<p>We were also concerned about the additional cost of the 5th year at Bard when DS was narrowing down his list of schools. On top of that the sticker price at Bard is among the highest anywhere!! I summoned up my courage and followed the wise advice of many of the veteran posters here on the music forum - to apply to a variety of schools and see what happens!</p>
<p>When we were comparing offers, we added up the total cost of each school after scholarships, whether it be for 4or 5 years to get the true cost to our family. Turns out that Bard was the most affordable option for him (even with the 5th year!). We were thrilled that it was also his top choice!</p>
<p>Just want to make sure itâs clear that Oberlin has a Conservatory that does not require a double degree, though that path is available.</p>
<p>So, Bard got the thumbs up from my Sâs cello professor at Interlochen. Looks like it will be on our list.</p>
<p>I would still go by what your son wants in regards to a double degree, regardless of teachersâ feelings about the conservatory, which is excellent (as is the college). What is your sonâs other interest, academically? Has he read the Peabody websiteâs âDouble Degree Dilemmaâ to see which type of student he resembles? How does he feel about 5 years etc.</p>
<p>As with the option of stand alone conservatory, conservatory connected to a college, BA vs BM, even private lessons while studying something else- the option of pursuing a double degree is a great choice to have in April of senior year.</p>
<p>Iâll take the liberty of saying that Spirit Managerâs son embodies the enriching effects of studying both music and another subject about which a student is passionate. I cannot say too much more, but will just add that not only does he have broad interests, but his music has greatly benefited from them. So Bardâs double degree program is a kind of paradise for some.</p>
<p>That said, the original posterâs son just needs to figure out what he wants, and covering all options (listed by Spirit Manager above) is a great way to go, leaving the decision until late April after acceptances have come in :)</p>
<p>I would recommend putting Bard on the short list (if your son likes the cello teachers, of course.) As a conservatory itâs in the same league as other top choices. As a dual-degree program itâs doable because the degree is accomplished over 5 years (it would be very difficult to collapse that amount of study into 4 years.) A conceivable negative is the location, which is rural (and itâs not that easy to get to NY.) For some, however, the location is a big plusâitâs very beautiful there in the Hudson Valley. </p>
<p>@ second what GH said, the negatives around Bard for many kids are that it is in a rural area, and the other one is that the program is very small in terms of numbers of students, not the quality of the teaching or the program as a whole. It comes down to what motivates kids, what they want, my S is not happy in more rural settings and he liked being at a school where the program is larger (which has its tradeoffs, larger programs with some exceptions can mean that the average level of student is lower, but that is only a rule of thumb)âŠso in the end, it boils down to what motivates the student. </p>
<p>Bard Conservatory is about the size of Curtis, I believe - however, there are 2000 other students there, too! Do people tend to think Curtis is too small? (Thatâs a genuine question - not being sarcastic.) As for rural - yes, it is very pastoral - but the music students end up in New York City all the time - but can come home to a beautiful peaceful place⊠For my son, that was perfect - all students need to decide what suits them best.</p>
<p>@â spiritmanager-
I meant the conservatory, not the overall college. There are people who donât want to go to Curtis for a variety of reasons (the size of it, plus the atmosphere doesnât suit some kids). Some kids love Oberlin because it is relatively rural, some kids like my S didnât apply because they didnât want that kind of environmentâŠso when I said it was a negative, it was simply that the size of the music school and the location of the school doesnât suit some kids,the same way âcity schoolsâ turn off others. </p>
<p>
Yes, that is felt about Curtis and Colburn, another very small program. Good point that Bard has a larger college on the same campus as the conservatory.</p>
<p>How easy or hard is it for students to get into NYC? Is a car needed? Is there any kind of shuttle to the train? It seems to me that, even if a train station is only a couple of miles away (and I have no idea what the distance is at Bard), it could be difficult for a student without some reliable way to get to it, to, well⊠get to it. A bicycle sounds like a great idea, except that for several months of the year it would be too cold or snowy/slushy to ride it to the station. Thoughts?</p>
<p>My niece attends Bard and has no car. Itâs not super-easy. </p>
<p>Getting to NY from Bard is âdo-ableâ without a car, but not easy. There are shuttles, and taxis (about $20 IIRC), and of course friends with carsâŠbut D2 found that getting around in general was much easier once she had a car there. If youâre thinking a once a month visit to the city, it shouldnât be a problem, but a weekly trip might become irritating.</p>
<p>Thank you both, GH and SM⊠also, @stradmomâ â does your d find that she uses the car mostly to drive to the train or to the city itself. I suppose itâs a tradeoff; the cost of the train vs. the cost (and hassle) of NYC gas/tolls and parking? OTOH, going with a group would mitigate that, somewhat, would it not?</p>
<p>@listenmissy, when she had the car at Bard, she also had an internship in the city two days a week. She would park at the train station, go into the city, intern for the day, crash on a friendâs couch, intern the following day, and return to the train station. Having a car allowed her more flexibility to take a later train. The location of her internship would have make city parking prohibitive in any event. (Although she does have her car with her in NY now, but she lives in a neighborhood with decent street parking.)</p>
<p>Thanks, @stradmomâ â that is really helpful and makes total sense. Smart kid, that girl ;)</p>
<p>My son ended up going to NYC a lot. He had no car for years and relied on friends to take him and pick him up at the train stations. There is a Bard Shuttle but he never used it. It was a hassle to get into the city but absolutely doable. I think these things are easier when youâre a college student. He did like having a car his last year, though. Sometimes he would park at the station and sometimes do the whole drive. </p>
<p>I think it really depends on who you are and what your schedule is. Bard is definitely out in the country and nowhere near Manhattan. But itâs very beautiful there. They have a fantastic music facility and an excellent conservatory. My niece, like spriritmanagerâs son is from the Bay area and she adores the location. One of my daughters looked at Bard very seriously and, as a city person, thought it would be hard to live there. By the way, my niece, like Stradmomâs daughter who went to Bard, is very involved with music but did not apply to the conservatoryâshe has enough on her plate with a double academic major. </p>