This is one of those topics where it will vary so much from person to person and what they feel will be important for them. My D will be a freshman at Hartt and her strength is definitely her voice, with acting a close second. She has danced in shows, but not had much formal dance training (2 years of ballet and one year of Tap and Jazz). She is athletic and moves well, but she thought going in that she wanted to focus on a program with strong dance, to help her “catch up”. As we went along our journey we found that the schools regarded as having stronger dance programs seemed to be looking to admit strong dancers, so she was less competitive for those programs, even though they appealed to her. Bogeyw’s point about casting a wide net is so true. You have very little control about where you get accepted.
My D ultimately decided on and is excited about Hartt because it seems to emphasize Voice and Acting (which are her strengths) but still has a terrific dance component, led by Ralph Perkins, who is phenomenal. And, she can pick up extra dance if she wants to (and has time, which is the probably the main issue) though their Community Division. Students get a great discount on those classes and they are taught by the regular dance faculty. Ultimately, my D is not likely to make her living as a dance ensemble performer. It is really difficult to catch up the girls who have been dancing since they were 3 in 4 years. So she is now realizing it is probably good to build on your strengths and then try to do your best to “fill in the gaps” in your training. She felt like Hartt had a program that would allow her to do that and also had the culture and “vibe” that she wanted. which is another really important element that you won’t get from a school’s web page.
Good Luck! It is a roller coaster ride, but you will get through it!