@JeJeJe If they sent you an email saying the results would be coming and it’s been three days and you’ve double-checked your spam folder and trash folder, I’d call. (We have a hard-to-spell last name, and more often than not when an e-mail gets lost, I find that it was indeed sent, but the person has made a typo in the address).
I think since the classical world is small and everyone knows everyone or a lot of people, especially by instrument, a lot of people keep their audition schedules and opinions to themselves.
As a 1st generation immigrant and mom of classical string player, I Join the thread to seek comfort and support, share my experience and learn English. As our viola teacher always tells my son “they won’t kill you if you play a couple of wrong notes in the auditions”, same applies here - other parents won’t kill me if I make some mistakes in my writing.
@pdxtigermom your English is amazing! ?
@akapiratequeen thanks!
khill87, dsinha——— No spams, no results from SFCM. But it is OK. It’s still March. We will have “great” or “not-that great” April (hopefully, “Great” with nice offers) to follow.
About Jazz Studies——— Jazz world is actually not that big. When my son auditioned at MSM, all same instrumentalists were sent to a same room to “warm-up together”. They all know each other from previous events / bands and actually friends except grad applicants. Also, many traditional high schools and performing arts high schools (and middle schools) have “Jazz” educations now. And many metro areas in US have some “honor level” jazz bands by annual auditions. It means that jazz is well introduced to students in earlier years and some go on to college level to pursue.
But I do like Classical music, too. A 100+ musicians play together in Orchestra is just so amazing!!!
HereWeGoAgain2018——— WOW…1000 vocalists (Opera) applying to Curtis? I am sure 300+ bassists applied to Colburn. Huge congratulations!
@khill87 - she did apply and was accepted to Miami Oxford. that one is a strong contender. I’m not sure why we ended up not doing Baldwin Wallace - it was on her list at some point. Did not look into CIM. Basically a lot of it came down to places her voice teacher has connections, and then narrowing those down to her favorites.
OF course CCM has an amazing VP program - just very hard to get into. I wouldn’t discourage you from trying, but make sure you have other options. If you’re looking into the Midwest I would suggest Jacobs as well - about 2.5 hours from Cincinnati. My D also really loved Oberlin.
@lkbux64 No, he hasn’t from heard from USC either. Have they announced anything? We’re still waiting on SFCM, UCLA, USC, Oberlin and Miami…
@JeJeJe Yeah. Lisa Nickels sent out the email asking for FAFSA paperwork because they would “announce Friday” 
Classical parent here…in fact when folks ask what S plays, I have to say “classical percussion” because if I just say he’s a percussionist, more often than not I get “oh, he’s a drummer?”, followed by “Did you see the movie Whiplash?” 
Speaking of S, he has now learned that you have to check the entire mailbox when getting the mail - his acceptance to Jacobs was stuffed in the back. I just texted the letter to him. Scholarship info isn’t available until 3/28 - 4/4.
@TxSker , D also really likes the professors she has auditioned with. We are still waiting for the remaining decisions and FA/scholarship info, so that might help sort things out.
In some cases, the schools she auditioned at would also be good grad school choices, and she might want to apply to them again after she finishes her undergrad. Do any experienced parents have thoughts about this? If she turns down a school now, will they still be happy to get her grad school application? Or will they feel once burned, twice shy.
Thanks JeJeJe. Number at Curtis was a rough general number he threw out there while making a point about acceptance % being the lowest for voice due to higher number of applicants. Not sure if there was an exaggeration factor.
@tripletmama —
Thanks for the question! As the decision looms and financial fog lifts with each incoming offer, this is definitely a question on my mind.
First off, I felt like I started late saving for the kids’ college expenses when I started a 529 account for each upon returning to full-time work (had freelanced and worked without benefits while kids were little) when D was in 2nd grade. Now I’m so glad I did! Didn’t save much starting out but it all helped. Added some when I was in a car accident and received a settlement, and family members were able to contribute a little over the past decade as well. In all, we’ll have almost the EFC (expected family contribution) for four years (so no 5th year here!).
In our college search, we (I) eliminated most schools that did not appear to meet at least 80% of need (with one exception of a stand-alone conservatory that occasionally gives good aid—shooting for the moon or one of the few scholarships, there). I’ve also been through the financial aid process once (with my non-music major son), so know more of what to expect.
We’ve discovered that the first year of aid is the best (of course), and that the combination of tuition increases at 3-4% per year and increasing loan eligibility chip away at the savings pretty quickly. We focused on mostly decent-fit-financially schools, and ran NPC for each. It’s pretty hard to gauge this for non-music majors, already, but I learned a lot (on these forums!) about relative generosity of school types (LAC or LAC/Conservatories appeared generally more generous/affordable than standalone Conservatories, etc.). Definitely eye-opening to learn about the music school aid system. D is lucky to have some good merit for academics, but we don’t yet have all aid offers.
The whole process has been an education! While I think we’ll patch together a hefty monthly payment out of income, semi-annual payments out of savings, and work-study funding for D’s incidentals/personal expenses, we’ll likely do some loans but hope to stay under 24k. The final decision will likely depend on finances, distance from home, and D’s personal goals in music for the next four years. We’ll see!
Btw, just read this apt blog from a few years back (sent on by Lawrence admissions) on the process of waiting for decisions: https://blogs.lawrence.edu/admissions/2019/03/the-waiting-ugh-the-waiting-2.html. Anyone recognize their offspring in these types. My D sounds like the third student personality!
Happy spring, all!
@mperrine A lot of those schools notify at the same time each year. No reflection at all on your D’s chances. The waiting is very frustrating though.
@pdxtigermom It absolutely drives me crazy when a school lists a parent loan as part of the award. “Parent loan” is simply another way of saying unmet financial need that the family will need to cover. It’s ok if the school wants to let families know that a Parent Plus loan is one option to cover this unmet need, but it’s ridiculous, if not deceptive, to say that it is part of the “award.”
@NaariyalAmma How does the Canadian system work for accepting/declining school offers? In the US, national decision day is May 1. My D has had a couple of professors trying to gauge her level of interest in their program, but the universities cannot pressure her to make a decision before May 1.
@Choirsong When the dust settles, let us know where she decides to go.
@dsinha USC will mail decisions on 3/21 and update the portal on 3/24. I think Miami-Frost will notify on 3/22 or 3/23. Even though I have D’s remaining decision dates on the calendar, it hasn’t stopped me from checking the portals.
@PercussionMama What I have seen, at least with the professors for my S’s instrument, is that they are all incredibly supportive of one another and of the community as a whole. Yes, there is a competitive edge to things but in a very collegial and supportive way. I don’t think they would hold against a student at all.
@dsinha and @JeJeJe - you may have missed my earlier post re: SFCM. We were also told by an Admissions Officer that March 15 would be the date that decisions would be released. By 5pm I was climbing the walls (while my daughter blissfully got ready for her prom) so I called SFCM and got Lisa Nichols on the line. She said that March 15 was for grad students and that undergrad jazz will be “this week”. At that point, I was embarrassed that I even called so I just said a quick “thanks” and got off the phone… but one of you might want to call and check the date so we know what day to stalk email
@mperrine - we have yet to get ANY decisions so we are climbing the walls - although my daughter is sick in bed with the flu so I don’t think she much cares at this point. (there goes her plans to catch up on her schoolwork). I have been kept busy with all the inane tidbits to turn in for financial aid - dependent verifications, which I suppose makes me feel that at least there is something going on.
Regarding classical vs. jazz - our daughter started out in Classical and moved over to Jazz 2 years ago - so I understand a little bit of both. Glad that I’m not waiting for acceptances to both of these. (we know a bassist last year who auditioned for both - oh my!).
We will make it!!! Patience is a virtue.
Well I’m glad to Oberlin is sooner than I thought - we were thinking 4/1. S is still awaiting Oberlin, USC, Florida State, Miami and BoCo.
I will admit, I paid the housing deposit at Indiana. I was panicking at the thought of being stuck at the bottom of the list if that’s what he does end up choosing. He now says he’s going to layer all the spirit wear or gear (hat, water bottle, frisbee!) on May 1st and throw it off, ending with his selection. LOL!
@percussionmama If it were me (said from the perspective of an extrovert with 30+ years of work-life experience) I’d write a handwritten thank you and/or email to the people at every school that accepted me, saying how torn I’d been and how much their program or studio impressed me, and thanking them again for their time and consideration.
Then once or twice a year for the next four years, I’d email a brief career update – summer festival acceptances, awards, etc. – to each of those folks I’d written the thank-yous to. Even better if the update included a link to a web page or video where the person could be reminded of what I looked like and exactly who I was. It could be the same short, generic update emailed to everyone, or for a few select people, it could be customized – e.g. “the sample lesson we had when I applied has really stuck with me, and I feel your X advice helped me do Y & Z…” Then that network still exists when it comes time for grad school, and beyond.
From the perspective of my introvert daughter (introverted except when onstage) however, that kind of self-promotion would be mortifying, so not sure if most kids would do it. My 18-year-old self probably would have been a little reluctant to follow that advice, but now at my current stage of life, I think a periodic brief update to renew ties is totally appropriate and not pushy at all. Also, as a former professor myself (but not of music), I really love to get those kinds of updates from my former students, and it especially makes my day when they say something I taught them has proven valuable. Additionally, I also think lots of people – especially women – don’t blow their own horns enough. (There’s even research showing that this disproportionately affects women in salary negotiations and promotions – in the business world at least).
So I’d say, smooth over your rejection of their school now, and keep the lines of communication intact. Whether that is smart advice in the world of music, however, I don’t know!
@Lendlees Big congratulations on the Jacobs admit!!! So frustrating that they are still making you wait for the financials. (And yes, I have to do say “classical percussion” too. )
In addition to a nice scholarship, Roosevelt (CCPA) offered a work study placement for my daughter listed as $4500. Does anyone know how work study operates? Is she guaranteed a job on campus at that amount? For just the first year or every year? How many hours would she be expected to work per week? What type of work is typical? This was the only school that offered this. The others have grants but in lower amounts.
The City College portal is updated, thank goodness, but still says “application under review.” I’m pretty sure the jazz department decision is ready to go but now we have to wait for an academic decision. Luckily, they only had those 2 pieces to consider so hoping it’s only a few more days of waiting
Welcome to the newbies! Now we get a bigger group hug at the end of this madness!