<p>Zippo and GBAMom - I started to read Zippo's post the other day and then the phone rang and I continued above it. Oh man, Zippo, that's so sad. I'm really sorry you had such a tough time, especially during graduation. Hope you're feeling better soon.</p>
<p>GBAMom, glad your son's graduation was so nice. It really is more meaningful when they have time to actually celebrate the graduates. Sadly, our school does not. That's the price one pays for attending a large school, but since it's one of the top 100 in the country, I'd prefer he have that four year experience and get shortchanged on the graduation than the other way around. </p>
<p>Your son said exactly the same thing mine did, that it was the best party ever. That's a great way to end high school!</p>
<p>CRAPPY boring graduation. We had a class of 1250 so basically it was a 3 speeches + a long long list of name reading. Then we left to our own seperate ways.</p>
<p>At least our graduation was in the Old Dallas Mavericks Arena.</p>
<p>I'm going to make a list of everyone's awards, their test scores, and their GPA for future applicants.</p>
<p>tkm256 - 4.0 1520 SAT - full ride</p>
<p>MomOfWild Child's S - top 10% 1410 SAT - 7500 per year</p>
<p>HauckT - top 20% 34 ACT - 7K per year
damitssam - 3.72 33 ACT - 7K per year
Dcho711 - 3.67 1320 SAT - 7K per year
merblajam's D - 3.6 1510 SAT - 7K per year
hotctyplaya - 3.75 1350 SAT - 7K per year
Julia1987 - 4.5 1420 SAT - 7K per year
zippo - 3.45 31 ACT - 7K per year
colderemy - 3.85 1320 SAT - 7K per year
srtatzarina - 3.4 1420 SAT - 7K per year</p>
<p>parikhs - 3.6 28 ACT - 6K per year
goblue1247 - 3.5 1260 - 6K per year
AimHigh's S - 3.64 29 ACT - 6K per year
A2Wolves6 - 3.63 29 ACT - 6K per year</p>
<p>GoBlueAlumMom's S - 3.5 28 ACT - 1K per year</p>
<p>I'm sure there are many more, but I got tired through the searches. Add to the list if you received an IU Faculty Award.</p>
<p>It isn't fair. :( My son's stats are better than most of those, and yet he didn't get anything. And they haven't answered my email asking why either. It's probably too late to complain a year later...</p>
<p>He was wondering if it could be because he was a direct admit into the Music School--maybe music students don't get the faculty awards... ??</p>
<p>I was looking at your first paragraph thinking "maybe it was because he was in the Music school, and they are good enough that they don't need to recruit him with these awards", then you said it in the 2nd paragraph. IU just got a HUGE endowment from the Jacobs family for the Music School, some of those funds weren't allocated towards scholarships? I don't understand, maybe this year was just different with them raising standards and openly trying to recruit top OOS students. I mean, you're from Oregon, I don't know why they wouldn't want your S and wouldn't give him more $$$.</p>
<p>Susan--If you haven't heard back via e-mail, get someone knowledgable on the phone to address it. If my S. had chosen to go to IU, I absolutely would have appealled the amount he was awarded. Now, after looking at this comparison list, a 5K/year difference with comparable stats, I'm fairly convinced an error was made.</p>
<p>OK, I heard back from Admissions. Apparently direct admits to the music school are not eligible for the academic awards, only for music faculty awards, which are based solely on the audition. So, if my son had not applied to the music school, he could have received a big grant, but since he is a music major, it only depends upon how well he played--and he wasn't one of the stronger candidates. :(</p>
<p>Oh, well. At least we know now. He did apply for scholarships through the Indiana Foundation this year, but we haven't heard back on any of them yet. (These are ones that require a separate application, and some are just for sophomores and above. I'll keep my fingers crossed.)</p>
<p>Susan--What advice would you give potential music students? In other words, what would be the best strategy for music applicants in terms of receiving merit awards? Apply as a general candidate to IU, receive the faculty award, and then enter the music school beginning sophomore year? Are freshman direct admits the only way into the music school? Is it similar to Kelley with both freshman direct admits and those who apply later as current students?</p>
<p>I really don't know. I know you can audition into the music school later, but I don't know if that would mean you would lose your general award once you became a music major. (a good possibility)</p>
<p>My son just came in and I asked him. He said it is extremely hard to get into the music school if you try to audition in later on. It is much easier if you apply directly to the music school. So he does not recommend trying to get in as a sophomore. In addition, I think music majors get priority getting into music classes, private lessons, etc., so that would be another drawback to auditioning later.</p>
<p>So I guess the advice would be to get as good as you can and wow them at the audition, so you can get scholarship money that way. :)</p>
<p>My son added a few more details to the above post. He said non-music majors can only get lessons with grad students, not with professors; they cannot get into most music courses that are only for majors; and they cannot get into most ensembles.</p>
<p>He said there IS one way to both major in music and get faculty awards for academics; that is to double major. He knows a couple of double majors who have faculty awards. However, he said the ones he knows work really hard and don't get much sleep, because it is really hard to do a double major with music, as music requires so much time.</p>