<p>I need to know if we are going about the right track. </p>
<p>My daughter is 16, homeschooled, and attended a fine arts program for homeschoolers part time. </p>
<p>Because she is 16, (summer birthday so 17 in the fall), we recommended a women's college, a close to home college, or a gap year. She poo-poo'd the gap year. She has been accepted at all the colleges she applied to and now has to attend scholarship weekend events. So far so good. She eventually wants to transfer to Juliard or one of the other big schools for Musical Theater as a Jr. or for Grad school. She is not comfortable auditioning for those schools right now because of her lack of exposure being homeschooled and all. She is hoping that one of the tiny colleges that have accepted her will help to train her enough to get ready for Juliard or the like whether she go as a Jr. or for Grad school. </p>
<p>Also...
Her dad is starting to freak out because he thinks she should be majoring in something "real", but she's been acting for 5 years and loves it. She may minor in English Lit to make him happy. The school that has actually verbalized giving her a full scholarship is almost 2 hours away and he is freaking out about that too. How do I deal with this? (My other child is studying graphic design 2 hours away and dad's not happy about that too, even though his is older.)</p>
<p>So I guess my question is... you all have talented kids. What would you do? Would you encourage her to go straight to the big name school? Or is starting at a smaller school the better idea? </p>
<p>A little more background: She has done a lot of local theater competitions, and community theater so she isn't exactly wet behind the years. I used to think of her as a singer who acts, (She's really good... she has an music agent breathing down her neck) but now that has flipped. She is an actor who sings.... Mezzo and Alto. Always gets cast as the villain or sassy-pants. Often the only African American a given play.
Thanks in advance for your input.</p>
<p>College Confidential is a great place to get you started on your research! </p>
<p>The first thing you need to know is that Juilliard doesn’t have a musical theatre program.</p>
<p>Also, entering the top programs as a transfer student can be difficult to impossible. Which doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of places offering fantastic training that don’t welcome talented transfer students. Just not the very best known BFA programs. Graduate school, of course, is a different matter.</p>
<p>From what I’ve read here about “the freshman experience” in these programs, the students are outrageously busy and just about everything is professionally focused. There have been some threads here about how it is difficult to minor in anything if you are in one of these intense programs.</p>
<p>Regarding her age, I started college at 17 myself. I would have been highly offended at the idea that I was too young. Looking back, though, I was. It caught up with me in college, though I was fine in high school and before. I’m glad that I was on a very traditional, sheltered type of campus rather than an urban campus. That helped a lot.</p>
<p>Thank you Prodese, none of the schools she is looking at has musical theater either. I guess she would have to choose. We are just throwing out the name Juliard as an example of the type of college she would want to attend, though Juliard for voice could be possible. I don’t know. </p>
<p>So are you saying that the smaller sheltered campus was a good start? Thankfully, she is not offended. She was 12 when she set her sights on graduating early, so she is well aware that she is a young’un n comparison to other prospective college students.</p>
<p>As another poster mentioned, transferring into a BFA in MT program is extremely difficult. Some schools do not take transfers and ones that do, may take just one per year. Also, these BFA in MT programs often make students start over as freshmen or as sophomores but most don’t let them start as juniors. Further, you should know that there are very very few graduate programs for MT. And as others have said, Juilliard doesn’t have MT. If your D doesn’t feel she is ready to audition for an MT school this year, she could enter a school that has a strong theater or acting program that also offers voice and dance courses she could take. </p>
<p>My daughter went to college for a BFA in MT and she entered when she was still 16 and graduated at age 20. She went from a small rural high school to NYU/Tisch, which was six hours away from home. She loved it.</p>
<p>I hope you don’t mind my saying this but it sounds like your D is compromising the kind of college she really would like to attend just because she is entering at age 17. It seems like a big compromise to make. If she is ready for college at age 17, why not attend the kind of college or program she would like from the start?</p>
<p>I guess that is what she is thinking. I feel like I am stuck between trying to encourage her to just go for it and trying not to send her too far away as her Dad will be miserable. I’d miss her, but she’s gotta do what she’s gotta do. </p>
<p>I like the idea of entering a school just to strengthen her skills. Her dad likes the idea of starting off with a strong liberal arts school. She’s torn, but feel like she could use some more work.</p>
<p>While she has had a unique education, she is afraid that she hasn’t had the level of training as public school students. Hence her hesitation. </p>
<p>I feel like a gap year and internship would probably be the best solution, but in the end, I think SHE should make the decision… I just don’t want to steer her wrong.</p>
<p>I don’t know where your D applied, but I advised a homeschooled student interested in theater (but not MT) and her first choice school was Sarah Lawrence, where she attended.</p>
<p>Soozievt, Musical theater is her goal… not necessarily her major. We live in Greater Atlanta. She has been accepted at Wesleyan (Macon), Agnes Scott, Brenau, and Oglethorpe.</p>
<p>I’m going to give you the sort of advice I give everyone (and I am sure people are sick of it by now). I think your D should really think about where she wants to be in 10 years. I suspect she has been so focused on graduating and getting into college that she hasn’t thought about what happens after that. Now that she is a senior, this is the time to start that thinking. And since she is so young, she can take some time to do that.</p>
<p>If she is serious about wanting to be an actress, she should research the actors and actresses who are doing the kind of work she wants to do. Find out how they got where they are now. She may find that some of them don’t even have college degrees.</p>
<p>Another option is simply to start her acting career now, since she has so much talent and experience. If she decides to go this route, the first step would be to get an agent. There are many succesful actors who are even younger than your daughter.</p>
<p>Remind your daughter that college isn’t going anywhere. If she wants to do something else for a while, she can always apply to college later.</p>
<p>Her father needs to get over the fact that his daughter has grown up. Two hours away is not a huge distance, especially since your daughter sounds like someone who could well end up in another continent or something. If she is serious about being an actress, it’s pretty much a given that she will have to leave the Atlanta area eventually, because that is not an area particularly known for having a lot of work for actors. It hurts me to think that her father would ask her to sacrifice her career just because he would miss her.</p>
<p>Actually, she does know where she wants to be in 10 years… she set that in stone a long time ago… any changes to that plan have been minor, and based on growth. </p>
<p>I guess the real question I am asking and trying to figure out is… should the journey be different for someone who starts college 1 month after turning 17 than it should be for someone starting college at age 18 1/2 to 19? </p>
<p>I really like the idea of looking at the path of those she most wants to be like. Thanks.</p>
<p>I have trouble thinking of a 17-year-old as unusually young for college, but I guess that student ages keep creeping up. I hadn’t turned 18 when I entered college in NYC, and I knew plenty of students who were younger than I was. My husband and I both went away to boarding school at 13, and sent our sons away, and so I don’t think that your daughter is too young to leave home. It’s usually much more traumatic for the parents than for the kids.</p>
<p>Juilliard famously rejects most young applicants (ie. high-school seniors). Its BFA program runs for four years, regardless of when people start, and so many people transfer into it. Without a scholarship, this is prohibitive for many people, but it’s Juilliard. Juilliard is a long-shot for even the most talented young artists, but there are many other excellent programs out there. Some are easier to transfer into than others, but almost all conservatory-style BFA programs want students to train according to THEIR methods, and can get pretty stingy in accepting credits for core classes from outside. </p>
<p>Your daughter seems to be doing quite well, as it is, and to have a strong sense of her path in life. Remember that in much of the world, and even here, until recently, seventeen-year-olds have had to shoulder full, adult responsibilities. Most of them can handle college.</p>
<p>ahermitt - my daughter was just 17 when she started college, more kids start at that age than you might think! The biggest difference - they can’t drink legally until late in their senior year which is a bit of a social negative. There were no other negatives or concerns because of her age.</p>
<p>This seems like your husbands problem, not your daughters. Her age is just an excuse, IMHO.</p>
<p>Yes, but some homeschooled kids have been VERY VERY sheltered and others have not. I know some of both types. This would be an important factor here.</p>
<p>Started homeschooling in 2nd grade.
Took classes 1 to 2 days a week outside the home since then.
Did pageants as a pre-teen, locally, and nationally.
Started acting at 12, has done 2 to 3 plays a year, every year.
Interned at an Atlanta theater at age 15, making costumes. Worked with college students, none of whom realized that she was younger.</p>
<p>On the other hand, she has had a middle class, christian, suburban upbringing, and hasn’t shown any interest in dating yet… so in some ways, she is a little sheltered, but she is not shy or timid. </p>
<p>I guess 17 isn’t that young to be a highschool freshman, being from NY, I was given the option to leave HS early and go to college, but I decided to have a party year. I would have also been a young 17. Here in GA, it seems like kids aren’t starting college until they are almost 19. I guess that is what throws me. </p>
<p>Of course the fact that she has been homeschooled I think has insulated her dad from a lot of teenage angst. They are really close, and she is still his little girl. I can’t be mad at him for wanting her close.</p>
<p>Another Atlanta parent here in the quest for a college for my daughter (she’s a junior). I’ve found this CC board here most helpful. I’d encourage you to look at threads here and in the Musical Theatre section. It’s a bit daunting to read how rigorous the college audition process is - with the parents and child fully on board. I can’t imagine doing it without full parental support.</p>
<p>I’m saddened to see your daughter choose a school with an eye on transferring. I’d say wait for the right school and time or select the best option you have now, and enter it whole-heartdly. Just my opinion.</p>
<p>Agnes Scott is a solid liberal arts college in a great location for the arts. Saycon Sengbloh attended there and she’s done well in the biz.</p>
<p>As you probably know, there is some fun and decent community (student oriented) musical theater around town. Fanbrifaction, Act 3 and The Lyric to name a few. Also, there’s a lot of film and television production in Atlanta, but I understand most of the casting takes place elsewhere.</p>
<p>I can definitely understand why you’re hesitant to send her far away to a BFA program (or other college) when she’s barely 17–I turned 17 right before h.s. graduation, and I can tell you that even way back in the olden days, I was honestly too young to get the most out of my first couple of years of college (although of course I never would have acknowledged that at the time!). However, sending her someplace that isn’t really what she wants doesn’t seem like a good use of time and money, especially considering that if she ends up switching to a BFA program later she will almost certainly have to start over as a freshman. I’m curious as to whether you’ve considered suggesting that she take a gap year instead? In my 25+ years as a high school teacher, I’ve seen plenty of kids take a gap year–or end up taking time off midway through college–and it’s never been a mistake. Almost every kid benefits from taking a little time to grow up a bit more. Rushing into the wrong thing, though, CAN be misguided. And perhaps a transition year would help your husband grow more comfortable with the prospect of her flying a little farther from the nest! </p>
<p>It sounds like your whole family is taking this process seriously, which I deeply respect. Best of luck to you all!</p>
<p>arwarw, thanks for weighing in. Fabrefaction is actually where she interned, and she was told she can come back anytime. So being at Agnes Scott would make that easier for for her.</p>
<p>Thanks Times3, she does not want a gap year, unless we can afford overseas travel which is not possible. She is not our only college student, so if she stays home, she will need to be working or interning. </p>
<p>We have talked a lot this week, and it seems like finishing a BA or BFA program locally, and graduating at 20 is agreeable to both her and her dad. I only asked the question because I am the one that feels like maybe she should consider going to a conservatory NOW… and the only time I see her smile is when we talk about Julliard and the like. I think she agrees with her dad that it can wait. She just doesn’t seem very excited to me… I know I was splitting my gut happy when I got my college acceptance letters. </p>
<p>Agnes Scott offered a decent scholarship, but it is still the most expensive option right now. We need to call for a voice audition to see if she can get anymore $$. They don’t give drama scholarships. Checking out the actress you mentioned now.</p>
<p>ahermitt, it sounds like your daughter wants to be in a BFA program this coming September. If that is so, she really needs to get going in the application process of preparing the monologues, songs, and pulling together the unique kinds of documents needed for a MT BFA program and most importantly securing audition slots in the schools she is interested in since many of those schools are filling their audition slots. Going through this process of searching for schools and comparing curricullum and performance opportunities will help her and you decide what will be right for her in September. This forum conveniantly lists by school most of the great programs and you can all scan through them and figure out which ones work for you and her dad in terms of location proximity as well as which work for her in terms of programs and curriculum. Best of luck Keep us posted!</p>