Finding the Right Fit

Hi, My D is a senior in high school and we are trying to find the best fit for her. She is currently going to a performing arts school where she gets dance training (ballet, pointe, modern) 15 hours a week. This does not include rehearsal which can be 8-10 hours a week. Also Fridays and Saturdays she studies at her home studio for 8hours a week(ballet, pointe, modern, jazz). She is a very hard worker and would like to become a professional dancer. Now along with all of this, she is extremely proficient in Spanish, some French and some Russian. The later was self taught. My D would also like to be a foreign language translator. Here is our problem…She needs to find a school that challenges her technically/artistically , includes classical ballet, and offers a great language program. We don’t have a lot of money to go and visit many schools. I have saved enough for 5. We would like to start the college process as soon as possible. She spent six weeks this past summer at Point Park and absolutely loved it, however she was very disappointed when she found out that they didn’t offer a language program. Can someone please offer some advice?!

bluekat - It sounds like your daughter is a strong dancer with a strong intellect. She may do well to consider a university whose academic reputation matches its artistic reputation. A school with a strong global focus may be just the thing. For that, there is a short list:

University of Southern California
New York University
Barnard
Indiana University

You might also want to look into the University of Michigan. I don’t know much about their language program, but it is a good school academically and has a good dance program, so it might be worth at least investigating online. The school does allow for double majors.

And i don’t know anything about Middlebury’s dance program (other than that they do have a major) but they are certainly renowned for their language programs.

My D has a friend who went to Muhlenberg in Allentown, PA. She danced throughout her time there, she is even featured on their brochure this year. She also majored in French and spent time abroad. They have a great language department from what I have heard and have all three languages that you mentioned. I think that would be a great one to check out. Good Luck!

Consider Ohio University. They offer a BFA, BA and three different minors in Dance. They also have their SHAPe Clinic which is essentially a rehab/training facility for Arts students. Great if one is injured or sore after a performance. They offer a BA in French, German, Russian and Spanish. The campus is beautiful and the cost is not out of line for an OOS school. If she has good grades they do offer merit based scholarships.

Also Fordham, Southern Methodist, Butler, and the University of Arizona.

I second Muhlenberg. You should also check out St Olaf.

DIckinson College