<p>Hi, I'm another person comparing Peabody and Indiana for where I end up next year.
I'm planning on double majoring in music education w/percussion emphasis and biology/biochemistry/something like that. </p>
<p>Peabody:
Pros...
-great atmosphere, love Baltimore, connection to Johns Hopkins to take classes, family in the area
Cons...
-didn't get into double degree program with jhu, not sure if I want to stick completely with music at a conservatory even with the jhu connection, never met the teachers (sent an audition tape), no financial aid</p>
<p>Indiana University:
Pros...
-accepted into university and music school, and received total of 17,000 in merit aid from both, met the teachers and liked them, love the campus and area
Cons...
-doesn't have that great jhu connection/reputation academically, very big school with so many people i'm not sure if i'd be lost, don't really know people in the area</p>
<p>If anyone has suggestions, comments, advice, anything...I'd appreciate it so much. I'm leaning towards Indiana. I feel that, at Indiana, my interest in music will help me to pursue other interests academically, while at Peabody, I would be so immersed in music that it would hinder me from pursuing other academic interests.</p>
<p>Sarah- it's a no-brainer. Go with IU. You will be very happy. Not getting into the double degree program with JHU makes IU a clear better choice.</p>
<p>Rather than breaking it down by school, let's break it down by category.</p>
<p>Teachers: You like them at IU and don't even know them at Peabody. Advantage IU.</p>
<p>Cost: Given your scholarships and the cost differential between them, five years at IU will cost about $100K less than four years at Peabody. Big advantage IU.</p>
<p>Double degree opportunity: Yes at IU, no at JHU/Peabody. Advantage IU.</p>
<p>Comfort factor: Like Baltimore, family in area. Indiana large and unfamiliar. Initial advantage Peabody, but this probably will not matter a year from now. You will adjust to either.</p>
<p>Academics: JHU is top-20 national university, IU is not. Advantage Peabody, except that you will not be taking a lot of classes there.</p>
<p>On the whole, it looks to me like you should give serious consideration to IU. Personally, I would not be too anxious to spend $200K or so at a place where you don't even know if the teachers would be a good fit for you.</p>
<p>Hmm...this is definitely what I was leaning towards.</p>
<p>Does anyone think it would be wise to go and visit Peabody and IU, take a lesson with the teachers there, and see if I really hit it off with either of them? I don't see any reason why I would hate the IU teachers, but I haven't actually taken a lesson with any of them, so I guess that would be an issue.
The cost of flying out to Baltimore and Bloomington could end up being 500-1000 dollars. I wonder if it's worth it. Even though I've seen a lot of advice on this site saying to go, meet teachers, take lessons. I can't imagine disliking a teacher that much that I'd feel compelled to leave the school. Maybe if my plan was to go into performance it would be different. Hm.</p>
<p>My D goes to Peabody so I am just a bit biased. Even so, I agree IU it is. Unless money is just not an issue at all, I would not give it another thought. Due to the size, you will probably have the opportunity to pick teachers at a later date. Sometimes you can get an inaccurate impression even with a lesson or two. You will have better opportunities to take non-music classes at IU. Although this is possible at JHU, it is not easy and double degrees at JHU/Peaboy are very difficult.</p>
<p>Congratulations are your acceptances. You must really play well. I don't think Peabody offers many acceptances based on an audition tape.</p>
<p>thanks, edad! i'm really, really excited for college. to be honest, my parents are telling me money isn't an issue at all. but I can't help but think of it. iu does seem to be the clear choice in my case.</p>
<p>Well, you can reapply to the double program if you decide to go to either Peabody or JHU - and you might get in then. I don't know the college part of IU at all, but JHU is definitely a great university if your emphasis is more on the biology side than on the music side. </p>
<p>But with those said, IU is for you, though if money is not an issue for you at all, the case is not as clear as before. If you decide to go to Peabody or JHU, there's no guarentee that you can get into the double program if you reapply, and the already tight schedule for double degree may be even worse if you are a little behind. </p>
<p>Perhaps you can call the admission office in Peabody and ask about the chance of getting in the DD program if you reapply?</p>
<p>But I'm sure you will be happy in either places, congrats!</p>
<p>Just a wanted to give a comment regarding the size of IU. While it is a very large school, I feel you won't be "lost". I am a graduate of IU...MANY years ago...but I never felt lost. (Yes, it was a large school then with about 25-30 thousand students!) I was not in music, my major was Optometry. My high school graduating class was 100 kids, small by todays standards. (My d who is a senior is graduating with 400+ and this is considered an average size!) Anyway, I never once felt lost. You are part of the "school" you are in, so you will get to know your professors. I loved all that it had to offer. While Peabody is a highly regarded, and I know because we looked into the school for our d, I think you will be happy at IU. If they had offered a musical theater (audition based) program for my d, we would have had her apply there. My youngest is a flutist, and plans on performance major, so IU will be on her list. Best wishes! Oh, and GO IU!! (Are you a basketball fan? :D)</p>
<p>Thanks for the comments:) I greatly appreciate the advice. It's not to hear SO many positive things about it. I've appealed about the JHU double degree program, but until I hear officially from them IU is my choice.</p>
<p>So, I have decided, finally, on IU!!! I'm so excited. About to send in my enrollement deposits/acceptance of scholarhips. Yes, I am a basketball fan! :-D I'm so excited to do marching band and pep band next year. In fact, I think I'll look into auditions/band camp stuff right now, look over housing options some more, and continue to get super excited about GOIGN TO COLLEGE!</p>
<p>OH, and I of course need to go buy that sweatshirt. Hehe. That will really make it official.</p>
<p>I am so happy for you! and THRILLED that you are a b-ball fan! Hopefully the team will pull together! Not to age me, but I was there through the Thomas, Whitman, Tolbert years...undefeated and national champs!! fun times! But, the bands are amazing! All of the music programs are amazing!! The school is great, campus is gorgeous. We had some music majors living in the sorority and they were amazing...loved having the music around. They were extremely busy, but so were a lot of us!! We will have our youngest d look at the school, she is a flutist. About the weather...well, layer and warm boots, gloves, hats. I can remember going through the pain of thawing in classes...ouch! I just needed to dress warmer...:( On the bright side, the campus is absolutely beautiful with a fresh fallen snow...gotta keep looking for that silver lining!!<br>
Now, get that sweatshirt and decal for your car...we just did the sweatshirt/decal buying for my d who is a senior going into MT at a conservatory...that just makes it official! I still have several IU sweatshirts...as does the rest of the family. </p>
<p>The very best of wishes! Such an amazing acheivement...acceptance to such wonderful music programs!</p>
<p>ahhh...and I remember those years!! As they say, "You can take the Hoosier outta Indiana, but you can't take the Indiana outta the Hoosier!! Go Big Red!!!!</p>
<p>i've heard so many positive things about indiana. can people please answer my questions that i have....as i am still puzzled as to how a state university can have such a reputed music school.</p>
<p>1) how does the jacobs school of music compare to other big name schools...eg. Julliard, Eastman, USC, Berklee, NEC</p>
<p>...if you were to personally rank it or critique it...what would you say would be its pros/cons and what rank?</p>
<p>2) does the jacobs school of music have an international reputation and how is it rated in the world of music and music industry...how prestigious is it to attend such a school?</p>
<p>3) being such a large school, does it often sacrifice quality for quantity?</p>
<p>thank you for answering my questions. your answers will be a great help in my quest to further my musical studies.</p>
<p>I am not used to calling it Jacobs yet.....
Indiana is known as one of the absolute top music schools in the world- and has had this reputation for many years. In some disciplines it is stronger than most- if not all- the other programs you named. When D was applying, she felt Indiana's opera program was stronger than Julliard's. Much depends on the faculty in the particular discipline, of course. For example, the most reknowned trombone teacher in the country might be at Arizona State!
USC, Berklee and NEC don't hold a candle to Indiana, in my opinion.
The negatives are that it is a huge music school. There is a lot of politics and undergraduates are peons. It can be pretty discouraging for awhile. There isn't a lot of coddling- of course, this varies by discipline and teacher also.
You get to take classes at a great university and enjoy one of the best college towns in the country.</p>
<p>lemonrock:
In music, probably even more so than typical higher-education pursuits, there is no one-size-fits all perfect academic environment. Among the 10-12 music schools I consider the cream of the crop for overall quality/prestige, I would rank at Indiana at one end of the spectrum for size and diversity of opportunities. They seem to have it all and do it all pretty well, given that there is a good fit for the particular student.</p>
<p>This book was very helpful in answering similar questions that my son and I had:</p>
<p>But my best suggestion is to visit while school is in session. Schedule appointments in admissions, interviews and lessons with profs and dept heads, tours, observe ensemble rehearsals and studio lessons, and attend performances. Then go to the opposite end of the spectrum and do those same things at a tiny stand-alone type place like Curtis. Just getting a feel for those two extremes might help you identify what will be important for you. Good luck!</p>
<p>My son is a freshman at IU. When he first decided to attend, he felt it was an excellent music school, but he really didn't realize just how good. Since he has been there, he has heard more and more about its excellent reputation, particularly in the area of classical music. He has actually met people who have transferred from a couple of the conservatories you mentioned to IU, feeling they would get a better education at IU. (Much of this is determined by individual instrument, of course, not just the overall reputation.) As for its actual rank, I really don't know.</p>
<p>Related to the international reputation... When my son was still deciding where to go to college, I spent the day with a woman who has lived in Japan for the past 20 years or so. She said whenever people in Japan talk about coming to the US to study music, IU is the first place they mention. Just anecdotal information, but it did surprise me.</p>
<p>My son has not felt that IU sacrifices quality for quantity. To the contrary, he feels that the size offers more opportunity for him to not only play, but to be exposed to great music. There is always some musical performance going on somewhere on campus, and he loves being immersed in music.</p>
<p>That's an interesting comment about international reputation. In fact, my D's violin teacher in the US was an IU grad from Japan. She said she felt Indiana was better known abroad than in the US, in part because IU spent a lot of time recruiting there (at least when she was of age.)</p>
<p>thank you all for your responses. really appreciate them. please keep them coming</p>
<p>a few more questions though...</p>
<p>1) how is it that a state university has developed such a prestigous music department, it seems to be the only state university to have a music department on par with the top private schools and consevatories. how is that?</p>
<p>2) do the music students at IU feel part of the big school life, parties, sports and all or is it just music 24/7.</p>
<p>3) if you or your chlid was accepted to IU, what would be your reasons other than financially for your child to NOT attend IU.</p>
<p>1) I can't answer this, as I don't know the history of the music school.</p>
<p>2) Music students certainly can take part in all the other activities; my son did a fair amount of that first semester. However, music is a demanding major, and I think (at least judging by my son) that the music students, particularly those playing the same instrument, tend to clump together and provide moral support to each other, as well as studying together for theory classes, ear training, etc. Music is such a passion for my son--and for probably most of the performance majors there--that they prefer to spend much of their time involved in music. He has gone to some parties and sporting events, however. He is also in the Honors dorm this year and has taken part in activities with them.</p>
<p>3) Had my son been accepted into a couple of other places to which he applied, he may have gone elsewhere, due mainly to the reputation of the trumpet teachers at those schools. Also he was at first afraid that he would be lost in the crowd at IU, as he heard from students at another school that IU was a place where you don't get a lot of support. However, once there he did not find that lack of support to be the case at all.</p>
<p>Can only answer 2 & 3 based on D's reactions to IU and decision to go elsewhere.</p>
<p>2 - Music performance students too busy to do much of the normal college stuff which isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, they are dissuaded from even considering doing marching band. We were told that that was for "Music Ed" students and no self-respecting performance student would even consider band. Kind of bummed my daughter out since she felt one of the bonus reasons for attending a music school at a university would be participation in marching band which has always been one of her recreational joys. She reasoned that it would be better to go somewhere else without a band so she couldn't feel bad about not being able to join.</p>
<p>3 - a) Placement into studios out of your control AFTER COMITTING TO GO kind of archaic and scary. Maybe not so bad if you like all the instructors, but intimidating if there's one or two you're leery of. Definite major turn off.</p>
<p>b) It's a big school and there's a lot of competition for basic things like practice rooms. IU was the only place we auditioned where it was truly a free for all getting a practice room to warm up before auditions. All other places had multiple friendly student helpers who got you a room in short order. At IU I felt really bad for the double bass players who were running around trying to find rooms. I sought one out after we finished with our room. At least my D plays a small instrument...</p>
<p>c) Only school that didn't send a definitive, inclusive financial aid decision along with the acceptance letter. Pretty bush league, IMHO.</p>
<p>Another reason for not attending, and not IU's "fault," is that IU is popular school with our local HS and many of the non-serious type of student that D would like to finally be able to "get away from" are going there. Now she realizes that being on a large campus in a different, demanding course of study would make such rendezvous rare, but it still helped throw the decision away from IU.</p>
<p>And yes, although we've been living in the Midwest for 23 years after work-related transplantation from the East Coast, the "Religious Adoration of the Big Ten" lobotomy hasn't been effective in our household. We're the only family on the block without a Big Ten flag waving on a football weekend. We still keep the New England Flag of hospitality flying, the pineapple, and have been approached by more than one person asking which school that represents...</p>