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From canvas to campus

Rachel Zhang ‘28

Oct 11, 2024

As seniors at Mercersburg Academy engage in the college application process, art students face unique challenges and opportunities. The Mercersburg News interviewed six seniors applying to college for six different art forms: Lucia Gamble ’25, a photographer; Stella Johnson ’25, a dancer; Alfred Ma ‘25, a euphonium player; Anne Sehon ‘25, a graphic designer; Syd Watts ‘25, a stage manager; and Maddie Weiss ‘25, an actor. They shared their experiences applying to college in the arts and offered insights on the journey.

Weiss emphasized the importance of early involvement. “Something I wish I did was get involved sooner,” she reflected. “I think that limited my opportunities.” By starting early, students can build a robust portfolio and gain essential experience in their craft. 

Ma concurred, “[M]ost students… don't have to record other [music] pieces or have to do paintings. We do a lot more stuff, and with that obviously comes stress.”

Weiss described the varied process of applying to arts colleges. “Typically, the process includes an interview where you introduce yourself to them, answering a couple of questions, such as ‘Who are you?’ and ‘Why do you want to pursue the craft?’” Concerning the audition Weiss said, “You usually bring in two monologues. They're usually contrasting, one is dramatic and then the other is comedic, or any modern/contemporary monologue and then a classical monologue.”

There is also the extra step of submitting an art portfolio. Watts explained, “Basically what a portfolio is, is another application on top of everything else. So some schools require you to write another essay or an interview.” 

How exactly should one build a strong portfolio? For Gamble, it has not been as stressful because she not only prepared her applications early, but she is also very confident in her artwork. “I've been doing a lot of different art styles for a few years, so my portfolio is quite vast. I haven't found it as stressful as other people,” she said.

Another crucial aspect of a successful application is guidance from college counselors and teachers. Weiss said, “Mr. Hulse… [has] been very helpful…. Before he came to Mercersburg, he worked at a performing arts school as a college counselor in Orange County, so he had a lot of experience with aspiring performers and drama students.” 

However, not all college counselors are experts, so students must turn to teachers. 

Watts said, “The reason I was able to get through my basic college applications was because of [my college counselor’s] help, but the portfolio I kind of have to do on my own. So, basically, I have to ask my art teachers… for their help with my portfolio because the college counselors don't have a lot of experience with that.” 

Johnson also pointed out, “The college counselors are a little bit less equipped to help arts students when they don't know much about the art form [students] are applying for, so it is difficult to give feedback on the actual arts pieces of the applications.” She added, “But that is why we also have arts teachers and other support systems.” 

The same experience also applied to Sehon. She mentioned arts teacher Sydney Caretti as a helpful resource.

The journeys of Gamble, and Johnson, Ma, Sehon, Watts, and Weiss illustrate the dedication required to pursue the arts in college and continue doing something they are passionate about. As Watts said, “It's a lot of added stress, but in my opinion, it's so worth it because you get to do what you love.”

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