Stunning news here: DS got into Princeton! He, wife and I have all been out of town for the last week on separate, but overlapping trips. Wife and I just got home and discovered two large envelopes from Princeton indicating his acceptance. S has either not looked at his portal or did and wanted to wait to tell us in person (either are possible). This really throws a major wrinkle into things. Princeton has been building a jazz program (including jazz vocals) for the last couple of years but it’s still a “certificate” program, Which I think is akin to a “minor” at most schools? Music performance is likewise a certificate program. We were able to sneak on his portal from our home computer and found out that Princeton gave him the largest financial aid package of all his acceptances. So options now are Frost, Peabody, Oberlin College (waitlisted at Oberlin Conservatory), and Princeton. Wow! Wife and I always thought the kid had the grades and test scores to have a shot at a school like Princeton but we are stunned! There are no auditions for the jazz program or the general music program at Princeton but he submitted some of his pre-screen recordings as a supplement to his application and maybe that helped? Anyone know about the budding jazz program at Princeton?
@jazzboydad WOW! Tigers in da house! I know nothing about the jazz program but cheering your the whole Jazzboy family!
Congrats @jazzboydad !!!
What degree would your S like to pursue at Princeton?
A certificate program would be on par with a minor from what I know. For a kid already pursuing a music major, the certificate likely is less work than an outside minor but for a kid pursuing a non-music major, the certificate would be in line with or possibly a little more work than a minor. I think it depends on the school! Maybe you can research what the courseload would look like a bit before S gets home …?
Can’t wait to hear how it turns out!
Wow @jazzboydad! Congratulations on the Princeton admit! What a great surprise to find!
Awesome news @jazzboydad! That is quite the wonderful surprise to come home to. I hope someone can provide some more info for you.
Thanks @akapiratequeen @dbandmom @PercussionMama @eh1234 S was hoping to do a double degree or double major in Jazz and Physics at one of the other schools and I’m not sure he ever let himself think about Princeton. I frankly don’t know if a double degree in physics and music would be feasible there but maybe a certificate? I’m sure this will make his head spin! Can’t wait til he gets home tonight to discuss with him! Wow!!!
Wow - @jazzboydad! That is incredible! Beyond incredible! What an achievement! Here are 3 things that I know: (1) it’s Princeton; (2) my son looked at the school at met with the head of the jazz program – it looks to be a phenomenal program with absolutely fantastic musicians-- but S ended up not applying when it was crunch time – he figured his chances of getting in were so slim that he opted to put his efforts into other applications; (3) it’s Princeton! Congratulations!
Thanks @lkbux64! I’m certainly with you on your points #1 and #3 and I just found out from a little googling that Princeton is hosting its inaugural all-day jazz festival next weekend. What fantastic timing!
WHAAAAAA??? Princeton??? @jazzboydad I can’t imagine choosing anything else especially with money!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!
@jazzboydad Congratulations on Princeton! Colleges probably do/view “certificate programs” differently, so look into how certificate programs work at Princeton. For example, where I work a student has to be accepted into a certificate program (and they apply sophomore year), whereas you can declare a minor without any application. Therefore, I view a certificate as more “prestigious” (if that’s the right word) than a minor. It also often has to do with a specialty area that enhances the major (there are some majors that have concentrations within them, but again, the student usually declares that, they don’t have to apply).
@jazzboydad That is incredible! I hope you can attend the jazz festival next weekend. I don’t think you can go wrong with Princeton! Congratulations!!!
Thanks @PianoMom88. Very interesting distinction you made. It looks like both Princeton’s certificate in jazz studies and certificate in musical performance have audition requirements so these would be of the more “prestigious” variety you referred to.
@TiggerDad’s S is at Princeton now. He can probably tell you more about the undergrad music program there even if his S is a classical musician.
Congrats @jazzboydad! One of my S’ best friends is going to Princeton (got in ED) and he’s a stellar saxophone player…so if jazz boy does go, I know he’ll have an awesome kid to jam with!
@jazzboydad - congratulations on Princeton! It’s a wonderful school! My info is a little dated at this point, but when my son was at Columbia, Princeton was known as the other Ivy League school (in addition to Columbia) with a strong jazz program. Columbia and Princeton did a couple of joint jazz concerts (don’t know if they still do that) - I went to the one they did in NYC and was impressed with the Princeton jazz musicians.
That said, Princeton, like Columbia, is obviously not a music school and doesn’t have the depth of music resources that a music school would. Also, while it’s nice that they offer a certificate program, I don’t think pursuing the certificate is really necessary unless the required elements of the program are things that your son would want to do anyway. Columbia offers a “Special Concentration” in jazz, which my son was intending to pursue, but when he got to Columbia he decided some of the requirements for that didn’t line up with what he thought would be most useful for his music, so he didn’t do it. I’ve posted a fair amount, including recently, on some of the things my son did to marry up the serious pursuit of music with the academics at Columbia. If you’re interested, you can check my posting history or feel free to PM me.
And congratulations to everyone in this thread on the amazing results, and sympathies for the results that didn’t go as hoped. I am confident that with talent, inner drive and dedication, everyone here will find the right path no matter where they end up. And I think the mutual support and advice in this thread and this forum is helpful in finding that path. Two thoughts for what they’re worth: (1) don’t be afraid to take as much time as you’re given, even to the last day, to make the decision (though if your student is certain earlier, that’s great too) and (2) once the decision is made, don’t ever look back or second-guess, just look forward to the next stage of the journey.
Best to all in the decision-making month!
Princeton has a ton of really interesting things going on jazzwise, and a terrific faculty. Your son would obviously have to take other classes than just in music, so it really depends on how he wants to spend his time. It is possible, however, for someone to go to Princeton and then have a career in music performance, it has happened before. Good luck with the decision!
@jazzboydad Congrats on Princeton! That has to be the most cool-headed Ivy admission story ever. My nephew also got in and is headed to the admitted students day in about 10 days to see if he likes it. I thought he was cool-headed about it, but at least he looked at the portal! [edit: I know nothing about the jazz program; my nephew’s more of an applied math kid.]
Good info on the certificate program @PianoMom88 I did forget about the application / admission process. My D’s voice teacher asked her if she was interested in doing it (she is a music business major) but it looked like much of the “work” was already being covered in her major so I think we both thought it probably was not worth the recital requirements (she doesn’t need the performance opportunity and is already so busy with 2 minors). But yes, it appears it might be a little more “prestigious”. Oh well. Opportunity lost, I suppose!
@pdxtigermom - ummmm…that’s very strange on your son’s part. Is there a reason why he doesn’t want to share CMU numbers? Does he not want to go there? Maybe he’s afraid that if the number is too large that he will have to go there?
<<<the issue="" of="" privacy="" has="" come="" up="" many="" times,="" with="" one="" long-time="" poster="" repeatedly="" private="" messaging="" us="" to="" suggest="" we="" discontinue="" the="" journey="" threads="" for="" this="" reason.="">>>
Wow! You are kidding me? Why would someone care about the Journey threads? Strange. To each it’s own. I doubt very seriously if the posts on here would come back to haunt our kids. Unless you are in the thick of the admissions process (or going to soon) then I would think this journey would be fairly boring!
@jazzboydad - wow!!! Now - that does throw a curve ball into your decision!! Wowser! Apparently Princeton had a record number of applicants this year. My friends daughter was the only one to get in from her private boarding school in New England (yup - one of those places). She is a writer. I’m sure that his interest and jazz tapes helped…congrats!!! If your son is academically inclined, I would think that might be the place for him. It’s an amazing place.