Every senior high school student faces the life altering decision of whether or not to attend college after graduating. For the senior high school dancer this decision can be critical. There are only so many years a dancer has to dance and taking the four to five years it takes to get a college degree could take time off of a potential career in dance.

However, many dancers choose to attend a college dance program instead of heading straight into the crazy world of professional dancing and the reasons why might be surprising. Here are some reasons dancers have for attending a college dance program.

Further Their Training. Whether you are a ballet, tap, hip-hop or modern dancer it still will take many years of training to achieve a skill level that can survive in the professional world of dance. Many dancers choose to use college dance programs as a way to further their training in their chosen style of dance.

Pursue a Career in Teaching. A lot of dancers use a college degree in dance to launch their dance teaching career. Many of the college programs require you to study a wide range of styles and even offer courses in business and dance teaching, so the study is dance teacher specific.

Network and Professional Teachers. Some of the best dance teachers teach at some of the college dance programs. Many dancers use these programs as a way to be able to train with some of the best dance teachers in the world. These college dance programs are also a great way to network and get your name out there as a dancer. Many professional companies recruit from the dance programs put on through the college dance programs.

Injury. Some dancers due to injury cannot handle strenuous training. Dance college programs allow these types of dancers to be able to still study what they love without the risk of re-injuring themselves.