<p>I am an international student at a scholarship-based school in New Mexico, and I have submitted applications to music conservatories to undergraduate classical voice performance BM or BA/BM programmes.</p>
<p>Therefore I wonder: Are there anyone who have had their child or who has themselves traveled and gone to auditions alone here in the United States? I'm not a novice in traveling, as I come from Norway and have to fly out here to NM every so often, but I haven't had so "serious" travels before as to an audition. How did you do it with transport, accommodations/living in dorms, eating, freaking out etc? Being all alone I've done before (my school consists of 200 students from 80 or so countries, so I was rather alone when I first came here), and I'm more or less fluent in English. I'm also not too worried about asking people for help/guidance/info. Still, the idea of traveling to a random town like Oberlin, OH where I've never been before is a bit frightening...</p>
<p>The schools I've applied to (no, I don't know prescreening results yet): Oberlin, Eastman, Curtis, Manhattan School of Music and St. Olaf.</p>
<p>Any tales or experiences to share would be great! Thank you!</p>
<p>My S did his audition at Westminster last week solo. He flew from Texas to Newark and took a shuttle bus to Princeton, NJ. We booked the shuttle bus in advance and prepaid, so he didn’t have to worry about paying or tipping the driver. We also arranged for it to come to the campus to pick him up when he was done. He stayed on campus with friends, but, if you are over 18, it’s no problem to get a hotel room with a credit card. Try to get a hotel within walking distance of the audition site, if possible. </p>
<p>St. Olaf is going to be difficult to get to without a car, and you are too young to rent a car. So, try asking the admissions office for help in getting to campus from the airport. There are probably shuttles like the one my son took. I’m assuming Minneapolis/St. Paul is the closest airport. Oberlin is also very far from the airport. </p>
<p>Eastman, Curtis and Manhattan shouldn’t be as much of a problem. You can take cabs from the airport to the school or hotel.</p>
<p>Plan ahead - do lots of research. It’s doable.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot! Yes, transportation is definitely number 1 on my “worry list”! I have friends who go to St. Olaf and who went there last year solo during the audition weekend, so I’ll ask them about that. Oberlin will be… interesting, so we’ll see! And I will definitely talk to the admissions office if they invite me for an audition!
Again, thank you!</p>
<p>My son interviewed at Oberlin for composition on a solo trip. He had been to Oberlin before for a summer composition program so he knew his way around. Took shuttle from Cleveland Airport which is about 20 miles from Oberlin. First night he stayed in the Oberlin Inn. Second night which was after his interview, he stayed with a conservatory student who had gone to his high school. Got a ride back to the airport the next day. Go to the Oberlin website and there is a topic named Visiting Oberlin and it lists hotels as well as shuttle services. It really isn’t very difficult to get to and from the airport to Oberlin. Make reservations for the Oberlin hotels as soon as you know a date. If you can, stay in Oberlin rather than a surrounding town where transport to Oberlin won’t be as easy.</p>
<p>Eastman isn’t difficult- take a taxi from the airport to the school. If anyone is visiting Oberlin or CIM and needs help, PM me and I’ll help if I can.</p>
<p>ditto to everything that Barktokrules says about Oberlin! Try to stay at Oberlin Inn - it is the only hotel in walking distance to campus and the shuttle from the airport comes and goes from the hotel. If you would like to contact my daughter who is a first year VP major, PM me and I will give you her info. I am sure she would be happy to meet you and give you a Conservatory Tour so you know your way around to find practice rooms and where you audition, etc.</p>
<p>My son did one audition on his own and it went very well (and it included cross-border travel which you don’t have to do as well as a complicated trip to the accompanist’s home for a rehearsal which you won’t have to do–vocal rep is so standard and the accompanists so familiar with it that most vocalists require little rehearsal). He researched before and wrote down clear instructions about planes, buses, taxis, subways etc., including times, route numbers, prices. We printed out lots of Google maps, but I’m sure you have a phone that allow you access to all you need, which makes things easier.</p>
<p>St. Olaf is also easy to get to from the Minneapolis airport: about 5 shuttles per day from the airport right to Buntrock commons at St. Olaf; they normally take about 45 minutes. In fact, you may find it easier, cheaper and faster to get to St. Olaf from the airport than to MSM from the NYC airports. </p>
<p>As always, try to allow yourself extra time so that you never feel rushed or stressed. You may miss a connection or two, but that’s okay if you have added in the extra time. If anything does go wrong, don’t worry–in the end, things almost invariably work out (confession: I stressed far too much). Best of luck. Enjoy the journeys!</p>
<p>Thank you so much, everyone! This makes me (and hopefully also my parents) a bit less nervous. And Mezzo’sMama, I might take up on that offer! In the meantime it’s just to wait for the results…</p>
<p>My son did one of his auditions alone [3+ hour plane trip], and that happens to be where he ended up enrolling. I had done an initial visit with him, so he’d already done a tour and spent time with the trumpet professor. He was lucky in that he had a friend there, so, for the audition, he stayed right in a dorm and made a weekend out of it.</p>
<p>We took a shuttle from the airport the first few trips, but later learned that a cab is more efficient, and, because New Orleans enforces a flat-rate cab fare to the airport, about the same price. Maybe I could’ve found that info prior to the first trip, but I just wasn’t expecting such a possibility.</p>
<p>As megpmom stated, research as much as possible. Wished I’d done more when I sent him to Italy alone for a summer jazz camp. I didn’t understand some cultural things, so he had a heck of a time in Rome trying to purchase a ticket and get on the correct train to Perugia. This after exhaustion from an all-night flight and the fact that he didn’t speak the language. The Italians didn’t seem to want to help someone who didn’t speak any Italian. We didn’t understand that a small bribe would’ve gotten a better response.</p>
<p>Sunny, I am not worried about your travel but I am worried that you gave very specific details about yourself in two posts. Personally, I would create a new userid account and only say things about yourself that are broad (“boarding school out west” may even be too specific if there are only a few compared to the East coast). Also, don’t mention your country as it can easily be tied to the person going to that boarding school, but instead say international student.</p>
<p>On traveling to Oberlin alone: Leave plenty of time to get from airport to school and confirm your pick up with the taxi company multiple times. Or schedule things based on the shuttle bus times. The main taxi company that serves Oberlin-Cleveland Airport screwed up and forgot to pick up my son at Oberlin so he missed his flight. All worked out in the end. He ended up staying an extra night and leaving on an early flight first thing in the morning. It cost us $50 to change the flight but the cab company did not charge us for transportation to or from the airport so it was a wash in terms of expenses. Still it was stressful for our son who needed to get back home because he had already missed quite a bit of school and was behind with his coursework and had a concert that evening.</p>
<p>Staying the extra night (this was in the spring after our son had been admitted) ended up being a useful thing because our son got to see more of the college and the social life and it clarified for him why he did not want to go there.</p>
<p>StacJip’s statement regarding getting a sense of the school cannot be said enough. It not only about teachers. Oberlin is not in an urban environment although there are several musical events every night. It is also a conservatory that shares dorms, dining halls, and the social life with a liberal arts college that has a certain vibe. It is not everyone’s cup of tea. Just like urban, stand alone conservatories may not satisfy folks who are seeking more of a college experience.</p>
<p>I am a student playing piano. And I will go eastman for my piano audition in 21th Feb. but I still could not find a place to stay. the hotel is too expensive. could you help me ? here is my email :<a href="mailto:251811652@qq.com">251811652@qq.com</a>
very look forward for your mail.thank you so much.</p>
<p>Why not try calling admissions for some housing ideas? I’m sure they have some inexpensive options for students. Last year, we found them to be very friendly and accommodating. Good luck in your search!</p>
<p>To OP: My daughter is flying to Minneapolis solo to audition at St Olaf in a couple of weeks. Sounds like they’ll take care of her from the airport with a free shuttle to campus, dorm housing and meals - with a pretty full schedule. Hope it works out well for you!</p>