Liberal Arts Schools for a swimming violinist

College Search & Selection
1

You all helped me so much last year with D1 (who seems very happy at Carleton), I’m coming back this year for help with D2. I’d especially appreciate people with first-hand knowledge of the violin instruction/strings program/orchestra

She’s a very accomplished violinist, has been playing 10 years. Has been HS concert master for 3 years is currently the youth orchestra concert master. Made it to NY All-State last year and again this year (a big deal in NY). She plays classical and also plays traditional Anglo/American and Celtic fiddle. She loves playing orchestral music and chamber music. Last year she had a string quartet which played and performed regularly, but the other kids all graduated.

She’s also a decent swimmer and thinks she’d like to continue swimming in college. 100 Free 56.6 sec, 50 Free, 26.6, 500 Free 5:31, 100 back 106.7. She hasn’t trained and competed in club for the past two years because of having mono and also being so busy with music.

Top 5% of her class of approximately 350
ACT 29
Has taken or is currently taking all APs offered by the HS
APWORLD 5, APUSH 4, AP PSYCH 4 (self study), AP ART HIST 3

Currently taking AP English and AP COGO and AP GOPO

Dual enrollment Spanish (sophomore year) and dual enrollment biology (currently)

Wants to major in Psych and minor in music or double major in music and psych. Also interested in women’s studies and English.

She’s liberal, feminist, atheist, and quite shy, but tough.

Current list:

Two favorites:
Skidmore
St. Olaf

Safety:
SUNY Geneseo (she’s not fast enough for their swim team)

Considering:

Bryn Mawr
College of Wooster (D1 and I didn’t love the violin teacher when we visited last year)
Hamilton
Mount Holyoke (I don’t think they have a good enough music program, but I love the school)
Sewanee
Scripps
Smith
Vassar

Money is an issue. It would be great if she could get both need-based and merit (music and/or academic) based aid.

Thanks everyone!

2

I think you have a nice list. Maybe also look into Franklin & Marshall (PA). I can’t attest to the string program but I know of a fine oboe player (non-music major) who went there, got some kind of music scholarship, and loved the music program there.

3

An awful lot of the colleges on your list don’t stack merit and need based aid. So if she gets merit, it just knocks down what she gets in need based aid. That is a bit of a simplification, but not much. That said, @happy1, Franklin & Marshall doesn’t give merit if you are looking for it. Is that oboe player someone recent? (F&M stopped merit 4-5 years ago). But maybe they still have some departmental awards, that would be interesting to know.

4

Right, but need based will go way down when D1 graduates in 2020, so would be nice to still have merit then. Skidmore has a music scholarship that is substantial though quite competitive.

5

What about Lawrence University in Wisconsin? Conservatory and college of liberal arts, with lots of kids double-majoring in both music and something else. Merit & need-based aid.

6

If she wants to pursue music she should select schools that keep doors open.

Oberlin
Lawrence
Bard

7

Another vote for Lawrence.

I question the fit of Sewanee based on your description of your daughter.

8

Thanks, @doschicos Lawrence doesn’t seem to have much of a strings emphasis. Please correct me if I’m wrong about that. I don’t know much about Sewanee, would love to know more.

@ClarinetDad16 dual enrollment at Oberlin conservatory and the college is possible, but really tough. Really, she wants a college not a conservatory.

9

I’m not well versed on the ins and outs of Lawrence, but given it has a conservatory, that surprises me.

Other thoughts:
Luther, which like St. Olaf, is a Lutheran school
Bard

Not LACs, but University of Rochester (Eastman) and University of New Hampshire are supposed to have solid music programs.

10

@intparent The student I know of is now a junior at F&M. From what I heard (secondhand information) he auditioned on campus and earned some kind of scholarship – I would imagine from the music department. It wasn’t my child so I don’t know the details. Just thought it might be worth the OP checking into.

11

I’ve heard of a fiddler on the roof, but a swimming violinist? That would be something to see!

Isn’t it a problem if the instrument gets wet?

12

Would the University of Puget Sound be too far from home?

http://www.pugetsound.edu/academics/departments-and-programs/undergraduate/music/for-prospective-students/music-scholarships/

13

Lawrence did have a long-time violin prof retire recently, so depending on when you checked out the school they may have seemed short on violin professors? Here is the current department page.

http://www.lawrence.edu/conservatory/areas_of_study/strings

14

Has she considered Denison? They give money for music that will stack with merit, and swimming is big there.

We are from the midwest and my D is a violist. She auditioned at many Ohio LACs - including Wooster and Denison. The Wooster violin prof was on sabbatical when we were there, but she liked the other music faculty and the scholarships were very generous. Denison has an impressive bluegrass program and there are some great chamber music groups in the Columbus area…

15

I second Luther as has strength both in music and with swimming (has a new pool facility). She is a likely candidate for Luther’s Presidential Scholarship, reducing the college’s list price by $19,000.

16

Bryn Mawr is on your considering list–one thing you might want to know is that music courses for the bi-co (BMC/Haverford consortium) are at Haverford (just down the road). Also, BMC/Haverford students can take classes at Curtis Institute (music conservatory in Philadelphia). Also, BMC students can take classes at UPenn (not as easy to do but it can be done). There are lots of opportunities fir students because of the consortium arrangements. Liberal feminist describes most BMC students.

17

@Violinviolamom Where did your daughter end up going? My older daughter was awarded a music scholarship at Wooster too. Denison is a good suggestion. I think she’s kind of slow for the Denison team, but probably worth checking out.

18

@Earthmama68 My D ended up at Miami of Ohio as a double major - viola performance and pre-medical studies. She started her search thinking she wanted a smaller LAC, but really liked the viola prof at Miami and made multiple visits. Miami gave her very generous merit and music money. Definitely not a conservatory, but the music department was a great fit for her and a double major is very common. Good luck with your search!

19

Tufts sounds like a good fit for those interests (although ACT is low). I too would suggest Denison and Lawrence. Bard is not much on the athletic front, but they seem happy to take kids who can help their teams. Not known for aid, though.

20

Denison and Wooster and Lawrence all good suggestions (my athlete/musician applied and admitted to all 3 with good merit.)

I don’t know how swim times measure up for a competitive D3 program like Denison, but the opportunities for classical and bluegrass (Denison has a Bluegrass concentration for music majors) might appeal to OP’s D2. Denison seems to offer good merit to kids who bring more than one strength to campus, so music and athletics could be good mix. Denison has a balanced student body, across the range of “types.”

Wooster has music scholarship plus regular merit, swimming will be less competitive than at Denison. Another school with balanced student body.

Lawrence has a lot of options for non-Con student, open auditions for all ensembles, private lessons, music minors etc. Also good merit, and the athletics are generally not as intense.