Note that If the JSOM freshman voice class was 20, it was LARGER at Northwestern (24).The big difference might be the size of the graduate programs, JSOM being much larger in voice than it was at NU.
Yes, Freshman year at IU is probably like Freshman year anywhere…similar class size, expectations, academics etc. The difference is the “height of the mountain” created by amazing grad program (some already professionals). As you know, a freshman will not be competing with a grad student. Grad students have their own “stuff”, freshmen have other opportunities. It’s not a zero sum game of limited opportunities. All levels have different opportunities.
It’s really the intimidation factor (should not be ignored). Are you OK not being on the top…or even able to see the top for a while? It can be a come down to talented students. Will that bother you a little…a lot? How much attention, assurance do you need? The flip side is the grad students can be great mentors, helpers, supporters over time. My D learned so much for grad students about the “business” of opera and how to prepare for roles…that in the end…she was glad to be around so much experience and talent.
Hope these comments are helpful to people making decisions. There is ALWAYS some give and take in choosing a school.
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Be would be very disappointed if he ended up at the top of the mountain. That could cause him to transfer after freshman year. And that is his concern with a smaller school he loves.
When taking lessons with professors he’s looking for a good fit.is that reasonable at JSOM? I ask that as he is wondering if he will work with the professors he is going to take lessons with or if he would be assigned to a grad student or adjunct studio
No. All students get a faculty member professor. You would never have a grad student as a studio head…that’s not allowed. A grad student could teach a break out session of a music theory class (under the instruction of the professor for the class). My D only had TAs for small work session classes but there was always a professor involved. Note that I was surprised on how “tight” college was. My D HAD to meet with her teacher (full faculty member) once a week. She HAD to go to studio class. She had to have a written note from a dr to miss a class. Attendance was taken (not something that I remember during college!!). All students are treated equally as far as getting teachers, studios and meeting expectations. Slacking is not allowed by the school or the faculty or the students.
He should contact the faculty that contacted him and ask about teacher selection. IU can be slower about this in some cases (was not the situation for my D). But once you commit, they will work hard to get you a professor that’s a good fit. I saw students go through this process successfully. It sounds like your S has a shot for knowing his teacher earlier. It’s OK to contact them and simply ask how does teacher selection work and do you have a recommendation or 2 for me to consider. If your son has an interest in a professor…if that one is not mentioned…he could inquire about the teacher. Note that sometimes there is ‘potential” movement in studios around this time of year (is a sr staying at IU or leaving for another grad program?) so it can take time at a big school. Sometimes an advantage of a small school is the selection may be easier and quicker. It just depends.
Good luck.
One edit: there is a chance that the “professor” (I’m guessing) that contacted him has strong interest. Or was it the head of the dept…you can dm me. If you contact him/her, you may want to ask for their advice on a teacher. As you may not want to express interest in “another” teacher just yet. Anything can be done…it’s just how you do it. I would feel out the situation first.
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My oboe player son applied and auditioned last year at JSOM (along with 6 other schools) He did not end up accepting a spot at Jacobs as he was given a better opportunity at another school. However, he had good things to say about JSOM/IU. He had studied with the primary oboe teacher the previous summer and felt she was not only a good teacher but very involved and supportive of her students. Unlike this CoVid year, he had the opportunity to meet students and spend time in the music buildings/dorms. He was impressed by the fact that each student he met had chosen to be there because they felt it offered the best musical experience and that all seemed genuinely excited about being there. He said the facilities were really great, loved the practice rooms. If I recall correctly, IU was very generous with both an academic and merit scholarship. Best of luck to your son!
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She got notification that her audition is the 12th. If your sons audition is after hers, I can share any helpful info .
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Yes thank you! Ours is on the 14th. I will PM you. I think I might know who your daughter is 
. If I guess it right, my son attended some of the vocal competitions together with her. What a small world 
My S just revived an email from Harvard asking to schedule an interview. I believe it is an alumni that will interview him “for the admission committee “. What does this mean? How do you prepare for this vs an audition?
I had my Harvard alumni interview over a month ago. It was much more structured than my Yale interview with specific questions regarding my interests, why Harvard, politics, etc. My Yale alumni interview was more like a coffee shop chat with a friend. My advice would be to just be yourself and answer the questions in a way that leads to a discussion. My Harvard interview lasted an hour and 15 mins. My Yale interview was about 45 minutes. The good news is I did something right with Yale because I was accepted SCEA class of 2025! Feel free to PM me if I can offer anything more. Best of luck.
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The Harvard interview varies with the alumnus/a doing the interview. it’s really just a conversation. It helps to have some questions. It should be a low stress kind of thing and it helps to think of it as a chance to determine fit for you.
If you are a musician, I wonder if you submitted a music supplement with recording/video, music resume and 1-2 letters of recommendation from a teacher or director?
The interview is not an audition. The Harvard interview isn’t like an interview at a music school either. They just want to get to know you off the paper. Often the interview is kind of neutral in terms of admission but people seem to stress a lot over it. Try to enjoy!
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I do alumni interviews for my alma mater and we get very little guidance. I would say just be your natural, interesting, enthusiastic self and give the interviewer something to say in their report. A quick and personal thank you email is helpful too. I actually get super invested in my interviewees and want to give the admissions committee good info that will help secure a yes!
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He did submit a music supplemental
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2025Class - VP undergrad
- 1/30 Vanderbilt
- 2/5 Juilliard
- 2/5 BU
- 2/13 Northwestern
BooMimiMommy (daughter) cello performance
- 2/14 CIM (zoom audition/interview)
- MSM
- 2/13 SUNY Fredonia (zoom audition/interview)
- 2/21 Aaron Copland Queens College (zoom audition)
catcatcatcat - violin
- 12/5 UMiami
- 1/23 UMich
- 2/5 USC
chello93 BM cello performance
- 1/22 UMich (zoom audition)
- 1/22 Vanderbilt (recorded)
- 2/1 IU Jacobs (recorded)
- 2/1 Peabody (recorded)
- 2/12 Northwestern Bienen (zoom audition)
- 2/22 SMU Meadows (zoom audition)
clarxino DMA trumpet
12/1 Juilliard Pre-screen (video)
12/1 Northwestern Pre-screen (video)
1/8 Eastman Audition (video)
1/8 NEC Audition (video)
2/5 Juilliard Audition (video)
2/10 NEC Coaching session (Zoom)
2/16 & 2/17 NEC Theory and History exams (online)
Coffeymommy (daughter) BM composition
- 1/30 Ithaca College
- 2/1 Oberlin
- 2/6 CU-Boulder
- TBD Bard
- week of 2/14-2/19 Peabody
- TBD Purchase
filmandcomp
- 12/18 Juilliard
- 2/1 Bard(recorded) BM Performance
- 2/1 Peabody(recorded) BM Performance
- TBD Peabody Composition
- 2/10 SUNY Purchase(recorded) BM Performance
- 2/19 Bard for BM Comp
goldilockspryor (daughter) MM Vocal Performance
- 1/23 Boston Conservatory
- Mannes (recorded)
- TBA Roosevelt
- TBA SF Conservatory
golf_guy (son) bassoon
- 2/13 Eastman (zoom interview/audition)
Kamanuiu (son) jazz double bass
- 1/21 The New School (interview)
- 2/6 UCLA
- 2/27 SFCM
- 1/22 Duquesne
- TBA SUNY Purchase
laurviola
- 1/6 Boston University (prerecorded, no prescreen)
- 1/31 Boston Conservatory (zoom, no prescreen)
- 2/1 Peabody (prerecorded, no prescreen)
- 2/1 MSM (prerecorded)
- 2/1 CIM (prerecorded)
- 2/1 NEC (prerecorded)
mali1230 (son) BM violin (Dual Degree)
- 1/4 CMU (recorded, no prescreen)
- 2/1 Peabody (recorded, no prescreen)
- 2/1 Jacob (recorded, no prescreen)
- 2/6 Northwestern/Bienen (zoom audition)
- 1/22 UMich (zoom audition)
- 2/1 Boston University (recorded)
- 2/1 Oberlin (recorded)
- 2/1 MSM (recorded)
- 2/1 NEC/Tufts (recorded)
- 2/19 Eastman (zoom audition)
MathandSinging (daughter) BM VP soprano
- 12/5 Miami/Frost
- 12/11 CU Boulder (prerecorded audition this year)
- 1/16 ASU
- 1/22 BU
mezzothings - graduate VP
- 2/12 Boston University
- 1/30 Boston Conservatory
- FSU (prerecorded audition this year)
- 2/13 Northwestern/Bienen
- Yale Opera
- Eastman (recorded)
- Peabody (recorded)
mgpaul11 - cello performance
- SFCM
- UCLA
msitbvs - MM Voice
- week of 2/22 Yale
musicmom98 (son) oboe performance
- 1/26 CMU
- 2/20 Vanderbilt
- 2/12 Northwestern
- 2/23 Depaul
- 3/6 Indiana
overdone (daughter) VP
- 1/16 NYU BM VP
- 1/23 Berklee BM VP
- 1/30 Ithaca BM Jazz Voice
- 2/6 UDenver/Lamont BM Jazz Voice
- 2/13 Columbia College Chicago BM CUPM
Pl1277 (daughter) VP Soprano / Education
- 1/23 University North Carolina
- 1/30 BOCO
- 2/5 Boston University
- 2/6 University Colorado - Boulder
- 2/12 CCM
- 2/15 NEC (zoom audition)
- 2/19 Frost (zoom audition)
- 3/13 University of Rhode Island (zoom audition)
- LSU (prerecorded audition)
- TBD Northwestern
- 3/? Curtis (zoom audition)
- Peabody (prerecorded)
- Oberlin (prerecorded)
- Bard (prerecorded)
- Blair (prerecorded)
- McGill (prerecorded)
- Eastman (prerecorded)
- Longy (prerecorded)
- Ohio State (prerecorded)
- HARTT (prerecorded)
RachelParent (boy) BM voice
- 1/16 or 1/23 CCM
- Curtis
- 2/5 Juilliard
- 2/5 or 2/6 Rice
realname101 - classical piano
- 11/13 Northwestern/Bienen (ED)
- 2/11 or 2/12 Rice Shepherd
shecklhj - DMA Piano Performance
- 1/8 Eastman (prerecorded)
- 1/8 UMich (prerecorded)
- 1/4 University of Iowa (prerecorded)
- 1/4 University of Minnesota (prerecorded)
- 2/1 Bard (prerecorded)
- 2/5 University of Nebraska - Lincoln (zoom audition)
- 2/6 University of Arizona (zoom audition)
- 2/13 Shenandoah Conservatory (zoom audition)
soprano999 - MM Voice
- 2/12 Northwestern/Bienen
- 1/23 USC
stringbird (daughter) BM viola
- 1/15 Lawrence University (prerecorded)
- 12/1 FSU (prerecorded)
- 1/30 AppState (zoom audition)
- 2/6 Bard (zoom audition)
- 2/6 University of Arizona (zoom audition)
TwinMom0419 (son) BM violin
- 2/5 Michigan State
- 2/1 Jacobs (prerecorded)
- Gettysburg (1/23 interview 2/5 recording)
- 1/16 ASU (zoom audition)
- 1/15 UConn (prerecorded)
- 1/15 U of Oregon (prerecorded)
woodstoc - MM violin
- 1/15 Rice (recorded)
My S just received acceptances today from both SFCM and NEC!
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Has anyone NOT heard back from JSOM yet? I’ve seen a couple of acceptances, but my DS21 is still waiting to hear. I’m wondering if he is really just waiting for the rejection letter. I see different acceptances (different instruments) all accepted in the first week in March. Trying to keep hope alive, but want to be prepared for rejection.
Good morning, @TwinMom0419! Things may be completely different this year, but last year at this time I believe we were still waiting on JSoM. D auditioned during the last weekend (3/7). Results seemed to roll out based on audition date, instrument/studio, etc. We had several instances of being among the last to receive news. This seemed to have to do with teacher/ studio or instrument group. I wouldn’t lose hope yet! 
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Agree with @mom2amazingkids Hang in there.
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Hi everyone!
I’m a cellist applying to Oberlin Conservatory, NEC, Eastman, and UCONN. Does anyone have any idea of when prescreening results come out for these schools?
Here is an old thread from 2013. Oberlin was 12/12, NEC and Eastman were 12/18. Prescreening Results - College Majors / Music Major - College Confidential Forums I don’t know if the timeline is different in 2021 but hope that is helpful. Maybe someone more in the know will respond!
Thanks so much!
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