Charlotte Latvala: Schools save the last dance for performing arts students

Last week, I accompanied a child to college.

It's been a few years, but it feels strange-nervous second-year students lead the trip, sturdy dormitory furniture, information conferences about meal plans, campus security and flexible funding.

This is my last trip and I can't wait.

Our daughter is a high school student. It seems that we should have a random campus tour at the beginning of the game, when the outdoor temperature was not 13 degrees. For example, last summer.

Is COVIDid to blame?

Do not. My husband and I were the culprit, made our children fall in love with dance and musicals, and then wholeheartedly support the said passion.

We think we are good parents. We think we are doing the right thing. This is our reward.

While other children received admission notices and financial aid awards, the performing arts children were straining, waiting for the results of their college auditions in the spring. Campus tours are often a critical juncture.

Some time ago, I read that compared with Ivy League schools, entering the Performing Arts College is much more difficult. I think what an exaggeration.

Facts have proved that it is at least numerically correct. Most musicals and dance shows will take a few children. At least some of them need to be boys. For the 8 million girls who want to sing and dance in college, these attractions are even fewer.

To say that this process is complicated is like saying that Moses spent some time wandering in the desert.

First, there are some general university decisions to consider. Big school, elementary school? How far are you willing (or your parents are willing) to be from home? Are you looking for a traditional campus with beautiful green lawns, or an urban campus with cool remodeled buildings and an active weekend?

There is another big question: where does the money come from?

The longer your child stays, the more complicated the path of performing arts becomes. You must narrow down (within your basic geography and economy) the school that offers the course she is looking for. Is dancing heavy? Tend to acting? Do they already need professional credits to get involved?

They apply academically. They are applicable in art. They wait for someone to view their video preview.

Then they waited a little longer. Don't worry, maybe, maybe, maybe you'll be invited to the campus to audition. Or in accordance with the 2021 agreement, through Zoom in your attic.

Your parents somehow made this process more stressful for you by a million times, but the parents waited helplessly in the living room because the cat was locked in the basement and grumbled, so he won't disturb the attic audition.

While waiting, you will go deep into your own soul, wondering why you did not push your child towards something less stressful, such as becoming a high-speed rail artist or a cross-country motorcycle racer.

You could have saved some anxiety. There are also some flexible dollars.