@chollist - is your S interested in the opportunities offered by a traditional University? How interested is he in general ed courses? What about sports? Would it be beneficial for him to have outlets in other areas within his school?
My D went to IU. She wanted gen ed courses. She wanted a more traditional college experience. She was not 100% sure music was it for her and wanted outlets to other areas. It worked well for her to be in a traditional university setting. Her favorite class of all was a literature class with a really cool teacher. She enjoyed getting away from the Jacobs bubble. Some students don’t. It is a common phrase at the school that some kids enter the Jacobs bubble and never leave it for 4 years…meaning they don’t spend much time interacting with the rest of the university. Still many of my D’s friends were interested in some aspects of the traditional university. I know there some boys that liked the sports aspect and ability to do pick up sports. But some just liked a big, varied student body to connect with on or off of campus.
If he has little interest in a typical big U and would prefer interacting with a city then the conservatory may be a better fit. IU is very large with lots of tours, guests, coffee houses but it is not a city. So it may depend on what environment would inspire/inform your son for 4 years.
My son feels more comfortable to a smaller setting but at the same time he is interested in math.(statistic) I hoped SFCM would have a connection to University like Peabody-Johns Hopkins. : (
Both great choices, @chollist. My son’s very close friend went to SFMC for his u/g and master’s (viola) and is back living at home, working as a teacher in both a private studio and for a local high school. He learned a ton there, but I don’t think it’s any stronger than IU, for sure
Does your son like adventure? Does he want to move away from the Bay Area? Does either school offer him opportunities that he might not have at the other school? Does either teacher seem to want him more? Will he get to do what he wants in terms of repertoire at both schools or is one of the other more limiting?
I would definitely do a list of pros and cons and see which school seems to have the edge. If there are really big pros to one over the other, that might be your answer.
@cholist. That’s a tough choice. One thing to keep in mind is that it is nice for your student to be close. There are many times when I wished that I lived closer to my son in NYC for the past 2 years, my daughter in SC or my daughter in LA. I’ve had to hop on a plane with them in the ER and other issues. It’s tough. You can still stay close to them via Skype, etc. but when they need you, it’s tough to be far away. Also - the cost of flights home for breaks can really add up. (our son in NYC is staying in the dorms for the next week without many students there).
I really don’t know the cello world but I would look closely at where the graduates have ended up. If your musician wants an orchestra job pay particular attention to that. If that’s his/her goal, then that would weigh heavily on my decision. Which school graduates are nabbing the jobs?
I have never visited IU but my daughter’s bass instructor went there and didn’t care for it but she had a full scholarship so she went (and met her long term boyfriend there). It’s fairly remote vs. SFCM which is in the city. I was very impressed with SFCM when we visited two months ago and I’m a bit sad that our daughter isn’t going there (they gave her a great scholarship for jazz). I love their January flex program and their focus on helping them get jobs, grad school - and with the SF Symphony, Opera and Ballet within a block, so much culture!
I hope that the answer becomes more clear for you soon. Both great options!!!
Speaking of cello, my son is on his way to Cal State Fullerton! I’m really happy for him. Even though he said he wanted a conservatory experience and he got into 3 conservatories (the only 3 he applied to), Fullerton won him over with:
Full tuition scholarship
Offer to borrow a 200-year-old very nice cello (his cello is decent but inexpensive)
A teacher who really seemed to want to take him places and already has plans for him
Less than 2 hours from home (ok, that's why it won me over)
Lots of music performance opportunities both on and off campus
His friend who went to SFCM and his former teacher both thought he should go there
The other great news is that we found out that his scholarships that he won back in his senior year of high school (my son will be 22 soon) including a $6000 a year National Merit Scholarship and a $1500 Elks Foundation scholarship will be reinstated! So instead of worrying about how we’ll pay for room and board, it looks like it’s just been mostly taken care of!
Thanks for letting me be a part of this group even though my son was the only transfer student. It’s been fun to see where everyone landed. I wish your kids all the best!
@sbjdorlo – that is AMAZING news! It sounds like a great fit for your son (and your wallet)! I have enjoyed following your son’s journey and am so happy to see him triumph after what he’s been through. Best of luck to him!
@chollist The summer festivals are just one component, but as of yesterday, she was talking about intramural volleyball, clubs and organizations, and sorority life… We’re all over the place over here, lol… We are actually going to visit the university on Monday since she hadn’t toured it in about 2 years. We were just in and out for the audition in March and didn’t spend much time viewing the campus.
The instructors at the university and conservatory both have a track record of students being accepted into top graduate programs and winning seats in major orchestras, which also doesn’t make the decision making process any easier. I just want her to go where she’ll be happy for four years without any regrets and where she feels she will grow as a person.
As of the past few days, it’s seeming that she may not be quite ready to hyper-focus on music for four years… She’s bilingual and was talking about taking the Spanish placement test and is also intrigued by the Arts Administration Minor that’s offered by the university. These things wouldn’t be offered at the conservatory. Some days she feels that she could give this up for the conservatory, but I don’t feel it’s necessary, especially since grad school will follow and she could do conservatory then if she wanted to… I’m trying to help her talk through it and decide on her own, but she is a money aware child and even though I tell her to make her decision without regard for the money, she worries about how I will pull it off as a single parent and how my funding her education will impact my ability to retire (I’m nowhere near retirement age)…The Angst Continues!!
@chollist Does he have a sense of what he wants to do with his career? If he’s is hoping for an orchestral job, it won’t matter what setting or geographic area he trains in, but if he wants to establish himself in the chamber music/freelance scene, he should think about where he wants to make connections. This could be a tall order for a 17- or 18-year old. My daughter (who is not interested in orchestral jobs) did her BM and MM in New York and the connections she made during those years have been extremely valuable to her, career-wise. She had a sense of this at 18, which informed her decision of where to go for undergrad, but only in retrospect has it been so clear.
@sbjdorlo glad to hear the good news! Just the other day I was looking back at some posts to see if I had missed something but apparently I hadn’t! I’m very happy for him and for you.
@chollist hi. My S has similar dilemma between Jacobs and our state univ. I’m glad we are looking at the university options (instead of conservatory) because we want him to have the freedom to explore other areas of interest—including math—and he really wants the college experience. His private instructor helped relieve some of the stress by recommending to think of this as just a one year commitment…meaning he has our permission to change schools and majors if he gets there and wants to change his mind. Jacobs also offers several interesting degree options. That may be worth looking into if your S wants to add a minor or the dual degree option.
@sbjdorlo , first of all, congratulations on your son’s accomplishment and final decision. I hope we can get there soon. Frankly speaking my son is not that mature so I am worried if he gets lost if he goes to a mega big school like IU. We revisited IU this Wednesday and he had lesson from the cello teacher for two hours! He was a great teacher. We will revisit SFCM coming Tuesday and hopefully make final decision.
@tripletmama, I totally agree to your opinion of being closer to home is better. Since I am working single mom and if anything happens to my son, I am the only one to be able to go to him, always being close to home seems to be a good choice. We will be visiting SFCM next Tuesday to do college tour and meet his assigned teacher. Also the financial aid office has suggested to have a meeting so we are going to be there as well. They have already increased 5k more on his scholarship so I am not sure why they have suggested us to meet them but hope it will be something positive. Thank you for your advice.
@BassoonMom2019 , what a talented, thoughtful daughter you have. I think she is mature enough to think deep and make up her mind wisely.
@glassharmonica, my son wants to become an orchestra musician but at the same time he knows how hard it is to win a position. Both schools’ teachers are current and former principal players so wherever my son decides to go, he will learn a lot.
@TwoInCollegeMom, I never thought of changing schools would be possible as a good option but to know we could do this might lessen our fear and stress. Thank you!
@sbjdorlo what great news!! Sounds like a perfect fit!
Thank you for sharing your son’s journey with us. My older son was also a transfer who finally got his degree at 26. I’m rooting for your talented kid!!
Hello – just wanted to wish all who celebrate a Happy Passover and Easter! I have my new logo lined up and ready to go as soon as S commits, but it looks like it will be very close to the 5/1 deadline before that happens. I hope all others who have not yet committed come to their decisions soon!
Just got back from Eastman. S loved the teacher, loved the classes and loved the students. In fact, he loved everything accept the food. He felt very welcome and very much at home. Everyone said that, at some point he would have a gut feeling of where he wanted to be, and they were right. He committed last night and we had the ceremonial placement of the bumper sticker. No more drives until August.
It looks like Java’s is going to be crowded with CC parents come orientation. Look forward to meeting in person.
@sbjdorlo and @PAPDAD - many congratulations on your kids’ decisions. Eastman is going to be very full of CC offspring…and running out of avatar logos!
My kid has decided, but holding off on avatar changes until the ‘big reveal’ later next week (waiting for some swag to show up from a certain campus bookstore). Already bought plane tickets for parents weekend!
@PAPDAD WHOO HOO!!! So excited for you and offspring
Sent a PM to the new Eastman parents, can’t wait to meet you all in person on move-in day. CC for the win – I truly don’t think we would have made it without all of you!
