<p>I'm looking out of state for college, so I can't exactly visit all the schools I'm looking at, but how do I narrow down the schools I'm interested in? I feel like I always get stuck at the web site. How do I pick a school that's worth visiting?</p>
<p>There are lots of good schools. You need to make some preliminary guesses about what you might want. </p>
<p>For example: big school/small school, urban/suburban/rural, diverse/homogeneous. If you could figure out that you want either a BFA conservatory education or a BA in theater, it could narrow your list a lot. Look at some of the websites that compare schools to see all of the dimensions on which they can be compared. The College Board site is good for this as is the Princeton Review. Or you could take a look at a college near you just to see how it strikes you.</p>
<p>Pick up the phone. See if you can get someone to talk to you. Or email. If you succeed in getting someone to communicate with you, it tells you alot about the school, and whether you should be going to the school to visit. Also, read these pages on the schools you are interested in. It may help you narrow down which ones you should really see for yourself. </p>
<p>If you can’t go to the school, see if the schools are coming to you. You would be surprised how many come to an area near you. Go to see them, and if they really strike you as fantastic, then that may be a school you should visit.</p>
<p>Reserve some for auditions. Visit them when you audition. We did this and killed two birds with one stone.</p>
<p>Do not, ultimately, decide to attend a school unless you have spent some time on the campus. Never chose a place sight unseen.</p>
<p>We are doing a lot of long-distance looking, too.</p>
<p>First, do read the long archived threads on this forum. They are invaluable and will give you a lot of perspective. You’ll recognize things you want and don’t want from the others’ experiences.</p>
<p>Second, visit as many places that ARE close by that you either are interested in or that resemble faraway places you are interested in. It will give you an excellent basis for comparison. If you like school A, you can then try to find schools like school A in other places. You’ll see a trend develop in your likes and dislikes. Then people here can help you even more, since many of them are local to the schools you will decide you want to visit.</p>