I have to say, I too am frustrated with the fact that we have not yet received grades, only the certificate in another student’s name. The Five Week Program is expensive and students use it as a means to see if they want to attend the school for their undergraduate studies. My S, ,who is currently a Junior in high school, was sure he wanted to attend Berklee for college but also decided against it once attending the Five Week Program. While he enjoyed his time at the program and grew as an artist, the lack of organization and number of students made him uneasy. While still young, he had the maturity to question the security of an investment in a program that did not seem particularly well run. If the Five Week Program truly is not representative of the year round program, then perhaps Berklee should make changes so as to offer serious prospective students a means to see if the school is a right fit for their undergraduate education.
My comment was general, not particular to Berklee. And I did not think that Spartan Drew was criticizing the musical experience there either-???
I have a kid right now at the most wonderful school of music that is an administrative nightmare. That is the only reason I commented.
I have no special interest in commenting on Berklee. I don’t have any experience with it.
While I understand the reticence to “judge” a school, I’m willing to say it straight. If you (and the “you” can apply to students, parents, whoever) want a well-administrated school where, for instance, the Bursar’s office and the Registrar and Financial Aid office communicate with each other in any logical manner, Berklee WILL disappoint you. Could they improve? Most certainly. Do they think it’s a priority in order to attract prospective students? Don’t think so. I’m a relatively organized person and I found it frustrating through my son’s freshman year. Flabbergastingly so. My solution this year has been to take a huge step back and let my not-so-organized son deal with it… seems to be a match made in heaven. Neither side seems overly concerned that he’s still trying to straighten out his schedule 6 weeks into the semester. On the other hand, he will call me bubbling with excitement after his lesson because this teacher is making him look at playing in a whole new way.
Great point @ScreenName48105. I do think that Berklee can be strong in many areas, depending on your kid’s instrument. D did NOT click with the head of the jazz voice department and I was in touch with another CC parent who’s D was just there auditing classes and this person would not allow her to sit in on any vocal classes at all. The songwriting department was very open, just not voice which was odd. So for us, a big turnoff along with everything else. Other students on different instruments seemed to have a much different experience.
lol @ScreenName48105. You go mom. Don’t touch it with a 10 foot pole.
I made NO attempt to be involved at the grad level…not for the right reasons but bc I had learned my lesson in UG. So this summer my D never got her diploma. She finally called the school and was told she never “applied” to graduate. Still she had to apply to be given her robes, her name was read as she walked across the stage, and she got a diploma holder…but somehow she didn’t “apply” to graduate. Suuuure.
My daughter (a Junior) found out about the 2018 Five Week Program late (during our college tour of Berklee in which she fell in love with the school!) She did not meet the deadline for priority scholarships (March 1st) but she met the regular deadline of April 1st and we were told a scholarship decision would be reached by April 30th. I was just wondering if you know how many students usually attend the 5 Week Program and what is the percentage of students who receive partial or full scholarships. The full price would be hard for us to swing, but sounds like the perfect program for my daughter. I stumbled upon this post on College Confidential and thought someone here may be able to help. Thank you!
I don’t have an answer to your specific questions re: how many 5-Week attendees and the percentage on scholarship, but I did just see this in my Facebook feed from Berklee: “The Five-Week Scholarship deadline has been extended. Applications will now be accepted through May 1.”
There were easily about a thousand kids that attended Berklee 5 week last summer. My D got a 3K scholarship from them. The full scholarships are very rare. Good luck!
Thank you! I was surprised to see the extension to May 1st. Perhaps they had fewer applicants than usual and want to fill the program more.
They have the extension every year. Likely because many kids are offered 1 or 2K to attend and it’s not enough to go and they decline freeing up the money. If your D is a junior and loved Berklee on the tour (which was exactly the case with my D) I would highly recommend you submit for scholarship and send her if you can. It is a mini version of what college life would be like there. The faculty is the same as for college there and the classes, while accelerated, are the same as well. Additionally it offers the rare opportunity to audition for scholarship and admission at the end of the 5 week and if your D is offered money she can go back and audition again in the fall to increase the amount.
For my D, it ruled the school out which I’m very happy she had the summer program to do that. Other friends kids went to the 5 week and loved it so every kid has their own experience and it’s an excellent way to get a feel for the school. Like trying it on for size before the big decision! Good luck!
Thanks SpartanDrew! I’m certainly not expecting a full scholarship but even a small amount would be helpful in making this work for us. We think it would be a very valuable experience, especially since she had such a positive feeling about Berklee after the tour. We are from the Buffalo, NY area so Boston is a reasonable distance way (unlike some schools in LA or Miami she had her eye on.) Am I correct that they allow them to have an actual audition for Berklee at the end of the session? That alone might be worth the price, just for the experience of a real college audition. She is a vocalist and songwriter, by the way, with a focus on jazz and contemporary music (and an interest in sound recording technology) so do you think she would fit in well? I appreciate your feedback!
Ok that makes sense on the scholarship extension. That is great advice on the advantages to her going. She actually did already apply around March 25th. She applied to the Women’s Performance Scholarship (I think they only take 10 applicants and the March 1st deadline was firm, saying they would consider late applicants on a rolling basis.) But she wanted to give it a try and knew that she would automatically be considered for the 5 Week Program. She has won awards like “Best Jazz Vocalist” at a Harlem Jazz festival but she knows this is a whole new world of competition which is why she really hopes we can do this, so she can push herself to a higher level. It might be humbling and eye-opening to be around top-level instructors and students but that’s a good thing! Also-I agree that she may have a great experience but determine it’s not the right fit for her.
My D is a jazz vocalist and songwriter as well. Check out the college thread I started this time last year. Lots of useful info on it that I think would help you.
Awesome-thank you! Where did she end up going and is she happy with her choice?
Just read through that post so looks like your daughter is a senior and in the final stages of a college choice. Wow-must be a very stressful time. Good luck!
I do think Berklee summer programs are the best possible way to get a “feel” for Berklee life. However, 5-Week has a dizzying array of talent–from prodigies to kids who rarely attend class/are just there to party for the summer. I have to assume the undergrad experience, by contrast, is less varied in skill and commitment level.
True! I think everyone gets in who applies by the deadline so I have heard that it’s quite the spectrum of talent. Do they go through an audition when they arrive to ensure appropriate class placement? I understand there are some ensembles/groups students can participate in. Are they audition-only groups and can a student audition for more than one? Do they have an end of summer performance parents can attend?
Yes, participants test/audition for class/ensemble placement at the beginning of the session (and can also choose to audition for various select ensembles if of interest or if recruited to audition). Rising seniors can also audition for undergrad scholarships a couple of weeks into the session (as I recall; I remember it being earlier than expected, anyway). Scholarships are announced at the blow-out concert (yes, parents may attend; some final performances are live-streamed as well).
I noticed many of you were concerned about the disorganization and getting transcripts when the program ended. Did you all eventually get the correct paperwork? Did your children do well in the classes in terms of grades? Were they given college credit? If so, how many credits? Would this transfer to another college or only count if they attended Berklee? Just curious. Thanks!
Yes, my son got the correct transcript and did well in his classes. He would earn 3 credits at Berklee, don’t think they are transferable. He also got a very substantial scholarship. Great program.