Colleges for a strong dancer and student

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Yes, DD is looking for a BA program, not BFA, on the mid-Atlantic coast. She dislikes big cities so won’t consider Baltimore, New York, etc. She would be okay with DC but AU not GWU. DH and I disagree on the right approach. He feels that UMDCP is the only school that meets all her needs - and our budget - and that if she doesn’t get in as a freshman, she should go to MC and try again until she does. I agree that UMDCP is the perfect combination but I want her to have other options. I appreciate all the suggestions.

Is this for ballet, OP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Yes, DD is looking for a BA program, not BFA, on the mid-Atlantic coast. She dislikes big cities so won’t consider Baltimore, New York, etc. She would be okay with DC but AU not GWU. DH and I disagree on the right approach. He feels that UMDCP is the only school that meets all her needs - and our budget - and that if she doesn’t get in as a freshman, she should go to MC and try again until she does. I agree that UMDCP is the perfect combination but I want her to have other options. I appreciate all the suggestions.

Is this for ballet, OP?

She’d like both ballet and contemporary, weighted more heavily toward contemporary.

[Anonymous]

Consider Case if contemporary is in the mix.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Yes, DD is looking for a BA program, not BFA, on the mid-Atlantic coast. She dislikes big cities so won’t consider Baltimore, New York, etc. She would be okay with DC but AU not GWU. DH and I disagree on the right approach. He feels that UMDCP is the only school that meets all her needs - and our budget - and that if she doesn’t get in as a freshman, she should go to MC and try again until she does. I agree that UMDCP is the perfect combination but I want her to have other options. I appreciate all the suggestions.

Is this for ballet, OP?

She’d like both ballet and contemporary, weighted more heavily toward contemporary.

Check out carefully the PP's claim that the UMCP faculty is not tenured or adjunct. My SLAC brought in (poor) modern dance teachers. I ended up going off-campus for classes, which she probably will want to do for ballet since she sounds at a very advanced level. Most universities won't offer classes to suit. I went off campus for undergrad and law school. Can you afford anything in Boston? Boston and Cambridge have a lot of good schools. UCLA has a good dance program but you said she doesn't want to go that far west and also it's impossible to get into from OOS. I know someone who did Towson for dance. This link says it is ranked no. 12. https://www.towson.edu/cofac/departments/dance/. That would be more affordable. Good luck! It sounds like UMCP is your best bet. There are old threads here on the same topic - usually seeking a good college with an elite ballet program. Unfortunately for your DD it really doesn't exist.

[Anonymous]

Towson is BFA only an would be very hard to double major.

That said, my daughter (not OP) will probably do a Dance BA and most likely a minor as she won't be coming in with a ton of credits and double majoring when you've already got 90-100 credits of 120 that you must take is very difficult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She’s at MCPS so needs a MD state college or merit aid elsewhere. She’d prefer medium or large, rural or suburban (not urban), north of the Mason-Dixon Line, and less than a day’s drive from DC.

We won’t qualify for much need-based aid. DH is extremely frugal and won’t break the bank on an expensive college.

MD in state schools are very inexpensive. It is going to be hard to find a private (even with scholarships) that will beat an in state options. Especially since it sounds like she is not a top student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The University of Utah has a very strong dance program; the honors college is solid; programs for biology or environmental college are good; and tuition even for out of state is a bargain. Unfortunately not close to home, but I think it'd be a mistake not to include it on the list for a dancer interested in biology.

Yes, don’t rule out Utah. I’m on the west coast and dancers with your daughter’s profile from my child’s school and studio go to Utah every year. SMU is another one that she should not take off the list. I think dance is an area where you really should focus on getting acceptances first and deciding based on geography second.

But with her stats she could do much better.

http://www.ivycollegeprep.net/articles/2015/12/17/the-university-of-utahs-bargain-honors-program.html#:~:text=The%20University%20of%20Utah%20typically,in%20large%20land%2Dgrant%20university.

The dance program is also highly selective and the honors college supports double majors. If she’s studying biology because she wants to go to med school, Utah is a very good choice.

She wants to go into conservation work. Utah is too far and too conservative for her but I agree it looks like a great program. One of DD’s dance mentors was on the faculty at Utah and left due to the lack of diversity and inclusion. That was many years ago though so it may be different now.

Chiming in to say it is VERY different now, so if someone stumbles across this and is wondering about diversity and inclusion at Utah, it is different from the state and LDS stereotypes you might be imagining.

[Anonymous]

I did look at some website about student demographics, and U of U is only like 1/3 LDS vs so many of the other schools in UT.

That said, it is near SLC and it is hard to say there isn't a strong presence in the area.

[Anonymous]

I have to say this thread is so refreshing to see such support for someone who wants to continue her love of the arts!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Yes, DD is looking for a BA program, not BFA, on the mid-Atlantic coast. She dislikes big cities so won’t consider Baltimore, New York, etc. She would be okay with DC but AU not GWU. DH and I disagree on the right approach. He feels that UMDCP is the only school that meets all her needs - and our budget - and that if she doesn’t get in as a freshman, she should go to MC and try again until she does. I agree that UMDCP is the perfect combination but I want her to have other options. I appreciate all the suggestions.

Is this for ballet, OP?

She’d like both ballet and contemporary, weighted more heavily toward contemporary.

Check out carefully the PP's claim that the UMCP faculty is not tenured or adjunct. My SLAC brought in (poor) modern dance teachers. I ended up going off-campus for classes, which she probably will want to do for ballet since she sounds at a very advanced level. Most universities won't offer classes to suit. I went off campus for undergrad and law school. Can you afford anything in Boston? Boston and Cambridge have a lot of good schools. UCLA has a good dance program but you said she doesn't want to go that far west and also it's impossible to get into from OOS. I know someone who did Towson for dance. This link says it is ranked no. 12. https://www.towson.edu/cofac/departments/dance/. That would be more affordable. Good luck! It sounds like UMCP is your best bet. There are old threads here on the same topic - usually seeking a good college with an elite ballet program. Unfortunately for your DD it really doesn't exist.

I think PP was referring to UMBC not UMDCP. But point well taken. Towson’s dance program is excellent but the academics aren’t as strong as the dance program and she doesn’t expect to make a comfortable living as a dancer (unless she teaches at the university level) so needs to prioritize academics. I hear you about finding the perfect balance. It’s hard. I think Boston would be great, but she wants to stay closer to home.

[Anonymous]

As a former professional dancer and a graduate of MIT my thoughts are:
1) Choose a college in or near major city where you can take dance classes off campus - NYC, Boston, Chicago (to meet your daughter's geographic criteria)
2) If you are looking for dance programs on campus as well then I'd say (in no order):
NYU
Barnard
SUNY Purchase
Pace
Duke
UMass Amherst

[Anonymous]

A dance degree is a pretty terrible invrstment of time and money. If she is not in a company drawing a wage by 18, it is not going to happen.
And please don't say that a dance degree is necessary to teach. The best teachers were former peofessional dancers, not college degree holders. Actually, the college degree holders are the worst teachers - they just go thru the motions, there is no understanding that it is a performing art because they dont have much experience performing.
If she really wants to stay connected to that world, dance companies always need savvy fundraisers, accountants, lawyers, business manager, stage support. Get skilled in other ways that can support her field of interest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A dance degree is a pretty terrible invrstment of time and money. If she is not in a company drawing a wage by 18, it is not going to happen.
And please don't say that a dance degree is necessary to teach. The best teachers were former peofessional dancers, not college degree holders. Actually, the college degree holders are the worst teachers - they just go thru the motions, there is no understanding that it is a performing art because they dont have much experience performing.
If she really wants to stay connected to that world, dance companies always need savvy fundraisers, accountants, lawyers, business manager, stage support. Get skilled in other ways that can support her field of interest.

I was wondering when someone would chime in with this ROI argument. Is that you, dad? I guess you didn’t read any of OP’s posts about her daughter’s academic interests? For many dancers wanting to dance seriously in college - in addition to pursuing a more lucrative path - a double major is a good choice. High level dance classes are often reserved for majors, and recreational classes won’t be of much interest to a conservatory dancer. Dance is more than a career path for many. It’s social, physical, therapeutic, and spiritual during stressful times. It provides balance and focus. And if you don’t get that, you probably never will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A dance degree is a pretty terrible invrstment of time and money. If she is not in a company drawing a wage by 18, it is not going to happen.
And please don't say that a dance degree is necessary to teach. The best teachers were former peofessional dancers, not college degree holders. Actually, the college degree holders are the worst teachers - they just go thru the motions, there is no understanding that it is a performing art because they dont have much experience performing.
If she really wants to stay connected to that world, dance companies always need savvy fundraisers, accountants, lawyers, business manager, stage support. Get skilled in other ways that can support her field of interest.

You keep making this claim about not making a living as a dancer if you aren't in a company by 18, and this just isn't true.

Based on just my year+ of following the journeys on the Dance Parent board, plenty of them have been able to find work, be it in a company, as a commercial dancer in a big city, working on cruise lines/amusement parks, and/or as choreographers. There are many schools that teach business skills if you want to open a studio some day. Radford actually has a BFA with an entrepreneurship focus that is exactly for this purpose.

It sounds like this student is making a good choice to double major. I applaud her for this and think it IS a wise choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A dance degree is a pretty terrible invrstment of time and money. If she is not in a company drawing a wage by 18, it is not going to happen.
And please don't say that a dance degree is necessary to teach. The best teachers were former peofessional dancers, not college degree holders. Actually, the college degree holders are the worst teachers - they just go thru the motions, there is no understanding that it is a performing art because they dont have much experience performing.
If she really wants to stay connected to that world, dance companies always need savvy fundraisers, accountants, lawyers, business manager, stage support. Get skilled in other ways that can support her field of interest.

Dance might also be a strong but not exceptional student’s competitive edge. I know a dancer who was admitted to Princeton ahead of other students with more impressive stats. Some schools value well rounded applicants.