Interlochen Arts Academy

I spent 4 years here but most students transfer in the middle of HS. I graduated in 1987 and last visited about 5 years ago. I am happy I went here, but I choose not to send my kids here. This school is best suited to students with high artistic potential. That was not my children. While a lot has changed, the core goal has not. This is a school to intensively develop young artists.
For most students, IAA is a marathon. You are focusing on your art 5+ hours a day and squeezing in your other academics. Your goal should be to improve and survive the long journey. You are also doing this while you growing into an adult and experience normal teenage angst.
If you are competitive and used to winning, you’ll quickly be humbled. There are prodigies and then there are the majority of talented students who are still climbing their way up. When you are at Interlochen, you feel like you are never good enough because most of the time there is someone better. I’ve heard it called a feeder school for Julliard but I would call it a weeder school. Interlochen is where you learn how good you are compared with other talent nationally. If you are aiming for Julliard, Eastman, Curtis, Art Center College of Design, NYU Film School or the other top schools, Interlochen will help you develop the skills to get there, but it is far from a guarantee. It is important to take what you learn here and move on to conservatory or university. Whether you end up at Julliard or community college, it is ultimately up to you to develop yourself artistically.
A word of caution for parents. If you have kids with severe mental disorders or substance abuse problems, I would avoid Interlochen and ANY boarding school. Do not think that putting your emotionally troubled but artistically talented child into an arts pressure cooker isn’t a formula for trouble. I’ve seen kids find happiness and acceptance for the first time in their lives because Interlochen is a loving accepting community. (See Aaron Dworkin’s book Uncommon Rhythm
) I also saw kids get discouraged and lose their confidence because they were exposed to a group of high performing peers.
I would hope some recent graduates review IAA on Unilocal too for a more up-​to-​date perspective.