Conflicted

So, I am currently a junior researching colleges and my two main contenders, are Berklee and University of Miami (Frost), and a few others included. I am a female jazz and classical bassist currently at a performing arts magnet school, and music is what I plan to major in jazz performance but apply for any orchestras or contemporary ensembles I have time for. I am a Florida native and frequent Miami, and I have “connections” as well as family, but Berklee seems so promising as well. With cost as a concern, although both are need-aware and are willing to offer assistance based on audition quality, I am just not sure which would better fit my want. All help is appreciated!!

At Miami, you will get benefits of being a Florida resident - Bright Future and the EASE (florida resident) grant. You can also use any local scholarships you can get (there are a lot that can only be used in Florida).

Why won’t you apply to both and make the decision after you are accepted?

Agreed - the concern right now shouldn’t be which of your top two choices is better - you can apply to both and worry about that later. Both schools have Early Action, so plan your timeline to submit EA applications by November 1st. Most schools, including these, don’t have binding Early Decision for music performance majors because it’s not compatible with the audition process, so identifying your first choice at this stage isn’t important and might not even be desirable. Better to be at least somewhat excited about multiple options until you see what you are offered in terms of merit money, etc.

Have you checked out the Lamont School of Music at U of Denver? If UMiami is a target for you then DU should be in range as well. https://www.jazzatlamont.com/

On the reachier end of things, USC and Northwestern are great for jazz studies as well, but tougher admits.

No need to be conflicted - now is the time to be adding to your list. Narrowing down is a problem for another day, if/when you end up with multiple good offers!

One thing to look at when comparing schools is the graduation rate. Reports vary about the grad rate at Berklee - it looks to be somewhere between 47% and 56%. Many students don’t finish, either because of finances or because they’ve gotten performance opportunities and decide to pursue their careers without graduating. The grad rate at UMiami generally is much higher, but I don’t see published info about Frost specifically - that could be something to ask. A high attrition rate among your classmates, even if it’s for good reasons like getting their “big break”, can detract from the experience.

Thanks for the advice!! I plan to apply to both, in addition to a few more schools, some in state, some out of state. I know its important to keep options open, especially since it’s so early, and I plan to, but these are my “dream schools”, and I am lost of just what to compare in genera with most schools.

Thank you for the insight, that’s very helpful. I looked into Lamont, and it seems like it could be promising but cost is definitely a determinant, as is the distance from my hometown. I plan to apply to more schools but these are my “priority”, I suppose, and they’re definitely where I would hope to go. Obviously, it’s very early to be worrying about specific schools but I had just had that thought. I don’t think I will be applying for early decision because I’ll likely need all the time I can get to prepare for the audition. As you mentioned, cost is definitely an obstacle especially in grad rate, which is why staying in state would most likely be optimal, was also looking into maybe FSU.

Do you have an idea of your budget?

Applying Early Action doesn’t mean you have to audition before Nov 1st; it just means you have to get the application in and I think submit a video pre-screen; your audition is scheduled after that. Aiming for that Nov 1 deadline is a really good idea, both in terms of getting a decision sooner and in terms of maximizing merit aid.

There are many schools that offer solid music performance majors. But if the jazz specialty is really important to you, that narrows it down a bit, because you really want “critical mass” in terms of instructors and collaborators.

Ohio State has a great music school with a robust jazz program https://music.osu.edu/future/areas/jazz-studies The OOS “sticker price” is around 50K, and there are some merit scholarships available http://undergrad.osu.edu/cost-and-aid/merit-based-scholarships - applying by the Nov 1st EA deadline is recommended to maximize merit eligibility. Not sure how the final costs would compare with the private schools you’re considering, but worth a look. VCUArts is another OOS public program worth looking at. https://go.arts.vcu.edu/music/areas-of-study/jazz-studies/

There’s also Manhattan School of Music - a lot of young jazz musicians have launched there.

Not 100% sure yet, my parents haven’t really been to helpful when I’ve asked them for help pertaining to all of this but I know there hasn’t been any money saved for me so I haven’t gotten a good idea on budget yet. I am researching some out of state schools as well, as I said, but in-state tuition as well as bright futures scholarships play a big role in whether or not I end up leaving Florida or not. I did think about MSM a while back but attendance and living in NY, even on campus, is just unrealistic for cost especially. I have focused on jazz alot this year, but I am also a classical and contemporary musician, trained in all three, but plan to major in jazz studies but as I said, audition for whichever ensembles I’m able to, and so far the schools I’ve looked around at have pretty high praise in all of them. For the time being, as I just started thouroughly looking into it, I have about 5 schools that I’ve been thinking of so far!