<p>My son is trying to decide btw. PSU Main campus and University of Delaware. Undecided major as well. Knows he wants a marching band. Any advice on how to help him would be most appreciated.</p>
<p>Is he instate for either? </p>
<p>Are they both equally affordable for you? </p>
<p>They’re both state schools, so either would be fine academically for many majors.</p>
<p>Delaware. Because of marching band.</p>
<p>A young man from my neighborhood, who had been one of the best musicians in his high school band, went to Penn State. When he auditioned for Penn State’s marching band, he did not qualify. There were too many other students – many of them music majors – who were more skilled than he was.</p>
<p>Delaware, on the other hand, has an open-admissions sort of marching band. Take a look at their Web site. They don’t turn people down.</p>
<p>When are band try-outs? It would be a shame to pick a school for its band and then not qualify.</p>
<p>…“Annual competitive auditions result in a membership ratio of between 15-18% music majors and 82-85% non-music majors within the 300 member Blue Band…” from below linked site </p>
<p>PSU Blue Band is extremely competitive. If they are in need of more trumpets (example)one year it will be easier to get in than other years for a trumpet player. Freshman who do not get in often get in the next year. Auditions are 2 weeks before school starts.</p>
<p>Here is the info you need.</p>
<p>[Penn</a> State Blue Band | Audition Information](<a href=“http://blueband.psu.edu/join/]Penn”>Join | Penn State Blue Band)</p>
<p>Thank you for the advice…my first time on this forum. I am very concerned he won’t get into the blue band…percussion player
The abv. info is very helpful. The costs of both schools are about the same as we are
n Pa. and UDEL gave him a partial scholarship. The tryouts are not until August…wish they were now. Any blue band parents out there? any more advice would be most appreciated.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/penn-state-university-park/1328107-blue-white-game.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/penn-state-university-park/1328107-blue-white-game.html</a></p>
<p>both above posters in the link I think have kids in band . mine graduated last year.</p>
<p>My kid was a district level sax player and got in freshman year. Percussion is amazing. You search for posts by or PM either of these moms. </p>
<p>good luck .</p>
<p>Your son is going to have to make his college decision long before he will know whether he would qualify for the Penn State marching band.</p>
<p>Another point: If he chooses Delaware, he won’t feel like a freak because he’s from out of state. More than half the students at UDel are from out of state – primarily from nearby states like yours.</p>
<p>UDel knows how to attract desirable out of state students. Quite a few years ago, they offered my son, a Maryland resident, a partial scholarship, too – just enough to make the cost of attending UDel similar to the cost of attending the University of Maryland at College Park. They’re not stupid. They know exactly how much to offer. (He went to UMCP anyway, but that’s not relevant here.)</p>