I only applied to five colleges.

And ironically, I didn’t graduate from any of them.  I spent a year at Johns Hopkins University as a pre-law dude and ended up spending more time doing theater in the local dinner theater circuit than going to class, so I transferred to Tisch at NYU.

But if I had to do it all over again, I’d apply to fifteen schools.  Heck, maybe even fifty.

The more options you have as a high school senior, with so much of your life before you, the better.  Especially when you’re not going to get into every school you apply to, right?  So apply to many, and apply to a wide variety to make sure you have plenty to choose from when it comes down to D-day.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, “When did TheProducersPerspective turn into TheCollegeAdmissionsPerspective?”

Options are good when applying to college, for sure, but also for writers applying to festivals, producers looking for stars, actors looking to audition, or even guys looking to pick up girls.  I talk to way too many people who say things like, “I must get so-and-so to star in this,” or “I must get so-and-so to produce this,” or “I must marry so-and-so or I’ll die.”  The one-or-none approach may feel super targeted and super passionate, but it’s also super naive.

Don’t be so narrow minded when you’re just starting out as a producer, an actor, a writer, a salesperson, or a girl-picker-upper.  Cast your net wide, create more options, and you’ll not only be able to make better decisions, but you’ll also feel a little more confident when you have several folks interested in what you have to offer.  Life, like sales, is a numbers game.  The more leads you have, the more you’ll sell.

But go after that one thing, and well, no, you won’t die.  But, most likely, your project sure will.

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