I’m trying to make sense of the awards my son did and did not get as we consider which school he should attend.
He was accepted to McGill and U of Miami, B.Mus. Jazz but without any music (or academic) scholarship at all. Does this mean we like you and think you are good enough to join (and we have so many students on trumpet already), but really we think you can pay your way? Or is it indicative of his playing ability, that he is really at the lower end of the talent spectrum at those places?
I’m more concerned about the latter interpretation because maybe that means he will be a small fish in a big pond, which could positively push him to work harder on his instrument in order to compete with others, or it could be a demoralizing experience.
Similarly he was accepted into two much smaller music schools (Lawrence and Puget Sound) and was offered significant academic scholarships but no music either. In these places, I wonder if he will be like a big fish in a small pond, with limited opportunity to grow musically.
I feel mixed about what to advise him as we consider schools. We want him to go the most affordable one (which for us would be McGill) but I wonder if one of the smaller schools would be a better fit for him instead.
Can he contact the profs and hear what they say about him being on track or not. It is tempting, but hard, to ask about “catching up” because that depends a lot on how the student takes on his tasks.
My thoughts too…reach out to teachers to see if there is strong interest and an explanation or not of the scholarship. A scholarship is a snapshot in time…it cannot determine success. But you should be sure there is an advocate in the school (a teacher) to assure your son of his place and talents (teachers do this all the time).
Also if he wasn’t up to par at the school, he would have been rejected. Don’t forget, he was accepted. He’s good enough…the scholarship may reflect need in his case (or not - he’ll have to ask). However if there are a lot of his instrument, he will want a teacher to advocate for him and guide him. Also the low scholarship offer could lower yield in this year making opportunities plentiful in future years for his instrument. Best to find a teacher to help him work through this.
My daughter faced a similar choice (dance, though, not music): go to a school that offered her both academic and dance scholarships and clearly wanted to work with her in their program (she had two of these types of offers) or go to a school that offered an academic scholarship but no dance scholarship. Ultimately, she has decided to be the small fish in the much larger pond and use that as inspiration to work hard and improve as much as possible.
Your son was accepted, so clearly he has enough skill to be a part of the program, even if no music merit aid was offered!
I think a student at ANY level should have a sketch of how he can better himself wherever he goes. So my words about catching up are not good words to use. It is about moving forward.
Merit scholarships at McGill are very limited. Tuition for an international student there is about US$17,000/year. Compared to close to $50,000/year at UMiami.
Hi @SandyTeacup - you are asking good questions for this time of year and have already received some good advice above. A call for clarification won’t be viewed negatively. Schools will be expecting calls from parents at this time of the year. For many of us, having a student interested in the arts is new territory and schools should understand that you have questions.
I do know that Lawrence, for example, doesn’t stack scholarships. So it sounds like your son received a bigger scholarship from the college there. (Eastman/Rochester works this way, too.) Other schools, like Oberlin, combine merit awards from the college and the conservatory. At many schools, scholarship amounts factor in what the family’s financial need is. (Often referred to as need-informed. In my experience, there are few scholarships these days that don’t take a peek at a family’s financials.)
If you think a smaller school might be a better “fit” that’s a comment worth exploring as a family. Ultimately, finding that fit is important.
@SandyTeacup, I don’t have an answer on the scholarship question, but I will say that McGill has a fabulous jazz program. (Miami/Frost does too, but if McGill is the most affordable choice, it’s a great choice musically.) And Montreal has a very good jazz community in general with some great jazz venues. I heard a McGill student group play at one of those venues a couple of years ago and was very impressed both with them and with the venue (which regularly draws well known jazz musicians). Whatever he decides, congrats on some great choices!
I wanted my daughter to apply to McGill! congrats on the admit. I think talend scholarships are dependent on the school’s needs. My daughter will be a classical vocal performance major. Lawrence offered her max talent scholarship, more than the academic scholarship offered. But, her voice teacher says that Lawrences is looking to attract more vocal talent so it is possible they really need a coloratura soprano. Baldwin Wallace only offered her academic money - I guess they have sopranos to spare.
I would be REALLY cautious about trying to interpret this. Even if you could guess at the factors, keep in mind that between the audition and the start of school, at least 6 months will have passed. If there were pre-screens involved, that time could be as much as a year. Whatever “hierarchy” you may have taken a stab at guessing, by the first day of school, it’s a complete toss-up.
And I can’t stress how much it can and will change in the first year, and every following year; both the size of the fish and size of the pond.
While I know that it’s impossible to disregard it completely, I would encourage you to encourage your son to focus on what schools he liked, what teachers he connected with, which programs spoke to him. I do think location is important to the extent that you want him to feel comfortable in the environment. I would try to consider the scholarship amounts only in the context of where it puts the cost of attendance and whether that makes it affordable.