<p>I have 2 kids in performing arts majors - one (senior) in Musical Theater and one (freshman) in Voice Performance. My suggestion: SAFETY - preferably instate, with no or minimal transportation costs. Living in California, you have many options - UCI, UCSB, Fullerton. Not exactly safeties, but relatively affordable with instate tuition. </p>
<p>Also, run the EFC calculator on the FAFSA site, and the individual calculators for each school to get a rough idea of how much aid you might receive. We went into the process each time with a rough idea of our EFC (how much the federal government thinks we can afford to pay) and most of the colleges they were accepted to gave us packages that left us with the EFC. (For example, the EFC calculator said we could afford $10,000 per child this year and, low and behold, that is almost exactly what each college is making us pay after scholarships, loans and grants)</p>