At least at these colleges it is.

According the The Princeton Review, the best college theater scenes aren’t on the Great White Way. Nope, the #1 best college theater is in Allentown, Pennsylvania. So if you’re thinking about majoring in theater arts, or you just happen to be patron of the stage and live theater, these are schools you should most definitely consider:

1. Muhlenberg College
Notable theater-related alumna: Michael McDonald, costume designer and 2009 Tony Award and Drama Desk nominee for Hair.

2. Drew University
Notable theater-related alumna: James Van Der Beek from Dawson’s Creek! (Apparently he didn’t graduate though…). Also, Aileen Quinn, who played Annie in the originally motion picture.

3. Bennington College
Notable theater-related alumni: Bennington is stacked with famous alumni including Alan Arkin, Anne Ramsey, Carol Channing,  Justin Theroux, Holland Taylor, and Peter Dinklage (from Game of Thrones!).

4. Yale University
Notable theater-related alumni: Just to name of few (there are so many) alumni, there is Patricia Clarkson, Paul Giamatti, Elia Kazan, Paul Newman (graduate school), Liev Schreiber, and THE Meryl Streep.

5. Wagner College 
Notable theater-related alumna: Molly Burnett, star of Days of Our Lives.

6. Emerson College 
Notable theater-related alumna: Jay Leno and Denis Leary.

7. Northwestern University
Notable theater-related alumni: Ann Margret, Warren Beatty, Zach Braff, Stephen Colbert, Cloris Leachman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Seth Meyers…and there’s a lot more where that came from.

8. Carnegie Mellon University
Notable theater-related alumni:  Holly Hunter, Ted Danson, and Ethan Hawke.

9. Indiana University – Bloomington
Notable theater-related alumni:  Screenwriter and Emmy Award winner, Elliot Baker, Sarah Clarke, aka Bella Swan’s mother, and Andrew Katsulas, aka the One Armed Man in The Fugitive.

10. SUNY at Purchase College
Notable theater-related alumni: Parker Posey, Susie Essman, Zoe Kravitz, And Josh Hartnett.

11. Brown University
Notable theater-related alumni: Laura Linney, John Krasinski, and Emma Watson also had a stint at Brown.

12. Knox College
Notable theater-related alumna: Vir Das, the famous Bollywood actor.

13. Kenyon College
Notable theater-related alumni: Allison Janney, Paul Newman, and Josh Radnor.

Whether you’re a theater student or not, do you make sure to take advantage of the performing arts on campus?

See if you’re a match!

1. Womenetics Advancing Aspirations Global Scholarship
Amount-$1,500-$5,000
Deadline-August 12
Quick fact-Don’t be turned away men! This scholarship is open to both men and women enrolled in college.

2. AFSA Second Chance Scholarship
Amount-$1,000
Deadline-August 24
Quick fact- 5 scholarships will be awarded.

3. “First Kiss” Scholarship
Amount-$500
Deadline-September 1
Quick fact-Available for high school students to adult college students, all you have to do to apply is write a 250 word story about your, yep, first kiss. Haven’t had one yet? Make it up.

4. Go! Study Abroad Scholarship
Amount-$1,000
Deadline-September 15
Quick fact- This is for students who are planning on studying abroad.

5. Ayn Rand “Atlas Shrugged” Scholarship
Amount- $50-$10,000
Deadline-September 17
Quick fact-Yes, a book and an essay are involved, but there will be 84 scholarship winners!

6. Hit the Books Scholarship
Amount- $500
Deadline-September 30
Quick fact- Scholarship award must be used for educational books and materials.

7. Just Poetry Scholarship
Amount-$100-$500
Deadline-September 30
Quick fact-9 scholarships will be awarded to applicants who submit their original poetry.

Looking for more scholarships? Check out www.cappex.com/scholarships.

We have been hearing a ton of feedback on the big school/small school debate, like these comments from Cappexians Emily and Audrey:

The debate could go on forever about the pros and cons of a big school versus a small school, but in the end, it’s what floats your boat! If smaller classes, guaranteed attention from professors and faculty, and a close-knit community is something you’re looking for, how about starting off your college search with the 10 smallest colleges in the United States:

1. Shimer College
Enrollment – 81
Fun fact – Shimer college, now co-ed, was originally founded as an all female college. Its classes are exclusively small seminars–how could they be that big!– in which students discuss original source material rather than read textbooks

2. Sterling College
Enrollment – 99
Fun fact – Sterling College is one of seven colleges part of the Work College Consortium, which means it’s an institution of higher learning where student work is an integral and mandatory part of the educational process.

3. Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts
Enrollment – 128
Fun fact - The Lyme Academy is known for its contemporary focus on the history and tradition of representational art, centered on the study of nature and the figure. So if you want a contemporary focus on the history and tradition of representation art, centered on the study of nature and the figure…this might just be the place for you…just…maybe…

4. Bryn Athyn College
Enrollment - 155
Fun Fact - Bryn Aythn’s College’s original campus and surrounding community was designed in 1893 by Charles Eliot of the firm Olmstead, Olmstead, and Eliot – the famous firm responsible for the design of New York City’s Central Park.

5. Art Academy of Cincinnati
Enrollment – 156
Fun fact – Students at the Art Academy of Cincinnati work closely with faculty members who themselves are professional contemporary artists (student to faculty ratio is 10:1).

6. Burlington College
Enrollment - 166
Fun fact – Burlington College is one of the few American universities to offer study abroad programs in Havana, Cuba. So if you have an undying desire to relive your favorite movie “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights,” this might be the easiest way to get the clearance to go to Cuba.

7. College of Visual Arts
Enrollment – 189
Fun fact – The College of Visual Arts is comprised of 5 school buildings including a 1915 mansion.

8. Montserrat College of Art
Enrollment – 270
Fun fact – Well-known alumni of Montserrat include prominent fashion designer Sigrid Olsen, sculptor Carlos Dorrien, and children’s book illustrator Giles Laroche.

9. Cogswell Polytechnical College
Enrollment – 287
Fun fact – Among Cogwell’s other programs are animation and video game development.

10. Judson College
Enrollment – 324
Fun fact – Judson is one of the oldest women’s colleges in the United States, but is now co-educational.

What’s your take? Do these schools sound too small or are they just the right size? Leave a comment!

Part of the college search, that is supremely helpful if you start early, is the scholarship quest.  We’ve made list of 8 great scholarships for juniors that they can apply to now!

1. The Discus Award
Every month, there’s a new $2,000 scholarship winner.  The Discus Awards recognize well-rounded, versatile students following their passions.

2. National Peace Essay Contest
Over 50 scholarships will be awarded between $1,000-$10,000.  What do you have to do to win? Write a killer essay.

3. The Gen and Kelly Tanabe Scholarship
This is a merit-based program that helps students fulfill their dreams of a higher education.

4. Avar Press Literary Essay Scholarship
Avar Press is seeking to recognize, encourage, and reward scholarships to high school students who read a specific book and write an essay about it.

5. Abbot & Fenner Scholarship
This $1,000 scholarship is for a student who writes a 500-1000 word response to specified question. Easy!

6. Castle Ink’s Green Scholarship
Applicants must generate awareness of recycling by writing something inspiring and posting it online, including a link to castleink.com.  Not too difficult and good for the environment!

7. B. David Scholarship
College-bound juniors have the opportunity to win one of three $1,000 scholarships.

8. Win Win Plus Scholarship
Scholarships between $500 and $25,000 will be awarded to college-bound students who make a difference in at-risk kids’ lives.  It’s a win-win situation.

Looking for more scholarships? Go here!

Skipping Breakfast offers up some words of wisdom to students looking to make their resumes pop:

• Find a template that works for you! There’s an office on your high school or college campus that has some example resumes. Use those as a starting point! If you can’t find one, just go to Google.
• Don’t go beyond a page. As a general rule, one page on a resume represents five years of work experience. If you have a lot of experience, pick and choose what you feel best represents you. And, you can always add/remove experiences later to make your resume targeted towards a specific job.

Continue Reading>>

Congrats to all our winners!

	$1,000 Cappex “I Don’t Want To Pay For College” Scholarship – December 2009 Winner: Jacob R., from Saint Helens, OR, is a current college freshman who plans on studying psychology and heath related sciences. In high school, Jacob held a 4.0 GPA, played golf, soccer and swimming and also participated in the band and drama programs. He was also the National Honor Society President, Key Club Secretary and member of his high school’s student council. Jacob also spent time volunteering with organizations such as the Kiwanis club, UNICEF and March of Dimes.
	$1,000 “#1 Cappex Facebook Fan” Scholarship – Winner: Juliana P., from Chandler, AZ, is a current high school senior. She is the founder and President of the Doctors Without Borders club, Science Research Club President and Key Club Secretary. She also plays golf and tennis. Outside of school, Juliana is a section leader of the Phoenix Youth Symphony and tutors nine Korean immigrant students in English.
	$1,000 Cappex Business Careers Scholarship – Fall 2009 Winner: Patrick C., from Port Huron, MI, is a current high school senior and honor roll student. He is a Key Club Division 6 Lieutenant Governor, overseeing nine key clubs around Michigan, and is President of his high school senior class. Patrick is also a volunteer for the Youth Advisory Council, his local soup kitchen and church. He intends on studying business, management or marketing and would like to major in business administration and management.
	$1,000 Cappex Psychology Scholarship – Fall 2009 Winner: Cassandra B., from Samson, AL, is a current college freshman. She plans on majoring in psychology, pre-medicine or pre-medical studies. During high school she held a 4.0 GPA and was valedictorian of her class. She was also President of the National Junior Honor Society, Spanish Club President, Band President and Student Government Treasurer. Cassandra is currently part of her college’s Medical Careers Club and Student Sociological Association.
	$1,000 Cappex Health Careers & Nursing Scholarship – Winner: Cynthia U., from Reseda, CA, is pursuing her Master’s degree in public health. She held a 4.0 GPA while at California State University, Northridge. Cynthia is bilingual, and serves as an interpreter for Hispanic patients. She is interested in furthering her education to help the Hispanic community. When she is not working at her hospital, Cynthia also volunteers at the Braille Institute in Los Angeles.

Tom Glenn, UIC’s director of admissions, says the school gets 50,000 applications each year. But the video’s real gem is Glenn walking you through the path of an application. Knowing each step will help you make sure your app doesn’t get lost in the 500,000 pieces of paper that come across the college admissions desk.

He also gives great insight into the competitiveness of the process. “We have more qualified applicants than space,” he says.

This means you need any edge you can get. I’m not saying you need to take notes during the video, but you might want to stick around to the end.