Colleges

[Mercutio]

I am currently looking at colleges, planning to major in music and/or history. I play piano, oboe, and organ. Can mooters tell me anything they know about any of these schools? They are in no particular order.

Gordon College (Massachusetts)
Grove City College (western PA)
Univ. of Virginia
Messiah College (eastern PA)
Univ. of Richmond
Ithaca (NY)
Carnegie Mellon
Wheaton (Chicago)
Calvin College (Michigan)
James Madison

and then there's Eastman school of music at Rochester...but I'm not that good. Nor do I want to be a famous musician in a top-tier orchestra.

I've looked up the music faculty I'd study under at all those schools already. One thing, if you want to study music it's a good idea to be near a big urban center so that you have access to lots of excellent musicians/concerts/etc. Not all those schools are...for example Gordon is near Boston (good) but Calvin is near...umm...?

And for history, that's not as touchy an area as music. I'd think most schools would have a half-decent history department.

[Spock]

If Lebanon Valley, in Pa. still has it's past courses, it's a good school also.

[Mercutio]

Ah yes. I know the orchestra director from Lebanon Valley.

[Twista]

I dont think i post here enough to justify myself having a own celebration thread so I thought I'd put it in here.

Just got My 6th Year set of school results (the final year of school). I got alrite grades last year but I needed a few more to get into the course i am doing at Uni.

Anyway I got ABC this year - an A in Media, B in Classical Studies, and a C in Economics. Hence - I am off to Aberdeen University to study Property! Loads of mates from my year going there too acually so its going to be a blast. I leave on the 17th of September to move into Halls - cant wait.

Any other Brits goin to Uni this year?

[HOBBIT]

I'm applying to colleges too.

One of them will be James Madison. I visited there about a month a go - very good school.

[Mercutio]

I know two people going to JMU this coming year. The only problem is...on their website, they have absolutely no faculty in organ (I just found out). The oboist looks good and the entire music deparment (they just became an "All Steinway School" with an anonymous gift of 12 Steinway grands).

I was surprised. I figured a big enough school as JMU even if it is secular would have an organ professor.

[The Wizard from Milan]

My suggestion is to go to the best, most renowned school that you can afford to enter (and that accepts you).
School recognition opens many doors. I would not be deterred by the prospect of not being number one in the class. Better to be average in a renowned school than the best in an average school.

Secondarily, I would also consider the size of the school's endowment because it affects the quality of teachers, structures and programs...

If you were to ask me about economics, among those listed, I would say: Rocherster, or Carnegie Mellon or (failing those) UVA

Also try to find a school in which you fit in; e.g. I would never go to a catholic university

BTW Yale has a major in music too
http://www.yale.edu/yalecollege/publ..._iv/music.html The major seems to come out of the department of music which handles the theory/history part. There is also a school of music
http://www.yale.edu/music/ysm.html where the musicians are; that offers a degree in conjunction with the "usual" undergraduate program.
Yale also, of course, has an excellent department of History.

[Mercutio]

I'm not really that into Ivy Leagues..I dunno. It's not as if I'm going into politics or law, or need that kind of name recognition.

I disagree with you that it's "Better to be average in a renowned school than the best in an average school"...if your a big fish in a little pond you might get more attention from the faculty. Something else about Ivy Leagues...just because Mr. Famous teaches Course 304 doesn't mean he really really teaches it. Plenty of TA's and other folks who do the real work.

Thanks for the advice, though.

I liked what I read about Carnegie Mellon. The only thing is, the oboists on their facutly are the type from big name symphonies who studied under brilliant oboists. So they can push you really really hard and be a little arrogant/belittling/in-your-face/etc...this one woman would be good to study under if I wanted to be a professional big-orchestra musician. But I don't. At least not now.

[Mercutio]

I've been reading a lot about Wheaton College. That's considered one of the top Christian colleges academically, and they have a wonderful music conservatory. It's in suburban Chicago.

[cee2lee2]

Don't personally know anyone who went to Wheaton but it's reputation IS great. I live about a half hour away from Grove City. It's in a very small town with limited cultural events in the area, but is half way between Cleveland and Pittsburgh (probably closer to the 'burgh, maybe an hour and a half away). The county it's in is considered rural. My sister-in-law went to Ithaca as a fine arts (piano) major and recommends it. That was about 20 years ago though. Are you going to be able to visit any of the schools? When I was looking, I found it helpful to visit during the school year when the students are around and you can meet some of the faculty and just generally get a feeling for if you would like to be there.

[HOBBIT]

my opinion:
1. limiting your college choices on whether or not they have an organ professor may be.... too limiting. As long as they have the facilities for your other musical talents (piano, oboe, etc whatever).

But I have no idea how many universities have organ professors or programs.... do many? If yes, then ignore what I said


2. I would NOT go with The Wizard from Milan 's advice, no offense.

Go to the school that is the best fit for you. Who cares what others think?

Besides the Ivies - colleges are generally only known in their regions.

There are a couple universites that I could apply and (hopefully) get into that have possibly the best national recognition of my college choices - but I want what the best fit for me is.

Just my two cents.

[Mercutio]

Originally Posted by cee2lee2

Don't personally know anyone who went to Wheaton but it's reputation IS great.

I really really like Wheaton so far...but it costs 25,000 a year (which is reasonable considering what other colleges are). They hardly give any merit based scholarships though. For example, at Messiah if you're valedictorian/certain SAT score/top 1% of your class you automatically get 10,000 a year. Grove City has a handful of half-tuition scholarships. I could get at least 75% tuition from Gordon. That's the one problem so far with Wheaton (money). But they do have some music scholarships...and they could give one kid (me) some money and get double the music value (oboe and organ...not so common instruments).

I live about a half hour away from Grove City. It's in a very small town with limited cultural events in the area, but is half way between Cleveland and Pittsburgh (probably closer to the 'burgh, maybe an hour and a half away). The county it's in is considered rural. My sister-in-law went to Ithaca as a fine arts (piano) major and recommends it. That was about 20 years ago though. Are you going to be able to visit any of the schools? When I was looking, I found it helpful to visit during the school year when the students are around and you can meet some of the faculty and just generally get a feeling for if you would like to be there.

We know professor there. There music department isn't the greatest (like Wheaton) but there are plenty of good musicians in Pittsburgh and with the P. Symphony.

My oboe teacher went to Ithaca. That's one reason I looked it up.

We are going to visit schools, and try to tie visits in with orchestra concerts, faculty recitals, etc.

Originally Posted by HOBBIT

But I have no idea how many universities have organ professors or programs.... do many? If yes, then ignore what I said

Everything I've looked at except JMU so far has had organ.

Good luck in your college search

[Bombadillo]

www.collegeboard.com
^ That has all the basic stats that you could ask for, except yeah, they don't tell you which place has an organ professor.

I won't mislead you and pretend to know what I'm talking about in music schools, but around here, Berkley School of Music is the most talked-about. It seems rather impressive and prestiegious, but no reliable source exists to tell you prestiege, because everything's biased. So keep asking around, is my advice, and talk to your guidance counselor. He could tell you for sure, but I don't really think music is a field that requires an impressive diploma so much as skill plus perhaps a diploma. But it would generally affect the starting salary of a person in another career.

Also, coincidently, Berkley is the first school I ever searched for that is actually not listed on CollegeBoard. What are the chances of that!?

[Mercutio]

Originally Posted by Bombadillo

www.collegeboard.com
^ That has all the basic stats that you could ask for, except yeah, they don't tell you which place has an organ professor.

I won't mislead you and pretend to know what I'm talking about in music schools, but around here, Berkley School of Music is the most talked-about. It seems rather impressive and prestiegious, but no reliable source exists to tell you prestiege, because everything's biased. So keep asking around, is my advice, and talk to your guidance counselor. He could tell you for sure, but I don't really think music is a field that requires an impressive diploma so much as skill plus perhaps a diploma. But it would generally affect the starting salary of a person in another career.

Also, coincidently, Berkley is the first school I ever searched for that is actually not listed on CollegeBoard. What are the chances of that!?

Yep. Berkeley is pretty prestigious. It's a music conservatory though (or close to it), and I don't really want something that professional yet. For grad school something like it maybe.


My dad's new advice: Don't go in debt over music. Chemical engineering? Computer science? Sure...but not music.

Wheaton...I would surely go into debt. lol

[Spock]

...trouble is at Berkley, you gotta remember *not* to inhale.

[Lotesse]

Aren't you thinking about "Berkeley", UC Berkeley? That's a different school than "Berkley". Just sayin'.

[Spock]

Nah, the whole system is nutz! IMO

[HOBBIT]

Also, coincidently, Berkley is the first school I ever searched for that is actually not listed on CollegeBoard. What are the chances of that!?

Perhaps because it is Berklee and not Berkley

[cee2lee2]

Originally Posted by Mercutio

.... So...if we're flying to Wheaton, why not Bethel? Bethel Univ. in Minnesota is in a suburb of the twin cities. It's on the exchance list with the Univ. of DE, so it's possible I could get free tuition (my dad teaches at DE). And they have a brand new huge organ (3rd biggest in the state, the other two being elsewhere in Minneapolis). A decent music program I think. Plus they have merit awards, for example...since my SAT is between 1420 and 1600 I automatically get $6,000.

Except for the distance, Bethel sounds like it has a lot of advantages for you. Do you think you'll mind the cold of the Minnesota winters?

[Mercutio]

Probably not. I grew up in Iowa and central Pennsylvania, and I always like really cold better than really hot.

But then again Minnesota is bitter cold. Brrrrrr....