<p>My S is a junior and is beginning his college search. He would like to double major in math and music. He plays the trumpet and hopes to make district band this year and has been involved in the music program both in and as well as outside of school. He is very much into classical music. He is in all honors classes - last year he got an A in AP Stats and a 5 on the AP exam. This year he is taking Calc BC and AP US History. His grades are OK - A's in math and music and some A's but mostly B's/B+ in most everything else - he really did not work that hard in school but this year he is really how important it is to do well - he has a pretty challenging classes as well EC's. He hopes to score about a 2200-2300 on his SAT's. Would he be a fit for Williams and is it possible to double major and does Williams look for students like him that have an interest in music as well as another major? Thanks.</p>
<p>Yes, Williams definitely does look for that, and yes, it is possible to double major in math and music. My S wishes math were a stronger skill for him because the math kids seem to have an easier time with music theory.</p>
<p>I want to direct you to the Williams music website. Click on admission information. The department explains how it evaluates musical interest.</p>
<p>We thought Williams would be out of S's range for admission until we read that. It encouraged us to go visit. We had been looking at Vassar. He had a great GPA but we were worried about testing. As it turned out, his test scores were higher than we expected, but the welcoming nature of the music department was the beginning of our Williams' journey.</p>
<p>I would suggest a look at Bard, too, as a less competitive school to consider. Although it's not reputed to be strong in math/science it has been having a lot of math/science initiatives, and I know students their very happy with the math department and a physics major there as well.</p>
<p>The music there is superb.</p>
<p>jsmom: Williams is a great place to double major in math and music. Both departments are very strong, especially the math department. Williams graduates over 50 math majors every year, which is a very large number for a small liberal arts college. Math graduates go on to good placements in graduate schools, in professional schools, and in the job market. Check the math department's web site for more details.</p>
<p>I have a son who also had some grade issues in high school. He did very well in the courses that interested him and not so well in those that didn't. He is currently studying music and math at Williams. His college grades are much better than his high school grades. He says that the classes are a lot more interesting than those he had in high school so he's more motivated to study.</p>
<p>Your son should definitely take a closer look at Williams. I don't know if he has any interest in schools in the midwest, but I'd recommend looking at St.Olaf College in Minnesota for another interesting, but less competitive option. It's a great school that offers good music and academic scholarships.</p>
<p>lms2032 and mythmom- thanks for your posts. I have been asking him to look at Williams but will also have him look at St. Olaf - we are from PA - so I would prefer for him to be a car ride from home - but ultimately he needs to find the best school that's a fit for him.We do plan on looking at Bard - my S knows someone there now and he is quite happy at Bard. My S is taking the most demanding classes and will work in those classes that interest him - but will forego doing homework or busy work in classes that don't. How competitive is it for music majors? What musical backgrounds do your sons have? Also, what is the social atmosphere at Williams like?</p>
<p>My son has an extensive music background and loves composition. He is struggling with music theory, but he's keeping at it. It's not competitive at all in that no one is competing with anyone else. There really isn't busy work. Getting an A is definitely challenging, B's not so much.</p>
<p>Social scene. Not sure what you mean. My S doesn't drink at all and has had a wonderful time. He has gone to many parties where people were drinking and didn't feel uncomfortable, and he has also found many other things to do.</p>
<p>He now has a girlfriend who he's pretty serious about so the issue is moot right now. He has male friends he likes, and he loves walking to town -- not really a walk -- part of campus -- and seeing movies at Images.</p>
<p>He also practices a lot and sometimes even on Saturday night. It's his choice and it doesn't make him feel creepy. He has many friends to see and he loved his entry and the entry system.</p>
<p>Have either you or your son considered Oberlin? </p>
<p>My son, who's a frosh at Williams, also applied to Oberlin because it seemed strong in the sciences and fine arts. As you probably know, they have a conservatory. I believe one could major in music without being in the conservatory, but I'm not positive. My son was not specifically looking for a strong math department so I can't directly address that. However, I suggest checking their catalog or website.</p>
<p>Sure, you can major in music without being part of the Conservatory at Oberlin. The same is true at Bard. It depends on one's commitment and confidence level. I think the strength of the string department at Oberlin would have overwhelmed my son.</p>
<p>As for their math department, it is not known for math, but I'm sure like all these LAC's, it has a strong enough department.</p>
<p>Williams is known for its math department.</p>
<p>At most LAC's a music/math major is quite feasible.</p>
<p>When I looked at Oberlin, my impression was that their math department was about an order of magnitude below Williams. Math at Williams is very good. (as are sciences in general)</p>
<p>Of course being a conservatory Oberlin has a stronger music department than Williams, but the flip side is that they have a much stronger pool of music students and so my impression was that it's hard to stay competitive there without dedicating your life to music. A lot of musicians at Williams are double majors or non-music-majors who play on the side. Music performance at Williams is generally pretty non-competitive and low-pressure, with the one exception of Berkshire Symphony which is fairly high-pressure and quite difficult for non-string players to get into (since it's half-professional, there's only one or two student spots per wind/brass instruments).</p>
<p>Thanks for the posts. My son is interested in Oberlin. He knows someone from Oberlin that was a dual major but had to drop the math major as the music was so demanding. I often feel when looking at schools he has to give up either the math or the music as both would be demanding - I think Williams it looks like he would have the opportunity to do both. He also looked at CMU and really liked CMU. Williams offers both excellent math and music opportunities -so we will plan on visiting. I'd like to visit when there is a concert performance to get a better feel for the music program.</p>
<p>There are performances next weekend -- Ephalooza II, because it's Family Days for Frosh.</p>
<p>At Oberlin I might be wrong, but I think the person probably tried to pair the math major with the Conservatory. Oberlin offers a BM (Bachelor's in Music) and a BA in Music. The first is through the Conservatory, the second through the college. The requirements are obviously more rigorous for the BM.</p>
<p>You could major in music and math at any number of LAC's. I would also suggest Vassar and Wesleyan.</p>
<p>I'd suggest visiting in Feb or March. Ideally your son will have holidays & vacation breaks that don't coincide with Williams. This is after the short winter study period & before the accepted students arrive. (Admission letters arrive around April 1.) Also, the weather in Williamstown probably would be either very cold or muddy so you'd see what it's like when it's most difficult to get around. If you go to the music department's website, it has a link to their performance calendar so you could plan around that. Good luck creating a list of schools to apply to.</p>