<p>An update on my daughter at Berklee. She just finished her first year.</p>
<p>The classes at Berklee are stunning.</p>
<p>The operations and housing/meal policies at Berklee are horrendous.</p>
<p>The communications at Berklee are horrendous. (The blackout they had in Boston last spring confirmed this in spades. Parents were reduced to scanning inaccurate news reports for information. Students had no idea what was going on during their exam week.) Students get most of their information via an unsanctioned facebook group. (Thank goodness for that!)</p>
<p>The dorm/meal plan options at Berklee are horrendous. If you live at 150, the closest dorm to campus, you MUST be on their full meal plan. I thought that was just for freshman year. No, it is for every year you live there. The cafeteria is JUST an all you can eat cafeteria. You MUST use it. (My daughter hates the food. It is ALL carbohydrates. If there is protein, it is covered in carbohydrates. There is a small salad bar.) You can't take any food or drink out, except in a small container that you can pay an extra $5 for (but no liquids). You can't use meal plan money to buy groceries or anything else. You can try to use it at a small cafe for lunch with tremendous lines, but most students won't be able to because of time constraints. (Furthermore, I was told by a full-time employee who worked there (and he made sure that I knew he was a full-time employee) that this policy was never going to change. It was useless for me to write to anyone about it even to suggest future changes.)</p>
<p>People complain that schools spend money on climbing walls and then raise tuition. Berklee doesn't even have a gym.</p>
<p>You go to Berklee for one reason. Music.</p>
<p>It was the only school my daughter applied to... It would NOT have been my choice.</p>
<p>Looks like it will be an apartment next year for her despite my concerns. I didn't want her to have the double whammy of a new apartment and demanding classes her first year. And next summer we were looking at a possible internship so I didn't want to worry about subletting for her second year. </p>
<p>But at this point, I'll do ANYTHING to distance myself as FAR as I can from the operations at Berklee.</p>
<p>I am so sorry to hear that. My son attended Berklee’s five week program last summer and he actually liked his living situation. He lived in the dorms on Commonwealth Avenue, and although they were hot and it lacked air conditioning, he really loved living there. He did not complain at all about the cafeteria food, but then again he is a picky eater and probably didn’t mind that it was mostly carbs. He did say that he had to force himself to eat from the salad bar and thinks he got sick because he was not eating particularly well. Then again I have two older kids who have had their share of horrible institution food. My daughter even had trouble the semester she was president of her sorority and had to live in the sorority house. She tried hard to get the chef to cook more healthy meals but it was extremely difficult. My son attends a school that uses ARMARK for it’s dining. Many colleges in the Boston area use ARMARK. He complains endlessly. Last year we bought him a rice cooker and that seemed to help because he could steam vegetables, which he took from the salad bar at school and eat them with brown rice. </p>
<p>So many college kids in the area live off campus that I doubt she will have a problem finding a place. I know a friend of mine was very worried when her daughter, who attends Northeastern insisted on living in an apartment her sophomore year, but it all worked out and my friend said her daughter really liked the freedom it gave her to pack lunches and cook her own food.</p>
<p>My son is going to be a freshman at NEC and will live in the dorms. But after that he is thinking/hoping that he will get an apartment with some friends of his who will be attending Berklee. </p>
<p>As for communication during the blackout. I wouldn’t blame Berklee too much for that. The City of Boston seriously messed up and many people were frustrated and angry because they had no idea what was going on. I met one disabled person who was very upset because she depends on power for so many things and was constantly being misled by officials during the blackout about how long and what was she should expect. I suspect Berklee officials were equally clueless during the blackout. </p>
<p>Finally Berklee is a large school. What you are experiencing is really typical of a large school regardless of what type of school it is. Your daughter could of been at Northeastern and had exactly the same experience. On the other hand if she were at a small liberal arts school the college would be doing a lot more hand-holding for mom and for daughter.</p>
<p>RockBandMom, thanks for the information. It would be interesting to get these kinds of reports more often once students are in college. It does sound like Berklee is charging you a lot for a cafeteria plan that you don’t really want. I remember I was frustrated when one of my kids attended USC (CA). My daughter was a very healthy eater and therefore most of her meal plan (and my money) went to waste. These are the hidden costs we don’t necessarily factor in completely.</p>
<p>The Berklee blackouts were confusing, mostly because the power company was not communicating clearly enough about what was going on and when the power would be back up. Berklee used Twitter to communicate when they could, and that worked for me. It was very unfortunate that the blackouts were during finals, but Berklee cannot control that. My D lives in an apartment and had no power for several days … she was asking me which food she could keep from the fridge … ugh! She also had a huge concert cancelled and so I never got to see her on the big stage. Bummer. It was rescheduled for the next semester, so I watched in online from another state.</p>
<p>I agree that dorm food at many universities is not going to be the best if you are a healthy eater and are focused on low-carb or organic. My D did not live in the Berklee dorms as a full time student because she was a transfer, but when she did the 5-week while in HS she was okay with the options she had that summer. I think in general dorm food options are great for guys, mostly because they eat a lot and they get their money’s worth. For many females, the dorm food option at college freshman year is a bad deal. Females generally don’t eat as much so they are paying for food that their male peers are eating. I see it as just a cost of living during freshman year.</p>
<p>Operations at Berklee to me are not any better or worse than a huge school like Boston U. Each area in Berklee has their specialty and if your question or issue isn’t with them, they send you to another department. This can sometimes feel like a run-around, but it is what it is.</p>
<p>I have had extensive experience with Berklee administration. It is not like other schools. It is much worse. There is very little, if any, communication between individuals and departments. I have to triple check anything I do with Berklee. Over a four year period I have had to do this. Housing doesn’t talk to orientation. Admissions knows nothing about insurance. I have put other kids through other colleges and had issues but nothing like what goes on at Berklee.
For $62,000.00 a year I would send your kid somewhere else. Berklee has no athletic/gym facilities of any kind. And the few choices recommended for an additional fee privately are not great. It still isn’t clear if the newest building will have anything exercise when it is finished.<br>
Berklee has no onsite medical anything. No nurse, no doc. I have been unable to find out if any of the rent-a-cops have EMT training. Just because the hospital is a mile away is not a valid reason not to have something. If you kid has a minor medical situation, it will cost you in a major way.We are talking about college kids. Drinking, drugs, infections. There should be something basic. There is nothing. A lawyers dream for lawsuits.
Berklee needs an office of assistance, someone to go to who solves any issue by coordinating and referring. Then Berklee needs to incorporate changes so the same issues don’t come back again.
There is a lot of competition now for what Berklee offers. Are you listening Roger?</p>
<p>pdesmond, I’m confused … I thought you sent your S to Berklee for 3 summer programs and you complained about Berklee after that, why would he go there if it’s this bad?</p>
<p>Does you S find it this way or is this your perspective from a parent’s point-of-view in dealing with college administration?</p>
<p>Berklee is a music school; they never set out to be a luxury hotel, and they do specialize in music, not keeping parents happy. What you’re complaining about are things that Berklee never claimed to have (no medical on campus, no workout facility on campus). After freshman year he can move to an apartment if he doesn’t like the dorms … hopefully then you won’t have to deal with orientation and housing.</p>
<p>By the way, I hope your S does appreciate the music studios, the 1on1 music help, the many fine music groups he can form and join, the access to talented musicians that come there from around the world and the exposure to many of the fine guest artists can stop by campus to teach special sessions throughout the year.</p>
<p>Hi… Sorry your daughter is not having a good dorm/cafeteria experience. But I do have a question. My son has Berklee as his first choice and we are hoping he will begin there next fall as a guitarist/recording technology student. One of our questions is when you say carbs carbs and more carbs, can you give some examples? My son is well, a guy! lol And he isn’t very picky. He loves veggies, but really he doesn’t particularly care as long as it tastes ok.
Other question, on another site we read some reviews which said there were tons of drug dealers in the dorms. Is this true? I mean, S is the type of guy who’d just roll his eyes and go off to play guitar, but I really don’t want him around a bunch of stuff like that.</p>
<p>shellybean,
I thought I would chime in as I know quite a few kids at Berklee. My own son just started college down the street at NEC but he has lots of friends at Berklee. </p>
<p>I would not stress about the dining. Dining at Berklee is contracted out by Aramark a dining contractor that basically does all college dining in Eastern MA. It is not great, but it is manageable. Most kids can survive on it. And if they need more there are tons of eating establishments in and around Berklee. If your son eats Burritos then he will not starve and he can join what seems to be a major topic of conversation among Boston area college students about which place has the best Burritos for the least money. There is also a farmer’s market nearby and Whole Foods. </p>
<p>As for drugs. All Colleges (including the ivy league) have drinking and drug issues. You can cross the river to MIT and Harvard and there will be kids who are abusing or partying too much. There might be more at Berklee because Berklee admits a broad range of students. My son likes to say that Berklee admits kids whose tuition pays for the scholarships of the top tier kids. The kids my son knows who are at Berklee are mostly good kids. Many kids do not live in the dorms at Berklee. My son has a friend who did not get housing who is living in an apartment this year as a Freshman. Based on my observation the serious kids quickly find each other and stick together. Before long they are too busy working on their music to pay attention to the less serious kids. </p>
<p>On the other hand if your son is very sheltered and has not been exposed to a lot, attending a large school like Berklee can be a shock as an 18 year old. He might not have the ability to tune out the partying just yet. Some kids who are like that shut down when exposed to the partying and struggle to find people who are like them and to avoid the craziness. You need to know your kid. If he is on the younger side in terms of development and maturity then a gap year might be a good idea.</p>
<p>Thanks. I figured as much (about the dining) and I do know drugs can be anywhere. For my first year, I went to a Christian college and know of some ministerial students who’d smoke pot right outside the door to class and then waltz in. Didn’t really bother me, but I did worry a little bit about harder stuff being at Berklee. Oh well, you are right. If he is fortunate enough to go, he’ll no doubt just find fellow serious musicians and totally ignore everything else.</p>
<p>I just want to reiterate that the classes at Berklee are first rate. The rest of the operations are not. Although I think my daughter liked registering for classes better with a new system they just implemented, and they have moved to gmail for the student’s mail, which I guess is an improvement. However, other stuff is just slow. For example, my daughter was complaining about ensemble room (larger practice rooms) registration (not working yet, even though kids were on campus as of last Sunday and classes started yesterday.) </p>
<p>But so far sophomore year is better than her freshman year. She has a wonderful roommate. I’ll let you know more about the food later. She didn’t want to go to the YMCA by herself last year, which is down the street, hence no exercise besides walking to class, but she may have found a workout partner this year.</p>
<p>As far as drugs, my daughter stayed away from all of that last year. She studied like crazy. I don’t really know if it is worse than other schools, but I do know you can stay away from it. Made dean’s list both semesters, but it is NOT like a normal college with sports, etc. </p>
<p>When I say carbs, I mean simple starches, lots of them. Starches are cheap. Noodles, breads, pancakes, desserts, etc. As I said, they do have a salad bar, but my daughter wasn’t too impressed with it. She likes meat and veggies. It is an all you can eat cafeteria so your son certainly wouldn’t starve. It would be impossible! It is just that her cafeteria bill has another line item added onto it, take out food. There are some great places to eat near Berklee! </p>
<p>Thanks RockBandMom. That helps. And I’m glad your daughter’s sophomore year is working out better.
It truly is great for us to have an “insider’s” perspective. I just hope it works out that he gets to go!!!</p>
<p>FYI, just saw this old thread. Everything has now changed at Berklee. They have a new dining hall. Freshmen are required to live on campus and more… I don’t know what the meal plan, etc. is like now as my daughter is actually commuting her senior year via the T…</p>
<p>This thread should probably be closed- or at least not used- and a new one begun or moved to Facebook as one mom has already started a page there- because people do not check dates and will start reading while thinking the info is current…</p>
You can find the Facebook page by searching for “Berklee Parent Network” amd requesting to join the group.
And the original info in this spots is very outdated, my son’s experience in his first year has been very different than described, his dorm is phenomenal, food is cafeteria food but pretty good with some nice made to order options and there is a (very much under-utilized) workout room. Their online system works well to keep students updated, keep in mind it is up to the students to get all the information they need about their education there, nothing goes directly to the parents except the occasional newsletter.
