate, although the daughter could take classes in NYC if she attends any college there. Similarly, Tisch/NYU would not offer the liberal arts curriculum she seeks.
She should look at Bates even though it’s not in a huge city. She does not have to major in dance to participate.
Check out Santa Clara University in California. If I’m not mistaken, their department of theater and dance is open to all majors. You would have to contact them to verify this.
My own daughter was not a music major, and played the oboe and English horn in their orchestra for four years. She also was able to continue private lessons at no cost as long as she played in the orchestra.
My D (H.S. class of 2015) also has a background in dance and music (string instrument) but plans to major in a STEM field. We did a lot of research on dance minors (who has them, what they emphasize, whether they are part of a program with a dance major/BFA or just a minor program, etc.). We learned to look specifically at the curriculum for the minor. For example, NYU Tisch does offer a minor, but it has a very strong global emphasis. Case Western Reserve has an excellent program, but focuses only on modern and ballet.
Tulane’s dance and theater program could be a great fit for your D. Nice size and decent facilities with a minor, major and a BFA in dance, and they offer a wide variety of classes (musical theater, tap, hip hop in addition to ballet & modern). Tulane also offers solid academics, excellent financial aid, and the opportunity to live in New Orleans. They also have voice, theater, and music. And I am pretty sure that on the tour they said that anyone can try out for their theater productions.
URochester is an excellent school for STEM & liberal arts, but they only have a dance minor and none of their studios have sprung floors. Also, the classes were scheduled such that dance classes started at the exact same time the regular academic classes ended. Didn’t make any sense. The music school is separate from the main campus as well. That said, there are a number of dance troupes that students can get involved with for performance opportunities.
Vassar was gorgeous for dance and theater, not to mention really impressive academics. Absolutely loved it, but had to drop it from our list when D decided on engineering. Connecticut College and Skidmore were also lovely. Swarthmore’s dance program is supposed to be amazing, but we didn’t tour that school. These are all great LACs that really nurture the arts - but you won’t find much in the way of merit scholarships.
As decision time gets closer, D is focusing on University of Southern California because of their engineering program, and she was fortunate enough to get a significant merit scholarship. In her scholarship interview they asked her a lot about dance and her choreography, so perhaps her diverse background appealed to them. A potential down side is that they only offer a minor and a BFA, and the minors cannot take classes with the BFA’s, but there are about 135 minors so there should be a good mix of levels to keep her challenged. Plus they have a brand new 50k square foot dance facility under construction that will be state of the art.
Other schools we considered - University of Maryland Baltimore County (not College Park), Drexel; University of California Santa Barbara, Tufts, Boston University, University of Ohio.
Best of luck in finding a good fit for your D! She sounds like a very talented student!
Why do people keep suggesting schools like Williams and Northwestern with a 2100? Yes, the scores could go up but haven’t people been reading about the blood bath the past couple of weeks?
I have also seen some wonderful admittances. Good stats only get you a seat at table, it is how you play it that matters.
^^ Agreed. And a strong interest/talent in dance can help a student stand out at a competitive LAC. My D went ED to Middlebury (accepted with a 31 ACT) and wants to study env sciences and economics. Dance has been her top EC for many years. Middlebury offers a strong dance program that is well supported by the community. She can participate even if she isn’t a major. The dance department was a big selling point, it had exactly what she was looking for in a college program.
We have to remember that the OP’s daughter is an international applicant who may need financial aid. As an international her SAT will not necessarily keep her out of colleges like Williams or Northwestern, but her need for financial aid might.
My daughter is in the class of 2015 and entering college in the fall. She is studying to become a Costume Designer and needed a school with a strong program in production and design/theater in order to pursue her dream. We also needed a school that was affordable, and one that would give her a university experience as well. She has a 29 ACT and 1800 on her SAT. Many of the schools that she investigated were conservatory programs or very centered on the arts. These schools do not tend to take a lot of applicants and require an audition, whether it be in person (unified auditions) or over skype/video. Some of these schools give great scholarships to students who need them, international students included. There are also universities that have great arts programs but are also traditional uni’s that have stronger endowments and have the ability to award talent as well as need based scholarships. My daughter applied to schools within her possible reach-California Institute of the Arts, Emerson College, Pace University, DePaul University, SUNY Purchase (the SUNY schools are a GREAT value and many have stellar arts programs), CU Boulder (near our home) and Carnegie Mellon. Only one was an arts school. Half of them gave great aid, the other half not as much. She was admitted to all except for CMU where she was wait listed (also a little bit of a reach ;)) In the end the auditioning paid off and she was awarded a nice scholarship to DePaul and a spot in their BFA Costume program. Her program is small, and perfect for her. It’s an incredible process depending on what your daughter wants to pursue. You don’t need a big name college to pursue a dream (Ivy, top tier), just a strong program. If she wants to study the arts AND major in something else, a traditional university with a good arts program might be perfect for her-or it may be the best place to study her passion full time. Here are a couple of links that give some info on affordability-many of the schools mentioned in the affordable colleges for the arts are also on the list for international students. Good luck to your daughter! She sounds very bright and talented. http://www.greatvaluecolleges.net/affordable/art-music/
http://www.greatvaluecolleges.net/affordable/international-students/
These are diverse lists that give you a ‘basic’ idea of affordability-tuition, aid, etc. 