Reply to Why emphasize arts, theatre, etc when looking at colleges?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I’m not some kind of uncultured Neanderthal, I’m really not, but I find it a bit strange when I see parents focusing on the strength of this or that school’s art/theatre/music/dance programs. I get it, your kid is good at art, wants to stay with it, but come on. Unless you are loaded and the kid will never have to worry about supporting himself or herself, who cares about the quality of the art programming? It’s a nice hobby and a nice side benefit of going to college, but to prioritize it seems impractical to me. It’s hard for me to relate to. It’s like choosing a college based on how good the sports team is. Who cares? The point of college athletics is to use it to get into college, not to be a member of a team that had a 10-4 record rather than 8-6.

What am I missing?[/quote]

I think you are missing quite a few things.  Maybe the kid loves "that school’s art/theatre/music/dance programs" and want's to continue to participate in something that is meaningful to them in college.  Maybe the kid was so good as an artist, performer, instrumentalist and that got him into a top 20 school where he can still perform and enjoy that activity while getting an excellent college degree.  Maybe he wouldn't have had that opportunity without the arts.

As for sports, I would argue the same.  Some kids want to pursue their passion for sports and compete at whatever level they are capable.  Some go to D! schools on full ride scholarships where grades alone would not have afforded them the opportunity of being admitted.  Others go D3 (even if they had the grades to go to better schools} just to compete in a sport for which they have passion and love the competition.

I don't have stats for those that were admitted to college on some type of arts programming and if they became "professional" in that field of work.  However, I do know that fewer than 2 percent of NCAA student-athletes go on to be professional athletes. In reality, most student-athletes depend on academics to prepare them for life after college. Education is important. There are more than 460,000 NCAA student-athletes, and most of them will go "pro" in something other than sports.

Finally, if your kid is passionate about something, you should encourage it.  Maybe it's the arts, sports, academics - whatever.  The kids are the ones pursuing a dream and they are the ones putting in all the hard work.  You might find it strange.  I don't![/quote]

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