Hello, I’m applying to a handful of top prep schools for 9th grade. My “hook” (I hope) is in the performing arts: I am a vocalist, play several instruments, dance (tap is my specialty, but I do all forms from ballet to hip hop), and do musical theater with many lead roles on my resume. This is all conveyed in my application and will be reinforced in recommendations. I’m also submitting multimedia files of various performances through Gateway.
My question is: Am I supposed to reach out directly to faculty in these areas, for example to the dance teacher? Honestly, doing this wouldn’t have crossed my mind but I just saw it mentioned in a different thread., and I know people do this with coaches for sports. So now I don’t know if this is something I should be doing and/or if it would potentially help me get seen/noticed?
Also, I live in New England and am within an hour of several campuses… My interviews re scheduled, but I know some schools let prospective students spend a day shadowing. Would i be able to shadow a dance or music group and/or meet with the instructors? Or is that something that would happen after being admitted?
Others on this board know more about dancing (@Golfgr8?) and can comment on that. I just want to note that a “hook” refers to some institutional priority that you meet (URM, URS, etc.) or extraordinary athletic prowess in a sport that’s a priority for the school. Unless the school desperately needs to fill a spot on a band, dance group, or similar, your performing arts talent is a strength but not necessarily a hook. Hope this helps!
Gah, now I feel even more clueless. Will I be assigned an admissions representative? Does that happen during the interview? I’ve been working on my applications but haven’t submitted them yet. Thank you, in any case, I will not contact anyone until I’m directed to do so by a school.
Some schools have a form ( definitely for sports not always for others things). That said, I think people do reach out in conjunction with the AO. If you mention that you would like to meet the dance teacher (or whomever), I think it’s likely the interviewer will put you in touch. I don’t know about visiting before being accepted. That would seem strange. Once accepted the schools will do a lot to ensure you accept so at that point, asking to visit is probably ok.
Also, make sure you have a portfolio, performance videos, etc. Many kids who know about this make videos and have a link to a website ( or youtube). Those who don’t know this run out of time and can’t make this happen. For sports, I am surprised (and a little shocked) that club sports teams take video of events which the students can then use (I’m assuming for some fee) to show prospective coaches. I have heard to many kids having their iPhone queued up with photos of their performances or works. My kiddo never would have gone for this and when we heard this were very surprised. But now that I know, I would definitely have my kids do it. I have also heard of kids bringing the works to the interview.
If I were you, I’d have a clip of yourself singing in a production on your phone.
@Happytimes2001, not sure what sport(s) your kiddo plays, but in my kid’s sport, all games are routinely recorded, both at club and school levels. Videos are then used to review games and learn from mistakes, or develop strategies for future games. Videos are also used for college admissions (and by extension any other admissions), no charge involved. Top clubs also record “skills videos” for their athletes, which are different than games and are required for college recruitment. I don’t know when the practice originated, but it’s been in place ever since my kid has played competitively, which is about 8 years now. I know it’s crazy, and there is a whole industry built on athletic recruitment. Luckily, we’ve never been asked to pay for videos to either a club or school.
Thanks @GoatMama. I just heard about this recently from my kid. Glad to hear there is no fee. The club fees are already high enough. My oldest plays club and other teams ( school regional). This wasn’t a large factor for BS entrance so the only interaction was between the coach and maybe a reference. Coaches came to watch games but it was pretty nonchalant. It’s unlikely this will be the biggest factor over the next couple of years. But it’s good to understand how it works.
Dear OP…FWIW, we did complete the official forms provided by each school or on their website for performing arts. We also contacted a couple of the schools where auditions were either encouraged or mandatory for a specific PA. There were formal auditions at two schools. We did dance and visual arts portfolios. We also made highlight videos for sports…no need to have professionally packaged videos. We did it via YouTube…there are ways that schools want you to share links via your application…keep in mind that schools have ways that they want applicants to submit videos…do what they say! We also found that a couple of schools had different ways they wanted applicants to submit visual arts portfolios (Hotchkiss, Emma, and Choate). I know at least one school had a dedicated portal for art. A couple of the schools had specific photographs and examples of drawing they wanted to see in a portfolio, Be sure to abide by their rubric and submit it the way that they want to see it. Good luck and feel free to PM me for more specific information about the arts portfolios or auditions. #:-S
@CaliMex - as you know we had very positive experiences @ dance auditions for dance companies at different schools. I am happy to share information about auditions to my friends on CC, so feel free to PM me for school information. FWIW, there were a couple of schools that had auditions with the school dance companies by taking class with their students. One school had auditions on a Saturday so that applicants would not miss school. There was one school which really provided a fun opportunity to dance with their students and get a feel for the school outside of interview day…one school provided us an opportunity to dance in a summer program, so the director knew the students who were applying…check with each school and email the dance directors. At least one school we applied to had auditions later after school began for co-curricular dance and performances. Try to speak with students currently dancing because joining a company is a huge commitment.
Also, look at schools that offer a variety of dance opportunities (including performing in programs) for students who may not want to make the commitment to a dance company. It’s great to see students find a passion for dance as a new experience or in addition to athletics, theatre and other activities.