Excellent advice. Thank you!
Hmmm. This makes me think that we should find out about UNT’s music friendly spaces. I know it’s very difficult to get into the music school, but like others I would not mind losing some money if the time comes and he doesn’t get accepted or decides to go elsewhere.
I called the school, ready to do this, and the person in the housing department said I can’t do it until he commits. At that time, he gets a housing login. They assured me that there are rooms saved for incoming students, and that there will be spaces in the (one and only) dorm. This doesn’t entirely reassure me. 
When you say “one and only dorm” – do you mean the entire college only has one dorm? Or there is only one dorm for freshmen? Or there is only one dorm with music friendly spaces?
Good luck! My son has an audition on Saturday. We’re flying too. First time I heard we’re expecting a snow storm was from you and I just checked the forecast. Brrrrr. Be safe! Dress warm. Layers! Layers! Layers!
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It’s a downtown city campus. It has one freshman dorm, which includes a creative residential community on one floor. In later years, there is an option for on-campus condo-style dorms, or people move off-campus. We would absolutely want the dorm life for year 1, if not all 4 years.
Within the freshman dorm, there is this:
a special residential space for College of Arts & Media students to live in a supportive environment of artists, filmmakers, musicians, and scholars.
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So, I think my question might be for their admissions or music department which is: If this dorm experience is a make or break option, how can he wait until we commit to apply for it?
ETA for clarity: I don’t plan to make a call and ask this, at least now, or in those terms. It’s more like I’m working through a thought process.
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If there is only one freshman dorm, and he is guaranteed a place in it but can’t reserve a spot until he commits, then I think it is safe to wait. And would being in the dorm be sufficient? Does he absolutely have to be in the LLCC community? I would think he could still hang out with the LLCC students even if he were on a different floor.
I personally would not call and tell them that this is a make-or-break situation – at least not until he has another offer that he prefers.
YMMV of course.
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Definitely not - that was my personal thought process, but not something I would actually say to the school. I know my message made it sound like I was going to. But I don’t want my kid to be a snowflake. LOL. But I do want to do anything that would be easy, like a deposit now, if I can make sure it doesn’t come down to that kind of choice.
I do think that being in the dorm would be totally sufficient. He doesn’t need to be in the learning community, and might not even want that. At other schools, I probably wouldn’t worry like this. It’s only because this one has so few options, and because it’s easy to put my nervous energy toward this school since he’s been accepted. 
OK this may be unpopular, but I’ll give an opinion regardless…
The dorm “living communities” are probably a bigger comfort to the parents than the students. My D passed on it so she could socialize outside of music. Some of her music friends were on the “special community floor”…and within weeks…they were all hanging together. I don’t know what that special floor did together (or not) but I don’t remember my D ever complaining about it. She had the 20 or so VP Freshmen in most of her classes, the same dorm and the cafeteria. That’s a LOT of togetherness.
I’m just unsure of how “make or break it” the living community would be…
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I agree! I don’t think he needs to be in that community. I was just thinking about being in a dorm at all (vs. an apartment in a new city). My post above was really unclear, but I’m just being nervous and excited for the opportunity. More excited than he is, I’m sure, since he’s occupied with All City Choir this week.
I’m not sure if your opinion would be unpopular. Totally makes sense to me. Eons ago when I was in college, I hung out at the arts house with friends from my program. My living in a different dorm did not deter me from being very close friends with the other arts majors. We worked on our crazy projects at all hours regardless of where I was supposed to be sleeping. LOL.
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This is an excellent point. Your daughter is smart. 
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It didn’t work…lol. It was all “in my head”. She spent all her time with creative types regardless.
Trust me if the dorms are expensive with a pricey meal plan (they all are) and exciting learning communities, your kid will miraculously get in. The school isn’t going to miss out on those dollars!! I hope that you have a sense of humor…it does help!
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Yeah, a sense of humor seems crucial.
Mine opted specifically to room with a non music major and began the fall making friends with non music majors because all of his time otherwise would be spent with music majors and specifically voice majors.
One semester in, and guess what? 99% of his friends are music majors. 
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As my daughter is doing her in person auditions, we’ve come to realize that it is typical (?) to schedule a sample lesson while on campus. We weren’t aware of that and originally figured she might try and get sample lessons only after she is accepted.
It seems she may have missed opportunities for focused time with the professors. In retrospect, this seems borderline more important than an audition itself (one hour versus 5 minutes). How common and important is the sample lesson prior to or the same day as the audition?
Hi @philmad
Looks like the discussion of sample lesson during the audition period was reviewed further up thread. See posts 490-500.
In summary, a sample lesson or any extra time with members of the audition panel during the audition period would generally not be acceptable. Once your student is accepted, absolutely fine to receive a sample lesson, either in person or remotely. Many students do this to make their final choice.
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Here’s hoping we can all get where we need to be and on time!! Good luck to you and your son!
Ah I actually recall that now that you mention it and doing it after acceptance does seem the most appropriate as we had assumed. It seems all these music schools do things just a bit differently though. I’ve been influenced by my daughter’s pre-screen pass at one well-known school which encouraged her to request a sample lesson prior to the audition or while she is there. In any case, it seems like this is not ‘typical’ as I surmised in my prior post.
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At UNT the best dorm for music majors is Bruce Hall. Really cool, historic, across the street from the music building, big rooms, practice rooms in the basement, standard hall bathrooms, not suite style. It fills up fast and they opened the dorms to freshmen to reserve a few days ago. Go ahead and put down the deposit if it’s a likely option and choose the music LLC (it’s in Bruce Hall) if Bruce seems to be full and he wants in there.
Lots of music majors in all the dorms though so it’s not too big a deal to be elsewhere. Also expect to be in an off-campus apartment after freshman year-they are plentiful, and they expect all dorms to be full of freshmen with no room for continuing students going forward.
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Best wishes! I hope he has a great audition.