ADMISSIONS PATHWAYS IN THE ARTS

1. "Stand-alone" art schools Each year, several students decide to apply to art schools exclusively or in combination with category two below. This means,

if they are admitted and matriculate, that roughly 75% of their undergraduate education will be devoted to artistic pursuits and

only 25% to general academic requirements. Virtually without exception, these schools require the submission of a portfolio

or an audition. Nearby art schools in this category include the School of Visual Arts, Pratt Institute, and Julliard School, all in

Manhattan. Admission hinges overwhelmingly on the school's assessment of candidates' artistic talent.

2. "Stand-alone " arts programs/schools within a comprehensive college/universityThe application process to a discrete arts program or school within a larger university closely resembles the above description.

Portfolios and auditions are mandatory but, because of the larger academic context of the school, students' high school

transcript and standardized test scores carry more weight. Generally speaking, the educational balance between art and general

university requirements is 50/50. Tisch School of the Arts at NYU and the Oberlin Conservatory at Oberlin College, Ohio,

are two such programs. Oberlin even offers a five-year, "double-degree" program in music and an academic major.

Occasionally, two separate universities coordinate instruction and degrees. Rhode Island School of Design and Brown

University currently have a loose affiliation that is growing stronger; the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Tufts

University have much tighter integration of programs, including a dual application option in the admissions process itself.

3. Arts major at a comprehensive college/universityCandidates who express an interest in pursuing an arts major on a college application are well served by also submitting

"supplemental materials" in their field: slides or CD's of their photography or art work, CD's of their singing or playing, a

DVD of a scene from a play. One recent candidate in theater tech, thanks to her theater directors, submitted photographs of

every set she had designed or helped to build during her MKA career. Colleges provide very specific, detailed instructions for

the submission of these materials. Once received, they are circulated to the various arts departments for evaluation, often a

quantitative score. These ratings then become part of the composite rating of the candidate.

4. Arts abilities at a comprehensive college/universityStudents who have little or no interest in continuing their arts in college may still choose to make colleges aware of their

artistic abilities. Every college has a band, an orchestra, choral groups, a theater program, art studios, and a host of

publications that require graphic artists. A future engineer or linguist still gains an incremental advantage in the application

process by not only indicating high school arts involvement but also by submitting concrete evidence of that artistic ability.

One recent graduate submitted a five-minute jazz performance to the college he currently attends. From his freshman year

forward, he has played in the leading jazz ensemble on campus.

OVERVIEW

Thanks to its extraordinary Fine Arts faculty and splendid new facility, the arts are very alive and very well at MKA. Students are in

our studios at all hours and the school's annual calendar of artistic events--from exhibitions to feature films--is full. Many of our

students carry an artistic interest developed during school days with them for the rest of their lives.

But there are always those students whose interest in the arts is piqued further. They hope to pursue the arts in college, either as a

major, a minor, or an extracurricular activity. In consultation with the Fine Arts department and their college counselors, they hope

to present their artistic "body of work" as an important part of their college candidacy.

Our very best artists often take an addtional step: entering competitions for scholarship awards at colleges where they have applied.

The Class of 2007, for example, boasted four students who won grants ranging from all-expenses paid for four years to several

thousand dollars annually. These merit scholarships recognized outstanding photography, theater tech, graphic arts, and music.

Other students simply submitted artistic materials along with their conventional applications in hopes that colleges would recognize

their ability to contribute to the artistic environment on their campuses...without commiting themselves to an artistic program or

organization if enrolled.

Whether a student hopes to attend a school of the arts, major in the arts, or merely continue an extracurricular artistic interest, MKA stands ready to help any aspiring artist make a compelling university presentation.

College Admissions and the Arts

Dance Graphic Arts

Music Theater

GENERAL RESOURCES

Excellent publications abound, both online and in bookstores. Several good 'starter' guides review preparation for, identi!cation of, and application to all types of !ne arts programs. Both are available in bookstores, at Amazon and in the CCO Library.

Creative Colleges by Elaina Loveland. Supercollege, LLC, 2005.

Peterson's College Guide for Performing Arts Majors by Carole J. Everett. Peterson's, 2007.

WEBSITES

"e National Association for College Admissions Counseling sponsors a Performing and Visual Arts College Fair in New York City each fall. http://www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/Events/CollegeFairs/PVA/default.htm

Higher Education in the Arts lists all of the accredited four-year programs in the arts nationally. "e search engine is a bit quirky. Click the national arts association of your choice on the le# bar menu. "en click "member lists" on the next le# bar menu. Leave keyword and city blank on the search engine; set state to all. Click submit and you will get links to every college in the United States in your area of artistic interest. http://aqresources.arts-accredit.org/index.jsp?page=AchievementAndQuality

• Dance magazine is the single best source for aspiring dancers. It produces a print guide to college admissions annually, o$ers helpful tips online, and provides a robust search engine.

www.dancemagazine.com/thecollegeguide

• Dance USA, the national service organization for dance, o$ers tips for choosing a college to aspiring dancers. "eir site also contains weblinks to other dance resources, including information about auditions and scholarships.

www.danceusa.org/advice/college_choose.htm

• "e National Portfolio Day Association organizes a series of fall gatherngs, including Manhattan, for future graphic artists to get clear feedback on their portfolio from regionally accredited institutions. http://www.portfolioday.net/

• All Art Schools is a guide to specialized graphic arts programs and schools, including interior/fashion design, animation, !lm, video game, and online graphic design programs.

http://www.allartschools.com/

• "e Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) website has an extensive directory of summer musical opportunities, organized by state and also by educational level.

http://www.mtna.org/Publications/SummerProgramsListing2008/tabid/500/Default.aspx

• "e MTNA has also identi!ed a rich range of websites for high school students and earlier in all aspects of musical appreciation and investigation. http://www.mtna.org/Resources/WebsitesforKids/tabid/320/Default.aspx

• National Uni!ed "eater Auditions are held each winter for undergraduate BFA programs in theatre at twenty colleges. One multiple-day audition is always held in Manhattan.

http://www.unifiedauditions.com/

• Students at the University of Pennsylvania maintain a resource guide to collegiate theater. iNtuitons lists theater departments and schools, weblinks, performing arts centers, summer opportunities, and a major section on theater tech.http://dolphin.upenn.edu/~intuiton/guide/