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Summertime may have been vacation time when you were younger, but now that you're a junior or senior, it's time to get down to the business of finding your dream college. And that goes double if you want to study theatre, music or dance. Summer — and PlaybillEDU — give you a chance to get ahead of the pack, or catch up if you've fallen a bit behind.

I Didn't Get Into Any of My Schools

Don't panic; all is not lost. The PlaybillEDU search-and-compare tools are your new best friends.

* Deadlines may have passed for most schools, but many other have a policy of Rolling Admission, meaning they accept and process applications as they get them — often right up to the first day of class. * If your grades and test scores were a problem, you may just need to broaden your search criteria. You may simply have aimed too high, or the competition was just too intense at your top choices. But there are plenty of other colleges, many with fine reputations or unusual specialties. In a pinch, most Community Colleges have "open admission," meaning they are chartered to accept all applicants, regardless of grades.

You may find not only that you like these lesser-known colleges more, but you might actually learn better. At some brand-name schools you rarely even see your actual famous professor. You're taught by her or his teaching assistants instead. At smaller schools or non-Ivy League schools you may get more personalized attention.

You may also save money on lower tuition or greater financial aid. If you wanted to go to a big-city college, check out what other schools are in that city, or consider a medium-size city. There's a lot to be said for being a bigger fish in a smaller pond.

PlaybillEDU tracks more than one thousand schools to choose from in all 50 U.S. states and Canada. Shop around.

I Was Accepted. Great. Now What?

Why wait until classes begin? You're going to be spending the next several years of your life at college. It's time to start scouting the place in detail. You may have visited the school during your application process, but college is more than just buildings.

· Orientation – Just about every school has New Student Orientation sessions, at which you can schedule your classes, talk to your teachers, visit your dorm room, meet your classmates — even your roommate. Check school listings on PlaybillEDU for details on each school's presentation.

· Summer Semester – Find schools that offer summer classes and use that summer between high school and college to get a jump on your degree and get to know your campus in a lower-pressure environment. When your classmates arrive in the fall, you'll already know your way around.

· Even before the Orientation visit, you can take Virtual Tours of the campus online. Once you have your schedule you can even plot out the best cross-campus routes from one class to the next.

· Many schools now allow accepted students to browse a password-protected site where can chat with current students to learn the ins and outs of campus life, and become social media friends with future classmates — including prospective roommates.

· Don't wait until that crazy first day of classes. Use PlaybillEDU to smooth your home-to-school transition.

I'm Just Beginning My Search. Where Do I Start?

Even for the best students, applying to college is serious business that takes research, organization and intelligent planning. The sooner you start the better. For high school juniors and transfer students, it's not too early to spend the summer shopping for next year's colleges. Which degrees are offered? What are the new professors, new scholarships and new courses? · PlaybillEDU has the last application requirements for more than two thousand drama, dance and music programs at more than a thousand colleges and universities. Get your free password and log into our top-rated search program now. We will walk you through the application process step-by-step by asking questions to get you thinking, like: What would you like to study? What schools offer that? Where in the country would you like to study? Would you like to study in a city, a suburb or in the country? What is your tuition price range? What scholarships are available to you?

You can answer and many or as few questions as you like, and then PlaybillEDU will tell you all the colleges that fit your requirements. You can fine-tune your search from there.

· Performing arts students in particular need to know what kind of audition/portfolio requirements each school has. PlaybillEDU stores that information for each school. Once you know what is required, you can start choosing and rehearsing your audition and/or assembling your portfolio now, so that when you go before the audition board, you can give your best.

· Many schools offer an Early Decision/Early Action option that gives early applicants a crucial edge. Research them now, and get your applications in before the rest of the crowd.

Things are always changing in the world of higher education for performing arts students. Get the latest and the most on PlaybillEDU.