Graduate Music Programs

CIM will probably wait until the last possible moment, which will be April 1st! I can vouch for the fact that no one has heard anything from them, either way, grad or undergrad, yet.

Thanks for the info on CIM, Mezzo’sMama. We are waiting to hear from CIM, starting to lose it a little haha! Also waiting for IU. Congrats to everyone who has heard and is getting such good news!

Cellomom2! How did everything go this year? Pm me!

Same here - still waiting to hear from CIM, the only program he has yet to hear from. Still waitlisted at Yale, two accepted and one hasn’t sent any follow up financials as of yet.

Without naming names, one school he auditioned at stepped up and offered him a full TA position, which means a free ride plus $. Looking at their Brass department which with recent additions would compete with any in the country, plus their commitment, they’ve moved to the top of the list. CIM would need to come through financially in a big way, meaning pretty close to full tuition - I’m not sure that’s in the cards. Nothing is 1000% decided just yet, but it’s a very strong lean…

Update - accepted to CIM today 3/28 via email notification. However, the financial aid offer will not be available for another week to 10 days.

Congrats StoneMagic! About 5 minutes after seeing your post got a text from my S saying he’s been accepted to CIM!

Thanks and same to you Cellomom - is CIM his first choice? Did he get the same letter regarding financial aid coming later?

Yes and yes. He said financial aid info to follow “in a few days”
Is CIM 1st choice for your S too?

It’s been at or near his top choice since day one - the professor for his instrument is incredible, but it’s going to come down to what they offer financially.

My S received an offer that includes a free ride plus a paid TA at a large public university with a world-class brass faculty. It doesn’t have the reputation or ranking of CIM, but they really want him there.

He also has a sister in college at the same time, and we are funding both of their undergraduate educations…so dollars and “sense” are a major consideration for him and us.

StoneMagic we are in almost the exact same boat. My daughter is a sophomore in college, so two more years for her while he’s getting his MM. We don’t have a full ride offer on the table, but he has been accepted to his current school which is in state for us and we could manage it. He has wanted to go to CIM since we looked for undergrad. I’m just trying to keep breathing, haha!

Well cellomom, it’s great that he was accepted…I guess we just have to see what they are willing to offer as every situation is different, but boy they sure do make it tough by stretching the process out every step of the way. Deep breaths help.

Update: CIM will post the financial aid offer by EOD tomorrow vs. 7-10 more days, apparently they amended the timeline…so we will be that much closer this week.

Funny how even when the kids are in grad school the waiting game is so hard! Wishing all the best of luck with these things and the best possible outcomes!

Thenks @CurlyMom, you nailed it on the head. Although CIM is hard to walk away from, their financial aid package didn’t come close enough to make it a viable option - were just not in a position to take on large student loans after having already incurred some for undergrad and his sister.

Fortunately he’s got some other great options on the table, so unless CIM suddenly comes back with a significant upgrade (doubtful), he knows where he will be signing on the dotted line soon.

If a student is applying for graduate school, or is in graduate school, they do NOT need parental information on the FAFSA and are considered independent. That should qualify them for more financial aid from schools and certainly qualifies them for more loans (and the rates on those are at historically low rates). Those loans, when they come due for repayment, are tied to income, and the amounts can be quite low and manageable.

I’ve been observing all of the disappointments here and wondering if other paths could have made things easier…

Grrrrr, I just tried to edit my above post and it must have been right on the time limit, so it locked and refused to do anything.

What I was going to add was this:

There is usually time during grad school to get a part time job and TA positions, if not available during the first year, may open up for the second year, so it pays to keep an ear to the ground.

I really feel badly for these kids that aren’t able to attend the schools that mean so much to them- perhaps an amended FAFSA form could make a difference?

On a waitlist for masters in performance -is April first the day I would hear a definite no? Has anyone been accepted off a waitlist yet?

Instrumentally, the decision deadline for schools is April 1, then accepted students have until April 15 to accept or decline the offer for graduate students. You may not hear officially about the waitlist until after April 15, could be sooner if other students make their decisions earlier. Hope you hear soon!

Thank you so much!!

I’ve been so confused and overthinking the April 1 and April 15 deadlines. I guess I am dreading the April 1 tomorrow because I may get a no from Michigan:(