<p>I've been looking through classes I could take and how I could possibly arrange them. I'm going to be a freshman, majoring in Piano Performance (BM) and History (BA), and might add a minor too. If I add the minor, I can't do it in 4 years without taking a lot of summer classes, which aren't really offered anyways. I was just planning on 5 years, but then I was thinking I could do it in 4.5 if I really push it (taking the equivalent of 21-22 credits every semester). </p>
<p>Is it advantageous to take 4.5 years versus 5, graduating in December instead of May, in terms of going to graduate school? Do many grad schools allow you to start a piano program in the spring semester, or would I have to wait until the following fall anyways? If I'd have to wait till fall anyways, then I might as well take the 5 years then, right? Otherwise, I'd have spring semester just for grad school auditions, and it sounds like most people handle that normally with school, so I don't think I'd need the whole semester just for that. As far as which graduate schools I'm asking that might offer you to start in spring semester, I'm talking about ones on the level of Indiana, Michigan, Northwestern, those types, mostly in the Midwest, top grad programs within a university. What is the general thing with this- start either semester, or fall only?</p>
<p>Make sure that your college will allow you to take 21-22 credit hours. Some want, others may max out at 21, many will charge extra for anything over 18 hours. Most people consider a 18 hour course load an overload so over 18 hours is a superoverload.</p>
<p>Anyhow, I admire your desire to graduate as quickly as possible. You may want to consider not taking that many general education classes during your first two semesters, and then taking those classes at a tech or jr college. Most “101” type classes will transfer between most any college and most community colleges offer lots of those types of classes available (while they might not have more advanced or specific classes).</p>
<p>Some community colleges have also gone to a three term summer program, allowing you to take two classes each term, for a total of 6 classes. That’s a whole overloaded semester of college out of the way during a time that you might otherwise be wasting (if you didn’t have a summer job or internship lined up).</p>
<p>Alternately, you could check to see if there is any “Maymester” classes at your college.</p>
<p>I don’t know if there is any advantage of graduating in December with respect to graduate school admisions but I doubt there is. Graduate school classes can often be very tiny and most colleges will require a minimum number of students (like 5 or 6) to sign up for a class before they offer it. Many of the spring semester classes may have prerequisits, and they might not have enough people interested in taking other classes to justify offering the class. That may (or may not) wreck havoc on your curriculum sequence.</p>
<p>You need to be careful of overloading credits because you will need a LOT of practice time as a piano major and you may have other performance related requirements that don’t really carry any or very few credits. You need to work with your advisor. Your first semester you will need time to adjust to the expectations of college. You will be studying music, not just playing it and it involves a whole new level of commitment. There does not appear to be a significant advantage to early graduation compared to an overload with the potential of doing poorly.</p>
<p>Yep, they do allow 21 or 22 credits. We actually go by ‘course units’, so a normal load is 4 (1 unit = 4 credits), normal music major BM program allowed 4.75 and then you can go up to 5.5 (or 22 credits). There’s no extra charge for that for music majors.</p>
<p>I actually have very few general education classes to take, after AP credits. I have to take this freshman writing course, phys ed, a science lab course, and 3 other courses. The rest are either covered by AP credits or double count with one of my majors classes that’s already required. The only other thing is that I have to take a Spanish placement test, so I don’t know, I could end up taking that yet too, in which case I’d probably take that in the summer then.</p>
<p>I’m just asking if there’s a general opinion/knowledge on this for graduate schools, since I don’t know where I’ll want to go yet (or where I’ll get in!). I checked the websites for a few of them, and for those at least, it sounds like you can only start in fall semester. So then my options are to either do the 5 years, or go 4.5 years and then use that spring semester to have a job and save $ for grad school, and see if I can still stay around my college area and have lessons to keep my repertoire up for auditions…but I doubt we can stay in college housing if you’re technically done, so I’d have to find an apartment or something just for that semester (or maybe through the summer), and I don’t know if you can rent one for just a few months.</p>
<p>Just curious…I know it’s very difficult to get into good, top grad programs, so would having that last semester done with school and just prepping for auditions (and maybe having a job) be a good idea? Any idea what the acceptance rates are for a lot of top grad programs- I just have no idea???</p>
<p>I would absolutely recommend doing a (relatively) leisurely 5 years, especially if grad school auditions are part of your long term plan. Cramming applications and auditions into a senior year already packed with graduation recital, possible thesis, other activities could be beyond stressful, and certainly not helpful. DD just completed 5 year double (BA, BM) at UMich and was extremely grateful for the 5th year which helped her end on a high note, have time and breathing room for recital and for auditions, and a chance to really enjoy everything else about the university. She included one summer term to help with requirements, and had some AP credits from the beginning, but never considered trying to finish in 4. An extra year with a wonderful teacher was also a great way to be really prepared for grad school auditions</p>
<p>I’ll give you the same advice that I have given you in the past, which is just an opinion, of course. And that is to slow down and focus on the present, which is a big transition. It won’t make any difference whether you graduate in 4, 4.5, or 5 years in the end, and is not worth what seems to be some stress on your part. </p>
<p>Some music students choose to take 5 years to do one BA, and some do a double degree BA/MM. There are all kinds of folks in the world, and if you end up loving the rigor of an accelerated program, fine, but maybe wait until after your first semester. Try to savor all the new things you will be doing, and new people you will be meeting.</p>
<p>Please don’t worry about graduate school yet. You can’t predict, at this point, whether you will want to go at all. Thinking about details like renting an apartment or practice time for after graduation may be getting a little ahead of yourself. Honest, and I say this in sympathy, if you overplan your life you can actually miss out on opportunities!</p>
<p>Congratulations on your energy and ambition, and good luck.</p>