There is no one school that checks 100% of the boxes. I think it will come down to the following schools mostly based on cost. We will make him pay the 5500/yr (either work or loan). Fingers crossed his dad shares in paying some of the cost but it isn’t guaranteed. I would feel best about keeping it 25k/yr or under. But cheaper the better in the event his dad doesn’t contribute.
His goal is to get a solid training in voice. Being able to do shows is a plus. Being able to learn about music industry and recording arts also a big plus. He wants to try to learn all he can. He really, really wants to have the opportunity to travel so study abroad or competitions with choir is important. He prefers to get out of the midwest. The farther from home the better he says. I support this.
Academically he is a 3.4 gpa. Very few AP courses. Lots of EC’s (sports, band, choir, musicals) but no major leadership. Quirky jobs that he added as well (he’s taught ski lessons and works on at a horse rescue). He sent his 35 AC T score to every school that would take it.
Offered full tuition award: Baldwin Wallace, Jacksonville U (FL), and Syracuse. Room and board still is not super cheap at all though.
Cheap: U of Louisiana Lafayette. He has visited and they have given him top package (Live Oak Scholarship). It would be likely less than 10k/yr to attend.
Expensive but he loves it: Loyola New Orleans. He has visited twice and loved it. They gave him 32k to play esports. Awaiting if they gave him any other music merit. Likely would cost about 25k/yr.
Also accepted to:
Xavier: 25k/yr merit- our cost is 36k
Ball State: given MSEP which is 1.5x instate cost- our cost 25k
Western Michigan U: given 2k/yr merit- our cost 29k
Gustavus Adolphus: given 34k/yr merit (then given tuition exchange through my work at 41k)- cost still 25k/yr
Stetson: given tuition exchange through my work at 41k/yr- our cost still around 29k
DePaul: our cost 55k/yr
U of Minn-Twin Cities: reciprocity instate tuition- our cost 28k/yr
U of Dayton: given 27,500/yr merit- our cost still 36k
U of North Florida: potential for 12k/yr off.
Indiana: Still waiting to hear but it isn’t likely financially affordable.
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How much can you afford (max, comfortable, amount at which you might give him money for grad school or something else)?
How does he feel about living close to home vs far away?
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Added to my initial post. I am divorced and even though dad makes double my salary and has the kids college funds we both added to while married, his dad has cut off oldest son intermittently with money if kid doesn’t fit dad’s expectations (which vary). Thus in the back of my mind I am trying to prepare for if I have to do this on my own.
Kid wants to explore a new area if possible. Did not apply to any instate colleges.
No matter what you shouldn’t strain yourself financially. So if that means one with free tuition, then do that. $16k is a lot less than $25k etc.
Otherwise where’s he feeling best )amongst those you can 100% afford). Already it’s a brutal field with brutal outcomes.
Spend wisely for you. Then meet his desire.
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I’d say if Univ. of LALafayette has a decent VP program, it seems like a no brainer. He graduates with zero debt, is fairly close to a major music area (New Orleans) without all the attendant cost of living in that area.
Very different area to explore, can do study abroad (probably with less financial stress than any other choice), and may also be one of the stronger students on campus which may very well make it easier for him to make connections with professors and get access to programs he (and you) don’t even know about yet.
Which VP program impressed him (and you) the most? I know the money is important and why I answered the way I did - but you’ve shared very little about the opportunities within the programs he’d be in.
A few comments/opinions:
1.). There will never be a school that checks all boxes. There will always be an item of “concern”. That’s fine.
2.). If money matters (and it usually does), then you do have a nice list of options. It allows you to celebrate many acceptance while moving some of them aside. I would focus on the affordable ones and try to get out of UG with as little debt as possible (of course slight variations for a better fit school are fine). Right now, the focus is the UG schools….in 4 short years…it will be work! So don’t forget the long game aspect.
3.). Sometimes the first year can be expensive due to required meal plans and living in the dorms. This may or may not be true at all schools but you may want to research that. One thing you can do is see if your kid could paired with a current student. Students can generally give insight into “how real students live” more so than the school administrator or the website. You could sit with your kid and brainstorm questions…including a few of yours…like do sophomores live on or off campus and is it expensive. Believe it or not…once your kid gets to college, they will suddenly understand money (at least what’s in their account…it’s very “adult” to be concerned about money at college….at least for some students). Your kid could also ask about gigs, work around campus…and of course fun stuff too!
4.). You may want to consider where your kid wants to end up. If it’s NYC, Syracuse would get a boost. Syracuse is very respected in the NE so it could help open doors and make connections. I know this schools better bc my D applied there (MT - accepted off their waitlist in early May!). For New Orleans, of course, he would look at the related schools….and so on…
5.). Kids can be successful coming out of any program. You should let your kid know to really start interacting with the target schools/teachers…and ask the hard questions…if I go hear and want to work in New Orleans…is that possible…meaning do students do that from this school and can I get examples. Most music schools have websites with their alumni. Your kid can even ask the teacher if they have students that have gone on to work in NYC…New Orleans etc.
6.). Be sure that the schools/teacher really are a good FIT for your students personality and “style” of learning/performing. One of the best elements of growth is: HAPPINESS! Be sure to tell your kid to think about what else they could do at the school - biking, hiking, going to a nice restaurant and the ballet in a new outfit (my expensive kid…lol). Do they feel welcomed, safe, curious about the school? That’s a good place to learn and grow!
I hope that this helps.
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My opinion. Assuming affordable…the applied voice teacher, and the vocal ensembles are the things that matter the most. So…where did your son feel the private voice teacher was terrific, and the ensembles great? Start there.
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He is traveling to see BW and JU now. Going to try to plan a last minute visit to Syracuse.
UL-L was SO friendly. They may have some travel opportunities. He liked campus but thought the music areas were really dated and perhaps not as up to date on tech. He also worries about not being challenged enough there.
LoyNo is small but he felt had more of a mix of dated buildings but newer tech from what he saw. They have good connections in the music world from what he has read about. He isnt sure about study abroad as much though.
BW is very highly ranked in music. The one true conservatory. He doesn’t love that it is a smaller school in the midwest. There seems to be a nice mix of old and new music facilities. He really does not love that it is more rural. His preference is urban. He is there now so it will be interesting to hear what he says about it.
He visits JU next week. Again, smaller campus on the far outskirts of the city. We shall see.
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Has he visited BW before. I’m from Cleveland and I don’t exactly view this campus as “rural”.
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It is possible to study abroad on programs that are not necessarily tied to the college (just have to research getting credit etc).
Best wishes. My D is getting down to it in her choices as well. She doesn’t seem to want to visit any of the campuses again. She seems to have a favorite but reluctant to commit.
BW is NOT rural. It’s in a close in suburb of Cleveland. My D went to summer music camps there many times and took composition classes at the conservatory. They have a very strong program. I’ll be interested to hear if your son enjoyed the visit.
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If he is on a grad school path, I would definitely go toward the most affordable option for sure. But these are such great results. Congratulations!
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So all of these meet your goal of being under $25K correct? All are likely under $18K?
Syracuse doesn’t give many full tuition awards, so they must really want your S. There are ample performance opportunities there with required on campus choir participation, possible roles at the local opera houses, and a very active acapella scene.
With these 3 choices, I’m not sure I would stretch for any of the other schools. Does the $25K budget require loans on your part?
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In my opinion this is a valid concern, although only you and your son know the context of this statement. When looking at programs many years ago with my oldest, we made it a point to attend a rehearsal of a large or small ensemble. I recall crossing one program off the list as the top string quartet was barely higher level than the one she was playing with in high school. While it is nice to be a top talent coming into a program, I do think that kids thrive and grow by being around other musicians who are at a higher level. So if your son feels as if the ensemble playing would not challenge him enough, I would take that into consideration.
Good luck!
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Well, in his young mind anything that is not New Orleans I think he is calling rural. 
He is there at BW so hoping it sways him a bit! Free tuition is HUGE!
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I don’t have much to say regarding the choices. I think he has several “right” options. He’ll just have to decide which “right” option he wants to pick.
But I do want to say congrats on all those great offers! I know you put in so much work to ensure that your son had the best opportunities he could get for college. These are some home runs here. Way to go (for both of you)!
Have you checked the typical post-grad earnings for your son’s program at each of these places? For our kid’s list, there wasn’t much variation between schools (engineering). Syracuse was an outlier, above schools with more prestigious programs. I’m thinking that may be due to the name recognition and/or alumni networking? I just checked salary for Notre Dame (not the strongest in engineering) and I see the same thing. I’ve also heard that directly from alumni there. That’s a factor that you might investigate, as mentioned above.
Definitely go for a visit. We all loved our visit to Syracuse. It’s got a vibe that your kid will likely form an opinion about, either way.
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Has he involved his father in the process at all? I know sometimes in divorce it is not possible, but if the father controls the money getting him involved may may make the father more cooperative just to have been asked. He doesn’t have to take the advice and maybe leave out the cheapest options (for fear the father then would only pay for that one).
His dad took him to LoyNo and is now taking him to BW and JU. But a few months ago he told kid he wouldn’t have a relationship with him if his attitude didn’t change. So it’s a very labile relationship.
My son was able to do an audition/lesson at ULL in person on his visit. He did a zoom interview with Syracuse and they have been trying to set up a zoom sample lesson. BW and JU have also been very communicative with him via email and hoping to set something up when spring break is over.
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I live near Cleveland (transplant from New England) and I just wanted to mention that we have a great music scene! He probably won’t have the chance to spend too much time downtown, but he should look it all up. Biggest theater district in the country outside of NYC. Rock-n-Roll hall of fame, all major concerts, music producers, Cleveland Orchestra, Opera, etc to say nothing of a very active sports scene. We’re been super impressed since moving here.
The BW kids would have access to all of it. With BW being such a great music program also, that seems like a great fit to me.
Good luck to you and your son. These decisions are tough.
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BW and Syracuse have highly regarded and large MT and acting programs. He needs to make sure that he can be a part of productions there is it is important to him and if he can (according to school
Policy) does it ever happen that kids outside of those programs are cast?
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