<p>What are some good choices for a cellist who prefers to attend a music school within a university and not a stand alone conservatory? My senior knows about the "big name" schools, i.e. Northwestern, Peabody, Eastman, but how about schools with solid programs and good professors? </p>
<p>You’re asking about lesser known programs, or ones that are less competitive for admission?</p>
<p>Vanderbilt? USC for sure. </p>
<p>Lawrence, CMU</p>
<p>Hartt. But it may not have the cachet you’re looking for. ;)</p>
<p>For a lesser known program in a good school: University of Puget Sound. I know someone starting there this fall for cello.</p>
<p>cachet again! Is this a thing?</p>
<p>I thought Hartt was a conservatory.</p>
<p>Indiana University</p>
<p>^^ I see the poster asks for a school within a university, not just a major within a university. My bad. Hartt is perfect; so is Jacobs. Also Rice. And Esther Boyer School at Temple.</p>
<p>Yes, he is looking for “safety schools” (that is what we called them when I was applying to college many, many years ago) other than his state school. He keeps hearing about the well known schools, but needs some that won’t be a stretch. His teacher thinks Jacobs at IU in Bloomington will be a safety if that is any help. Northwestern and Peabody, not so much. He knows someone going to Hartt for viola. That might be an option. What he doesn’t want to happen is be rejected from all of his reaches and end up with no choices.</p>
<p>Well, I always thought of the Hartt School of Music as part of the University of Hartford (certainly, students take their general ed requirements in UH classes) but here’s what it says on the website</p>
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<p>;)</p>
<p>I would be a little cautious on thinking of Indiana as a safety. My S was told by a well respected cello professor that IU would be a safety for him. He was not accepted there but was accepted to what we considered to be his most reach harder to get into conservatory. It is difficult to predict safeties in music performance because I think there is a fair amount of variance from year to year depending on number of openings in a studio and who else is auditioning in any given year. Lots of luck! UMich has a strong cello program, music school within a university, but I wouldn’t consider it a safety either. My S took lessons from Anne Martindale Williams (professor at CMU) at a summer festival and thinks she is terrific. </p>
<p>I would agree with cellomom2. It’s a mistake to consider Jacobs or Michigan safety schools for any string instrument.</p>
<p>I would think the only true safety schools are non-audition programs.</p>
<p>2015Loto - I sent you a private message</p>
<p>I agree: most of the schools we mentioned could not be considered safety schools (probably none could). Only a non-auditioned program can be considered a safety (U of Puget Sound may be non-auditioned, although I, too, have heard good things about music there. Same with a school like Vassar or Swarthmore, but of course they are not easy admits academically.</p>
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I know some very high level cellists and other string players who were rejected from IU Jacobs. I think in part (Monday morning quarterback here) that their mistake was to take one of the later audition dates, as IU admits on a quasi-rolling basis. My daughter auditioned for IU in January was admitted very quickly, but her friends, comparable level players, who auditioned on the later dates had to wait until the very end to find out and some were rejected (even though they were accepted at places like Juilliard.) So if IU is to be thought of as a sure thing, be careful to pick the earliest audition date to maximize his chances. IU is also a good choice because their OOS tuition is much lower than full price at the private conservatories (though of course it is still expensive.) </p>
<p>May I also suggest that you don’t need a safety so much as an early yes. If you can have him audition early at a school with rolling admissions and he is accepted, then you have a sure thing that’s waiting for him, regardless of how the rest of the season turns out.</p>
<p>That was our guess about the rolling admissions at IU–the earlier the audition, the better the chances. He will be auditioning on the first audition date available. With our older son we have also learned that applications submitted earlier have better chances of receiving merit scholarships. I’m glad our thinking is on the right track with the importance of timing.</p>
<p>What do you guys think about SMU for cello?</p>
<p>Also, how do you schedule an audition date if you don’t know if you’ve passed the pre-screening?</p>
<p>This is all so new to us. My son will (likely) be applying as a cello performance major, too.</p>