<p>My daughter just found out she was accepted to Berklee College of Music for Spring (vocalist). Can anyone point me to links on scholarship possibilities for Spring transfers? I'm looking to understand if they tell you in accept letter or in a separate letter after the accept letter, and also what the statistics are for Spring and for Transfers compared to entering freshman. </p>
<p>But, the good news is she's accepted.</p>
<p>Congrats! I would just call Berklee and ask.</p>
<p>Hi SJTH, yes, I do want to call and ask, but I’m the mom and not the student so I didn’t want to appear to be ‘that mom.’ Ha ha. If anyone has insight, I just wanted to understand the possibilities. My daughter would be leaving a 12K/year scholarship at Boston U (1 at 10K and 1 at 2K) so I’m trying to figure out how to close the gap of tuition difference to make it easier for my husband to swallow. He thinks his daughter is throwing away a medical future to be a poor musician, so am just preparing for the discussion. :)</p>
<p>The only insight I can offer is that, as the parents, Berklee and other schools know full well that you are probably footing that ENORMOUS tuition bill and there is nothing untoward with a phone call. This might be an issue if you were calling re graduate studies, but I understand that this is not the situation here.</p>
<p>Good advice, both of you. They just responded to my email that I sent in the last 15 minutes, so now I just need to wait less than 24 hours. </p>
<p>"Congratulations on your daughter’s acceptance! She should receive her scholarship decision by the end of the day today via email. If you have any other specific questions regarding scholarship feel free to call our office directly between the hours of 9am-5pm EST.</p>
<p>Once again, congratulations on your daughter’s acceptance!"</p>
<p>Hey, Great! Hope the $$$ is good news–keep us posted!</p>
<p>Son is a popular music major at USC and turned down scholarship to a highly competitive College of Biological Sciences that would have likely led to med school. I am an analytical who can see his son has musical talent but don’t really understand how he’ll make it as a musician. Fact is we are spending more for undergrad music education for a less certain future. I can feel your (or your husband’s) pain.</p>
<p>A little over a year in he is happy, having amazing opportunities and I have accepted that he will likely patch together a living as a musician, teacher or something and be happy although likely without the big house and prestige his intellect could have allowed. </p>
<p>He has thought this through and discusses it very well. If med school is an option for your daughter to be planning for she is smart enough to have this type of discussion too. I have discussed with my son as an example that living poor is easier until you want to provide something for a spouse or a child and then it can become harder to be poorer. Poorer on the other hand doesn’t mean unhappy or lack of quality family life, just something to logically consider. A lot of tough decisions for a young person to have to make with long term implications when brains are still developing. </p>
<p>Every year we have and will sit down and discuss if this is still the right path, but so far he wouldn’t change a thing. </p>
<p>I always tell my wife the cost of buying the dog is small compared to either the cost of owning the dog or the joy we get out of the dog, so paying to buy the dog she wants is ok. I think paying for a music degree is similar that the upfront price may seem like a lot but in the long run is probably dwarfed by both the positive and negatives associated with the decision to pursue a music major. If we could only know those, the decision upfront would be easier.</p>
<p>Having said all of that, congratulations to your daughter and I hope the scholarship $ are great!</p>
<p>S is at Berklee- a 3rd semester student (they are not freshman, sophomores etc). I have found the financial aid office to be incredibly responsive. Good immediate response to questions and concerns. Congrats on your D’s acceptance- hope there is good news for you on the scholarship front! PM me if you have any questions about the Berklee experience.</p>
<p>Thanks all for your thoughts … the scholarship news was very good! They gave her more than either my husband or I hoped or expected. I would say the chances are good that she’ll be at Berklee starting in January! She switched to music from pre-med at Boston U so that she could take more classes that would have a high probability of transferring, or for refreshing her music theory. My husband was thrilled, needless to say, and he is now saying, “See what happens when you follow your passion.” So funny how the mood in our house can change over the course of one day. </p>
<p>Thanks to so many of your for all your advice over the last months as I switched my brain from supporting a pre-med kid that loves music to a music kid that loves music. What a crazy ride this has been and I’m so happy for my daughter for following her passion.</p>
<p>Congratulations on your daughter’s acceptance. This was the toughest audition year in terms of talented candidates so this is an achievement indeed. My son was also accepted yet the fact is that Berklee does not give many scholarships and those that are given are given to a select few. Definitely talk to financial aid yet the parents I know are paying a hefty tuition bill for their children to attend.</p>
<p>Thanks, Pianomom. Is you son now at Berklee? Studying piano?</p>
<p>Following a passion for music as an undergrad is wonderful, but just also want to add that it does not lock a student into any particular career, in the end.</p>
<p>I have read (and have posted here before) the statistic that 66% of music majors who apply to medical school, are accepted - the largest percentage for any undergrad major.</p>
<p>A BM is a degree just like a BA or BS and can lead to many paths.</p>
<p>The great thing is that this student is going to spend a few years doing what she loves to do.</p>
<p>Adding to compmom - One of my best friends is an attorney. She has a music BM and is kicking herself to this day for turning down Juilliard to study “pre-med” at a big science university. We have had to come to grips with our own son wanting to go the music path as well, but stories like this certainly help. Most musicians are incredibly bright and will land on their feet.</p>
<p>PS: We also know 2 computer engineers and 1 doctor who have BM’s as well!</p>
<p>I agree … I have heard so many stories of different paths to a final career, and whether one stays in music in grad school or bounces to law or medicine or social work, it’s no longer a set formula. One thing I can say for sure, though, is my daughter’s excitement about school has never been so consistently enthusiastic as it is right now. In the end, I guess as parents we help to make the choices possible, and then cheer our kids on as they make each decision along the way. If anyone else has a student at Berklee or starting there in January, please feel free to PM me, too. Decision has been made and deposit has been paid. :)</p>
<p>Unfortunately not due to the lack of financial aid. It was a heartbreaking situation for my son who has had Berklee in his sights for three years. The acceptance was a tremendous high yet the inability to attend has been difficult at best.</p>
<p>Sorry…meant to say that this was in response to SnowflakeVT’s question about whether my son is attending Berklee. Apologies for the double post response.</p>
<p>Pianomom … just keep in mind that your son can thrive whereever he is … if he is really set on Berklee, re-audition again after he gets another year of experience and training. My daughter auditioned as a senior in high school, and got in, but didn’t get a scholarship the first time around, which was hard because her non-music school (BU) did give her a merit award. After waiting a a year and a half she auditioned again and I think they could tell this time that she was more mature, more confident, and had more stage presence and skills that 2nd time around, which is why they offered her a scholarship the 2nd time around. Life works out in crazy ways; just support your son terrifically each step of the way and it will work out. Keep us posted!</p>
<p>Snowflake, i’m looking too transfer to Berklee myself and I’ve read some bad things about them like if you audition, you’ll pretty much get in if you have the money…is this true? I don’t want to go to a school that just wants money- i need a good education. </p>
<p>Also, if you don’t mind me asking, for audtions, did your daughter sing a classical piece or more of a popular piece?</p>
<p>Hello Cacklinghyena (love the member name). When my daughter first started looking at Berklee when she was in high school, I also read some of those same ‘myths’ about Berklee, so I did some research to get facts. What I concluded is that the top of Berklee’s students are among the best in the world. I can site several pieces of data, but one you can look up is the Thelonius Monk Institute for Jazz [Thelonious</a> Monk Institute of Jazz](<a href=“http://www.monkinstitute.org/collegeProgram.php?Page=CP-OV]Thelonious”>http://www.monkinstitute.org/collegeProgram.php?Page=CP-OV) and Berklee is the alma mater of at least 6 of the 7 listed. On the lower end of the spectrum, in the early 2000’s, Berklee didn’t audition every musician, so the criteria to get it was not as strict. After 2005 (not sure of the specific year) Berklee started a more rigorous audition process, and also started to kick up their scholarship program. Today, you will read that Berklee accepts 29-33% of the applicants, and some percentage of those also are offered scholarships. I don’t the the % that get scholarships, but the musicians that get the full scholarships (7 Presidential scholarship recipients are mentioned on the Berklee page … full tuition, room, and books) are absolutely gifted and at the top of their class in the world. For the folks that get in but don’t get scholarships, the majority of them are amazing musicians. Some of those will go on to have solo performance careers, or could be excellent ensemble or band members or will play business or technical roles in the music world, and some will major in music therapy or other music related majors. Some never wanted to be performers in the first place, and will go into composing, songwriting and film scoring. The students that do get in and pay full tuition, are also incredibly talented, they just weren’t as talented as a few others. With a 29% acceptance rate, you really have to be able to impress musically at the audition, whether or not you can pay full price.</p>
<p>As far as my daughter, both times she auditioned she sang a jazz standard. The first time, as she applied in high school, she brought a CD with her as the accompanying music. She was accepted, but no scholarship, and she wasn’t absolutely sure she wanted to go the full 100% music path, so she went to Boston U instead for a pre-med/biochem major. After being at BU a year, she realized that she was desperately seeking music in a more profound way, even though she was having a great experience with her a cappella group. She re-applied to Berklee this past summer, and her audition was in August. In the months before the audition she reconnected with her private voice and private jazz piano teachers, and she played out with a few bands. By the time of her audition, she was prepared differently, so she performed a different jazz standard, but this time accompanied herself on piano. The rest of the audition was the same as the first (call and response, interview, etc.). On this go-round, she was accepted, but also received a generous scholarship. </p>
<p>I’m sure there are those that do sing a classical or popular piece, but I do think Berklee is a jazz-based school at its core, so you should be able to show some improvisational skills. I’m not a musician, however, so you may want to email or call Berklee directly to get the best advice on audition pieces. Berklee is not an opera or classical school, so you should research that specifically before going in with a classical solo. </p>
<p>My daughter starts in January … so she is now beginning a search for an apartment or room in Boston. Good luck to you! PM me if you have more specific questions.</p>