<p>S2 has always been enamored with computer programming, website development,etc. Definitely a passion for him; continuing summer employment with a top consulting firm here; pro bono websites, spends alot on programming languages.... But also interested in music, music theory, music history, piano performance (probably as a minor). And then there's his interest in literature and writing, as well as math. </p>
<p>He's very bright, should be a NMF, S1 at P'ton, so we'd like to look at a variety of schools. He doesn't seem to have any preferences about size, location, or urban/rural setting which doesn't help us a bit. We're on the east coast, so logistically that would be our preference, although not necessarily his. He's expressed interest in MIT, but beyond that he's totally confused.</p>
<p>Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as we need to start planning those spring break visits.</p>
<p>I recommend the Claremont Colleges. Harvey Mudd in particular is excellent for CS and Math, but might be a little too techy for your son (even though, HMC does require 12 semesters of humanities and social sciences). Pomona also has very good CS and Math departments, and I know Scripps has solid programs and offerings in music and literature.</p>
<p>tiyusfaly- I'm not too familiar with these schools, other than having heard their names often. Are they set up in a way that one can take classes among the various colleges?</p>
<p>I would definitely encourage you to take a look at Carnegie-Mellon. Among my engineering colleagues, CMUs School of Computer Science is generally considered one of the best if not THE best school in that particular field. And CMU also has a world-class music conservatory so your son would also have an opportunity to continue his music studies with top-notch teachers.</p>
<p>We were planning on looking at CMU, but I didn't realize they have a music conservatory there. Guess he and I need to get on the web and do some in-depth research. So far it's just been guidebooks and such. We're really lucky in that the boys' magnet HS has recent alumnae at almost every decent schhol in the country, so we can get an insider's perspective once we have a good list of potential schools.</p>
<p>Again thanks for all of the suggestions thus far; very appreciated.</p>
<p>Yes sewbusy, you can take courses at any of the other Claremont Colleges (there are 5 - Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Scripps, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer) and also at Claremont Graduate University. I think some schools set a minimum requirement of courses that have to be taken on that particular campus (Harvey Mudd does this the most I think, so it may not be the absolute best for flexibility), but its usually not too difficult to take courses at one of the other colleges.</p>
<p>Just be sure to check that if your son attends a school with a music conservatory, but is not a music major, that he will be able to easily participate in ensembles etc. That is not always the case.</p>
<p>Weenie’s absolutely right, you do need to check each school carefully to make sure that its music classes and performance ensembles are open to non-music majors. Son #2 wants to be a math major, but he also wants to continue with studio art classes. We have come across several schools that offer studio art but restrict those classes to art majors only (for example, the University of Arizona).</p>
<p>I do know that CMU lets non-music majors take music classes because Son #1 was accepted there two years ago and we had looked into that specific issue, because he was really into music but did not want to major in it.</p>
<p>worried_mom: What about ensembles at CMU? Are they by audition only (I presume) and does that pretty much eliminate the non-conservatory kids? Or maybe they have separate ensembles for non-majors?</p>
<p>I 4th CMU it sounds like a real ly good option for your son.</p>
<p>May I also suggest Stanford? True its music department isn't huge but I have a friend who's a wonderful musician (has co-written two songs that have gone on to win Grammys) who absolutely loves the small music department at Stanford (he's planning to minor in music)</p>
<p>Thanks everyone, we'll definitely check these schools out on their websites and plan our visits accordingly. Seems like there are a few possibilities in CA, which he'd love, but I wouldn't (I'm a very white knuckled flyer!). </p>
<p>Weenie - Good point about the music programs. We'll be sure to ask policies at each school.</p>
<p>You might also want to look at Case Western in Cleveland which has a cooperating agreement with the Cleveland Institute of Music. The 2 schools are side by side. I don't know if your son would be able to pursue music as extensively as he would like, but it is certainly worth looking into. You need to know that there are not many schools that offer a minor in music performance.</p>