I think the FAFSA is the best indicator. We have 2 kids in college and what I consider a lowish EFC but got zero financial aid. I know another friend who has 3 kids in college, a lower EFC than us and also got zero FA. And of course that changes from year to year with your circumstances so my advice is, count on the merit money since it’s fixed and figure out what you can afford based on that.
Thank you @akapiratequeen! D is in the Stuyvesant Park residence and the area is just lovely. So many great places within walking distance and her room overlooks Stuy park. Love it!
Thanks for sharing that post @akapiratequeen. That is great advice! I feel like our in state options that will work well for our kid are about 30K. At one time we were going to have him apply to a state directional with a great music/theater department closer to 20K. But just this year, that school starting cutting humanities. Well for my kid, having strong liberal arts and a quirky geeky peer group is also a pre-req. And I say that as someone who made a very poor first college choice and transferred my 2nd year to just a slightly better option for me. It also costs time and money if something is a poor fit.
Anyway - I wish we had a cheaper baseline option. But we can do that price point debt free. Which does make it worth it to throw out some applications and let the dollars fly where they may. My kid expressed interest in Berklee but between the lack of $$ and the fact that my kid would do better in a more nerdy vibe school and he has test scores/GPA that could be financially beneficial in music schools more set in academic environment, I’m not encouraging him to apply. I have said, even if you end up at our flagship U or a smaller local LAC with generous academic merit, there can be more options for grad school if you shine in UG. You can take theory and ear training anywhere if you have a quality private teacher that is helping you grow as a musician. I needed to read this today! Thanks again! It can be hard wanting to give your hard working college bound kid the moon when you can only afford a moon pie.
Thanks for sharing that post @akapiratequeen. My son is applying mainly to state universities (partially because that’s where is is performance-wise right now, and partly to save 529 funds for grad school once he’s caught up - he only decided earlier this year that he wants to major in music!) He should get some academic-based merit aid at these schools to make the OOS ones affordable.
Honestly, I just hope he gets in somewhere as a music major - he definitely isn’t on par with most of the CC musicians who seem to inevitably end up with their pick of the top schools. It’s going to be a long wait to next March/April!
My D went to NYU (not in music); she got a lot out of it, including amazing job opportunities, but we’ll both be paying it off for the next ten years. I feel lucky that music S has a different approach: he has developed a “top six” that includes our state flagship (which has a music school), two private universities with music schools, and three conservatories. Of these, I’d say two are a reach, 1-2 are pretty safe, and the other two are anyone’s guess.
Assuming he gets offers from a few of these, he’ll “follow the money” for undergraduate with the understanding that we’ll help him get the most helpful/prestigious grad degree possible afterward. Definitely feels less scary than my D’s all-or-nothing early decision approach, which has led to debt even with a 50% percent tuition scholarship. Still,…they are different kids. I don’t regret taking on the debt for D even though I am thrilled that S may go debt free!
OMG @eh1234 and @akapiratequeen , your last two posts remind me so much of our situation a year ago!
@eh1234 , my son had only decided to pursue a music performance degree in junior year of HS, and had little formal vocal instruction or competition experience at that point. We had no idea if he had the talent to get admitted in a competitive audition process. So instead of conservatories he focused on universities with good music schools where his academic accomplishments could earn him scholarships and hopefully he would get admitted to the performance major track. We also wanted to save money for him for graduate school. Good luck in the audition process and hopefully enough of the schools see his talent and potential!
@akapiratequeen , my older D is at USCal, and even with a 50% academic scholarship it has been quite a financial burden for us. So with S18 we were absolutely following the money! Luckily, he was on board with this plan and ended up loving the school that was also the best financial option for us. Go get those scholarships!
Oh hooray, my son has a sample lesson lined up for Oberlin when we visit next month! Oberlin has had a very friendly welcoming vibe (and thanks to the Oberlin parents who have reached out!). Excited to visit campus!
We’re visiting Oberlin this fall too, @MusakParent! Hoping we have the same luck in scheduling a lesson, or at least seeing the prof in action. Very excited!
My son loved his week at Oberlin this summer - it’s the only dream/fantasy school on his list (as in he probably won’t get in and we probably couldn’t pay for it if he did) He was having so much fun I don’t think he slept all week!
S enjoyed his time at Oberlin this summer, too. He’s been learning composition for years but Sonic Arts is a true eye-opener for him! What program did your son attend, @eh1234 ?
Oberlin is a long shot for us too both financially and I’m sure the audition competition is crazy competitive too. But we are letting the kid have some shots! We’re using the trip as a family vacation too. We’re visiting CMU and UMichigan as well. Also long shots, but we’re also visiting those 2 as school “types” than might inform some further flung options. I’m glad he has at least 1 music lesson lined up for the trip!
Anyone have insight on CCM (College Conservatory of Music) at the University of Cincinnati? I heard they have a top notch music program and their Commercial Music Production major sounds very strong. However, I think acceptance rate is under 30% so tough to get in. Didn’t really want to add to our list but this one was recently brought to my attention to check out. Just wondering if any of you visited or have plans to visit. Thanks!
@compojazzmom My son attended the Milt Hinton Bass Institute at Oberlin.
Is anyone planning on doing any video auditions? My son wants to apply to Indiana, but the “Audition Weekend” would require 22 hours of driving, three nights in a hotel, and two full missed days of school. Is it even worth spending the time and effort on a video audition if the school recommends auditioning in person? We don’t have the means to fly with a bass!
Yes it is worth it to do a video audition if your S has an interest in the school. My D, and many others, have had acceptances off video auditions. If he has a very high interest it could be worth the travel. If his interest is more middle of the road or if it’s simply too expensive/time consuming but he still has a sincere interest, he should do the video audition. I would also encourage him to contact the school, after being invited to audition, with an explanation of why he is not auditioning live (hardship) so they understand that.
And you may want to wait until he gets audition invites to decide what can and cannot be done. There is usually some shuffling around of plans at that time. For my D for grad school she had a travel budget. One location was expensive with no friends for free lodging. She contacted the school and explained her situation and they said they would accept a video audition and not hold it against her. She was accepted with a scholarship.
I know people who’ve gotten not just acceptances but decent merit via video audition so I think it is worth it if there is interest! My kid might do that. I’m not sure, he’s still figuring out his list of schools but the common app is slowly coming together over here.
My kid has now successfully gone 3 for 3 at setting up sample lessons for visits in September! At schools I felt were all long shots for getting something to work on in the way of a faculty meet up or sample lesson. So if you’re visiting early this year, give it a try. He just picked and e-mailed some faculty directly. We had very little luck on some other visits last February but I’m sure that is much harder timing during audition season.
Thanks, @bridgenail and @musakparent, for the advice! Most of his schools are within 4 hours from home, and one or two may end up being more like 6, but 11 hours is pushing it!
If he’s very serious about the school, don’t do the video audition. The video audition requires playing the whole program, unlike a live audition, which is usually about ten minutes. It’s hard to play the whole program at one’s best. Also, live auditions tend to be favored for the obvious reason that the committee is in audition mode while watching. My daughter did get an acceptance (to a full-ride school) with a video audition when there was an un-reschedulable conflict, but I would not chance it with a top choice school. That said, the drive sounds exhausting. One of my daughter’s bass-playing friends drove 17 hours to Indiana to audition (he was a high school senior, can’t imagine what his parents were thinking!) Also can’t remember if he was accepted.
I have seen cases where the applicant made an agreement to borrow a bass for the audition. We did drive 22 hours to Frost in Miami, but we stayed for the week.
How does regional audition, where the playing of the applicant is recorded for review by the music faculty later on, compare with on-campus audition? Is it not as good but still better than recording audition?
Roosevelt (CCPA) in Chicago might let my daughter audition in late October when she is scheduled to visit the campus. They have faculty accompany the students during auditions so they would videotape the audition and review it during regular audition season. This would be extremely helpful so we don’t have to do an extra 8 hour trip. The other challenges for live auditions are Loyola in New Orleans and CalArts. Although expensive, we are planning to fly to New Orleans (not the whole family, just one parent and my daughter) for the early action audition (in early December I believe) and to Burbank in January if asked to audition at CalArts (happens to be MLK weekend so she has that Monday off.) CalArts offers an off-campus audition in NYC in February but I’m leaning towards going to the campus so she can get a feel for the vibe and speak to professors and students. We are lucky that she is auditioning for vocal performance so we don’t need to worry about air travel with an instrument. What a challenge for many of you!
I do feel there is a slight advanctage to a live audition vs. a video audition but if they see unique talent and want a student, they will pursue them either way, As a family, you just need to weigh the pros and cons in terms of cost of travel, time away from school, time away from work, and how high on the list the college is for your child. Good luck!
