Hey guys I’m a junior and I’ve been thinking a lot about the kind of college I want to go to and I’m running into a ton of road blocks. I’m like top 1% of my class and really like science/chemistry so I’d like to go somewhere with a good rep that’s competitive academically. I’m also equally passionate about playing jazz so I’d like to be able to double major in science and jazz or at least be able to have some type of concentration or way to study music in college. I also pretty much only like the northeast. This is becoming a bit of a problem cuz while there are so many colleges out there believe it or not very few match my checklist. I know no place can be absolutely perfect but I feel like I’m
Not asking for that much lol. I know places like northwestern are great for this… But the location isn’t ideal. Like, I like Chicago but I’d really prefer to be in the northeast/New England area. I’ve really liked upenn but they don’t have a formal jazz program (same goes for most other top ranked schools). They have jazz ensembles and Philly is right there but I’m not sure if I’d be getting the most of a jazz eduction from there. I could make it work but I really wonder how much more I’d learn and how much better I’d really get. Columbia has a jazz concentration but I’m really not feeling the core. Oberlin fits the bill, but again, location. Nyu is way too expensIve and i haven’t heard great things from
Their science program. I’ve got some time but it doesn’t look like my options are gonna expand any time soon. What do you guys think? What would you do if you were in my shoes? Are there other places you’d think to consider? Thanks
You title is over the top – you are going to skip college if you can’t find the perfect combo in the Northeast? Also, if you are not in the conservatory at Oberlin, it can be hard to get a spot in ensembles. So it may not pay off to make that onerous trek to Ohio anyway.
Tulane is not in the northeast, but you can’t beat New Orleans for Jazz.
Check out Hamilton College
You have more choices than you realize. The University of Rochester is one school to consider. LACs, as well, can have great science and music programs.
I hope you are not as melodramatic with everything as you are with the title of this thread.
There is no “perfect school”. Like everything in life, finding the right college will likely be a series of compromises.
Try using the SuperMatch function under Find a College (on left).
Look into Johns Hopkins (not sure if you need to be in conservatory).
What do you play? Wesleyan has a very strong jazz program for a LAC, is also strong in the sciences, and is in the Northeast. Pheeroan Aklaff, Jay Hoggard, Noah Baerman and Anthony Braxton are all there, so if drums, vibes, piano or sax are your thing, check 'em out. They also have a terrific world music program, if you’re into that.
Many moons ago, I was looking for a top-tier LAC that combined my interests in science and jazz and I ended up at Wes. I was very happy with my choice.
Braxton has actually retired from teaching, but your point still stands. Wes is a good call.
Did you chose your HS? If not, was it a big deal that it wasn’t perfect?
University of Rochester is a top school w a strong science program. It’s in the Northeast. It’s got Eastman School of Music.
Choosing a school is a little like buying a house, or like choosing a significant other, or accepting your first job.
Nope, no matter what the fairy tales tell you, there’s no one perfect match, no one perfect house, no one perfect job. Every single choice you make as an adult requires some amount of compromise.
So it looks to me as though these are your choices:
- Compromise on the “good rep that’s competitive academically” angle. I imagine there are any number of great schools you’ve discounted because you, as a high school junior, don’t know their “rep.”
- Compromise on the jazz major. Is this going to be part of your future career in science/chemistry? If not, then why not choose a school with a jazz group-- or where you can start one-- without it being part of your course of study?
- Compromise on location. It seems as though what you're looking for isn't here. Do you want it badly enough to move?
Finally, as others here have mentioned, you’ve got to dial down the drama… way down.
You can’t find exactly what you want, so you’re not going to college? Really? So what are you going to do when you start looking at internships, and no one wants to pay you what you think you’re worth? Or when you start looking for jobs and no one offers you that corner office as a 21 year old? Or when you start looking at houses and can’t find exactly what you want? Or when you start thinking seriously about relationships and can’t find the ideal person you’ve concocted in your mind?
@GMTplus7 said:
Well…it’s not quite that easy. If you’re accepted into Eastman (not simple), you can take classes at U. of Rochester, and, if you’re really ambitious, double major (or double degree in 5 years). But it’s not like U. of R kids can just do whatever they want at Eastman. They can’t typically play in the ensembles, or even take private lessons with the faculty there (though they can get lessons with grad students). It’s worth looking into, but one definitely shouldn’t go to U. of Rochester under the assumption that all the resources of Eastman will be available.
Remember that you can learn even if you don’t take formal coursework. Many of the things you will learn in life - including pretty much everything after college - you will learn by doing. You don’t necessarily need a college with a strong jazz concentration or jazz program; you just need a college at which you can play jazz in an ensemble, or maybe within the community.
Why would you prefer to be in the Northeast? If it’s to be nearby family that’s one thing, but if it’s something else then you can likely find something similar at many other colleges in the country. Like what does the Northeast have that you really, really want that the northern Midwest (Oberlin and Northwestern) don’t? Or even Tulane, other than the weather?
Agree with everyone else: dial down the melodrama, and expand your thinking, re: what you MUST get from your education. There are plenty of schools with great science programs that also have jazz–whether it’s an ensemble or program. But generally I’m not sure it will be easy to do both music AND science–if you’re focusing on the tippy-top schools (which from your list, you are), you may find their music schools focus on students who wish to become professional musicians. You’re admitted–via audition–based on that fact and AFAIK, you can’t then also major in science (or if you do, it may be intensive and take more than 4 years, depending). A music minor or concentration might be possible at some schools, but not all. If it’s not your aim to play professionally and you just like jazz, then focus first on the science program for your major, with jazz and music opportunities secondary. Basically: something’s gotta give, and it will likely have to be jazz, unless you want to become a professional musician.
On that note, look at Boston University. They have a music minor in CFA and you can play in their jazz ensemble–while majoring in science in CAS.
Re #11, U of R and Eastman, It appears that Rochester undergrads can take any music course at Eastman for which they have met the prerequisites. Though post 11 touched on several points, this key one should not be overlooked.
Seconding Hamilton.
Furthermore on the University of Rochester, every student of intermediate ability is offered free tutoring in his or her musical area, irrespective of whether he or she is a student in the Eastman School.