How to Choose Your Future Home: Finding the Right College for YOU!

This will be the toughest part of your college audition journey….

I know, I know, I can practically see the look on your face right now!

But I promise you, choosing your future home for the next 4 years is so much harder than finding material or sending in prescreens. 

I first want to start off with a HUGE congratulations! YOU DID IT! You completed your college audition journey, and you KILLED it!

Whether you are reading this article and have 17 acceptances or 2, you may have a really tough decision to make.

Let’s get started. 

You may feel overwhelmed and stressed about having to make a decision, but researching and gaining information about programs actually makes you feel more equipped to make the decision. And make sure to have a google spreadsheet or a notepad open next to you as you take this deep dive.

Here are some things to do in order to decide where you want to be for the next 4 years!

Use the internet as a resource! 

Meet your new best friend, the internet. One of the first steps to take is to make a list of all the things you would like to have in a program and school. (Hint: You may already have made this list when you were researching where to apply). Some examples of things to ask yourself when researching are: Do you want a big vs. small school? Small town vs. big city? Weekly voice lessons, daily dance? What else? Think about the weight of each of these things. What is more important, daily dance or being in NYC? Then, take to google and research, research, research! Good places to start your research are the College Confidential Musical Theatre forum, individual schools websites (look at the specific major requirements to see what classes you would be taking!), and different Facebook groups. You can also make a pros and cons list with all the information you have gathered in order to compare schools.  

Join all the group chats and Facebook groups! 

Many schools will have current students create accepted students groups for the incoming musical theatre/acting majors. Here, it is a safe space to ask all your questions, and get to know the other kids who you might just spend 4 years with. Through these groups, I joined Snapchat groups and Zoom calls for all the schools I was considering; this is a great way to get to know other people considering this school. Personally, through these Snapchat groups and Zooms, I was able to see which kids I connected with the most, and this played a HUGE part when I made my decision. 

Talk to current students! 

Through accepted student groups, you can meet and reach out to current students! I recommend talking to students of all grade levels, not just current freshmen, so you can learn about the experience at that school and in that program over the whole 4 years! In my experience, current students are not afraid to tell you their true feelings on the program. And you don’t have to be scared to talk to them! Ask them their favorite and least favorite classes and teachers, favorite and least favorite parts of the school and program, and anything else that you wouldn’t find on a school website or you wouldn’t feel comfortable asking a faculty member. Remember, these students are PUMPED to talk to you, so you don’t have to be nervous. 

Reach out to faculty members! 

When researching schools, you want to get as many perspectives and opinions as you can. Reaching out to faculty members is a great way to do this! I recommend reaching out to the head of each department, and the head of the whole theatre department, and ask as many questions as you want. Remember, the faculty members want you to go to their school, so they will most likely be happy to answer your questions. I know many faculty members(especially in the time of COVID-19) organize Zooms where you can ask them and current students questions. Take advantage of these and go to them, even if you don’t have any questions yourself. You will learn so much about the atmosphere and teaching style from talking to the faculty. 

Take a tour! 

I know right now it may not be the most plausible to take a tour, and most schools are not even offering them. But there are many virtual ways to take tours! A ton of schools have virtual tours on their website, or you can go to YouVisit and search for the school. Another way to take a tour is to facetime a current student and ask them to show you around! I did this, and it was actually super fun and cool to see the school this way, not through a polished virtual tour from the school’s website. If you live close to the school, you could always drive to the campus and walk around yourself. It is also a good idea to get to know the city/town that the school is housed in. I never actually visited the campus of the school I committed to because of COVID-19, but I was able to get a comprehensive idea of what it looked like through the internet! 

Have a serious talk with friends and family! 

With all this researching, you may be getting into your head a little bit. Talking out your decision with friends and family is SO helpful. Finding a trusted friend or family member who you know won’t judge you for your current thoughts and eventual decisions is really important. Ask them what they think about the schools, based on your research. Ask them where they think would be a good fit for you, based on what you want. During these talks, you may find yourself leaning towards one of the schools as you describe them out loud; that is your gut letting you know that you have made your decision. Remember, it is also important to talk with your family about what you can financially afford once you have received acceptances and financial aid packages.

Remember that there is no timeline for choosing a school. Yes, national decision day is May 1st, so you *technically* have to commit to a school by then, but it’s not the same for everyone! I know people who got into a school in November, cancelled the rest of their auditions, and committed right then and there. I also know people who waited until May 1st to commit, and some who even got off waitlists in August and decided to switch schools only a couple weeks before classes started! 

You may be realizing that you aren’t ecstatic about any of your schools. If that’s the case, it’s OKAY! Haiden Pederson, who decided to reaudition, says this about her decision to take a gap year: “I think something subconsciously knew it was what I was meant to do.” So if you feel deep down that you would not be happy at any of the schools you got accepted to, do not fret. Take a step back, talk with your family and friends about your feelings, and move on. You are going to kill it all over again. 

No matter where you are in your decision, YOU GOT THIS! Remember that you are talented, you are enough, and you are way more than a college decision. Your friends, family, and I are all so proud of you for completing your college audition journey and taking the time to make the choice that is right for you. Once you have committed, celebrate!! Treat yourself and be thankful that you did it.

And soak it in, before you know it, you will be graduating, and you will look back and this crazy time and smile.

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Elleda Spitzer is a musical theatre performer based in the Bay Area, California! Elleda is currently enjoying her deferment year, and is ecstatic to attend the University of Utah for a BFA in Musical Theatre starting Fall 2021. Currently, Elleda works as a barista and host at a restaurant, and is teaching herself guitar and piano. Check out her new website at elledaspitzer.godaddysites.com, or catch up with her adventures on instagram @elledaspitzer!! Feel free to reach out to her with any questions on the college audition process.

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