<p>NMR....if only we WERE "professional bloggers"....and could earn money for this! It could fund our girls' huge tuition bills! LOL</p>
<p>I will just say this, the BEST school will be the school that A) ACCEPTS your child, and B) where your child ultimately feels he/she BELONGS.</p>
<p>To state that there are only 2 programs out there that are head and shoulders above the rest, I find incredibly misleading, even as a personal opinion.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, for anyone reading these threads, do your homework, find the schools that seem the right fit, and then let the cards drop where they are intended to fall. Most of all, don't think that a rejection from any school is a reflection on how successful you ultimately will be. I have seen plenty of kids from all MT schools burn and crash, but when the going gets tough, the tough simply get going!</p>
<p>NMR and SoozieVT -- just sending you my support on everything you've ever posted and shared here! I personally am grateful for all 12,000 combined posts. I'm sure I've read 99% of all of them in the past year. May I just add that one of the BENEFITS of being "frequent posters" on CC is that you have been around long enough to understand how careful we must all be in our posts -- the importance of avoiding blanket statements and understanding the ten-gazillion differences in each student's individual experience. </p>
<p>Who DOESN'T want to think or believe that their child is going to the "BEST" program out there? We all do! The whole reason that most of us spend any time on CC is because we want to do all we can to make sure that we (or our children) get into the BEST possible MT program. I would venture a guess that every single one of us started out with the same questions when we got started -- what are the BEST programs, and how do we get in them? </p>
<p>As a matter of fact, either my very FIRST or second post on CC was a question asking "What are the BEST MT programs out there?" Of course, that started off a string of several thousand responses -- a few with actual opinions and lists, but most with comments about how "it's all about the right fit, etc etc etc." That's really hard to believe when you get started. But funny thing, I totally get it now. </p>
<p>Now, I WILL say that after everything we've learned in the past year, there were obviously schools my D ended up wanting to attend more than others. But you know what was so funny -- especially in light of the fact that this discussion is happening on the BoCo forum -- for the past two years, my D could only think of going to BoCo. It was her dream. By the time auditions were all over, she had managed to get her long-awaited BoCo acceptance. But, at that point, she had no desire to go there anymore. For someone else, it is still no doubt the "BEST" school (for them). For her, the "best" school is somewhere else. </p>
<p>Let's just all remember that there are a whole bunch of "bests" out there. I am also happy to say that my D is fortunate enough to be going to the "BEST" program for HER that there is!</p>
<p>Thank you all for your wise thoughts-including beenthereMTdad who expressed an opinion as fact. We have all stepped on others toes on this forum, usually unintentionally, as we have tried to navigate this difficult and complex process. I never gave much thought to the "best fit" until my son had the opportunity to choose from a few well regarded programs. I had always thought that it would be a clear cut decision and that he would attend the best regarded program. Instead he chose a program that he felt was at least as good artistically as Boco and one that would provide training within a Big college atmosphere. Only time will tell whether or not this was the correct choice.</p>
<p>So, folks, the bottom line is: the BEST program is the one that fits the student's needs best and to which the student has been accepted. (I would add "and that parents and students can afford, but heck, my child is heading off to a program that we cannot afford without a lot of pain, so I won't go there ... :))</p>
<p>I would also like to extend my thanks to NMR and SoozieVT for their constant voice of reason when others tend to go off on a tear. I have felt that their posts have always been aboveboard and unbiased towards any one program. Everyone's OPINION is weighed as such and FACTS are easy to check.</p>
<p>Thanks for saying that! :)</p>