I’m glad to hear he liked it! Our impressions were similar.
We are also looking at Berklee, but her audition isn’t for a couple of weeks. It’s going to be virtual, though, so no campus visit. She has seen the buildings from the outside, but that’s it. Songwriting works differently there in that you audition in an instrument/voice and then declare a songwriting major the second year. We will have to sort out the pros and cons of that if she gets in.
That’s so frustrating. Is there any possibility of doing a live virtual audition or video?
It seems like it would be in their interests to conduct auditions for those who have applied. 
that he gets off the waiting list soon.
You’re right, it would be in their best interests! I hadn’t even thought of it that way. So, hopefully they will offer something.
The virtual audition day is full. That’s what we were shooting for, for financial reasons. Since he asked for virtual, we can’t see if there are any in-person slots left for this weekend (the last day), in case we could scrape together $1K.
In the event they don’t offer anything, we can ask if he can be considered based on his portfolio of four videos he’s already uploaded back on 1/15. I don’t know if that would be fully considered, but at least we can ask.
I’m putting the cart ahead of the horse, I know, but if it comes to trying to send him to Chicago this weekend, we might have to weigh how expensive the school is. I’ve been searching around for the scholarship threads from last year, but I can’t find them.
I should set this all down and go make coffee!
Just be aware that Berklee is completely urban with no actual campus. That was a surprise to us when we toured and made it a pretty immediate “no” for my son.
In reading my kid’s letter from C0lumbia, I realized he has been admitted to the Music BA program! At that school, the BA is really performance oriented and includes ensembles as electives. The audition is to additionally get into the BMus in contemporary music, which he’d prefer. But hey, that’s cool!
He’ll still go for an audition. In the meantime, I looked into it, and they’ve offered him a scholarship that’s not quite enough. Does anyone have experience with this school’s scholarships and whether there are more available for music even if it’s a BA and not BMus?
And sometimes colleges let students audition into a preferred major after they arrive—ie, a change of major in freshman or sophomore year.
Yes! I bet that is a possibility, to audition into the BMus later.
Honestly, the BA looks pretty cool and like what he wants. It sounds great. I just need more money 
so I’m hoping he’ll get an audition in order to see if more could come along with the BMus. I can’t tell by their website whether that’s even a thing.
With the merit scholarship they’ve offered, the COA comes down to $43,000 and we need it to be more like $35,000 or less. Maybe I’m dreaming. We won’t get a financial aid offer until April 1, but I don’t know what else would be in there besides loans, which we’d prefer to avoid.
For comparison, the COA at CU Denver will be around 31K, and we’re still investigating some music scholarships there, too. So, we continue to have one good option all around. We’ve suggested a local school that would cost less, but our kid would “rather shower with a bear” than go to college that close to home. He wants to get out of our city!
Someone just mentioned on another thread the discounted WUE tuition for West Coast students at participating schools. It looks like CU Denver is part of WUE, and I think you said you are from the West Coast. Or maybe your already know about this, and it’s already part of your budget calculations. Here’s the link, just in case it’s helpful:
Save On College Tuition | Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) (wiche.edu)
Yes! WUE is 150% in-state tuition at CU, which cuts a lot off the cost for us. I was thrilled and amazed that there was such a perfect-looking program at a WUE school.
That’s how it comes down to 31 even though they only give small scholarships. It’s absolutely going to be a contender, even if my kid loves some of the other places. He will definitely be looking at it. WUE makes it doable with no loans.
Staying at a WUE school has a hidden bonus because it’s way cheaper to come and go for visits than any other school on his list. We could visit him twice in Denver for less than the cost of one visit to Miami.
@BeverlyWest did he apply to the BA program? I wonder if that is the cause of the glitch. I might be wrong but I find it strange that he was admitted to the BA while still waiting to see if he gets into the BM program. Is that how they do it at Columbia College Chicago?
Has he or have you talked with the school? It just seems like something has gone wrong somehow if he cannot schedule an audition for the BM. But maybe I am not understanding.
I think it’s working normally, it’s just that the audition slots are full for the BM.
He’s been admitted to the college, so he can declare a music major (BA) that’s non-audition track, just like he could declare an English major. Or, he can audition for the BMUS. My guess is if he doesn’t pass, he can still do the BA.
Here’s how it’s worded in the acceptance letter:
“This admission decision entitles you to enroll in the Music, BA program. You’ll receive a separate decision related to your application to the Contemporary, Urban and Popular Music, BMus program pending faculty assessment of your portfolio, audition, or pre-screening materials.”
Oh that’s clear. And I noted the “or…”!
Right! It’s confusing. We’ll see what they say about his request. There’s a scholarship given based on materials or auditions, and we definitely want him considered.
Good luck!
Good morning!
Anyone else’s student apply to UT Butler SOM? DS and all of his friends got CAPped yesterday from the university, but have yet to hear anything from Butler itself. Applications were to both the university and SOM. It is very confusing. One of the students is emailing the professor for clarification, but I thought I’d start here. Been using search/Google with no luck. It wasn’t his top choice but would like to know for reference if the door is completely closed or if the admission decision can be overridden by the SOM? Thanks y’all!
You can always call and ask the music department. All schools do it differently. Sometimes it’s hard to ask about your kid…but if you simply inquire about the process…that should be fine.
What does CAPped mean at Butler?
It stands for Coordinated Admission Program. Basically, they can’t offer admission to the Austin (main) campus, but can offer you admission into one of their system schools. You attend there for one year, get a certain gpa and complete a certain amount of credit hours/courses that are related to your major and then they will let you transfer to Austin for your Sophomore year. My son had this happen with Texas A&M, but he only had to complete one application. I tried to call the Butler Admissions for clarification but received an automated message to email. 
Wow, that is complex. I’m sorry to hear they’re putting him and his friends through this. I’ve had almost no luck contacting schools, so I understand that must be extra frustrating.