Choosing a college can be an excruciating decision for many, but the process gets even harder when you throw in the question of whether to go to a liberal arts school or a conservatory.

Students planning to major in the arts must make this critical decision. One student, senior Amanda Kaplan, has decided to major in dance at a liberal arts school rather than go to a conservatory. Kaplan reasons she “will become a more well-rounded learner” with the experience, for she will not only be taking a slew of dance classes, but also a heavy dose of basic academics as well.

Opting to go to a conservatory seems like the best choice for senior Megan Trail, who will be attending the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Winthrop University. She says, “Winthrop has an arts and humanities school in itself, so I wanted to go there to experience both aspects. It is one of the few schools where I can do both ceramics and business together.”

Senior Vikki Khoja-Eynatyan, who has attended the Peabody Conservatory Preparatory since the sixth grade, will attend the Peabody Institute of John Hopkins University next year. Says Khoja-Eynatyan, “I want to be in a more concentrated area where student-professor relationships are really intimate.”

Conservatories, however, do not fit all students’ future aspirations. Senior Ashley Goins, who will be attending the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, is looking forward to a career in sports medicine. Says Goins, “I chose a liberal arts college because that way I can get a degree in [sports medicine and dance] at the same time and from the same college.”

Many students choose to go to conservatories because they are guaranteed to get the finest education in the art of their choice. Senior Daniel Anderson, who will be attending the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), says, “For an artist that wants a very concentrated program, an art school gives you the advantage of specified resources and a much broader program than a typical university would.”