There are more than three thousand schools
of higher learning in the United States. Needless to say,
there is a school for absolutely everyone. As an artist, you
will have some very specific requirements and needs of the
college or conservatory you choose to attend. You must begin
by asking yourself some very simple questions. For example:
"How do my artistic and academic interests influence my decision
about college?" "What kind of college, conservatory, or art
school is best for me?" "What kind of person do I wish to
become?" In addition to all the considerations you will have
as an artist, you will also need to think about all of the
routine college criteria such as: location, class size, coed
or single sex, campus environment, and financial aid.
You should also remember that your ideas will change and evolve over the course of the year. Ultimately, you are not only applying to colleges, you are applying to options. The option to attend a conservatory, the option to study the liberal arts, the option to live in New York City, the option to be closer to home. As a result, perhaps the right list of colleges for you may be a list of colleges that are not a great deal alike. It is not uncommon at Walnut Hill to have a single student apply to conservatories of music, Ivy League universities, public universities, and liberal arts colleges. Each option is appropriate for different reasons.
After developing an initial list in the spring, we will work closely over the autumn months to insure that you have confidence in the list you have developed. We encourage you to begin your college search not simply with the names of colleges, but rather with the self-reflection and insight into your individual goals and aspirations.
Types of Institutions
One of the most important issues to consider is what type of institution you wish to attend. After Walnut Hill, a college with a thousand students might feel large but it is not; in fact, it is very small. You should familiarize yourself with different kinds of schools and decide which will best serve your growth and learning. Each school will have a different philosophy about education and arts education. In order for you to ascertain the differences, you should prepare yourself to ask some specific questions, such as: Are the programs traditional or experimental? Are certain courses required? At what point does a major have to be declared? Can a student double major? Are classes in lecture or seminar format? Who teaches them? Is there a work-study program? Can a student accelerate and graduate in less than four years? Are there performance opportunities during the first two years? Where do the graduates go? What is a "typical" student like? What do students do on weekends? What do people talk about over lunch?
Listed below are a few general characteristics of each type of institution:
A liberal arts college will offer a more intimate setting than a larger institution. Liberal arts colleges tend to be artistically and intellectually rigorous with broad academic offerings in traditional and nontraditional areas. Generally, you are required to do course work across the curriculum. While most liberal arts colleges are private, and often expensive, many offer significant financial aid, some offer special scholarships to artists, and a few are less-expensive public schools.
| Liberal arts college Examples: |
Amherst College |
| Oberlin College | |
| Pomona College | |
| Swarthmore College | |
| Trinity College |
Students at large universities are required to approach their studies in a different manner. While the campus usually offers greater diversity, students often need an inner toughness and tenacity in the face of greater bureaucracy. In many cases large universities are broken up into schools or colleges, so as an artist you may be a part of the School of Music, Art, or Theater. These schools are often similar to conservatory programs, and at public universities they tend to be much less expensive.
| Examples: | University of Michigan |
| New York University | |
| University of Cincinnati | |
| Indiana University | |
| Syracuse University |
There are a number of colleges that, while universities in
name and in character, are much smaller universities in scale
than most. These schools are generally private and have a
broader liberal arts expectation of their students, while
still offering a pre-professional environment in the arts.
Like liberal arts colleges, many smaller universities are
private and expensive. But many also offer significant financial
aid and special scholarships to artists.
| Examples: | Carnegie Mellon University |
| Emory University | |
| Rice University | |
| Vanderbilt University | |
| Washington University |
Conservatories and art schools provide rigorous pre-professional training and near-total immersion in art. The nature of the training means that all students will be professionally oriented, that the atmosphere is usually intense, and that academic education is minimal. Although conservatories tend to be expensive, most offer generous scholarships to talented students.
| Examples: | Cooper Union |
| The Juilliard School | |
| Peabody Conservatory of Music | |
| Rhode Island School of Design | |
| School of the Art Institute of Chicago |
Types of Degrees
You should understand the differences between the degrees offered by liberal arts colleges, conservatories, and universities. Listed below are a few general characteristics of each. It is important to remember that a specific degree is not necessarily a predictor of success in the arts.
For the very talented and committed student, a conservatory or art school may be the best choice. Others make a better choice in pursuing a BA degree, including those who are committed to the arts but feel better served in a program which balances academics and arts, or those students who wish to pursue career options outside the arts. As an example, many theater teachers recommend a liberal arts program as the best training for an actor.
Bachelor of Arts (BA) is an academic degree offered by liberal arts colleges and universities. A student enrolled in a BA program spends about half to three-quarters of his or her college career doing traditional academic course work. Since institutions have different requirements and program offerings, the opportunities for artistic performance or course work vary. In most cases, students are able to devote up to one-third of their class work to the performing or visual arts. At most liberal arts colleges, students may actually major in an arts discipline and still earn a BA degree, although the approach to the arts tends to be more academic than performance oriented.
Bachelor of Music (BM) is a four-year music degree, offered at conservatories of music and some universities and colleges. The emphasis is on performance, though students also take some liberal arts classes, including theory courses and music history. In general, at least three-quarters of the student's time is spent in performance training.
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is offered by theater and dance conservatories, schools of visual art, and some universities and colleges. A limited number of schools offer BFA degrees in Creative and/or Dramatic Writing. It is similar to the BM in that it is an arts degree; at least three-quarters of a student’s work in such a program is devoted to art.
Double-Degree Programs usually award a BA/BM, but occasionally offer a BA/BFA combination. In addition, a limited number of schools offer a BA/MM (Master of Music) option. A double-degree program is extremely rigorous. It usually takes five to six years and makes significant demands on its students, asking them to be, at once, dedicated and focused artists and high-achieving scholars. Examples of this option are Juilliard/Columbia and Museum School/Tufts.
Developing a College Application List
During the individual conferences in the spring of your junior year, we will develop a tentative list of colleges. This list will reflect both your own and your family’s preferences and our suggestions based on your interests and your personal, academic, and artistic record. By no means is this list final. Over the following six months, we will constantly revise choices to reflect changes in your academic record and feelings about schools based on your research and visits. It is important to remember that the Placement staff member and your teachers work in concert in giving you college advising. You will quite naturally receive important information about your art form and quite possibly audition and conservatory information from your arts advisor.
Once we have developed an initial list, you should write to each school requesting a catalog, an application, and any additional information you may need. At this point, you might also contact department heads, music teachers, et cetera, in order to ask about program offerings. Obviously, in developing this initial list, we must consider both where you wish to go and where you will be a reasonable candidate.
Even if you have superb qualifications, you will not necessarily be offered admission by all the colleges to which you apply. Highly selective colleges of necessity deny many more qualified candidates than they accept. Some schools to which Walnut Hill students commonly apply accept less than 12 percent of their applicants. When you arrive at a final list of schools, the following three categories must be considered:
Reach: It is likely that one or two schools on your list will fall into this category. These are schools where chances of admission are less likely, but where there is some chance of admission. There is a difference between a reach school and one where there is almost no chance of admission. In the arts, particularly in music, you may apply to more "reach" schools, as nearly all top conservatories are most selective.
Possible: You will need two or three schools where you are a truly qualified candidate, with roughly a 50-50 chance of admission, in order to provide choice at the end of the process.
Likely: You must have at least two schools where your credentials are very competitive and where you feel you can be happy and productive.
It is usually easier for students to think of colleges in the reach category, but it is the other two categories where the most thoughtful and major effort needs to be applied if the application process is to work best. If you are involved, informed, and realistic, you will have little difficulty developing a well-balanced and focused list of colleges.
