<p>My son, a rising HS senior, has been spoiled. He attended a summer program at The Colburn School and fell in love with the facilities. Unfortunately, they don't offer his major (voice performance). Now he compares all colleges to Colburn and they are paling by comparison. </p>
<p>Here's what he is looking for:
Excellent performance space
Modern, well-equipped voice lab
Newer dormitories, preferably with single room suites
No "communal" bathrooms
Cafeteria with plenty of choices
Campus-wide wifi</p>
<p>Also:
in a large city
lots of restaurants nearby
access to public transportation
not full of "smart kids" (but he himself has a perfect SAT score)</p>
<p>He's already ruled out Westminster, Oberlin, Oklahoma City U, Rice (because of the smart kid thing). Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Straight-talk Snowflake here. He’ll need to get over this specific list of requirements. As a smart person, he may find that he has to look at smart person schools, as that’s just who he is and they definitely don’t necessarily align with fancy dorms and single rooms. As a smart person that wants to focus on classical voice, he may have to loosen his requirements or end up at a school that is new and fancy but doesn’t challenge him after the first semester. There are not many colleges that don’t have communal bathrooms and single rooms for freshman; if your son has a specific medical reason, maybe that’s an exception.</p>
<p>If he wants average smarties as peers and great vocal possibilities (classical), consider Boston U. Their food has a huge variety, easy access to public transportation, wifi in the dorms, etc., but the dorm situation isn’t what your son wants.</p>
<p>He may want to look at High Point Univerity in NC if he is focused on the nice dorms and food … he could major in music through the college of arts and sciences and live pretty nicely in some fancy dorms.</p>
<p>McGill has a variety of dorm situations - many are singles. Big city, restaurants, public transportation, etc. It’s a big school, so there is quite a variety of students, though I don’t think he would find too many academic slouches. We toured the music building but it was a while ago and I don’t remember the practice rooms as this was not high on my son’s list of criteria.</p>
<p>If he is going to be a vocal performance major he should focus first and foremost on the teachers in the program since ultimately that is what is going to make or break him as a performer. I realize environment is important, but I think it is a lot more wise to go to a school that had older facilities but great faculties then going to a shiny new school that meets all the requirements. I went to a top notch school whose dorms and such weren’t the greatest, when my brother went to Columbia the facilities weren’t exactly all that great, but he got a great education. Trying to find everything he wants may be difficult, and with the smart kid thing in general top level music students, that you find at the top music schools, tend to be pretty darn bright as well.</p>
<p>Yeah, I realize that my son is picky. He’s the kid who refused to go to Tanglewood (after he was accepted) when he realized that it was a “camp.” He has Asperger’s syndrome which accounts for some of his pickiness - but the rest is pure stubbornness. </p>
<p>His tentative list is:
Peabody
CCM
MSM
Juiliard
USC
Baldwin-Wallace
OCU (even though it was not his favorite - he’s got free tuition)</p>
<p>He realizes that most of those choices (except OCU which has amazing dorms) don’t meet all of his criteria, but a kid can dream. And he’s had lessons with faculty from Peabody, Juilliard, USC and OCU and liked them all.</p>
<p>McGill keeps coming on and off the list. He’s also considered a certificate program at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto, but we’re pushing for a bachelor’s degree.</p>
<p>Ah, so I understand more. My son has a friend with Asperger’s and there are certain boundaries he just won’t cross, regardless of whatever logic you provide. So it makes a lot more sense that your son has this list of criteria. </p>
<p>Keep us posted on how things change as he goes through the process of applying, auditioning, and then looking at his options. It’s a tough process for most kids, regardless of Asperger’s or talent level. Good luck!</p>
<p>He will probably not like Juilliard’s dorms or cafeteria-- they leave a lot to be desired: small, dirty, and no singles for freshmen. And as for the bathrooms… Cafeteria is tiny and nothing like Colburn’s. On the other hand, there are a lot of good restaurants in the neighborhood! They finally got WifI in the dorms, but it’s a little shaky.</p>
<p>megpmom,
I am the parent of a young adult who has special needs so I totally get the Asperger “issue”. A few things we learned (some the hard way and some the easy way). If your child is not yet ready socially to go off to college, for what ever reason it is better to give him some additional time working intensely on social skills and independent living rather than sending him off to a conservatory. Even if he is incredibly talented, attending college is challenging even for neurotypical children. Attending a conservatory is additionally challenging due to the pressure and the expectations. Sometimes parents feel like taking an extra year or two will set their child back. This is especially true if you have worked hard to get your child to this point. But honestly one or two years will not make a difference. And if you have your child work on additional social skills specifically around group living and socialization then your child is more likely to succeed once they get to college. One thing that I see over and over again as an advocate is that parents are so eager to see their child go off and be among their peers in college, that they rush the process. The child then gets there and crashes and gets discouraged. Picking up the pieces after that happens with a young adult can be extremely difficult. Remember once they are over 18 they are the one’s who have to agree to treatment. Depression is very common among young adults with Aspergers. I have yet to meet a parent of a young adult with mood or spectrum related issues who does not agree with what I wrote above based on their own personal experience (for better or for worse).</p>
<p>If your child is attending public school, make sure they have a formal transition plan in place. In order for your son to get full accommodations in college under section 504 his testing ought to be up-to-date. If he has not had a recent neuropsychological exam then I suggest you schedule one. It is will be useful.</p>
<p>No matter where your son is considering going you and him should connect with the office of disabilities. It is better to disclose your son’s diagnosis and have those who might need to assist him be “in-the-know” then to have your son struggle and suddenly have to deal with the colleges administration. I know many parents of kids who actually take the quality of the disability office into account when choosing a school. You should as well. The disability office will be able to assist your son with things that might not come easily to him and help his instructors understand if they become frustrated. So that instead of accusing your son of being stubborn they can maybe alter how they approach things so that they connect with him.</p>
<p>If you and your child’s treatment team (pediatrician and/or psychiatrist) feel that your son would do better in a single they can write a letter and request a medical single. Most colleges are happy to oblige. My own son tried to live in a normal rooming situation with roommates twice. But both times found that he could not function with the noise and the disruptions and switched to a medical single. The college he attended has been wonderful about accommodating his needs. </p>
<p>Remember your goal is not only to find a college where your son can be happy and learn, but your goal is also to set the stage for your young adult to hopefully be independent and functional once he graduates from college. </p>
<p>BTW, I noticed NEC is not on that list. NEC does not have the nicest facilities (although they are about to build new dorms and facilities…the master plan looks amazing). But I suspect they have a wonderful disabilities office because our tour guide (who is a current Master’s student) and was an undergraduate there clearly is on the spectrum and he seemed lovingly supported by everyone. My son knows a boy with Autism who is currently attending Berklee and he had some bumps but he is also doing well.</p>
<p>I’m glad StacJip is being so strong with her opinions about the need for support & understanding at school. And though I’m sure you had a lot of this in mind already, I want to add one experience. I know a similar student (though I’m guessing more troubled in some ways) who absolutely insisted, against the advice of everyone, on going across the country to a large public university. When he had serious miscommunications with people at school there wasn’t much his mother could do. Partly because she was so far away, partly because of FERPA, she didn’t know a lot at first about what her son was going through. I suspect that going to college and dealing with the changes threw him off kilter more than she expected, and I’m afraid she must have been a little in denial as well. She is not the greatest communicator herself. She at first trusted the disabled students office, but they were not especially prepared to support Asperger’s at the time. It was sort of a perfect storm. Eventually things were sorted out, and everyone learned a lot, but I think it was a painful process for all. </p>
<p>Because of this experience, as well as the socializing and frustration issues my own son had up to high school, I’m a big fan of starting by giving out extra information. I’d make sure you have good lines of communication with all the student services, from the beginning. See if you can make a personal connection with advising staff and residence staff as well as the disability office. These folks may have their opinions about parental support (aka “helicoptering”) but they always mean well, and want to help. They may not understand the issues, and just need more information. I loved StacJip’s comment: “…they can maybe alter how they approach things so that they connect with him.” That’s exactly the ticket.</p>
<p>Good luck! I’m sure your son will find the best school for him.</p>
<p>Hi! Has Vanderbilt come up for consideration? I just recently visited with my daughter and they have put a lot of work into their dorms. I think freshman must live in dorms, but they are new or recently remodeled and the housing options open up considerably after the freshman year. They have an excellent music school though I don’t specifically know anything about the voice program. Nashville is a large vibrant city and when we were there they said that there are shuttles from the campus to the downtown area which is only about 1 1/2 miles from campus as well as a developed city bus system.
University of Michigan also has a great voice program, but dorms are old as are practice rooms. Performance facilities are excellent and varied and Ann Arbor is a great town with excellent public transportation and a campus shuttle system.
Best of luck in your search!</p>
<p>^Re Umich – there are <em>some</em> newer, nicely equipped dorms and some “private” more costly options nearby – and the actual performance facilities are indeed awesome, and yes, the practice rooms - not so much. But the renovated dorms do also have practice rooms as well. Just fyi.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice. We just returned from visiting conservatories on the East coast and he has modified his list somewhat. He really likes the “self-contained” type of campus - Julliard, MSM, Peabody. Apparently the idea of not having to go outside in the winter appeals to him. He saw the dorms and bathrooms and, while not thrilled about doubles and communal bathrooms, thinks he could deal with it as long as there is AC and a McDonalds nearby (which is causing Westminster to fall further down the list.) He also had several lessons with potential teachers and is narrowing down what he wants in a teacher. Ah, so much to think about! He’s meeting with his private teacher today to discuss impressions.</p>
<p>Here’s what he is looking for:
Excellent performance space
Modern, well-equipped voice lab
Newer dormitories, preferably with single room suites
No “communal” bathrooms
Cafeteria with plenty of choices
Campus-wide wifi</p>
<p>Also:
in a large city
lots of restaurants nearby
access to public transportation
not full of “smart kids” (but he himself has a perfect SAT score)</p>
<p>Have you considered The Shepherd School at Rice University? It seems to fulfill all of his requirements. Many of the dorms are suite living, and beautiful; and The Shepherd School itself is a gorgeous conservatory with plenty of great performance spaces.</p>
<p>Rice Village is walkable/bikeable and there are plenty of small shops and restaurants there. The Houston public transport system is across the street and free to all Rice students.</p>
<p>And at Rice the stats for the music school are not in the same stratosphere as the rest of Rice. They are smart but not over the top. So he shouldn’t be put off by general Rice data. </p>
<p>We also have experience with their office for disabilities and DD found them easy to work with and the music school relatively cooperative.</p>
<p>I have pushed Rice to S, but he’s not so sure. Many of the top kids from his HS go to Rice, so just to be contrary - he wants to go somewhere else. He thinks Rice is snooty (his opinion, not mine). The only in state schools that he will even consider are UNT (his dad teaches there) and UT. </p>
<p>I’m learning that he actually needs to visit the campuses and try to visualize himself there. He’s knocked several off the list after visiting based on very superficial reasons. But, he’s the one going to live there for 4 years, not me, so I’ll let him decide. </p>
<p>The only schools that I am insisting stay on the list are OCU and Baldwin Wallace since he has guaranteed scholarships there (also Boston U, but he didn’t like it). As long as he has one option that he can tolerate and we can afford, I’ll be happy.</p>
<p>Does anyone have specifics about CCM? It’s the only one on his list that he hasn’t visited yet and won’t until auditions (if he passes prescreens). He has a friend attending for lighting design but he doesn’t know much about the music program.</p>
<p>megpmom, my son has visited CCM three times now – once with me for a campus visit, and twice with my husband for his audition and for orientation. We find the facilities to be excellent. His assigned dorm is rather tired, but it is nice that you can request to be on a floor with all CCM students and that dorm, Siddal, is right next to the CCM Village and includes a dining facility.</p>
<p>I can understand why your son did not like BU. My son (not the one going to conservatory but the one with special needs) had a very negative reaction to BU after going on the tour. And we are local and our son had taken classes at BU already, which he enjoyed. I don’t know much about the BU conservatory program or even where it is located. But BU is definitely a large confusing school. As another poster pointed out it really doesn’t have a campus.</p>
<p>Baldwin Wallace may be on your list, but it sure doesn’t fit into your son’s list of requirements! The dorms are typical “dorms”- rather tired and those communal bathrooms. Berea is not a large city- more like a town- and is over a half hour from Cleveland. Public transportation to, say, the University Circle area, requires over an hour commute on a bus, then a train and then a goodly walk ( the return trip walk to the train station is uphill too!). The conservatory facilities are new and really pretty but that’s about it- a couple of small luncheon places nearby, but nothing that would qualify as “good”. It would take a 15 minute car ride up toward the expressway just to get to McDonald’s and K-Mart!</p>
<p>BU is a large university but the School of Music is small and friendly. My daughter’s classes freshman year were small–the largest had about 20 people, and one of her classes had only 7. The experience of a music student in the College of Fine Arts at BU is very different from that of a typical student in the College of Arts and Sciences, and I have heard this about some of the other smaller programs at BU as well. The CFA and, especially, the School of Music, is like a small home in the larger university. Having said that, it is true that BU’s campus is not a traditional campus. It’s an urban campus and the city is part of the campus (but it is a campus, contrary to what one poster said above). For students who want that kind of experience it’s great, but for those wanting a more traditional campus, not so great. My daughter, who very much wanted the urban setting, loves it. She can easily go anywhere in the city, and does. I think you either love or hate that kind of campus.</p>