Scholarships: what, where and how

[qtpiedanzer01]

i know i probably need to go to a year round ballet school to possibly get into a company at least my junior and senior years of high school. but i don't know how my parents can afford it. i mean they say they can but i know they can't. are there like buisnesses that would sponsor me or how hard is it to get finacial aid?

[SeaMonkey]

Sometimes if you talk to the director, they'll offer some sort of scholarship. At one studio here, they'll give you a scholarship, you just can't take classes anywhere else and you have to be availible any time they need you. At my studio, once you've been taking classes there 10 years, they'll allow you to go on scholarship and they discount your tuition. I'm on scholarship.....I have to help teach 1 class a month and I have to be on call 2 other times that month in case a teacher gets sick and can't make class or just isn't feeling well and needs a body to demonstrate.

[qtpiedanzer01]

no seamonkey i mean like a boarding school. but thanks for your advice. anybody else?

[Guest Until The End Of Time]

No offense in anyway, have you heard of a job? Jobs help you make money. Thats the only resolution I can think of outside scholarships and finacial aid and to recieve finacial aid your parents would have to be poor.

[qtpiedanzer01]

i can't get a job. i am too young. and i also don't think i could make enough money to support myself at an arts school.

[DancesInHerSleep]

No offense in anyway, have you heard of a job? Jobs help you make money. Thats the only resolution I can think of outside scholarships and finacial aid and to recieve finacial aid your parents would have to be poor.

 

 

Wow, as a mother of two non dancing teenagers, plus a 10 year-old DD, I'll have to tell you that I don't allow either of my teenagers to work during the school year. And I won't allow my DD to work when she gets older either. Of course, I allow babysitting, petsitting etc.

 

It is of my opinion that their "jobs" are to do their very best in school, and their other chosen endeavors, i.e. dance, swim, soccer, violin etc. Now I also understand that is not everyone's philosophy, as I myself have held down a job since I was 13. But, I don't think a young person should be guilted into getting a job either. Kids have enough stress to deal with.

 

Besides, what young dancer on a professional track has time for a job? I think a young dancer is learning the same discipline that comes from having a regular after shool job. And if she were to get into a boarding school would they allow a job?

 

Please be more sensitive to the fact that this girls family may very well "be poor", as you put it, but you used it as though it was a dirty word. Having a financial hardship or being below the poverty line is not fun. And although I'm not an expert on financial aid for dance programs, I am familiar with other types educational financial aid. Often people of moderate incomes can qualify for financial aid too.

 

qtpiedanzer I commend you for being sensitive to the fact that your parents may not be able to afford what you're asking for. As a mother I can also be pretty certain that if they know what you aspire to they will do whatever they can to help you pursue your dream, as long as they believe it's in your best interest.

 

Typically there are different types of financial aid....either you have to pay it back, or you don't. If you don't qualify for a scholarship or financial aid, think about other ways you can help. For example, there may be extra chores around the house you could do.

 

If your parents pay for someone to do lawn work, or housecleaning maybe you could do it instead. The money they save could go towards your tuition. If you have a DSL or cable internet connection in your room, consider going to dial up. If you have a TV in your room, tell you parents you'll go without cable. If you buy your school lunch, start packing. These are just some ideas. If your parents are anything like my husband and me, they don't divulge their financial statements to you, which means you may not know just how much all this "stuff" adds up!!

 

If your parents say they can afford it, then they probably can. I don't think they would have told you otherwise. It just means that THEY might already be making plans to go without cable and DSL while you're gone! One year my father sold his coveted coin collection so we children would have toys for Christmas. Don't underestimate the resourcefulness of your parents!!

[Guest Megari]

I empathize with you! There are scholarships available through private oganizations. You can search the web and browse the popular dance magazines. Some are offered only to residents of certain states. Agneta Liljedahl Ballet Scholarship Fund is mostly for Florida residents but may cover training in Florida by out of staters as well. You could always contact them to find out. Also, THE SUSAN BENENSON SCHOLARSHIP FUND FOR YOUNG DANCERS priority is given to residents of NY.

Sponsors and benefactors have helped us out along the way as well. Don't give up if it is truly something you want for yourself and if others offer to help you accept it graciously.

[BW]

qtpiedanzer, you've gotten a couple of really helpful and thoughtful posts here. Perhaps you ought to discuss some of these ideas with your parents and see what they think?

 

And, by the way, I'm with DancesInHerSleep about the "job" issue and I think she's made some excellent suggestions (and ones many of us might take heed to if we're feeling the pinch) when she wrote:

f your parents pay for someone to do lawn work, or housecleaning maybe you could do it instead. The money they save could go towards your tuition. If you have a DSL or cable internet connection in your room, consider going to dial up. If you have a TV in your room, tell you parents you'll go without cable. If you buy your school lunch, start packing. These are just some ideas. If your parents are anything like my husband and me, they don't divulge their financial statements to you, which means you may not know just how much all this "stuff" adds up!!

 

If your parents say they can afford it, then they probably can. I don't think they would have told you otherwise. It just means that THEY might already be making plans to go without cable and DSL while you're gone!

[La_Bailarina]

As one who has 'been there' in a way, I'll see what I can do. When I was in eighth grade, I decided that I wasn't going to be able to tolerate going to the public highschool. I knew I could get a better education elsewhere and I didn't want to have classes with 30+ people for four more years. Then when I got my class placements for the following year, placing me in classes that I knew would be far to easy simply to keep class size in the upper level classes down, I knew I would be miserable there. To make a very long story short, I wanted out. My family is by no means rich nor are we living in poverty but there was no way that we would be able to afford the tution of a private school, in some cases a boarding one. I filled out all the admissions applications, gave my teachers their recommedations to fill out, told my school, and my parents filled out all the financial aid applications. I knew from the start that there was no way I'd be going anywhere but the public high school if I didn't get at least 50% financial aid. I attended interviews with all the admissions faculty from each school I was applying to (5 or 6 I believe). We sent in all the applications and began the long, tedious process of waiting. Then after what seemed like an eternity, the letters started coming. First choice school-rejected (I was devastated), school I would only go to if everything else fell through-rejected (I was suprised since it had the lowest standards for admission, but relieved at the same time since I really didn't want to go there), third choice school-waitlisted (I was shocked that I was even waitlisted because they had top-notch academics but they also had some of the best sports teams in the country and expected everyone to participate and I walked into the interview saying "I am a ballet dancer, do you have a dance program?"), second choice school-ACCEPTED but waitlisted for financial aid. The letter from my second choice broke my heart even more than the rejection from my first choice. In some ways I thought that all hope was lost but I still made my parents call the aid office every other day to ask if there was any money available yet. After about three weeks of that, I accepted the fact that I was doomed to attend the public high school but there was still a little part of me that thought maybe theres a chance. As the deadline for replying to the school telling them there plans for the coming year was fast approching, I was becoming even more and more hopeless. Then the day before I had to let them know if I would be attending, we got a phone call from the aid office telling us that they could give me nearly a full scholarship. I was overjoyed and am now happily attending this school. My family did still need to take out a loan to pay for the other portion of my tution, but the primary problem was solved.

 

I guess the moral of this story is that; you don't need to be dirt poor to recieve financial aid and never ever give up hope on getting some. Be persistant.

[iceydeville]

Re: the job.

 

I go to a recreational studio and having a job AND taking class is/was (I am sooo quitting) difficult, especially during the school year with all AP classes and whatnot. Imagine how hard it would be to go to a pre-pro school, have a job, and maintain a somewhat okay standard of grades.

[carabosse]

Have you considered babysitting? If you're an assistant dance teacher, you may have an inclination for it. You could have a flexible schedule and work for people you know.

 

That is what I did through high school as a "job". I was able to pay for my own dance shoes and save for college. Working for family and neighbors was fairly low-stress and paid better than typical after-school jobs. I continued to babysit in college and it was a great experience for many reasons. In the evenings, there is plenty of time for homework once the kids are in bed.

 

You might have to forgo social activities on weekends, but those are the kind of tradeoffs dancers are used to making.

 

I wish you the best!

 

-Danielle

[BW]

More great suggestions and all I can say is "Wow!" to La_Bailarina - what a wonderful and inspiring story!

[qtpiedanzer01]

La_Bailarina my family sound like yours, not poverty but not rich. the thing that i am worried about it at the time i will be attending high school my twin sister will be too, (she is an aspiring dancer as well) and my older sister will be attending medical school if she stays with that. thanks for all your suggestions. my family doesn't have like cleaning services or people who mow the lawn. we do it ourselves. i clean the house, but don't get allowence for it because i feel bad asking for the money. i just want my parents to have a good life too. i don't want them to have to spend everything they own on there children. plus i can't work at my ballet school, because they don't allow that. its a pre-pro school so therefore most of the teahers have been pros or have a degree.

[DancesInHerSleep]

I can guarantee you that your parents idea of having a "good life" is to see all their children safe, happy and flourishing. I know it's a cliche, but someday you'll have children of your own and you'll undestand.

 

And just to reinforce what La Bailarina said...

 

We are a "moderate income" family. My son goes to a private high school, and recieves financial aid. The amount we have to pay each month is still considerable, but it's worth it. We live in an apartment instead of a house, we only have one car (and one rustbucket), our idea of eating out is the Little Caesar's $5 cheese pizza. We do splurge on other things....internet access, and a cell phone for my son.

 

Talk to your mom and dad about your concerns, come up with some ideas, and a plan. You won't get anywhere without a plan. Just like it's your "job" to do your very best in school and dance, it's their "job" to do all worrying. And as I've said before, they may already have a plan, and you're worrying for no reason!!

 

And La_Bailarina, you're a great inspriation and role model!

[Mel Johnson]

Just remember - "need based" doesn't mean below the poverty line, which is $18,000 for a family of four.