<p>Hi all! I posted this message several days ago but got no responses -- I will try again now with a slightly catchier title:</p>
<p>I am a senior at Rutgers University majoring in music (double minoring in linguistics and math) and I am currently in the researching schools process of applying for grad school in musicology. I would like specialize in the development and evolution of musical styles in the period from Josquin to Beethoven -- in the words of James Webster, analysis in the service of historical musicology. I am currently starting work on my senior thesis, studying the reactions to the formal and stylistic context of 1750s Vienna on the early sacred music of Haydn.</p>
<p>Now, unlike most other applicants, I transferred into the music major only a semester ago (started out in math and then switched to linguistics before realizing my true passion) -- so I'll have only one semester of music classes on my transcript at the time of application (spring '10) I tested out of a large portion of the undergraduate curriculum and will be taking some grad classes in my remaining two semesters. My GPA is 3.76 cumulative and 4.0 in my major. I have taken one practice GRE so far and had V690 and Q740 -- I'm scheduled to take the test on Aug 27, so I should be able to raise that a fair bit in the month to come.</p>
<p>In terms of research experience, I did a math REU-type thing at Princeton last summer and worked as a research assistant to one of my Linguistics professors the semester after that.</p>
<p>Also, I was born in 1993, and will be 17 come the start of the '11-'12 academic year. Logistic problems of this aside, should I bring this up in my personal statement at all -- indeed, will this help me in any way when I apply?</p>
<p>More realistically, do I stand any chance of getting into these schools? Due to my position, I haven't had too much time to establish good relationships with professors -- this might make it rather hard to get letters in time for fellowship deadlines (not to mention that the two main professors I know well enough to seriously discuss plans with won't be available for a few weeks).</p>
<p>I would also appreciate any info/advice I can get on making contacts with professors before applying -- how exactly does one go about doing that? I've identified a few professors who work in areas that I'd be interested in, but I'm not really familiar with any of their work.</p>
<p>List of schools I'm considering:
U Chicago
Harvard
Yale
Princeton
Columbia
U Illinois Urbana/Champaign
Stanford</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>You sound very mature and thoughtful - but I worry about your age. During grad school interviews I encountered a few 16-17ish kids as fellow applicants and while I am sure they are brilliant academically, I wondered if they were really ready to be (or at least act like) full-fledged adults and function in “the real(ish) world” (your colleagues in grad school are usually 20something grad students and late 20-early-30s postdocs fellows, middle aged profs). You are a teenager. Do you want to skip being young/growing up more slowly? What’s the rush (take this from a person some years down the road)? Will you be able to make friends with fellow students in potentially a new city that you don’t know anyone in? Can you live away from your family potentially cross country (you are looking all over)? Do you currently live on your own? Would you be able to rent an apartment/do all that independent living stuff? I don’t say this to belittle you or be mean, but I just think you should honestly think about this before you decide to apply. Also, I think your lack of experience in the field may hurt you if you are aiming for places like harvard. Perhaps consider taking a couple of years to get a job/experience before applying? Become a legal adult, mature outside of a school setting, etc. Perhaps you are already like a 22 year old college senior so all of this sounds demeaning, and if so, I am sorry - but it’s hard to tell from a post. (Also, it’s recommended that you don’t use your real name on here - it’s called college “confidential” for a reason…)</p>
<p>I’m impressed with your mature approach to your career plans.</p>
<p>Because you’ve only recently switched to a music major, you’ll need to strengthen your application by gaining more experience in the field, particularly in research and possibly languages. Although you have the linguistics background, you’ll also need one, two, or even three languages by the time you get your PhD; to make yourself most competitive in the applicant pool, I recommend attaining at least reading knowledge of two languages – probably German and Italian, given your interests. </p>
<p>And having working relationships with professors is critical to your application. No matter how brilliant you are, no program will accept you unless you have professors to back up your research potential and ability in the field. Email several music professors at Rutgers to see whether they are accepting students to assist with their research – and make sure you follow up. You should have access to academic databases to find articles written by your professors. If you can show that you’re familiar with a professor’s work in your initial email, you will get his/her attention. This will be your first research test: Can you do enough to determine the professor’s niche and to have an intelligent conversation about it? </p>
<p>Another option is living abroad for a year while participating in a respected musicology program; your department should be able to assist with identifying possibilities. Again, Austria or Germany are probably your best bets, although certainly Italy or France will do. You’ll have the added benefit of honing language skills. </p>
<p>You will NOT get into a PhD program without research, in-depth letters of recommendation, and foreign language skills. Work on those areas, and you’ll be fine. Despite what you may think, you have plenty of time to gain the necessary experience. Don’t rush into a PhD program before you are ready.</p>
<p>The rest has been addressed by others, but there are three kinds of problems I can see your age causing: logistical/legal, personal, and professional.</p>
<p>Logistical/legal: I am sure you have thought of this so I will not say much, just make sure you and your parents have everything squared away.</p>
<p>Personal: Being a grad student is going to bring some issues that may make your life difficult. You may find that certain social opportunities commonly available to undergrads your own age are uncomfortable or impossible because of your position. You may also have difficulties socializing with your peers, as they will almost all be over 21 and legally able to drink - heck, one of my old professors held his research team meetings at a local bar! Finally, as a grad student you may be asked to take a position of responsibility over undergrads, which can be difficult if they are aware of your age. None of this will stop you, but it may make grad school unpleasant and/or difficult.</p>
<p>Professional: Your age issue is another unknown in grad school admissions, and hiring. Some people will see your youth as an asset, others as a liability, and there is almost certainly no way of knowing. If nothing else, I would recommend you spend extra effort talking to potential advisors to demonstrate your maturity, and it would not hurt to send out a few extra applications as well.</p>