<p>My son is a computer nerd not a dancer, but like your daughter except for one course freshman year in the high school, everything he did with programming was done outside school. It really isn't a problem. You just put all your activities down in the spaces provided. If you can distill the experiences into a separate resume or sum it up in one of those "is there anything else you want to tell us" spaces, I think that is helpful. The outside activity can be the subject of an essay as well. In some ways, I think it's a good thing to have a life outside of school.</p>
<p>I'd also like to add that my daughter did not write about dance in her main essays, though she mentioned it in various short essay. So one reason that a dance resume + DVD was beneficial to her is that it enabled to present information that was not really addressed elsewhere. </p>
<p>I'd note that not all colleges will accept supplemental material, though I believe the common app now has a specific "arts" supplement where that can all fit.</p>
<p>Our daughter, a HS junior, also dances (ballet, modern, aerial), but she got started a bit late (when she was 13). Although her dance teachers really want her to go on, and perhaps to dance professionally, I doubt she'll either major or minor in it (she's thinking of science, or perhaps psychology). I think she'd like a college where she has opportunities to continue to dance (to perform, but also to take classes in ballet, pointe, modern, etc.). So where did some of your dancing daughters end up, or what schools are you looking at? We are trying to find a good LAC, that also has solid dance offerings. Any clues?</p>
<p>Hi, Zetesis - something to investigate about individual college dance programs is the extent to which non-majors can participate in classes and productions. Many of the BFA programs or schools with pre-professional emphasis restrict classes to majors only.</p>
<p>Two dancers at my daughter's studio were accepted at Mercyhurst this year, a small LAC in Erie, PA. I think this is a respected dance program that seems to offer some nice performance opportunities. It's not one of the big names in college dance programs (Indiana U, NYU Tisch, Fordham/Ailey, Butler, SUNY Purchase, Oklahoma, etc.). Another friend will enter her third year at Goucher as a dance major, and she's been quite pleased with her training there.</p>
<p>Vassar, Barnard, Smith, and Skidmore are said to have strong dance programs with good ballet offerings, and of course are strong LACs as well with academic admission profiles ranging from difficult upwards. My d loved Muhlenberg, a nice LAC in the Allentown, PA area where she took an advanced ballet class and was quite happy with the teacher and welcoming atmosphere - non-majors can be full participants there. My d also liked the dance opportunities at Dickinson, which has a dance program at the nearby Central PA Youth Ballet.</p>
<p>However, she has chosen a college that's a poor dance match for her because it offers no ballet at her level, but is her ideal school in every other way. Before she applied ED, she found a terrific ballet school nearby, where she hopes to take classes two or three times a week. She never hoped for a professional career, so it was inevitable that her training would taper off.</p>
<p>So of all of those schools listed for dance which have the best reputation for providing good aid packages? I have heard Indiana is horrible at least this year.</p>
<p>MomOf3Stars, Vassar and Barnard have only need-based aid, but promise to meet 100% of need (as they define it, remember). Skidmore has few, if any, merit scholarships, at least that they advertise. Muhlenberg can be very generous with merit aid to their top candidates.</p>
<p>Actually, Momof3stars, when D applied to Indiana, she received some very good merit aid from them. We were surprised, frankly, but she received an initial academic scholarship, and subsequently received even more money after submitting Honors Program materials they sent to her. </p>
<p>However, she chose another school.... :)</p>
<p>I believe some poking around on the website showed that Skidmore offers a 10K annual merit scholarship for artistic achievement, and also has academic merit scholarships available. We were looking last year at this time, so memory may have failed me! Muhlenberg is indeed generous with merit aid through several programs. There is a $4k dance-specific scholarship available (even for non-majors), as well as several academic scholarship/fellowship programs. Dickinson has at least 3 levels of academic scholarships, I believe beginning at 7.5K up through 15K annually. D's friends who were admitted to Mercyhurst were offered talent scholarships of 10K annual shortly after their auditions; I don't know what their financial aid offers might be.</p>
<p>About Indiana - it's said to be one of the most selective university ballet programs in the country. It isn't a terribly large program, so openings are few. An acquaintance whose d auditioned this year said that auditioners made clear they are looking for "company-ready" dancers in the ballet program.</p>
<p>Curioser: Are you in-state for Indiana? I have seen bad reports of aid from Indiana this year but granted those are not for dance majors (see the benefit of a forum for dance?).</p>
<p>Alummom, I PM'ed you.</p>
<p>Momof3stars: we are out of state. D's aid was in the form of merit which ended up reducing the cost to us to less than our in-state public. I will say she applied really early which may have helped. She indicated an intent to double major, fwiw, in ballet and biology. This was also 4 years ago and it seems as though much has changed on the college admissions scence since then.....</p>