<p>In the hope that DefyingGravity04 -- and anyone else interested in College of Santa Fe -- will check this thread, I'm cobbling together some things I posted on other threads.</p>
<p>Yes, my D is an MT freshman at CSF. It's a long way from home -- we live in Maryland -- and we found out about the school completely by chance at a college fair. We visited last summer, she loved it and was able to audition while we were there, and she got accepted quite soon afterward. She subsequently thought she preferred other programs but, as the chips fell, she wound up at CSF......and now it seems like one of those things where the stars just aligned themselves properly. Ask her now, and she'll tell you she wouldn't want to be anywhere else.</p>
<p>CSF is a VERY small college, arts-heavy with highly regarded programs in various arts fields (MT, acting, design/tech, film, photo, studio art, contemporary music, creative writing), lots of personal attention, students who love being there, and located in one of the most beautiful and arts-oriented locations one could imagine. It doesnt have the traditional rah-rah atmosphere that some people really want at college, so it's not for everyone -- but the kids it suits, it suits very well. We were just out there for Family Weekend and had a fantastic time.</p>
<p>As for MT specifically -- CSF doesn't generally make the so-called "MT Ivy" list, but it's certainly a very well-respected program, and my D's absolutely loving it. She already feels that she's growing tremendously in her MT studies. I could already hear evidence of that in her singing -- it's stronger, richer, more open, more rounded. She went to CSF with 7 years of private voice lessons that her CSF voice teacher has deemed "beautiful training," but even with that the strides she's made were noticeable. I didn't get to see anything of her dance or acting, but she's excited about those, too. She's definitely working hard...but of course it's things she's passionate about. (I'm sure I don't have to explain!!) The toughest course for her is costuming -- the girl has zero experience with a sewing machine, and now she's having to learn! Also, btw, she loves the non-MT interdisciplinary core course that she's taking. </p>
<p>DG04, please PM or email me with any questions, etc., and I can also put you in touch with my D. She can certainlyl tell you in more detail about the school in general and MT in particular, and you can count on her to be honest about anything she doesnt like as well as about all the things she likes.</p>