How do I choose a college?

Since your want to pursue ballet as a career, the first thing to do is to find schools that will compliment this goal. The most straightforward way is to find schools with dance degree programs, preferably ones with a reputation for ballet, and research their application process. Next, you need to understand your budget for college - for most people in the US this will be the main way your options get pared down. You should also understand the general ways to find employment as a professional dancer - maybe it will be a long term advantage to go to a school near a strong dance culture so that your job prospects are maximized. The alternative path is to study something in college that is your back up and stay involved in dance through other means so you keep your skills sharp and ready for professional auditions.

If you have been studying and preforming ballet into your high school years, I would think you could reach out to your instructor(s), competition officials, or others in the dance scene to get an idea of how to make going to college work for you and your goal.

Hi, Zella,

I think you have two very good answers already, but I want to give you a couple of other things to consider. When you pick your college, I think the best starting point is to determine what you ultimately want to do for your career (or maybe pick a couple of career options) and find schools that have programs that match your career aspirations. If that's being a professional ballet dancer, great! Start your search there. If you're unsure about what you want to do, or even if you are sure and want an interesting read, check out the career guide I linked below. I think it's extremely helpful - I wish I read it before I went to college.

As far as visiting schools goes, I think you'll find that a lot of schools have virtual options. Many colleges offer "virtual tours" on their websites. Asking to have a phone conversation with an admissions counselor can be helpful too. If you ask, I'm sure just about every school would put you in touch with a current student in a program you think you might be interested in so you can ask some questions.

I hope this helps - good luck! Feel free to reach out if you need to.

<span style="background-color: transparent;">Collegeboard.org is a great resource for this! I poured through the pages of universities all over the U.S. when I was a senior in high school. Collegeboard was my go-to site! They put all of the information in one place and it is very easy to use. They even have various filters you can apply to see only colleges that have programs you are interested. To determine academic rigor, look at the admissions requirements, G.P.A. of past admitted applicants, SAT/ACT scores, class rank etc. This will give you an idea of what scores and grades you need to be accepted. However, don't be discouraged your application will be reviewed based on the full picture! College-board will help you get an idea of what is most important to the specific school you are applying to.</span>

This professional recommends the following next steps:

• <span style="background-color: transparent;">Chat with your Guidance Counselor</span>
• <span style="background-color: transparent;">Create a Collegeboard.org account</span>
• <span style="background-color: transparent;">Start using CollegeBoard as a resource to look up schools.</span>