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faculty, and they’re not alone in that.
“The instructors for BU’s summer program
are either faculty members, guest
artists or graudate students in our MFA
program,” says DiFabio. “Through that,
you naturally have a huge amount of
resources to get a sense of the program.”
And even if you don’t enroll in a
school’s summer study program, you
may be able to attend a class taking
place for one during your visit and meet
students and faculty that way.
“The teachers that are on our summer
school program are the actual faculty
members that teach during the year,”
says Maxner. “So I would ask if there
was a way they could spend time in a
classroom.”
If you can’t do that, Boevers urges
students to try and find some overlap in
summer and school schedules.
“If there’s any way that our academic
schedule doesn’t overlap with the high
school academic schedule, either we go
a little bit longer, or we start a little bit
earlier, and you can get here while we’re
in session, it really helps,” Boever’s says.
And if you need more time, Decker
recommends starting touring schools
even earlier—like your freshman year.
“If students happen to be in a town
where there’s a university, take the
tour. Get used to what kinds of questions
are being asked,” advises Decker.
“And start with your own area—you
never know what’s literally going to
be in your own back yard. You might
end up finding out that there’s this
wonderful program or this inspiring
teacher right around you and it might
be much less expensive than you were
expecting.”
Everyone we spoke with emphasized
the inability of reports or rankings to tell
whether a school would be right for you,
hence the necessity of getting to know a
school in person.
“What really matters is the match for
the student,” says Decker.
Echoing that, Maxner advises: “You
want an institution that pays attention
to the whole person. Allow yourself
to open yourself to as many different
experiences as you can.”
So dig into the Web, but then get
behind the Web, and visit in person
with the schools of your choice.
By taking summer courses, high school students have a chance to interact with faculty members like Elizabeth Duck (right) at UNC School of
the Arts on a deeper level than can be experienced through a tour.
Courtesy of UNCSA
www.stage-directions.com • April 2009 15